We are currently working in Kenya in three different schools that are facing different challenges and problems. The new semester started in all three schools on 03 July 2023.
REHOBOTH SCHOOL
Since the beginning of 2023 we have been supporting the Rehoboth School. This school is located in Kitengela Noonkopir, the largest slum in the Kajiado District, right next to a dumping site, the “workplace” of many of the students’ parents. The school was founded by Jane Gitonga, a mother of five, in 2014 with the aim of giving poor children from the area the opportunity to attend school. Rehoboth is a public school and unlike Europe, in Kenya public schools are for the poorest of the poor as they do not have to pay school fees. The stories of the students are similar and are mostly of sexual and domestic violence, HIV, and abject poverty. Before Covid, the school had about 170 students, most of whom were financed through sponsorships. One consequence of the pandemic is that the school lost many its sponsors. As a result, teachers’ salaries could no longer be guaranteed, and some left the school. A considerable rent arrears accumulated, and the landlord was already threatening to kick them out. The number of students had dropped to 90 as the school had to ask for support from parents who could not afford it. In this emergency, the WeCare Association decided to take over the school’s fixed costs as of January 2023. The children now receive three meals a day, 7 days a week. In the last month alone, 20 new students joined the school, and the total number of students is now 170 again. The number of daily cases of illness has decreased due to the improved nutritional situation of the children. Since there is no caning in this school (a practice that is officially banned in Kenya but is nevertheless common in many schools), the children like to come to school because they not only get food there but also have a haven. As the pupils are also provided with school materials and uniforms due to our donation, the cooperation with the parents has improved massively. The motivation of the teachers has increased, as they no longer must fear waiting for months for their salaries. It was also possible to increase the number of teachers from seven to eleven, which has a direct impact on the quality of teaching and all school subjects can now be taught.
New kids at Rehoboth SchoolNew desks at RehobothChildren are sometimes very tiredTeachers’ conference at Rehoboth School
Iloshon
We visited Iloshon four times in the first semester of 2023, but in April 2023 the visit ended halfway due to a closed road. The “normal” road, on which we have also visited the school in Iloshon several times, had been closed by the landowner due to disputes with the local population. This had a dramatic effect on the primary school in Iloshon, which is attended by 430 pupils. The teachers did not come to school, the pupils also had problems in some cases and of course our aid delivery also had to be picked up halfway by the pupils, as the alternative route was not passable. We contacted the local authorities, but unfortunately the mills grind very slowly in Kenya. The government is working on finalising the new route. Just for understanding: It is not about road construction in our sense, but the roughest stones are being removed to create a “road”. In addition, Iloshon has a new school headmaster named Mr. James. According to Agnes Gitonga, he is an older Masai, but very open. He has promised to motivate parents in terms of having their girls attend the Nasaru Learning Centre. We also organized and carried out the long-needed renovation of the drainage pipes and connection of the washbasins in the “bathrooms” of Nasaru through the vice-director Purity. This was urgently needed as the drainage pipes in the outdoor toilets had holes in them, causing a massive health problem. There is also good news from the sewing studio: the sewing teacher Lilian has managed to sell some bags. We are not sure if these sales were profitable. But it is a very good start. However, Lilian is currently pregnant again and will soon stop working. We will try to find an acceptable interim solution.
WeCare-Girls IloshonThe alternative route is not alwas accessibleVisit in the classroomAgnes visiting with Purity and former head teacher PaulAgnes with new head teacher James
Mperrishi
We visited Mperrishi four times in the first half of 2023. According to the budget, only three visits were planned for this period, but we were able to win a sponsor for an additional 10 girls from Mperrishi. The donation now covers the higher frequency of visits that has become necessary as a result, which will of course also benefit the girls already supported. There has also been a change in the school management in Mperrishi: Mr. Immanuel has been replaced by Mr. Reuben. In addition, the number of teachers has been increased to a total of 9, which will have a positive effect on the learning success of the students. Another positive development is the arrival of a young Masai teacher named Charity, who can act as a role model for the girls.
Reuben – new head teacher of MperrishiThe complete faculty of Mperrishi Primary SchoolThe new role model and teacher Charity surrounded by “her” girls
You can download the entire Half Year Report 2023 here:
Generous donation enables purchase of bicycles for disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
For years, ngo avec and the WeCare Association have been working closely together. For some time now, go avec has been running a school project in two schools in Battambang. These two schools are regularly visited by representatives of ngo avec, who then distribute relief supplies to the parents of the supported children, who are also present. The goal is to create an additional incentive for the parents to send their children to school regularly. This project is very successful, and the author of this article has been present on site several times during the distribution of the supplies.
At the end of 2021, the WeCare Association received a generous donation from the Diethelm Foundation and, in consultation with Theavy Bun and Patrik Roux, we agreed to provide some of the children supported by the school project with additional bicycles. The school project supports a total of 100 families, but Theavy Bun decided to give bicycles only to those students who regularly attend school and work hard there.
