Here are some initial drawings of an idea for a project for the WTW Summer 2009 Africa trip.
You can see one is done completely by hand and the other has been modified in photoshop.
While this is a completely new idea and one that needs to be researched extensively. There are some uique thoughts on why this would be a good idea.
To build a "green" International Village (IV) in the area of Hopewell in Barut, Nakuru, Kenya would cost a lot. To justify this cost for this project in an area where there is limited water, very limited clean water, substandard sanitation in regards to both human excrement and garbage, lack of food, lack of free education, and more; the positives of this project would need to be clear and substantial.
To create a 10 bedroom, 2 shared bathroom, 1 large kitchen, 1 large dining room, and a Great Room, with fenced in security, a secured gate, parking, a courtyard, and a flag plaza is going to cost a lot of money...we shall see what the total is later.
Lets first look at uses. First and foremost in my mind is the international traveler looking to get a "real" view at Africa. An international traveler would be able to stay at the IV-Hopewell for much cheaper than the local hotels. Agreed, the accomodations will not be as nice, however, it will offer a better chance at getting to know the locals, eating the local cuisine, and putting the extra funds towards the development of the Hopewell Community (Hopewell HS, Hopewell Technical College, Hopewell Jr Academy, & Barut Primary). Other uses could be to highlight the area with a local Rotary luncheon, meetings such as community get togethers, awards banquets and much more.
Now lets look at employment. A fulltime manager, a driver, cooks, security guards, housekeeping, and possibly more. These people would be trained and be top notch in serving the needs of their guests. Also, it would be great experience for Hopewell HS students to be trained in these areas to be placed in other parts of the country in the tourism industry.
Eco/Green. Rainwater harvesting and solar energy would be a must to promote the best way to use the earth's resources in a sustainable way. In addition, approved pit toilets and showers would be used to minimize the effect of the environment.
Parking would be allowed for up to 6 vehicles. It would be awesome if the IV-Hopewell had a smaller vehicle and a large touring vehicle for guests to use with IV-Hopewell's own driver(s) that have been trained after graduating from Hopewell HS. It would make this a very attractive spot for international travelers if there were drivers and vehicles for nominal travel in town and for game drives at Nakuru National Park and Masai Mara.
It would be great to surround the IV-Hopewell with a nursery. I know there has been some talk of this at Hopewell for a long time. If you take the dimensions from the picture in this post and place young trees on 40' of each side of the secured gate...lets say 10' deep all the way around leaving only the secured gate without trees in front of it.
With the IV-Hopewell, the main idea is to keep fundraising internationally while building connections to other large groups from around the world. If you look at what happened in one instance starting with Darleen and Johnny and HOPE INC out of California, than to Matt Werner and Wrestling the World in Wisconsin, than to Steve and Pat Werner, Walworth/Fontana Rotary and more, than to SOAR-Kenya and Don and Mary Hoffman. It is amazing what has been done and what continues to be done at Hopewell. What if we entice people to come and stay, meet new people, and help, by offering them a clean, safe place to stay for a fraction of the cost of a hotel...knowing all the money earned pays the staff and works toward the next project. Which brings me to...the next project.
The next project would be a IV-Hopewell initiative where there would be a place in the Great Hall promoting what the money has already built, is currently being used for, and will be used for in the future. Always following the rule of SIBKIS "See it Big Keep it Simple"
Some possible projects include:more classrooms for Hopewell HS, classrooms for Hopewell Tech, another clean water well station placed in Barut, micro-loans, etc.
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