Looking forward

The holiday season is a little different here. It has been 95 degrees all week, and Christmas was the hottest day so far! But we still enjoy holiday tunes, presents, and great food (we roasted a goat). And just like at home, the holidays are a great time to take a look at what we have done in the past year and what we hope to do in the future.

At Vutakaka, December always has a different feel – school closed on November 22nd and the clinic closed on December 16th so the staff can go home from Christmas (don’t worry, there is still care available in Takaungu over the holidays!)
That might sound relaxing, but we have to get ready for 2012! School opens on January 4th, so we have a lot of textbooks and school supplies to get delivered on time. A classroom is going up for our new Class 8, our first graduating class! We also have our plans in place to build 6 new toilets thanks to the Rotary Club of Darien – we should break ground on this right away in January!

Despite all the construction and supply purchasing, I have still had time to reflect on the great year we had in 2011. We had our first Class 7 students, which scored very well on their common exams. We are so excited for them to go onto Class 8, the last primary school class. Our teachers worked so hard this year, putting in a lot of extra tutoring time with kids that needed a little more time. The students got to do some great extra curriculars this year too: a big sports day was held at a local primary school, they went to Tsavo National Park on their field trip in February, and every Friday they played soccer with the local international school. It was another great year at school, and we look forward to having our full school (KG1 through Class 8) next year. We can’t wait to see how our students do on their Primary School exit exams at the end of next year! Our school farm is also up and running, thanks to a lot of support from American International Women’s Club of Genoa, the Rotary Club of Kilifi, and Emily Capello and the family of Carol Boland. It is so great to see the students and gardeners producing food for their lunches. It is definitely another step towards sustainability at Vutakaka.

The health department has had a busy year too! In June, we helped the government launch a 50 person volunteer Community Health team. The team collects data on every household in the villages and then tries to educate the families on better health practices. They can refer clients to the nurse, organize for emergency trips to the hospital, encourage HIV testing, and help pregnant women get proper pre- and post-natal care. In 2012, the focus areas for the health team will be pit latrine construction and malaria prevention.We are so excited about the CHW team and happy to be in partnership with the Ministry of Health!

We also looked at a new clinic this year, with the idea of opening new health services in the Mavueni area. This new clinic was built by a government program, but the Ministry of Health does not have the money to outfit it. The EAC would be able to finish it and hand it over to the government, who would then take up our staff and medicine costs. It also opens the possibility of a new Community Health team in that area, and the spread of our school health classes to more primary and secondary schools.

These transitions are the key to the EAC’s vision. We are working diligently to create a new kind of development – programming led by local needs, and built with local resources. In 2012, we look forward to reducing our programming expenses in health, and discussing strategies with the parents to find independent income for Vutakaka Junior School. Each year, we help more people with less money! So, thank you for being part of the EAC community – your help goes a long way towards sustainable change. Happy New Year from all the EAC staff in Kenya!

Kenya HQ reporting!

Hello everyone! My name is Kate Crowley and I am the Kenya Program Director for the East African Center. I’m excited to be blogging from KenyaHQ to make sure you get news about Vutakaka Junior and Nursery School as it happens. I'll also be blogging at our Vutakaka Health Clinic blog (http://eachealth.blogspot.com/) We hope you will take time to read our updates regularly and will be as excited as we are about what is happening at school.

Jen Hill, our US Program Director, has been out here working with us since the beginning of October, and we have been spending a lot of time talking about our programs, how to improve them, and how to move forward. Mostly we are just gushing to each other about how wonderful everything looks at the school!

The student’s exam scores for the Term 3 mid-term are trickling in from the teachers, and I am really excited by how they look so far. Our oldest students will be entering Class 8 (the last primary school class) next year, so we are very focused on our student’s performance and on how to improve it. At the end of Class 8, all Kenyan students take the Kenyan Primary School Exit Exam (KCPE). The score they receive on this exam determines which public high schools they are admitted to. 

Kenyan high schools are broken down into 3 categories: National, Provincial, and District. The National schools are the best, and we hope many of our Class 7 students will be admitted to National schools following their KCPE exam next November. Be assured you will see a blog soon about how you can help support our students in high school (the government has promised for many years to reduce costs, but public high school still remains out of reach for many students).

