At the end of our business meeting, on Tuesday, May 22nd, we were entertained by SI Newcastle member, Patricia Gatherum’s lively and amusing account of her visit to the Meru Garden Project in Kenya earlier on in May this year, in her role as Federation Ambassador.
Patricia is modelling one of the beautiful pieces of material (a kitenge) that the visitors were given as gifts. The fabric is used to carry groceries or young children or used as a cover up. Patricia has other examples as well as of the necklace she is wearing to sell at the SI Conference in Liverpool.
When the visitors arrived at the Ciford centre, for the presentation of the certificates to mark the completion of the courses, they were greeted by songs, dance and poetry.All the women who completed the garden project proudly received a certificate. Further details of Patricia’s adventure are detailed in the May Soroptimist News.One of the gardens in the project. The project is working well. Lucy, one of the ladies in the project, has been able to buy a goat from the proceeds. Some of the crops grown include: spinach, onions, herbs, kale, spider weed, tree tomatoes and Meringa.