This resulted in a need for 77 bicycles plus 12 bicycles needed for the children of the Safe House in Battambang. Furthermore, all 89 bicycles were equipped with locks. In addition, 2 mopeds were purchased for two older girls from the Safe House who are already attending university.
Nowadays, a bicycle is not necessarily something special for children in Switzerland. Not so in a third world country like Cambodia. What does a bicycle mean for a Cambodian child?
The child gets to school faster.
In Cambodia, a bicycle is not only a means of transportation for a child, but it can also be used to take a brother/sister or another child from the same village to school.
The recipients of the bicycles have a low absenteeism rate. This makes them role models for the other children, who hopefully produce fewer absences as a result.
Owning a bike also makes it easier for these children to attend the additional English and computer training offered by ngo avec. The training center on the grounds of the ngo avec is very remote and can only be reached on foot, by bicycle or by car. There is no public transportation there.
The bicycles then allow the students to later attend a secondary school in Battambang, which is also not accessible by foot because they are too far away and no, there is no public transportation there either.
Having a bicycle in the family benefits the whole family. For example, the mother can use it to go to the market or to town to do shopping or to get medicine for a sick family member. Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not.
Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not. The official handover took place in the presence of parents and local political celebrities on the premises of the ngo avec in a ceremonial act.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dietrich Foundation once again for their generous donation. Without this contribution, the implementation of this project would not have been possible.
After two years we were able to return to Kenya in October 2021 to visit our ongoing projects. As the Swiss direct flight is not available yet, we flew via Frankfort to Nairobi. After a quiet night at the airport hotel we, which is my dear friend Marcia and I, were picked up by Agnes Gitonga and her brother James.
Rehoboth Learning Center for Kings & Queens at Noonkopir
We went directly to the local mall in Kitengela to buy basics for the students of the Rehoboth Centre and the Mpirrishi Primary school. On our shopping list there were apples, cookies, hulo hoop, skipping ropes, sugar, salt, cooking oil, sanitary pads, and soap. Then we went straight to the Rehoboth Learning Centre for Kings & Queens in Noonkopir, one of the slums of Kitengela. This is a private school but contrary to as is the case in Europe, Kenyan private schools are meant for the poorest kids whose parents cannot afford to send them to a public school. There we received a warm welcome with a variety of performances by all grades.
The Rehoboth Learning Centre is a particularly good example of how effective outside help can be. The “teachers’ room» features a board with a set of rules and regulations which are internalized by the students. Teachers refrain from beating the students which is still very widespread and common in these schools.
Four generation of power women
The school for currently 160 students has extremely limited space and resources available but boasts an overall positive and amical atmosphere. As the Kenyan government has changed its curriculum in the meantime, we have donated once again schoolbooks for the school.
Mpirrishi Primary School
On the next morning we left Kitengela to visit Mpirrishi Primary School in Oltepesi. The “mere” 104 km required a travelling time of three hours as in particular the last 30 km do not necessarily qualify to our definition of a road and at some point, we even asked ourselves whether we would manage to arrive there at all. And it was not even rainy season! The only means of transport available for people in this area is a so called Picky Picky Boy, a motorbike taxi, which could take them to the next dispensary. The price for a round trip is about 12.000 KES (about 120$). To put this price into perspective: a cook at the school earns around 60 $ a month. What this really means in an emergency we should learn later in the day. Agnes and her daughter Karen have been to Mpirrishi a couple of times before our visit to fight against the illegal but still practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). Their work was only possible thanks to the support and openness of the local principal, Manuel. The aim of our visit was to get an idea of the parents’ attitude towards this delicate topic and to meet the girls who had undergone FGM at the end of 2020 and who we are supporting. Little did we know as we witnessed an incredible performance. In front of the parents, the village elders, the teachers and the students, this group of girls prepared for their performance. One of the girls started to put on a pair of plastic gloves which took my breath away. I moved closer and started filming and yes: These incredibly brave girls performed the act which had traumatized them only a couple of months ago, their mutilation. This is one of the most intense experiences I have lived, ever, and not just I, but Marcia, Agnes, and her daughter as well. We all had tears in our eyes.
We had planned a private meeting with those girls following the end of the “official” part of our visit. On the way there, Agnes pointed out the “circumciser», an elder woman who makes her living buy performing FGM. Even this woman was obviously touched by the girls’ performance, and she promised to put down her razor. To make her promise become true, we will have to provide her with another source of income. Suddenly, an excited Marcia pointed out a little girl who had hurt her wrist about two weeks ago whilst playing. The girl’s arm was tightly bandaged with a cloth and her hand was extremely swollen. After a lengthy discussion with the mother, we managed to convince her to take off the bandage and to accept our offer to have her taken to the next dispensary with our driver. This was the moment I realized how far reaching the consequences of FGM really are: It is the reason for illiteracy. If the little girl had not been taken to the dispensary, she would have likely lost her hand which, consequently, would have been interpreted as her being possessed by evil spirits.
