Traditional Earth Building Immersion In Western Kenya
Dates: July 20th – July 29th, 2016. Deadline to book: 31st May 2016
Location: Kakamega , Western Kenya (the home for the well known Kakamega forest)
About Kakamega, Western Kenya
The town of Kakamega is situated on the edge of world renowned rainforest, not far from Lake Victoria. Along with its exceptional natural beauty, Kakamega offers an authentic representation of East African village life. Yet, two-thirds of the region’s population falls below the poverty line, directly relying upon the water and land resources surrounding their communities. With seventy-five percent of the workforce engage in agriculture, farmers face growing problems of soil erosion, deforestation, water pollution, and desertification. The situation with HIV/AIDS is particularly striking in the Kakamega region, where awareness levels remain low and medical facilities are few and far between.
Kakamega derives its modern name from the local dialect. The story goes that when European settlers first visited the area now known as Kakamega and were offered maize meal, the local staple food called Obusuma, they tried to emulate the eating style for which the tribe was famous. To the hosts though, the visitors were more like ‘pinching’ the Obusuma. The resulting administrative area was named ‘Kakamega’, which roughly translates to ‘pinch .
Kakamega Forest is the main tourist destination in the area. Another attraction is the Crying Stone of Ilesi located along the highway towards Kisumu. It is a 40 metres high rock dome resembling a human figure whose "eyes" drop water
