Rafiki House - Kiminini, Kenya
Rafiki House, Kiminini, Kenya.
Rafiki house was built in 2009 to accommodate Kitale Rafiki’s founder whilst on project and any volunteers or guests who wish to visit the projects in and around Kitale town. The house is brick built and rendered on the inside with a green iron sheet roof.
The layout of the house comprises of a veranda, large sitting and dining room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and an office. All of the rooms are fully furnished with locally made furniture. In fact the entire house has been built with locally resourced material wherever possible, the main acceptation to this rule was the cement and iron sheets. Sourcing local materials helps cut down on transport pollution and also helps to stimulate local businesses.
Electric: A large solar panel supplies the house with electric and creates enough energy to charge most devices and provide lighting during the night.
Water: Water for washing is supplied from a shallow well which is treated to ensure it is safe for showering and washing pots.
Drinking Water: It is recommended that you do not drink the water from the tap and instead purchase 20Litre bottles of water. These cost around £3 each and a small hand pump allows easy access to a refreshing glass of water.
Kitchen: The heart of most homes around the world. Here you will find a gas cooker, kitchen sink, ample work surfaces, plenty of kitchen equipment and a food box/pantry.
Shower Room: Comprises of a cold water only shower (best to be used between 1pm and 5pm when the water tank is heated by the sun), western style flushing toilet and small sink.
Sitting and Dining Room: This large open plan space benefits from fantastic views on three sides looking out to Mount Elgon or the Kenyan countryside. The furniture is all locally made and includes a three seat settee, two single chairs, a coffee table, desk, dining table and six dining chairs. There is various traditional tribal artefacts on the walls. On cooler evenings the corner fireplace is just what you need to warm up.
Veranda: This large open space is ideal for enjoying the fresh air whilst keeping cool and out of the sun. There is some locally made woven furniture to relax even further and enjoy the calming environment.
Main Bedroom: A large room with double bed, mosquito net, wardrobe and set of drawers. All bedding is provided.
Second Bedroom: A smaller room with a bunk bed and a single bed both complete with mosquito net and bedding is provided.
Around the property: The house is set on two acres of farm land and surrounded on all sides by small scale farmers growing traditional foods. Behind the house poultry is kept including chickens, ducks and turkeys. Please enjoy fresh eggs when available.
Cleaning ,Washing and Cooking: Christine a lovely local lady with excellent English comes once a week to give the house a good clean and will also do any washing which you have. You may wish for her to come more than once to do additional washing or help prepare food, please contact her whilst there and pay her accordingly for the work.
Security: Although the area where the house is situated rarely sees any problems, security is something which is always on visitors minds. You can rest easy knowing that there is someone living and working on the site at all times. Remmy works the land during the day and lives on site in a one roomed property behind the house. His immediate neighbour is Rasto, the night watchman who is around each night watching over the house and land. He lives with his wife and four children, whom i am sure you will get to know.
As well as the paid staff you will regularly see the local children who use the driveway and land to get across the stream to the shops or education. The more regular children are Rasto’s but you will also meet and greet some of the immediate neighbours who all live in very traditional Kenyan houses. All of the locals are very friendly and are very pleased to see and welcome you to their area.
Sylvester and Paul are both local teachers and good friends with the founder. They will be on hand to help and assist with any problems or questions you may have about the house, project or the local area. Sylvester is the head teacher of Birunda school and the original inspiration for the school for the hearing impaired. Paul is a now a retired teacher who helps local children with extra tuition as well as teaching people Kiswahili either from the house or at another location.
Rafiki house was built in 2009 to accommodate Kitale Rafiki’s founder whilst on project and any volunteers or guests who wish to visit the projects in and around Kitale town. The house is brick built and rendered on the inside with a green iron sheet roof.
The layout of the house comprises of a veranda, large sitting and dining room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms and an office. All of the rooms are fully furnished with locally made furniture. In fact the entire house has been built with locally resourced material wherever possible, the main acceptation to this rule was the cement and iron sheets. Sourcing local materials helps cut down on transport pollution and also helps to stimulate local businesses.
Electric: A large solar panel supplies the house with electric and creates enough energy to charge most devices and provide lighting during the night.
Water: Water for washing is supplied from a shallow well which is treated to ensure it is safe for showering and washing pots.
Drinking Water: It is recommended that you do not drink the water from the tap and instead purchase 20Litre bottles of water. These cost around £3 each and a small hand pump allows easy access to a refreshing glass of water.
Kitchen: The heart of most homes around the world. Here you will find a gas cooker, kitchen sink, ample work surfaces, plenty of kitchen equipment and a food box/pantry.
Shower Room: Comprises of a cold water only shower (best to be used between 1pm and 5pm when the water tank is heated by the sun), western style flushing toilet and small sink.
Sitting and Dining Room: This large open plan space benefits from fantastic views on three sides looking out to Mount Elgon or the Kenyan countryside. The furniture is all locally made and includes a three seat settee, two single chairs, a coffee table, desk, dining table and six dining chairs. There is various traditional tribal artefacts on the walls. On cooler evenings the corner fireplace is just what you need to warm up.
Veranda: This large open space is ideal for enjoying the fresh air whilst keeping cool and out of the sun. There is some locally made woven furniture to relax even further and enjoy the calming environment.
Main Bedroom: A large room with double bed, mosquito net, wardrobe and set of drawers. All bedding is provided.
Second Bedroom: A smaller room with a bunk bed and a single bed both complete with mosquito net and bedding is provided.
Around the property: The house is set on two acres of farm land and surrounded on all sides by small scale farmers growing traditional foods. Behind the house poultry is kept including chickens, ducks and turkeys. Please enjoy fresh eggs when available.
Cleaning ,Washing and Cooking: Christine a lovely local lady with excellent English comes once a week to give the house a good clean and will also do any washing which you have. You may wish for her to come more than once to do additional washing or help prepare food, please contact her whilst there and pay her accordingly for the work.
Security: Although the area where the house is situated rarely sees any problems, security is something which is always on visitors minds. You can rest easy knowing that there is someone living and working on the site at all times. Remmy works the land during the day and lives on site in a one roomed property behind the house. His immediate neighbour is Rasto, the night watchman who is around each night watching over the house and land. He lives with his wife and four children, whom i am sure you will get to know.
As well as the paid staff you will regularly see the local children who use the driveway and land to get across the stream to the shops or education. The more regular children are Rasto’s but you will also meet and greet some of the immediate neighbours who all live in very traditional Kenyan houses. All of the locals are very friendly and are very pleased to see and welcome you to their area.
Sylvester and Paul are both local teachers and good friends with the founder. They will be on hand to help and assist with any problems or questions you may have about the house, project or the local area. Sylvester is the head teacher of Birunda school and the original inspiration for the school for the hearing impaired. Paul is a now a retired teacher who helps local children with extra tuition as well as teaching people Kiswahili either from the house or at another location.