Girl with hand injury
Picky Picky Boy takes the entire family to the dispensary
Much better after a couple of days
On the way to our meeting with the girls, we bumped into two 23years old women, each of them mother of four children, whom Agnes had identified as potential FGM victims. Spontaneously, we invited them to our meeting. The message of the girls was unanimous: Had they known what happened to them they would have never agreed, and they were all willing to do anything in their power to save their sisters and other girls and young women from this horrible procedure. Some of the girls are extremely traumatized and could not even talk about what had happened to them.
The two potential victims were listening carefully and incredulously. When asked about their motif to undergo FGM they both answered that they wanted to be “real” women. They were put under pressure by the husband and mother-in-law as well as by the midwife, who very often happens to be the circumciser, who threatened not to help her with future births. They did not show any comprehension for us reasoning that by bearing four children they already had proven their “being a real woman.” We do hope that these two young women will not succumb to the pressure of people around them. We left Mpirrishi with mixed feelings. The positive attitude of the teachers and the village chairmen make us hope that this community will refrain from FGM in the future. But this will be an exceptionally long and winding road as there is a total lack of local infrastructure.
After four hours’ drive it was already night when we arrived back in Kitengela.
Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center
Next on our list was the visit of our project “Nasaru Learning Centre for Masai Girls” in Iloshon for the next day. Before Kitengela, we made another visit to the Kitengela Mall where we shopped – once again – for basics such as soap, detergent, sugar, salt, oil, sanitary pads, and toilet paper. As we planned to spend the night there, we also bought mattresses, which were safely stored on the roof of the car. Packed to capacity we started our way to Iloshon and noticed that the quality of the dust road – at least to Kudu Hills Project – hat improved significantly – or was it our lowered expectations?
Anyhow, shortly before arrival at destination our car broke down and we were lucky enough that the head teacher Paul and Geoffrey, the constructor who is building the fence around Nasaru, came to our rescue.
Paul, the headteacher and Paul, the builder (whose name actually is not Paul)
Unfortunately, the ongoing drought has taken its toll and many parents cannot or do not want to pay for the boarding of their girls. The price for cattle has dropped and the parents are lacking money for food and water. This was also one of the reasons why we had asked Geoffrey, who as constructor gets to different villages, already one year ago to identify twenty-five girls who are even worse off than others, to be sponsored by WeCare to board and thus to finish their education. We have discussed the reason for the parents’ reluctance with all people involved, the teachers, the cook, the matron, and the watchman. The fee structure has been named as the main reason and we discussed this with the head teacher. Eventually, we reached a compromise to lower the fee for the parents. We also pointed out that it is also the teachers’ responsibility to promote the boarding among the parents and thus convincing them about the importance of school education. Finally, we had some time with the girls, and we checked the presence of all the girls supported by us. Except for one sick student, all the students were present. We were surprised to discover that – except for few students – most of the girls did not know their birthday or at least their birth year. The following rope skipping competition was an enjoyable break for all.
After having had a meeting with the personal in our “bedroom” far beyond 10:00 pm, we were incredibly surprised and above all tired when were awoken at 04:30 am as the girls got up with a lot of noise. The following day we toured all grades and distributed pencils, pens, and exercise books to all 450 students.
Unfortunately, our too short stay has ended and it would have been nice to have more time to spend with the girls and to interact with them directly. Agnes had only identified potential victims of FGM as «designated girls” have filed down lower incisors. On our way back we made a little detour and Agnes pointed out a piece of land which she had rented thanks to WeCare-Association’s last year’s feeding program and which now provides the students of the Rehoboth Learning Centre with vegetables.
A small water reservoir next to tthe field
The bottom line of our visit to Kenya: Corona has worsened the situation for the poorest people and there is so much to do. So, let us do this: We are looking for godparents for our girls to make sure that these girls will be able to finish school and will be offered the opportunity for further education beyond primary school. As godfather/godmother of a girl, you will have the chance to establish a relationship with the girl and to follow up on her development. There will be progress reports three times a year, a Christmas letter written by the girl, the annual activity report of WeCare-Association as well as a small gift handmade with love in our workshop in Cambodia. More information will follow soon on our website: www.wecare-association.ch as well as on social media Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wecareassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WeCareAssociation). We are grateful for very tiring and intensive day which touched and motivated us. We have met wonderful people who deserve a better future. “Education is life.” Only now do I understand the real meaning of this catch phrase.
After more than 24 hours of travel, I arrived in Battambang on February 4th, 2020, tired but well. After a short rest at the hotel, I was picked up by Patrik Roux and we drove straight to the safe house, where I immediately started working with the seamstresses in the workshop. Dara is very pregnant and her baby (probably a boy) is due at the end of February.
