Samwel, Thank you for your excellent work!
I share your answers with our Cyfranogi working group for participatory
society, open economy and community currency. And also with our Mejores Vias
working group for "finding better ways" and emergency response.

You have created an excellent questionnaire and collected very thoughtful
answers. I think these answers will help in your investigation: How I can
find for myself and live comfortably while helping others? You interviewed
people in Kenya who you think have achieved that. Now let's think about
their answers!

Andrius Kulikauskas, Minciu Sodas, http://www.ms.lt, ms@...
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Community Currency Emergency Questionnaires
For those who live comfortably and enjoy their lives.


What is your Name? Almada Owino Ochola

How did you get your name?
My birth day had problems and mother bore me after a struggle, There was a
cord which covered my head and when the mid wife removed it , she gave me the
name Owino. The other name is Christian name, which I got at a dedication
ceremony. And the last name is my father’s.
When were you born?
I was born in the year 1945 Feb 14th, I was the 5th born in a family of
eight children.

Did you start school at the recommended age? I started school when many
children my age were going to school because my other brothers had gone to
school and my side had all the support of my parents. We had to walk long
distances to school unlike now when schools are many. Were there many schools
here? No schools were scarce but it depended on the wish of the parents. Did
your father own cattle? Yes, he had cattle and I could only go to look after
them when I am free from schoolwork.

Was your nature of schooling formal or in informal? My schooling was formal
and my father thought wise to take us to school.

What activities did you involve in before going to school? At home we could
only look on our cattle and goats, we didn’t attend preschool and being the
5th child I had all the support from my older brothers and sisters, I could
only fetch water and learn how to fish.
At home when you were young what social activities were you doing? Socially I
had to any duty but playing football with age mates, I can go weeding and work
together with my friends.

Did you always work for your parents alone or you sometimes supported the
other community members? I had apple time to help my parents with small home
duties and at the same time help other relatives and community members.

Where was your school in the rural or Town? I attended a rural primary school
and joined the famous community secondary here to do my high school studies.
It was a day school; we didn’t board and had no difference with the primary
school.

After your education where did you proceed? I went looking for employment and
a local politician gave me a job at his petrol station where I went on to
train as a driver, which secured me the job at a local and international NGO
(FAO-UN).

Did you attend any college? No I just trained in driving at our petrol
station using the Vehicle which was there and applied for Government trade
test.
Who supported you in paying your college fees? I attended no college

I can see, you have amazed some wealth and you are among the fortunate
community members, how did you get your wealth after your first Job?
After my first Job, I became I managed to get the job in this NGO as a
committed employee I went through many promotions and became the head driver,
managing about the organizations vehicles. It was a good job and earnings
were not minimal. I had to start savings and this was the base of my wealth
today.

Are you married and with children? Yes I am married with children and two
wives, I mean many children.

How does your family status affect your day-to-day life? The family affects
my every day life and savings in very many ways. Paying school fees, food
when the weather is diverse –give me more additional problems and children
are competing to finish school but there is no employment. The saved amount
could not do all the requirements but I have to look for other avenues for
their support.

Do you help your family with your wealth? Yes, I try but not their
satisfaction; many needs of luxuries are too many nowadays.

In other words, do you help other community members with your wealth? I do
but having enough to help without somebody’s request is hear we only get
their request first to give us enough time for organizing such support to
them. Sometime we only go to fundraisings organized by them to donate for
their needs.

Is the wealth you have accumulated enough for you and can make you live
comfortably? Expectations are always increasing without knowing and nobody
can say I have enough to support me.

Is your potentiality felt here in your community as a wealthy person? You
will only know that when so many people are requesting you material support,
this when you know people recognize you. This will not signifies your being
potential in wealth in the community
Do the community enjoy the support you give them? That is none of my business
whether they enjoy or not but, God will judge their satisfaction.


People have preferences for help, what aspects in the community do you always
support and wish to develop? I always need to support children go to school
and even help total orphans with food and clothing to make them feel
comfortable and enjoying life.

I can see you are fully committed to help others help themselves, do you know
something about community currency? And, if you know, how do you use it to
support the community? When I was working for UN-FAO I heard about community
currency but didn’t know how it is working to uplift communities. So far I am
retired and still do not know how community currency work to help the
community.

Do you know other people who can also do the same and have heard about
community currency? May be some white men and Europeans whom I worked in
FAO-UN can know how Community currency work but not here in Kenya OR WHERE WE
LIVE.
Can you allow me to have your contact for future communications? Yes

Thank you my friend for taking your valuable time to answer these questions
see you later for more help.

BY:
Samwel Okech Kongere
P.o. Box 191, Mbita, 40305, Kenya.
Email: samkongere2004@...
Cell Phone: +254725600439
Website: www.Kongere.tripod.com


Community Currency Emergency Questionnaires

What is your Name? I am Kenneth Odoyo.

How did you get your name?
I was named after the activity, which was being done during that period when
I was born, which was weeding. My people give names according the activities,
occasions and deaths or dreaming of a particular loved one or relative who
might have died or living.

When were you born?
I was born in the year 1949 April 23rd, when people were weeding

Did you start school at the recommended age? No, during our times we didn’t
have many schools and schools were very far away and children could not go to
such long distance schools. Secondly, we were having older people who were
waiting to beat and scare young children along the way. At home parents
valued cattle and could not allow the young to leave them with the
responsibility alone and this made me start school at twelve years older,
unlike now that many start at as early as three years.

