Sunday, February 22, 2015

Here are some of our newsletters from our recent trip! Hope you find them interesting!




January 2015


On Tuesday morning, around 8, we left for Ngomano. It was a typical Nairobi morning…hours to move blocks! We were finally able to make it to the Mombasa Highway and on the road to Ngomano. The drive was hot and long. We arrived in Ngomano around 2:30. The ladies were all waiting for us to arrive. They greeted Daniel, our documentarian, with traditional dancing and singing. It was wonderful to watch his reaction to their warm welcome to the village.


 
The children from Ngomano Primary followed the ladies in welcoming us all to their school. Not many dry eyes…


 


We left Ngomano around 5:30 with over 50 kiondos and many requests for help. An hour later we arrived at the Acacia Resort in Wote. The power was on/off most of the evening and we are certain mosquitos were nesting in our room! Daniel was shocked when he tried to take a shower as the electricity is not grounded…the food was great so we went to bed with full stomachs.


 


Wednesday morning we got up and had breakfast with the birds and bugs. We stopped at the hardware store before leaving Wote. The week before, we had requested a quote on a 2500 liter water tank. We stopped to pick up the quote and order the tank. Unfortunately the information was not available so we are once again in a holding pattern. From here we traveled back to Nairobi to drop off the kiondos to have the handles put on them and then onto Nakuru…11.5 hours on the road! Arrived in Nakuru safely but exhausted!


 




February 2015




It is wonderful to be able to communicate once again!!


Let me start with our work in Kendu Bay. On Saturday, January 31st, Jeana, Daniel, Rebecca and Paul traveled to Kanjira Primary School. The school is close to Kendu Bay which is located on Lake Victoria. We knew it was going to be hot but we had no idea just how hot! The temperature, even at night, was 90 degrees. It was so hot the rubber portion of my eyelash curler melted!!! The mosquitos were also very busy!


We have been working with the students and teachers at Kanjira for the past 18 months. There are approximately 350 students in grades 1-8 and 100 students in pre-primary, ages 3-5. Until last week the school had no power or running water. We now have power and hope to have water by the end of the year.


When we started with the school they had the lowest scores in the district. We are pleased to say that at the end of 2014 the school had moved to the number one position!!! Yes, we are very happy!!!


We spent the week establishing a computer lab. The lab contains a new computer system we are working on for rural schools. The use of the computer prototypes will allow children in the rural areas to compete on a level footing with the students who attend large well equipped schools in the more metropolitan areas.


There is much more to do at the school but we are taking it one step at a time. Just trying to get curtains made was a trial. We went to the tailoring shop and ordered 5 curtains. They were to be ready in 3 days. We went to pick them up and he had made 3 not 5 and one was the wrong size. We explained we needed 5 and he said he would have the other two ready by Friday. Then we needed computer counters made. The carpenter was to arrive on Tuesday….he arrived on Thursday and we needed the counters completed by Friday. The painter never did show up!


We opened the lab for the school on Friday. Honorable Rege, the Assistant District Chief, parents and school board all attended the opening. It was a wonderful day with much excitement and appreciation. What will remain in my mind forever is a little boy coming to the window, after everyone had left, saying “please teach me, I want to learn, please teach me.” That pretty much says it all for me!


We traveled from Kendu Bay to Nakuru on Saturday, February 7th and on Sunday we traveled to Nairobi for a noon meeting. We have been asked to introduce our model of education at a private school in Nairobi. More on that project when we return home. We are picking up about 60 kiondos, some new style bracelets and a few other items from the ladies in Ngong.


Daniel, the documentarian, took at least 1000 pictures and hours of video. It will take almost a year for him to produce the documentary.


Tuesday we leave for home. It has been a wonderful trip. The legislation we have been working on is in parliament, the computer lab is working, the new computer system is running, the president wants to see the computer prototype, our students are doing well! All this with NO diet coke…seems the country cannot keep up with the demand!!!


Thank you all for all you have done to make this happen! Talk with you soon.

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Sunday, November 2, 2014


Thought you would enjoy reading the following article from the Nation Newspaper. With the right tools education is possible for everyone!
 
 
Friday, October 17, 2014

Slum schoolgirls living digital dream

 
A Form One class at Kibera Girls Soccer Secondary School in Nairobi on Thursday. PHOTO | CORRESPONDENT  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

·         Since the introduction of the e-reader at this small school of 130 students last year, both students and teachers say learning has become simplified and interesting.

·         “Besides the over 3,000 books that a student can download at a cost of Sh1 each (Sh90) from worldreader.com, the devices are connected to a 3G network, meaning a student can even search for something in Google, thus enhancing their learning experience,” she adds.

