HEALTH: 'My Bodyworks': A Musical Anatomy for Kids

'My Bodyworks': A Musical Anatomy for Kids

I bet the kids in the Sagam community would enjoy this music! Three songs are available at the link and the rest are on a CD that someone would have to buy or donate, which can be done from the same page - to the right.

COMMUNICATIONS: e-NC: a grassroots initiative to encourage all North Carolina citizens to use technology, especially the Internet...

e-NC: a grassroots initiative to encourage all North Carolina citizens to use technology, especially the Internet.....

This map tells part of the story. To the east is the Atlanitc Ocean, and the western part of the state includes the Appalachian mountain chain. Five years ago, an initiative began to bring the power of the internet within reach of ALL people in the state. The page to which this post is linked describes that project and what it has achieved to date. As the Sagam community assesses its internet needs, there may be resources here of value and/or some relationship to be forged. Is there any initiative of this sort in Kenya? In western Kenya? In Nyanza Province?

HEALTH: African Health Officials Face TB Crisis

African Health Officials Face TB Crisis

Note the article's mention of a fivefold increase in TB cases in Kenya. And in Sagam?

DEVELOPMENT: Timbuktu Chronicles

Timbuktu Chronicles

This is another blog which describes its role in these words "A view of Africa and Africans with a focus on entrepreneurship,innovation,technology,practical remedies and other self sustaining activities.".....

HEALTH: Malaria Becomes a Classroom Lesson

Malaria Becomes a Classroom Lesson

How far is this from Sagam? What does the Sagam community think about this initiative?

DEVELOPMENT: NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Eradicating Poverty through Profit

NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - Eradicating Poverty through Profit

This site may be of interest/value to people in the Sagam community. It was launched earlier this year. Here is the "About Us" page.

COMMUNICATIONS: J-Learning: your how-to site for community journalism

J-Learning: your how-to site for community journalism

This site may be valuable to some of the people in the Sagam community involved in the Community Times, as well as this blog.

COMMUNICATIONS: India bypasses the wires to bring Wi-Fi to its remote residents

India bypasses the wires to bring Wi-Fi to its remote residents

How to bring this to Sagam? Here is the website of one of the organizations mentioned in the story.

Living on Earth

Living on Earth

These stories about Wangari MAATHAI may be of interest to the Sagam community. At the linked page, you will have the opportunity to listen to these radio interviews on US public radio.

GR Dream Update: List of orpans at Yaw Pachi Center

The full list of the 60 orphans of the Yaw Pachi Center can be viewed at the GR Dream Child to Child Project blog. The information on the orphans is provided by the treasurer of the Yaw Pachi Women's group, Jane Rogo....

The list provides the name, date of birth and a short bio on each child. The list will be updated regularly to help trace the progress of each child through school and after.

Cellphones Catapult Rural Africa to 21st Century

Cellphones Catapult Rural Africa to 21st Century

This story will appear in tomorrow's The New York Times. If you are interestedin reading it, you must access it in the next week or so, as access is free during that time - free registration required. After that time, the story goes into the paid archives.

How does the content of the story relate to Sagam? Is cellphone service available in Sagam? How much does it cost? Is there competition? If not in Sagam today, are there plans for it to be offered? When? What happens between now and then?

Famine Spreading in Africa's Sahel Region

Famine Spreading in Africa's Sahel Region

People throughout the Sagam community may find this report on the US Public Broadcasting Serivce tonight to be of interest. If you have a fast enough connection, you can also watch the actual broadcast as "streaming video", but here you have the full text.

Overly fond of bottled water

Overly fond of bottled water

This commentary by Economist writer Tom STANDAGE follows a piece he wrote for The New York Times and a book - A History of the World in Six Glasses.

I have already told him a little about Sagam and will send him a link to this post.

If members of the Sagam community have any reactions - given your own bottled water project, please add them below.

Tom also wrote another book - The Victorian Internet - which also has considerable relevance to this blog and electronic communications in and with Sagam.

Inventing Nairobi @ National Geographic Magazine

Inventing Nairobi @ National Geographic Magazine

This is a good story, from the upcoming issue (September) of National Geographic Magazine - focusing on Nairobi.

Views of Africa Zoomify @ National Geographic Magazine

Views of Africa Zoomify @ National Geographic Magazine

This map provides a fabulous view of all of Africa's "human footprint". It allows you get nowhere close to Sagam, but if you know where Sagam is, you can, of course, place it on the map. Seeing the "human imprint" on Kenya and neighboring countries is fascinating.

World Summit Youth Award: Global award for young people’s content

World Summit Youth Award: Global award for young people’s content

Might someone in or from Sagam find this a worthy challenge? Note that the submission deadline is less than a month from now.

e-Billing system launched in Kenya

e-Billing system launched in Kenya

Sagam buys its power from Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC). With the recent establishment of a telephone exchange in Sagam, IT linkage should improve. Can e-Billing work efficiently in rural Africa and save the villagers some travel expenses when paying electricity bills?

