Garys' Musings

True giving

2010-06-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have believed for a long time that true giving (or unconditional giving) is one of the most important aspects of being human. The ability to give of ourselves without any expectation of a reward is a profoundly important dimension of our evolution. I would argue that this emerging, fragile instinct, is probably the single most important dimension of human behaviour since the emergence of

Back in Lamu: Regional Hubs again...

2010-06-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

I am back up in Lamu. A couple of colleagues are visiting Kenya to see Camara in action on the ground out here and I thought it a good idea to visit the regional hub here in Lamu. At the moment they have taken a Dhow (the local sailing boats here) out to the Mangrove forests to look at some old mysterious ruins on one of the surrounding islands and to enjoy freshly caught fish barbecued on the

Try this for a days work....

2010-06-11T08:11:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I was challenged by a colleague who asked me would I be able to live a 'local' life whilst out in Kenya. Would I truly be able to give up my own bed, a fan in the room to keep me cool, having to sit on the floor to eat my meals, having a single ring gas cooker to cook food and having no place private to read or write. On this trip I have tried to push myself as far as

Regional Hubs

2010-06-10T02:30:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest issues Camara faces in Africa is how to support very remote regions that require computer technology. Its a key issue because there is serious educational disadvantage in the rural areas (albeit there is probably more poverty in the cities - I acknowledge that this is a contentious point to make!) and obviously where there is educational disadvantage, computer technology can

Sight

2010-06-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

I have written about my connection to Mary and her family many times over the last few years. Her story is remarkable. I met her in 2003 whilst teaching basic ICT courses to teachers in a slum school in Nairobi. A few months later she lost her husband to AIDS. She was also HIV positive having been infected by her husband. Sadly her oldest son was also infected. Believing she was going to die she

Back in Kenya June 2010

2010-06-07T01:37:00.000-07:00

Its Monday June 7th 2010. I am back in Kenya just over a week and have only just found the time to write something down about the trip so far. Its been hectic! Last week I spent some time in Nairobi with a family I have known for many years (a story that I will write in full over the next few days), I have been on a safari in Tsavo East national park (home of the infamous Tsavo Man Eating lions)

A short video tribute to Stuart Mangan and Robert Stringer

2010-05-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, on the 7th of August 2009 Stuart Mangan and Robert Stringer passed away. I had been working with Stuart on technologies to help improve his quality of life (he had suffered a severe spinal injury in 2008) and Robert Stringer had been taking a holiday after volunteering with Camara in Tanzania when he was killed. In a strange twist of fate they died on the same day.I have been

Power and Powerlessness

2010-01-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

This short story is nothing spectacular - just a simple account of how people with very little resources and with no voice or influence are subjected to abuses of power on a daily basis. I was travelling to North Eastern Kenya a couple of days ago and was using local transport. This involved taking a very old bus on an 8 hour journey, the latter part on unsealed road. The bus was packed with

Tools and Skills

2009-12-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

Before I headed for Kenya this Christmas I was asked by the Camara Kenya hub staff to bring with me a good multi-meter and a set of professional screwdrivers suitable for laptop repair. Without going into the exact details I had an utterly frantic time just before traveling owing to a combination of bad planning, career chaos, financial challenges and voluntary commitments. Thankfully despite all

Disability in Africa

2009-12-23T02:32:00.000-08:00

It suffices to day that if you have a disability of any sort in the developed world life can be tough. If you have a disability in the developing world life can truly become a nightmare.I have just come back from Lamu where I met a family(a German man and an Irish woman) passionately interested in building a school for people with disabilities integrated with a school for able bodied people on

Back in Kenya for Christmas 09

2009-12-22T05:27:00.000-08:00

Ten days ago I arrived back in Kenya. This has been the first opportunity since then to write about the experience so far. A lot has been going on....To begin with I must admit, that part of the reason I have written nothing down is because the blog entry before this is a difficult one to follow. 2009 has been a difficult year for me and for many great people that I know. Stuart Mangan's passing

Unfinished Symphony

2009-09-24T04:35:00.000-07:00