The mammoth task ahead of us is to transform Esther Enkelmann’s generous fabric donation into different styles for our upcycling project. Since we had already defined the production of an upcycling coat before my trip via Skype, I was able to inspect the first finished model upon my arrival and we spontaneously decided to make a matching bag as well. My godchild, Heidi, had to quickly jump in to be our model for the bag.
After dinner in the safe house, it was my honor to share some news with the kids. Patrik and Theavy had not yet told them about our planned trip to Siam Reap. The children were absolutely thrilled and loudly expressed their overwhelming joyfulness about this very welcome change.
The next morning, Theavy and I went shopping in the various markets. We found two pretty green patterned fabrics and Vichy patterns in different colors. Unfortunately, the availability of fabrics remains an unsolved problem. We are staying tuned! At the market, we visited a young girl from the safe house who successfully completed the tailor training and is now working for a seamstress, as well as another graduate who runs her own business. As her sister sat pregnant on the floor and ironed, the owner’s little son crawled all around the floor. I wasn’t very comfortable watching!
Kimlai
Afterwards we got some local specialties like water cockroaches and silkworms (!!), tamarind and fish cooked in banana leaves. We also bought noodle soup-to-go from a woman with a mobile food stall. We then went to a grocery store specializing in foreign products, where we bought butter, flour, sugar and cocoa powder since we wanted to bake cakes and cookies together for the children.
Noodle soup to-go
A different form of protein
The kids loves this kind of protein
The next thing on our to-do list was to take a look at a booth which sells sugar cane juice as we needed some inspiration for the a project in Kenya.
Energy supply
Plastic orgy
Chrabcrosang Elementary School was on our list for the next morning. The hardworking assistants, Soklida, Saya and Thida, together with some of the girls had already loaded the small truck with approx. 100 kg rice, 600 soy bottles, 600 fish sauce bottles, 100 water bottles, 200 soaps, 100 uniforms, 100 packs of noodle soup, 100 bags and 100 packaged school materials. All of the bags and the uniforms were made in the safe house tailors’ workshop. In fact, the children’s uniforms were custom-made as the studio keeps a file with all of the children’s measurements. The decrepit and rickety small truck brought us to Chrabcrosang Elementary School, very close to the safe house. In this school, the NGO avec looks after 100 children from the poorest backgrounds. These visits, which take place every two months, are focused on preventing absences from school and motivating parents and students to attend school. Therefore, one parent or relative must also be present during the visit. The children sit in neat rows on the floor, sorted by class, and their relatives sit beside them. Theavy checks the absence lists and the students with the most days have to step forward with their relatives and justify their absences. A complex but also very effective process. In the end, the relief supplies are distributed. There are also school supplies for the entire school and small monetary gifts for the teachers.
Dream team from avec
Rice for the parents
Unloading
In the afternoon, I was able to take a look behind the scenes when we visited some of the families of these students in their own homes. One mother had a completely swollen foot. It was green and her toes were discolored. The injury was already three weeks old. Despite severe pain, she could no longer go to the hospital because after two weeks it is no longer considered an emergency and she cannot afford regular treatment. This woman has a total of five daughters, with the oldest being an accounting student. She does not know how she will finance her daughters’ education, so it is quite likely that the eldest daughter will soon have to drop out of school and go to Thailand to earn money for the family. All of the houses are extremely fragile and in poor condition. The house of one grandmother, who takes care of her granddaughter since both parents work in Thailand, is in particularly bad condition. But she seems very satisfied and content. Just watching the silent agreement between grandma and granddaughter was very moving. The puppies crawling around and wagging their tails added to this positive impression.
We then entered hell in the front courtyard. Several families live on the site of a garbage company, which stores their large equipment as well as garbage here. A fish is hung up to dry at the entrance gate and there is a strong smell of garbage everywhere. Patrik ventured a little further into the interior of the dwellings and said that there was an overpowering, terrible smell which he could not identify but was sure was unhealthy, if not toxic. This visit left me shocked and speechless because the surrounding area was so much worse that what we had seen previously. The children, however, played happily and everyone happily posed for photos together. No one should have to live in such conditions!
Our next project was called “We bake cookies and cakes”. I naively assumed that it was an easy thing. Not even close! I hadn’t counted on the Cambodian stove. It was an older gas stove, which you could see. Of course, the furnace also had no temperature display and so we simply put it on high. We had already got the missing ingredients the day before and so I happily went to work. Another major challenge, especially when dealing with ingredients such as butter and chocolate, is the temperature, which is well above 30 ° C. The butter melted within a very short time and the chocolate soon melted as well. After Theavy and I got the cookies ready for baking, the moment of truth came: Usually, i.e. in my Swiss oven, the cookies have a baking time of 15 minutes. Well, in Cambodia it was 45 minutes … The next almond ring cake was partially a victim of the oven. Although I had put it on the lowest level and left it inside twice as long as in Switzerland, I failed to turn the mold … which led to a partially charred result. We then cut the burnt part out, which Patrik claimed was still edible…. With the second cake, I knew better. I positioned it in the middle of the gas oven and turned it several times. The result was a visually more appealing and, above all, completely edible cake.
