Siddalls in Kenya: What Can You Do To Help In Africa

Hello everyone in Canada and the good ole USA.

Been kicking around Kenya for some six months now. So far it looks like we will return home in about another six months...but you never know. Africa is like a love and hate relationship. Some days you love the place, the people the climate and then some days you get frustrated at the poverty, the graft and the sense that everyone here just wants you for your "Mazungu" money. All not completely untrue.
I finally got around to viewing that Kony Viral Video...what a crap! Not impressed with the "White Man Must Save Africa" message, nor impressed with the three young guys who produced the video posing with AK47's at the Sudanese/Ugandan boarder. Give me a break! First time they ever held a weapon obviously! Let alone shoot one! Then upon further research finding they are not upfront with their spending practices of donations received! UrK!!! I did like his message to apprehend Kony. Personally, and with most military I speak with a bullet in the head will suffice!
Now here in Kenya it is relatively stable but I still carry a small machete with me when out in public. Better safe than sorry.
So what can you do to help here in Africa. This is just coming from my experience but I would stay away from large NGO's as they do not have good track records in service delivery nor fiscal responsibility. You can source some very good "Micro Financing" projects on the internet, you can support smaller NGO's (with budgets less than one million) like Sam Childer at www.machinegunpreacher.org. This guy has been here and actually does something. Sam has a good book you may want to read also called Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan. Sam also runs a tight ship and does not piss the money away like those Kony Video kids. Another way to help is to actually come and live here and work with one person at a time or you could come here (you would have to stay a couple of years for the process) and adopt an orphan and take him or her back home for a life. Other than that, for now I think it would be best to leave Africa for the Africans.
Failure is a part of life, as is death and suffering. When I came here I had very low expectations of what I could do to help out. I started working with some young engineer who was trying to run a carpentry business but left that arrangement after two weeks or so as he was a prick to his staff. I then entered into negotiations to start a carpentry school at an existing trade school but unfortunately found out that any fundraising and subsequent purchase of equipment would quickly be grafted once I left to come back to Canada. So today I build cabinets, part time, for kids play rooms at the Moi Hospital. It provides the kids with a nice environment while Mommies are recovering from surgeries. I also consult on some other projects from time to time. My other part time job is home schooling my boy Alex. It is good and I keep my heart open for the next opportunity as He may see fit for me.