Our first team booking!
The vision of Dreamfish Place Nairobi is to support connection to self, each other and the environment as a ground for collaboration. Starting May 1st, teams will be able to sign up for a limited number of monthly team passes, providing everything a team needs to focus on their projects – team labs, three meals a day, an inspiring environment in nature, a community and even rooms for sleep. Even while we are still moving in, calls are coming in daily to ask about availability. 
We are all excited about our first team staying with us. Our first project team to book for a week will be from bfz, a German training organization that develops international collaboration projects. The team is working on a large water project in Africa. We are thrilled that Sabine Sibler, the project coordinator, will be living at Dreamfish Place as a long-term resident. During the team’s visit, they will rent our Samburu Guesthouse and Maasai Suite, take transportation with Stephen Nduati, and meals by Chef Cosmas. To support focused team work, they will have access to one of our group labs for the week.
To give you an idea of the social impact of a team stay, with a $1000 USD spent at Dreamfish Place, a team stay for a week will immediately impact about 50 people’s lives. Proceeds support onsite staff and interns from low-income communities, and residencies by artists and technologists, contributing to the global cooperative. Twenty percent of proceeds for the Samburu house rental will go to a Samburu women eco-entrepreneurship project, enabling women to empower themselves and raise the quality of life for children.
The kitchen is the heart of a home, gathering people to it, it is an environment for connection. (In a former life, I taught gourmet whole food cooking to adults and managed a large kitchen. Seriously, not April Fools). The source of heat, the oven, is especially important as the place where alchemy happens. So, our first items to find for the place had to be a fridge and a gas cooker (oven). Environmentally-conscious and working on a lean budget, we looked to either purchase refurbished used items or find donated items. And, the less we spend on appliances, the more we can spend on changing lives. We figure that these appliances will serve hundreds of meals a month to dreamfishers, groups and teams visiting. (Lunch for local Dreamfishers will cost Ksh 120 (USD $1.50) and for visitors USD $7.)
. With Joshua’s help, we bought a small LG fridge for Ksh 18,000 ($220USD), because hearsay is that the brand is more reliable and a Universal 4 burner gas cooker for Ksh 21,000 ($260), 50-70% less costly than other models because it was not electric. Yet, actually, this means the cooker consumes less energy and is better for the environment and our monthly budget.
Bud 9:39 am on May 3, 2011 Permalink |
I’m inspired and grateful to know and love you.
Tiffany von Emmel 10:08 pm on May 3, 2011 Permalink |
Bud, I am deeply grateful for your love and support. Your give so much in your belief in me, your financial support and your creativity. You have helped to make my dreams and the dreams of many youth and women on the margins come to life. Love you so much, Tiff