Theavy and Patrik had decided to make educational use of the weekend trip to Siam Reap and announced that on Friday evening, the names of the children that were allowed to go with us would be announced. Over the course of the whole week, the children had been mulling over whether they would be allowed to ride or not, sometimes even packing their things. S. and M., 6 and 8 years old, had even expressed their concerns at the table every day about whether we would take them because they did not always brush their teeth. Theavy had drawn up a list of the names of vulnerable children that she was willing to take with her, but she expressed her dissatisfaction with certain behaviors and announced that she would hold one-on-one meetings the week after. In the end, only one boy fell through the grate: Unfortunately, he always stands out due to his aggressive behavior, and he has also injured other children. I felt sorry for the little boy and tried to put in a good word for him – to no avail. Patrik and Theavy insisted on the need to set an example of him, especially towards the other children, and not because they were convinced that this would change the boy’s behavior. In view of the fact that they are raising 35 children, I had to accept their decision, albeit with a heavy heart.
The excitement the next morning couldn’t have been greater at the safe house. The bus was already ready to leave. The majority of the children had boarded the bus and those who feel usually sick when driving had to find a place on the back of the pickup truck. Cambodian pragmatism!
More than three hours later, we reached Siam Reap where we went to a simple but clean place for lunch. The children spent the afternoon at the hotel pool. In the evening we went to a so-called Apsara restaurant, i.e. a huge restaurant for tourists with Apsara shows and a buffet. The restaurant was almost completely empty, as Siam Reap also lacks the large number of Chinese tour groups that are not granted travel permits due to the corona virus. One man’s joy is another man’s sorrow! Theavy was able to negotiate a very good price … especially for the smallest children. Patrik said with a smile that they had no idea how much the small children in particular could eat. This prophecy also came true and resulted in the smallest girls breaking the greatest records in eating ice cream: 10, 7 and 6 pops!!! I was already aware that with 35 children, you have to exercise a different form of discipline than you so with only two. And yet I was so impressed by the exceptionally good behavior of the children: not only was the noise level in the hotel kept within limits, the children thanked us for each meal individually and the adults looked after the children in an exemplary manner, e.g. all small children were each designated to an older child and the two then walked hand in hand and there was no hint of a problem with this. While I was having a glass of wine at the pool with Patrik, a huge surprise awaited me: Some of the older girls handed me some presents that they had made for me. It was sooo touching … The next morning we first went to Angkor Wat and then to Bayon Temple. Again, I was amazed by the children’s incredible discipline.
Since I had several pieces of the Femmes des Rizières collection with us, we decided to combine the Sunday trip to the temples with a photo shoot for Femmes des Rizières. I had distributed the clothes the night before. It was so great to see how committed and eager the girls and young women were to preparing for the photos, posing and taking the pictures!
Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye. It was wonderful! We all had a wonderful time together and not only the children have wonderful memories – but I do too!
Note: We had discussed in advance whether it would make more sense, for example, to buy a small motorcycle for one of the older girls rather than to go on this excursion. In the end, I decided that we would make the trip. These children all have such terrible backgrounds and we wanted to create some positive childhood memories. Of course, there was a trace of selfishness on my part when taking the decision. In any case, the memories of this trip with live on in everyone’s minds for a long time. The expenses for the excursion were privately covered!
As we are about to launch the social label Femmes des rizières pretty soon, we would like to take the opportunity to get to know those Femmes des Rizières – the women of the rice fields, whom we had in mind when creating the brand name.
Sophan is a young Cambodian woman 25 years of age. She has been living in the Safe House since 2010 together with her two younger sisters. They share a room with 14 other girls and on a typical day she gets up between 05:00 and 05:30 o’clock as they have to do some homework with the younger children before they go to school. Sophan graduated from high school 4 years ago and right now she is already in her third year as a student at the university of Battambang with her major being management. She also benefits from the computer courses offered in the Safe House and is attending them in the morning and in the afternoon. Moreover, she teaches English at the Safe House to the younger children and she enjoys this a lot. During her lessons she tries to teach the children in a playful way and so they sing, dance and also play games – in English! On the weekends she has to continue her English studies at least for two hours. In her spare time she likes to ride the bike to the rice fields together with her friends from the Safe House or to just hang out with her friends. She is a very talented photographer and an avid reader. She also likes to play Volleyball. Her younger sister is 22 years old and is also already studying at the university with her major being English. She has also taken up teaching English at the Safe House. Her youngest sister, who is a little bit shy, is still in high school and she loves drawing and dancing. They have changed a lot since they arrived at the Safe House a couple of years ago and they have turned into very lovely, intelligent and well educated young women who are striving towards a bright future.
Since August 2017 the Masai Farm in Olpirikata, Kenia is up and running and already after five months it has turned autonomous and the ten men working on the farm can be paid with proceeds of the milk sale.