·         Ms Hassan says the lessons have become more interactive and cheaper for the students, who, cannot afford textbooks.


By VINCENT ACHUKA
More by this Author

On a hot afternoon in the Kibera slums in Nairobi, a Form One maths lesson is under way at Kibera Girls Soccer Secondary School. Their teacher, Ms Dhalifa Hassan, writes a formula on the white board and asks one of the students to read it aloud.

Using practical examples, she explains how the formula can be applied, before asking the class to open the Secondary Mathematics Book One and go to the chapter on volume and capacity.

A few seconds later, all the students have found the chapter and the lesson continues. No shuffling of paper is heard or students seen craning their necks to share a textbook.
Although the government has yet to fullfil its promise of delivering laptops to Standard One pupils, this school has already gone digital.

The school has a cheaper and more efficient option — the e-reader. Everyone in the class of 40 has one, so do the rest of the students and teachers.

The hand-held device, which looks like a tablet, is specially designed for reading electronic books.
Since the introduction of the e-reader at this small school of 130 students last year, both students and teachers say learning has become simplified and interesting.
Ms Hassan says the lessons have become more interactive and cheaper for the students, who, cannot afford textbooks.
“In a classroom, finding information on an e-reader is very fast because you don’t flip pages. You just type what you want to find out and the device searches it for you in a matter of seconds,” she says.

3G NETWORK
“Besides the over 3,000 books that a student can download at a cost of Sh1 each (Sh90) from worldreader.com, the devices are connected to a 3G network, meaning a student can even search for something in Google, thus enhancing their learning experience,” she adds.
The e-reader’s memory can hold up to 3,000 books downloaded from the Internet. This means students advancing from one class to another do not need to delete the books they have.
Traditionally, a student moving from one class to the next is required to buy a new set of books, and it is impossible to carry all the textbooks and exercise books in one bag every day. But this device can enable a student to download more than the required books for their entire period in high school.
Even when the books are revised, there is no need to buy new editions as they are automatically updated like smartphone applications.
Mr Richard Teka, the manager of the e-reader programme, says the introduction of the devices has created a reading culture in the school.

“Many Kenyans are not interested in reading. If we were to give these students hard copies of textbooks, most of them would not read them. However, out of the curiosity arising from the use of the electronic devices, the students end up reading,” he says.

Each student is assigned a device and is even allowed to go home with it to do some assignments.
This has improved their promptness in submitting assignments, Mr Teka says.

He also attributes the improvement of the school’s performance in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCPE) examinations from a mean grade of 5.9 to 6.3 to the e-readers.
He adds that the programme has removed the burden of buying expensive textbooks from the parents.

“A complete list of books for a student starting Form One, for example, will cost not less than Sh10,000, and these students come from a slum where that amount of money is the rent for a whole year,” he says.

“By comparison, one e-reader costs Sh7,000. When fully charged, it can work for up to a week,” he adds.

In comparison, the estimated price of a laptop in the aborted government tender was at least Sh28,000.
One of the students who have benefited from the e-readers is 14-year-old Cynthia Amundi, who is in Form Two.

She and her four siblings depend on her mother, a single parent, who washes clothes in nearby Lang’ata residential area for a living and cannot afford to buy textbooks for her.

“When I joined Form One, I only had two textbooks handed down to me by my relatives. There were times before the e-readers were introduced when I was completely unable to do my homework,” she says.

DOWNLOADED STORYBOOKS

Today, she says she hardly puts her device down, as she has downloaded a number of storybooks that she reads during her free time.

Another student, 15-year-old Hadija Barakati, says her grades have improved as a result of using the device.

“The e-reader has given me a chance to compare several sources for any information that I may require, which will be impossible if I was using a traditional textbook,” she says.
The school is run by a community-based football organisation — Kibera Girls Soccer. The students, who are all talented footballers from the slum, do not pay school fees.

It started as a girls’ soccer club in 2002, before being turned into a community-run school in 2008, to prevent the members from dropping out of the team due to pregnancies.

The e-readers were introduced to the school by chance, after one of the teachers at Pacific Road School in California, United States, read an article posted by members of the Kenyan institution’s journalism club in a blog last year.

The American institution got interested in learning about the Kenyan school and linked it to the Worldreader, a non-profit organisation that provides digital books to selected schools from impoverished neighbourhoods in the world.

Kibera Girls Soccer Secondary School was the first educational institution in Kenya to receive e-books from the organisation.

 
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Thinking Pink....Breast Cancer in Kenya

I am straying a bit from our normal topics....but it is important!


As we are swathed in pink this month (which is a great thing) I cannot help but think of all the women, young and old, we work with in Kenya and the complete lack of access to treatment for breast cancer in Kenya.