Was your nature of schooling formal or in informal? As a disabled person I
could not do well in the formal system and this forced my parents to take me
to a formal education system and later to a non-formal system. Why? Because
the informal systems were far away from where we lived. After completing
grades four of the old system, I joined anon-formal system to proceed in my
treasured career, what was your treasured career? Shoe maker and repairer.

What activities did you involve in before going to school? At home I didn’t
do much activity due to my lame leg and I could only help in making Goat’s
rope which I started at five years and matured in making the best ropes at
seven years when I was suppose to start school if it was now.

At home when you were young what social activities were you doing? Socially I
could not do much due to walking difficulty, I could walk but not much.

Did you always work for your parents alone or you sometimes supported the
other community members? At my age and confined at home I could only help my
age mates who were having no physical disability learn how to make good ropes
for their goats and cattle because I was A specialist in making nice ropes.

Where was your school in the rural or Town? My first school was in the rural
area but later went and trained in shoe making and repair in the town, this
made me have broad based Ideas to look forward and went on to train in
tailoring, which was more lucrative than shoe making which was my initial
treasured idea. Although I trained also on shoe making and repair.

After your education where did you proceed? I worked for piece work payment
at A garment shop in Nairobi for five years before leaving there and started
my own shoe making and repair shop stall, with the help of my younger brother
who was more aggressive than me but I trained him in this.

Did you attend any college? No other experienced people who had come from
white man’s colleges trained me. So you didn’t get your trade test grade? I
applied for the government’s grade test later.

Who supported you in paying your college fees? My parents sold cattle to find
fees.


I can see, you have amazed some wealth and you are among the fortunate
community members, how did you get your wealth after your first Job?
After my first Job, I became self-employed managing my own repair shop and
was focusing on how I can have such business back home. This Idea amongst all
made me save for money that enabled me to buy land and started constructing
buildings, which later could generate income to me in terms of rent and have
one to do my own businesses. Building was cheaper and I found myself building
many houses which people rent now and pay me to do other developments as hotel
business in one where my family operates, this is where I get my wealth and my
family support.

Are you married and with children? Yes I am married with eight children

How does your family status affect your day-to-day life? My family needs
could only affect my business at times when I need to pay for school fees and
when their demands are higher than the income from the houses. And these are
facts, which can strain the business status.

Do you help your family with your wealth? Yes they get what ever they need
from the business.

In other words, do you help other community members with your wealth? Yes,
many come in need of help and if I am able I give support in terms of cash or
material support. Some get the help of food and advice from me.

Is the wealth you have accumulated enough for you and can make you live
comfortably? Expectations are higher and saying that it is enough will mean I
don’t invest again and new developments are there where we must venture
because business mode is changing every now and again with new techniques.

Is your potentiality felt here in your community as a wealthy person? I don’t
know because many are wealthier than me but some might recognize but cannot
tell me. Competitions are stiff and many learned young men are competing
much.

Do the community enjoy the support you give them? Many are thankful and some
come to thank for the support they get.






People have preferences for help, what aspects in the community do you always
support and wish to develop? I always wish to develop skills, this is an area
where I need many to learn, go to school and develop mentally and invent in
new technology because what they give now is more from what we got during our
time.

I can see you are fully committed to help others help themselves, do you know
something about community currency? And, if you know, how do you use it to
support the community? These are may be new terms in business but I am not
fully sure what it is. Community currency to me may mean money to the
community, I don’t know and not sure what is it. To us what we give community
in general without being specific is by fund raising to support them either in
school fees or any other.

Do you know other people who can also do the same and have heard about
community currency? I am not traveled now and getting newer information will
be very difficult. I don’t know of such people.

Can you allow me to have your contact for future communications? Yes

Thank you my friend for taking your valuable time to answer these questions
see you later for more help.

BY:
Samwel Okech Kongere
P.o. Box 191, Mbita, 40305, Kenya.
Email: samkongere2004@...
Cell Phone: +254725600439
Website: www.Kongere.tripod.com



Community Currency Emergency Questionnaires

What is your Name? Mr. Tobby Manuela

How did you get you name?
I was named after my parent’s friend who worked with my father in the early
fifties.
When were you born?
I was born in the year 1967 December; I was the 1st child in my family.

Did you start school at the recommended age? I had lived in the rural and I’
never taken a considerable time before going to school and I started school
at 13 years. My mentality when I heard what was happening in schools made me
quite afraid to go to school.

Was your nature of schooling formal or in informal? It was formal and many
children were enjoying at home than going to school, the teachers were very
cruel and never wanted any child to make any mistake, they enjoyed caning and
this made me shy mostly in school. They were drilling people the method used
by the colonialists.

What activities did you involve in before going to school? I was already
helping my parents back home with grazing our livestock and could even oar
our small canoe to fish. Our livelihood back home depended on fishing and I
had learnt too much in fishing and vested too much interest in fishing than
going to school.

At home when you were young what social activities were you doing? We had
plenty of time to help our parents and even go beyond and help other
community members..

Did you always work for your parents alone or you sometimes supported the
other community members? We were helping them fetch water and even take other
domestic animals to graze. Neighbors could send us to far places and this
meant a child was for the whole community not one family, these are the
social interactions which made us very popular and in need to help socially.

Where was your school in the rural or Town? I never attended a school in the
town but have stayed home most of my life.

After your education where did you proceed? As a young boy who had developed
interest in fishing, it was never my wish to be frustrated in school and
this factor made me hate teachers and even what they were teaching us at
school. I never rhymed with the way the teachers were drilling in the pupils
to instill discipline on pupils. This made me to drop out at grade four and I
left education at that level to focus on some issues but not on the academics