Increase in telecommunication access in rural Africa

Increase in telecommunication access in rural Africa

This article reports on a telecommunications project in Uganda. Is the concept of a "village phone operator" something that has been considered in Sagam? Implemented? Considered and rejected?

Who are the providers of all the telephone service available in Sagam? How many phones/phone lines are there in the village? What is the plan to increase this number?

A Quick visit to Rabuor-Sinaga Area, home of this website

The Sagam village website presents daily activities that affect the lives of a people residing in an area in Siaya District, Nyanza Province in western Kenya. The area lies between the City of Kisumu on Lake Victoria and the Kenya/Uganda border. You can therefore easily access Sagam from Nairobi via Kisumu or even from Kampala by road through the border town of Busia. The area consists of four villages, Rabuor Ahono, Sagam , Mundhine and Sinaga. They all work together under the auspices of Rabuor-Sinaga Area Development Trust (RSA-DT).

The Chair of RSA-DT is Mr Ambrose Rachier, one of Kenya's most a prominent lawyers. Engineer Okello Rogo is the Secretary. He is the former Chief Engineer of Kenya Ports Authority and has since retired at home. The village branch of RSA-DT is Chaired by Eric Aweyo, a retired agriculturalist and tea expert. Mrs Mary Asiko is the Secretary. Mama Mary, as she is fondly known, has also retired in the village and currently runs the successful bottled water project, apart from other accomplishments. The runaway success of the village water program owes allot to her leadership of the Water Committee during the formative difficult years.

The Maseno-Luanda road shown in the map, is part of the trans-Africa road from Kisumu to Kampala via Busia. The Equator crosses at Maseno where the Maseno University main campus is located. There is a smaller satellite campus in Kisumu City. From Kisumu (400 Km from Nairobi, 5 hr drive or 1 hr flight), we travel 40 Km by road to Luanda where we branch on the right towards Siaya.

The first market place after Luanda is Rabuor (4 Km), which sits on the border between Western an Nyanza Provinces. This is also the entry into Siaya District and Rabuor-Sinaga area. Down the road from Rabour (5 Km) we pass through Sagam village to Sinaga which also borders Yala river and marks the lower, eastern margin of our area. On the right from Rabuor is Ahono area which stretches towards Yala, our Divisional Hq. From Sagam, you climb to the left for 3 Km to Mundhine village where the new Polytechnic is being constructed.

In terms of institutions and facilities, Rabuor is the highest elevation and site of our main water reservoir. From there, water is gravitationally piped to all the other villages and to secondary reservoirs and water sales kiosk along the road. The Spring water source is however in Ahono from where it is first collected in large underground tanks then pumped by electricity to Rabuor. Not surprisingly, water bottling plant is located in Ahono.

Rabuor/Ahono village is the biggest and has several churches, Ahono Primary School and Marenyo Heath Center. The Area Chief's office is situated next to the Health Center in Marenyo.

Sagam is the most centrally placed but the smallest of the villages. In it are is the local shopping center called Simbi, Sagam Community Hospital, Sagam Primary and Sagam Mixed Day Secondary Schools. There are several churches (Nomiya Luo Mission and St. Stephens Anglican Church) and a mosque. A community library is planned for 2005/06. The RSA Community microfinance Bank is located at Simbi Shopping Center.

Sinaga village lies further along the road and is home to the Police Post (community constructed), Sinaga Primary School and the well established Sinaga Girls High School. This is boarding school for 400 girls. St Andrews Anglican church is located in a valley by the roadside in Sinaga.

Mundhine village is the most difficult to access as it is up hill and has very poor rocky roads. It is home to Mundhine Primary School, Mundhine Dispensary and will soon be home to the Village Polytechnic.

Electricity and water is available in all the villages. Home based care for HIV/AIDS patients is provided in all the villages through a network of community based workers under supervision of the Matron Salome Sumba of Sagam Community Hospital. Each village has an orphan care program and women's activity group, all organized under the bigger umbrella of Rabuor-Sinaga Area Development Trust. The total population of the area is estimated to be about 15,000.

African web projects eligible for RFI award

African web projects eligible for RFI award

There are many opportunities for innovation and excellence to be rewarded! FYI, in French, more of the details.

Awards, Fellowships, Grants & Scholarships

Awards, Fellowships, Grants & Scholarships

Some of the awards and other programs listed here may be of interest to people in the greater Sagam community.

Porcupines raise thorny questions in Kenya

Porcupines raise thorny questions in Kenya

This BBC story reports on an "invasion" of porcupines in Kiamba district. Hopefully, these creatures are not posing a problem as far west as Sagam!

For everyone interested in this Sagam project, take a look at what the BBC includes on this page - the reactions to it from people all over the world, following the initial broadcast. When someone in Sagam has a question to pose to others, this is a great model for how much response one can anticipate....at least from a BBC broadcast!