Helping young Kenyans survive and thrive in Kisumu

Our carpentry workshop gives disadvantaged youngsters who for a variety of reasons have failed elsewhere a chance to learn a valuable trade to earn money for themselves and their families. Last year was a particularly difficult year due to the illness and sad death of Lucy, the wife of Paul (centre manager and chief instructor). The workshop was sustained by help from friends, helpers, past trainees, and some small financial help from HATW.

The year ended with a Xmas party funded by HATW for the current and some former trainees. 2019 starts optimistically with a new, we hope more proactive, Board of Trustees and with some new trainees. We hope that with their help the workshop will be self-sustaining or largely so by the end of 2020.

Kevin and Godfrey (pictured below) are new trainees. Kevin is very enthusiastic and seems to have a keen interest in finding out how to use new machines and has a knack for problem solving. An initial problem for him was that he spoke little English or Luo, the languages used for instruction. As with many Africans the problem was not insurmountable, you just have to listen and learn a new language!

Samson (pictured above), was at the workshop before but left unexpectedly. Now he is back but that was only possible because Paul is providing him accommodation at Paluoc. He will live in the storage area next door to where Stephen, another trainee, currently lives. Let’s hope that that works out well. When asked what type of music they liked for the workshop most of the lads came up with South African rappers etc, Samson’s preference was for church choirs.

A couple of the more experienced trainees are allowed to work independently in the upstairs area. Whilst Paul was away they were also able to help the newer trainees a little.

The photos below show some of the varied activities that go on at the workshop, some for cash and some for training purposes.

The work of the workshop has been seriously affected over recent months by the untimely illness and death of Paul’s wife, Lucy. She was one of the founders of Paluoc and a driving force behind its development. She sadly died of cancer in July this year. The picture above shows Lucy cheerful and full of life, taken in March this year, at the workshop with Paul and their eldest son Graham.

The workshop was kept operational thanks to the help from Gabriel who helps usually on a part-time ad hoc basis.

The plans for the next few months are to:

1. Train the two new students and prepare them well for a government test to be taken at the end of the year 2018.

2. Obtain paid work for generating income for the centre and motivating and retaining the trainees. Paul had sought and obtained such work but it was delayed from August to October due to his absence during Lucy’s illness.

The new trainees need a place to stay because they say they cannot operate from their current abodes because they fear that their hosts won’t support their bid to learn. Paul is thinking about the possibility of housing them in one of the unoccupied iron sheet rooms but only after a proper background check.

The cost of training materials has increased sharply due the hard economic times being experienced in Kenya. The cost of lunch, electricity, and water has also increased.

Kennedy, an existing trainee, is working on obtained work to help fund himself and the workshop. He is hoping to be able to qualify at a high enough level to enable him to be able to marry sometime in the foreseeable future.

Paul is going to have his hands full looking after the workshop and 3 school age children but some family help is available. We wish them all well as they try to get back on with their lives and seek to continue the successful work of the workshop. There are still plenty of local youngsters who can benefit from the training and nurturing of the workshop.