Chicken are also raised on the farm and this connects to one of our future projects, which we will present soon. On the occasion of the upcoming easter celebrations, we have collected a couple of facts about eggs.
Happy reading!
How many eggs does a chicken lay ?
A hen lays approximately up to 280 eggs a year. The amount may vary due to the breed and age of a chicken as well as their feed and environment. They do not lay eggs during the molting season which is when they shed their old old feathers and grow new feathers.
What determines the color of egg shells?
The color of a hen’s egg shells is determined genetically and is not influenced by the feathers or the feed – actually it is determined by their ears. Or more precisely , the color of a hen’s egg shells is determined by the color of the patches where their earlobe would be. Hens with white patches lay white eggs and hens with red patches produce brown eggs. Moreover, there are some breeds known for blue or green eggs. These breeds also have red patches.
The different colors of egg shells come from the storage of color pigments in the egg shell which is made of calcium carbonate, a crystal white in color. Consequently, white eggs do not have any pigment in their shell.1) The blue-green color of eggs shells, named oocyan, is considered to consist, in part, of the bile pigment biliverdin. 2)
The color of the eggs is established in the egg gland of the hen where color pigments produced priorily as a side product of blood and bile (where they are stored) are being brought to the calcium shell. If all color pigments come together the color of the egg shell will be brown. If a hen lacks the gene for color production her eggs will be white.
The color of an egg shell, however, does not influence the taste or the nutritional value of an egg. Feeding, environment and genetics are responsable for these characteristics.
Why is the egg not round?
A raw egg is not as fragile as it appears. Even though the egg shell measures only 0.4 mm in thickness, it is almost impossible to break an egg kept upright between the fingers of a hand and even when it is lying flat it is almost impossible to break it with the fingers. The explanation for this resistence can be found in its curved shape, which evenly distributes the pressure applied on one spot over the curve. And of course, the egg has to resist the weight of the hatching hen.
The stability of the curved form also applies to a spherical form. The reason why nature opted for a different packing design is the different rolling pattern once an egg falls out of nest – a spherical shaped egg would roll away much easier than a normal shaped egg. 3) This can be tried out easily: Put a ball and an egg on a table and push them. The ball will roll much longer and maybe even fall off the table whereas the egg will make a curve and roll in a much more irregular way.
What is the nutritional value of an egg?
Eggs are among the most precious animal foods. The biological valence of eggs is higher than that of fish, meat and milk. The egg protein helps the human body to develop important proteins for different body functions and furthermore provides energy and is essential for the composition of muscles.
The yolk is rich in vitamins (A, D, K, B12), protein, calcium, iron as well as fat and cholesterol. The yolk represents on average 42% of an egg’s weight.
An egg white is made mainly of a protein called albumen, and also contains niacin (vitamin B3), riboflavin (vitamin B2), chlorine, magnesium, potassium, sodium and sulfur, according to the Iowa Egg Council, an industry group. The white contains about 58 percent of an egg’s protein.
The so called chalazae are two spiral bands of tissue that suspend the yolk in the center of white and thus prevent the yolk’s attaching to the shell. Fresh eggs show a higher viscosity of the egg white compared to older eggs. The egg white represents on average 58% of the weight of an egg. 5)
The Egg Anatomy of the University of Kentucky Source: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/09/hatch-along-with-chicken-chick-part-3/egg-anatomy-from-univ-of-kentucky/
How long do eggs last?
Fresh eggs have a minimum shelf life of 28 days after laying. But even after the expiry date they sometimes stay fresh past that date and they do not have to be tossed yet. Old eggs should be heated to at least 70 degrees centigrade to make them safe for consumption.
How to test the freshness of eggs:
The water and bowl test
Place the eggs in a bowl of water. If the egg lays on its side at the bottom, it is still quite fresh. If the egg stands upright on the bottom, it is still fine to eat, but should be eaten very soon, or hard-boiled. If the egg floats to the top, it is past its prime, and not good for eating.
The cracked egg and plate test
The yolk of a fresh egg will have a round and compact appearance and it will sit positioned quite high up in the middle of the egg. The white that surrounds it will be thick and stay close to the yolk. A cloudy coloring to the egg white is a sign of extra freshness, as this « cloudiness » is in fact carbon dioxide, which is present when the egg is laid. Over time, the egg white will become more transparent, as the carbon dioxide dissipates. A less fresh egg will contain a flatter yolk that may break easily and a thinner white that spreads quite far over the plate.
The sound test
Gently shake the egg from side to side. If you cannot hear any sound whatsoever, the egg is perfectly fine to eat and there is nothing wrong with it.
How to store eggs?
