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January 22, 2007 - Mombasa - Kenya

by Trudy Armstrong

Today we begin our last full day in Africa. It is hard to believe that this incredible journey is coming to a close. Early this morning we meet Shakila Mamujee at Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Centre. This is a project for the physically Disabled of Kenya.

Founded in1969, the project trains and employs over 150 people with disabilities in the production of handicrafts and related business skills. The cultural center located on site, portrays the Kenyan way of life as it existed in the past and continues to exist in the rural villages that we have visited on our trip. All the handicrafts sold to visitors are made on site by the talented artisans that reside at Bombolulu. This project allows the residents to develop their full potential. Shakila is the current chair of this project.

After touring the cultural center and the different workshops such as the leather shop, the textile, and woodcarving shops to watch these gifted artisans at work, we head for the showroom where their high quality products are sold. We are told that we only have 5 minutes and with a collective groan we realize there is no way we can shop in 5 minutes and it is quickly decided that we will return later in the day Shakila takes us to the Kengeleni School. She wants to Philippe to see the school that theMombasa Rotary Club has worked hard to build this school facility. When Philippe was last in Mombasa there was no building. It was basically on a dump site. After this visit Shakila must leave us and we head for the Mombasa Club to pick up Rotarians Karim Kudrati, Gaffur Pasta and PDG Hamid Aboo. We then leave for the ferry. As the driver drives the van on to the ferry, we watch the hundreds of residents also load onto the ferry to go to Mombasa Island and the South Coast. The first stop is Likoni Furniture shop, another project of the Association for the Physically Disabled. This factory is where the desks were made that were given to the Takangu School on Sunday. Likoni Quality Furniture is a well renowned name in Kenya in the art of exclusive furniture making. It fame spans from the time of its inception in 1971. Talented physically challenged workers use their skill to make furniture using locally available timber. The newest is Coconut wood. It is quite evident that their physical disabilities do not hinder their artistic talents, It is evident in the quality of the finished items. Over 20 hotels at the coast of Kenya have purchased their furniture.

We then leave to visit 2 wells that have been recently refurbished with hand pumps, one was originally a project with Valley Center Club and one, a project with the Poway Club. The well that was originally done with Poway had had a small breakdown the evening before, but had been fixed earlier in the morning. The women of the village greet us with great ceremony. The women sing, dance and thank us. It is extremely touching to be a part of an experience such as this and it is almost impossible to describe the emotion of the event.

We have now seen the projects for the day, the local Rotarians must return to work and we head back to Bomboluu to shop!!

After a shopping and a quick couple of minutes to change clothes, we are treated to a catamaran ride by Musti and Shakila. Well actually it is a wooden outrigger. We sail until sunset in the Indian Ocean along the beautiful shoreline of Mombasa. It is a very special afternoon and is followed by a farewell dinner hosted by Hamid and Memuna Aboo. Memuna does all of the cooking. What an incredible feast we are treated to. So with this delicious food and dozens of new friends we end another utterly fantastic day in East Africa.