Week 1 - Erin Ramsay

Habari!

During our first week we stayed in a rural area of western Kenya called Ishiara. Almost immediately we met a lot of very interesting & fun people! Two final year veterinary students from the University of Nirobi named James and Ibriham. We had a lot of fun pooling our knowledge when working up cases we saw on local farms. We were able to compare notes about our vet school experience and from them we learned a few new Swahili words. Simon our driver is a pretty cool guy, he knows a lot about Kenya and rasing livestock. We were also lucky enough to travel with Steven a local agronomist. Wow! We met so many people I can't even mention them all.

From there we had the opportunity to participate in training sessions for members of the Ishiara, Mikinduri, and Oythya dairy groups. These days usually began with tea/coffee meet and greets at the dairy headquarters. Then we would move to a shamba were there could be anywhere from 50-100 farmers underneath the shade of a tree! It was really cool to see how responsive the crowds of farmers (men, women, and children) were to the knew facts about animal health, husbandry, and nutrition they were aquiring. It is clear that these farmers care very much for the health and productivity of their animals and are more than willing to make changes around their own shambas (farms).

After spending a week here I realize that I have underestimated the value and contribution of one or two cows to the lives of the people that care for them. After visiting the Wakulima Dairy Group we have heard so much about it is obvious that FHF has greatly improved life for the people in the community it services. I am very proud to be here and a part of team FHF.