I had the opportunity to meet with a physician at Kijabi Hospital in 2013. We discussed what happens to women, in Kenya, who are diagnosed with breast cancer. For those who have the means to travel to the US or Europe their future is the same as for those living in either of those locales. However, for most women this is not an option. By the time they arrive at the hospital the cancer is to far advanced since most women are not aware of what may be happening.


When we started working in Kenya one of the things we addressed with the women in the village was how to do self-examinations. Women must be made aware of how to take care of their own bodies. Women are the backbone of Kenyan families and are the ones who push to keep their children in school.


If you work in developing nations, please think about how you might be able to make a difference when it comes to breast cancer.


In this case, what you do not know will hurt you.


Think pink!
Debra
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Friday, September 26, 2014

How we arrived in Kenya....

Thought for the week:
True character is built when no one is watching.
adapted from Coach Wooden


Jeana and I are often asked how we started working in Kenya. The short answer is I went to help an organization start a college of business administration, fell in love with the people of Kenya and decided to figure out how we could be serve these amazing people.


All this sounds logical and simple. The truth is how we ended up working in Kenya is anything but logical and simple.


Jeana and I met about 20 years ago. We worked in the Human Resources department of an engineering company together. During this time we found out we had a common interest in striving to help others. For Jeana this interest started when she was a child. One Sunday, while attending church with her mom a missionary came to talk about his trip to Africa. for Jeana the seed was planted!


As for me, I love a new adventure! I firmly believe we all have a purpose but few choose to follow their hearts prompting. It usually means breaking through fear and finding yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Out of your element so to speak. I learned at any early age I wanted to help people...not care for them, but teach them to exceed their own expectations and challenge them to be their personal best.


It took many years and experiences to prepare Jeana and I to take those early desires and make them into a reality in Kenya. Those early desires were the early indicators of our purpose.


This is why we do what we do in Kenya...it is our purpose.


Thank you for reading!
Debra
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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

To those of you who read our blog I want to say thank you! What we do in Kenya is more than a job. It is a way of life... loving and caring about people who depend on you to help them find their own path to a better future. It is a privilege to help others become the best they can be!


This morning we had the honor of speaking to the Port Moody Rotary Club. Their kind words of support and desire to help us help others was very heart warming.


To the club and to all of you who have stood by us for so many years....THANK YOU!!
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Sunday, July 6, 2014

Back in Kenya!

Jeana and I arrived safely in Kenya on Tuesday evening. The weather is wonderful and security is high. All cars and people are searched before entering all shopping areas. They are not taking any chances for further bombings.


We met with one of our former students today. So wonderful to see him. He is attending Egerton University and will graduate with a degree in mathematics in 2015.


Will continue to post as technology allows!
Debra
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This article is from the Nation Newspaper in Nairobi. Education in Kenya is not free for many reasons. As you read you will see why it is important for us to continue our effort in Kenya. Thank you for reading!


Nation Newspaper, July 7, 2014

Education chiefs hold talks on fees

A conference to review the proposed secondary school fees opens in Nairobi this morning.
Former assistant minister for Higher Education Kilemi Mwiria who heads a taskforce on secondary school fees. Dr Mwiria said that the forum will examine the proposed guidelines and give suggestions on how they can be implemented. PHOTO/FILE.  

In Summary

  • Some national schools charge as much as Sh120,000, locking out children from poor backgrounds.
A conference to review the proposed secondary school fees opens in Nairobi this morning.
In a statement, the chairman of the Task force on Secondary Schools Fees, Dr Kilemi Mwiria, said that the forum will examine the proposed guidelines and give suggestions on how they can be implemented.
The proposed guidelines are to be introduced in schools in January if everything goes according to plan.
The conference at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa in Karen will bring together teachers’ unions, heads of secondary schools, representatives of parents’ associations, county education teams, religious groups, civil society organisations and Ministry of Education officials.
“Our objective is to come up with new guidelines through an inclusive and consultative process and ultimately make education affordable and accessible to all,” Dr Mwiria said.
The team was created in April and tasked with seeking views on ways and means to reduce fees. Although current guidelines stipulate that day schools should charge about Sh13,000 and a maximum for Sh26,000 by national schools annually, most charge three times the recommended fees.
Some national schools charge as much as Sh120,000, locking out children from poor backgrounds.
Schools are also known to insist on parents buying textbooks, stationery and non-essential items like hockey sticks.
Figure not enough
The government provides grants of about Sh10,265 per student every year to subsidise tuition fees in secondary schools, a figure that is likely to go up.
However, school principals have been insisting that the figure is not enough.
In this year’s Budget Statement read by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, the government promised to increase the allocation by about 33 per cent.



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