Stoves of the week

My research assistants started this week. Am learning how to be a boss/supervisor. I think I will tell them now to come at 8am, so they are there by 8:30... Unless they change their ways tomorrow and actually show up when I ask them to. Perhaps my feigned worry was a big enough hint to them that I really expect them to be present and ready to work at the time we agree to, and worry when they are 30 minutes late. Am I being unreasonable? I mean, if they are 30 minutes late the first week, what will it be by week 6? I feel African time may be an excuse in the villages, but not in a professional situation in town!

Hmmm... okay... my rant is done. My update can now begin...

This week we did a couple days of visiting farmers outside of our study areas to practice our survey and interviewing/ translating techniques. We still have some bugs to work out, but I think we should be okay. It is hard work translating, especially when I want to know the details of what people say rather than just the general gist of it.

Here is a woman standing by her three stone fire, which in her case is just three mounds of clay. She is 78 years old, her husband is 97, and they are of the Bukusu sub-tribe of the Luhyas, who have some pretty big traditions about using the traditional three stones. This woman herself doesn't follow/ believe in them ("because she is saved"), but many people still do. For this group of people, the three stones each hold meanings- the one closest to you is for the husband, and is removed when he dies (replaced with a smaller one). One of the back ones is the wife's (removed when she dies) and the other one is for the kids (never removed). Also, if a wife has a disagreement with her husband she will remove his stone or disrupt the hearth in some way and leave the household. If the husband wants to reconcile he will have to find her (usually at her parent's place), then bring her back, slaughter a lamb in the presence of friends and family, and place the stones back together. The slaughtered lamb washes away the sins of the woman (I asked, does the man ever have sins to be washed away?), which apparantly were to do with destroying the hearth (which is like destroying the family it symbolises), so after it is killed people can again eat food made on the fire without fear of some curse falling on them. There are many versions of this rough story, varying slightly with some tribes, and not present at all in others (so it seems). Also, if a man would want to put curses on people he would sit on 'his' stone, and utter them.

A variation on the three stones- trying to conserve fuel by blocking off two of the openings. This one was set in a chimney/ fireplace thing. WE found that a lot of people wanted to know how to build more fuel efficient stoves, but in this area the barrier was simply a lack of knowledge.

Ann Biwott, my friend Sarah's mom, has been using this deluxe Chepkube chicken brooder stove/ oven for two years. She has taught many friends how to build one and only charges 500KSh to do a whole day's work to construct one for them (including materials). That is about $8. A great deal for people that purchase wood. She is standing with the fuel she thinks she uses in a day to cook food for 10 people. She is most pleased with the savings she gets in fuel consumption as well as how well she has been able to raise chicks for market. This model has three or four burner spots, an 'oven' where food keeps warm, and a large area underneath to keep the chicks warm.

An example of another advantage to her stove- if someone doesn't have a thermos to store tea in, they can keep it warm in a kettle on top of a covered cookign hole.

Here's me! My first picture in Kenya this time around!