Fresh eggs do not have to be stored in the fridge – unless the eggs have been bought stored in the fridge at the supermarket. Consequently, the cold chain should not be broken and the eggs should be stored in the fridge as cold eggs do cope very badly with a change in temperature. An increase in temperature provokes the water condensation on the shell which will damage the cuticle. Thus, germs may get into the inside of the egg. Storing the eggs in the fridge protects the vitamins in the egg from light and oxygen.
So whether or not your store the eggs in the fridge depends on how they were when you bought them but it is very important to protect them from light exposure – in or out of the fridge. Also do they have to be stored with their rounder side up, as storing them upside down would cause the air space to move and cracking the shell membrane which would increase the possibility of bacteria entering.
Why can you store eggs outside the fridge ?
The shell is equipped with approximately 10.000 pores providing the calcium crystals of the shell with a grid like structure which function as a respirational system. The shell is covered with a thin strata, the so called cuticle, that prevents germs from accessing the inside of the egg. Water destroys this natural protection sheet of the egg. Therefore: never wash an egg before storage. 4)
Tips and tricks for handling eggs
Store them best in a carton, protected from light and oxygen.
Never expose fresh eggs to the sun.
Extreme changes in temperature negatively impact the natural protection of the egg, deteriorates the quality and accelerates the aging process of an egg.
You can use eggs after their shelf line date provided that they do not smell badly. At that age though it is safer to not eat them heated at least to 70 degrees centigrade either in a cake or boiled or hard boiled.
Cooking them at a temperature above 90 degrees centigrade can provoke a chemical reaction between the iron of the yolk and the sulfur of the egg white which may lead to the creation of a green ring around the yolk. Putting the egg into cold water after cooking may prevent this.
Eggs are best to eat from day four after laying as it still has to fully develop after being laid.
Always store eggs with the rounder side up to prevent the movement of the air space within the egg. 6)
Never wash eggs before storing them – washing destroys their natural protective layer.
Do not store eggs close to smelly food.
Hard boiled eggs from somewhat older eggs can be peeled easier as the older egg has already changed its acidity due to loss of carbon dioxide through the shell. 7)
Do not chill hard boiled eggs after cooking as this reduces their expiry date. Hard boiled eggs can be stored four weeks and in the fridge up to six weeks.
Remnants of yolk and egg white can be frozen or kept in a small glass. Add some sunflower oil or cold water to prevent it from drying out and put it into the fridge.
Egg shells can be used as fertilizer or be composted.
Zitiert nach Thomas Vilgis, Forscher am Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung in Mainz und Experte unter anderem für die Physik von Nahrungsmitteln im Artikel «Warum sich manches Ei schwer pellen lässt» vom 08.04.2012
Before January ends, we want to give you a quick review of 2017 which was a milestone in the development of our association. On this day a year ago, I departed to Cambodia together with my daughter in order to visit the Safe House in Battambang.
It was a very interesting, inspiring and intense stay with the lovely Theavy Bun and her dedicated and friendly husband Patrik Roux and of course the children. My daughter read the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry with the teenagers and took care of her greeting cards’ project.
Monkeys are observing us while we take pictures of the flowers in the temple.
Motifs for the greeting cards from Anna’s project wrapped with lucky bracelets made in the Safe House.
I worked on our Femmes des Rizières Project together with Theavy but unfortunately, the project has not been further developed so far. Volunteers for this project are more than welcome!
My daughter Anna was very impressed with her experience in the Safe House and I would like to quote her from her project report: ” I am speechless. Poverty is relative. The children gave me something which I cannot put into words and I hope that I was able to give back. I miss them and would have loved to get to know them better. (…) Now, when I hear other people complain about material things, I realize what a privilege it is to be able to complain about it.”
In the following months we were working on the development of the WeCare-Website and preparations for the tenth edition of the Susi’s Bazaar commenced.
On July 7th we travelled to Kenya for the groundbreaking of the construction of the farm. You can find our travel report here. Together with Manuela I visited the Massai community of Olpirikata which had dedicated 18 hectares of land to the project. The community gave us a very warm welcome and we tried to point out the importance for the Masai men to assume responsibility for the running of the farm. So far, the project has been a huge success. The population is buying the milk and in November the first calf was born. The second calf is due in March 2018 – we are looking forward to it! There are still some parts of the farm missing, such as the construction of the water reservoir and a lot of planting. We do have very high expectations when it comes to substantially improving the nutritional situation of the local population by arable farming. The planted Aloe Vera should also be commercialized and thus present a future source of income.
The girls of Iloshion who will benefit from the construction of the Nasaru – Masai Girls’ Learning Center.
In Tanzania we met lovely Mokili, who was able to have these beautiful ponchos made especially for us. You can order the ponchos (in many different colors) at the price of Fr. 120,- from us. Please send a mail to hello@wecare-association.com.
Ponchos with Mokili
In November 2017 the 10th edition of Susi’s Bazaar took place and we were able to obtain a total of Fr. 80.000 for the Nasaru Project. A big thank you goes to all our donators and sponsors!
Thanks to Ines for this lovely cake!
