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Warren Brush: “Permaculture and Peacemaking in a Thirsty World” (IPC10 Presentation Video), Plus Permaculture Outreach in Kenya


Warren Brush presents at the Tenth International Permaculture Conference
(IPC10), Amman, Jordan, September 2011
Photograph © PRI

I consider it a privilege to be a friend of Warren Brush, and it’s been a pleasure to see his rapid development in all things Permaculture. In his presentation at the IPC10 (Amman, Jordan, September 2011) Warren took on the topic of peacemaking — in his trademark style of very interesting storytelling, using examples from nature to teach us lessons and including examples from his experiences with indigenous peoples, and from conflict zones in Africa.

All in all you should find this a very worthy watch. Please click play below (and stay tuned for the message below the video!):


I want to also take this opportunity, after you’ve been inspired by Warren’s active and sensitive labour for the beautiful people of Africa, to see if you might not contribute to the same? In December (2011, for those reading this after the fact) Warren will be teaching a course in Kenya, along with other African teachers. You’ll see this advertised on PRI Kenya’s recent update on the Worldwide Permaculture Network. There will be students from several countries attending, but there are still more worthy students we want to get to this course, but who do not have the finances for it. With a little bit of crowd-funding we’d be there in a flash!

One of the students is Victor Monroy, who it’s actually hard to call a student, as he is an experienced teacher of organic biological agriculture, who I know from personal experience well understands the synergies in natural systems. Victor has been enthusiastically and stoically running a large orphanage in Rwanda since 2005. The reasons Victor should be there are manifold. He is very new to Permaculture, and I believe his presence at the course could make a big contribution to increasing the resiliency and potential of the orphanage he manages. Victor has, amongst many other things, been establishing an organic farm to sell produce to help finance the food, clothing, shoes and education of his wards — many left in the wake of the Rwandan genocide and of HIV, etc. I’ve seen the case studies of many of his orphans. One, for example, who had been abandoned at the bottom of a pit toilet….

Just as I think Permaculture could provide Victor with more ideas, tools, resources and connections for his noble work, I also think Victor has a great deal to offer the Permaculture community as well! Getting Victor, Warren and the other experienced African Permaculturists together in one place, and having Victor immersed in a world class PDC, could ultimately bear a lot of fruit for the region. As such, I’m personally contributing US$200 to cover some of his course fee. The course organisers have halved the cost of the course (from US$950 to US$475) for Victor, who often doesn’t even receive his already meager salary from the NGO he works for. That leaves US$275 outstanding to get Victor along.

To learn a little more about Victor’s work, listen to the following podcast created by andreannebaribeau.com:

L'Esperance Orphanage, Rwanda

As well as Victor, we have Edward Ejindu from Nigeria, who has been trying to get to one of Warren’s PDC’s for a few years now. He is a student of Environmental Sciences and Health Education who wants to help his country with environmentally appropriate solutions. Having discovered permaculture online Edward felt this could be the solution to his country’s troubles. Edward is from a low income family and is struggling to meet the tuition fees for his University but he is so keen to come to the PDC in Kenya and learn from Warren he has done an enormous effort to try and fundraise for the travel and fees. Unfortunately he has so far not been able to raise the money. Edward would need US$475 for the course fees and travel costs from Nigeria.

100% of donations go to the purpose described above, and any excess will go to support PRI Kenya. Thanks for any help you can give!

7 Comments

  1. Thanks so much to Warren and Mari for covering the remainder of Victor’s course fees! I will let Victor know!

  2. The PRI-Kenya objectives are novel and noble.
    Warren’s story is truly inspirational.
    I am a trained Teacher and later on retired as Principal of secondary schools. Although, I specialized in Economics I had this crazy and magnetic attachment to mother nature and natural science. I was an honorary member of the Kitale Museums between 1979 to 1981 and was one of the initiators who brought the Kenya Wildlife Clubs into schools. No wonder when I retired at the turn of the century, I gave my all in developing organic detergents.
    When Ms.Gai Cullen heard of my products, it seems her research on Premaculture came full circle.
    Presently, I am working on another project of making briquettes from dry waste eg maize, coffee shells, rice husks, maize cobs etc so as to extract gas to bottle and from there to generate enough electricity for house hold lighting and working other machinery like pumps etc.
    I shall be thrilled to be at the Nairobi December Fair from 3rd to 4th December to meet up with the others who shall revolutionize peoples way of thinking in sustaining themselves from recycling waste while cleaning up planet Earth.

  3. A wonderful presentation from Warren Brush which really touches the lives of the cuurent people for betterment of the future generations.What need to be done for most societies is change of mind set and action at grass root that every individual need to take.This concept should be strengthened even in institutions like schools so that students grow up with the idea of permaculture and become best examples in their societies where they live.

    Roba Dibo from Northern Kenya(Marsabit)-permaculture student

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