Cool prizes 2017 for our raffle!
We have many ideas and projects for 2018: We want to launch a Scolarship Program for talented students whom we want to support and find sponsors for them. Furthermore, we would also like to launch an apprenticeship program for the restauration and hotel business – similar to the Swiss system. And, of course, Nasaru has to be built.
We are looking forward to a very exciting year! Stay tuned.
On November 16th, 2017, the graduation ceremony for the tailors took place already for the third time. A total of 15 graduates proudly accepted their diplomas which were handed over by their teachers together with Theavy Bun.
The girls proudly accepted their diplomas – some of them very timidly.
Following the ceremony they presented themselves in their graduation works, i.e. their beautiful yellow and orange dresses.
Thanks to Theavy who has undertaken a major effort, 10 out of the total 15 graduates have found a job. One girl will open up her own tailor’s shop and two will continue their education. Two young women have to take care of their respective families. Bravo Theavy!!! The project was completely financed by Fondation Le Solstice – an impressive project!
On the occasion of the Day of the African Child, we would like to present to you a very successful project for empowerment.
Tanzania’s total population of 52.5 m has an illiteracy rate of almost 30%, i.e. 5.1 m women and 3.5 m men over the age of 15 are unable to read or write !
In comparison, Kenya’s and Cambodia’s illiteracy rates are 22% and 23% respectively.
Since 2015 there is a hospitality school in Tanzania which is financed by the Swiss More- Than -A- Drop Foundation and managed by a dear friend.
Project idea
Empowerment of young and poor women : From poverty to economic and social independence.
The current basic education system in Tanzania produces a very high dropout rate due to discrimination especially against girls. Higher education is almost impossible, in particular for adolescent girls from a poor background. They are either forced into marriages and give birth to children at a young age or have to work as prostitutes. Their children face a similar destiny…
The hospitality business in the Moshi (departure village to access the Kilimanjaro mountain) area is important and it is growing. Thus, there is a growing demand for qualified employees in the hospitality industry. The hospitality school of the More-Than-A-Drop -Foundation significantly improves the vocational training on offer in the Moshi area.
Bed&Breakfast in Moshi
Moreover, the hospitality school runs a Bed & Breakfast, which can be highly recommended as it is managed with extreme attention to detail and offers a small, vegetarian restaurant.
Charming, vegetarian restaurant
Realisation
The hospitality school founded in 2015 offers up to 35 young women, aged 18 to 21, the possibility to attend an innovative hospitality school. Consequently, this 12-months-vocational training gives motivated and poverty stricken young women access to the job market.
The first year started in 2015. The following subjects are being taught
They can put their theoretical knowledge into practice right away in the Bed & Breakfast with 10 rooms and a restaurant for 30 guests.
Training concept
The concept requires that students perform and are motivated. Consequently, they are being very closely monitored. Students have to be motivated, discipined and willing to assume responsibility. These demands can be very challenging for these the students, in particular when considering the following facts:
All students are school drop-outs
They last attended school 3 to 6 years ago
They never learned how to study
They never had to do any homework
Class of 2016
In September 2016, the first graduation took place. 30 students successfully finished the vocational training’s program. 25 students found a job and 5 students have presented their CV.
More-Than-A-Drop is looking for volunteers
More-Than-A-Drop-Foundation is looking for volunteers for this interesting and barnstorming project with the very ambitious goals to obtain financial independence for the project and to find jobs for as many students as possible.
They are looking for volunteers to ensure the achievement of the goals. Volunteers are needed to cover the following activities
Coordination Switzerland
PR – activities
Recruiting of volunteers
Fundraising
Social Media Specialists for the marketing of the rooms and the restaurant
Trained and experienced chief/restaurant experts to enlarge the culinary offer
This day honors the invention of the sewing machine. The sewing machine took the labor out of hand sewing. The first working sewing machine for shoemakers was conceived in 1790 by the Englishman Thomas Saint who filed a patent for his invention. Even though his patent was considered very progressive, his construction plans were never transformed into a sewing machine.
Only in 1874, William Newton Wilson reconstructed a sewing machine based on Saint’s plans for the London Science Museum. The first machine was made entirely from wood.
In Battambang sewing machines are of significant value as they can provide a potential source of income. The current class of tailors at the Safe House’s vocational training is already in their third year! This year, 18 girls are attending the vocational training to become tailors which takes one year to complete. Thanks to this vocational training a lot of girls have already found a job. Moreover, the Safe House has already paid for three tailors’ workshops, i.e. a sewing machine, mirror, fabric and haberdashery, to enable the girls to work autonomously in their home villages.
Right now, the Safe House owns 17 sewing machines for the vocational training and 5 sewing machines for the small production.
Pattern drawing has to be learned and practised. This skill is an integral part of the vocational training for a tailor and students also have to learn to work with precision.
Spenden Sie jetzt!
The shortcode is missing a valid Donation Form ID attribute.
Newsletter
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