Jen has also been getting lots of great pictures of all the extra activities we provide for our students. After school clubs are active and exciting. The student’s can chose from an HIV/AIDS awareness club, the gardening club, the drama club, the debate club, and many others. Jen also brought the wonderful Alessandra Delacruz with her to Kenya, and Alex is holding art classes with the students every day. If you want to see some of these great projects, connect with a student through our website (www.eastafricancenter.org) and we’ll send you a picture of a student and one of the great new art projects. We will follow that up with 3 personal projects from them each year. 

Our farm is also up and running! Through donations from American International Women’s Group of Genoa, the Rotary Club of Kilifi, and in memory of Carol Boland, we were able to dig the well, buy a pump and a tank, build a stand for the tank, and set up our taps to service the farm. Our team is working hard to harvest greens, tomatoes, onions, carrots, eggplants, and green peppers for our students lunch every day, in addition to growing maize and beans during the traditional rainy season from April to June. It is a beautiful farm and something that I personally feel very passionate about. It is so amazing to see it working, providing food, and saving money each day!

This week is the mid-term break for our students, which means we will hold a parents day to give out the student’s midterm reports and give parents news about the school. Jen and I are going to take this opportunity to share with the parents all about how we fundraise for the school, and how we spend the money. Since the beginning, we have always believed in complete transparency for our organization: to our donors, AND to the community we serve. We want them to give their input into our school expenses, and to know exactly how much work goes into raising money, but we also want them to know how passionate we are about keeping these amazing programs going. We hope to further involve the parents next year in our budgeting and our local fundraising.

That is all for now from KenyaHQ. Remember that if you connect with a student you get updates throughout the year from our students, teachers, and staff AND you get the chance to support this wonderful education opportunity for students in Takaungu, Kenya. Kwaherini na asanteni sana!

2010 Successes and Partners

Student Spotlight : George Katana

George is 14 years old and one of the best performing students in Class 4. George started his education at the public schools in Takaungu. When transfering to the Vutakaka Junior School, he had to return to KG3 because of the poor education he had been receiving at public school. Despite being older than other students in his class, George worked tirelessly and was almost always the number one student in his grade.

Three years after attending Vutakaka Junior School, George performed so well, he skipped Class 3 and moved directly into Class 4. Despite being a year behind, he has worked hard and is now performing at the top of his new class! A star student, George is also part of the Stay Alive HIV/AIDS education group, and the school bell-ringer.

George is the son of our ground's keep and his mother attends graduated from our adult education course where she learned to read and write. The EAC is brought to offer comprehensive services that, in many cases, benefit numerous members of families in a variety of ways!

Kindergarten Graduation

The KG3 students graduated to primary school during school closing on Wednesday the 24th of November. Congratulations!

From 6th graders Muttaquina Salim

My School

Our school is called Vutakaka Junior School. It is located in a village known as Takaungu. Our school has a spic and span environment. Pupils are always smartly and colorfully dressed. The routes which pupils pass through have beautiful flowers planted and these make the school look smart. The teachers are always kind and fair. The head teacher, Madam Catherine, is a very hardworking teacher. She always talks to us during assemblies and encourages us to work hard and be famous people like our president.

We always go to school earlier than usual. We get in classes and read before the teacher arrives. When the teacher comes, he sees the class arranged and pupils reading seriously. We then go out for collection. We collect all the garbage until the land is left bare with not even a paper of a sweet left.

After collection, we usually go to class and the teacher calls the register. We learn a lot and share ideas. We learn about the world and our country Kenya. English is the subject which the majority of the pupils like. They speak well, like Queen Elizabeth. Our teachers tell us to study hard and use the old adage “look before you leap.”

The memory of our class teacher will linger longest in my mind. She has a steadfast love for us all in school. She is for sure a great teacher. She always tells us the reality that the only parameter of success is hard work and dedication. When she hears that we are the best in the zone she erupts into joy and jubilation like hot magma. She breaks into songs and dance and she gives us a golden trophy.

When she enters our class, she always says “Disciplined pupils should not surrender to despair. The undisciplined pupils are passing clouds that will fade from the sky. Each pupil should not allow them to break their hearts. They can kill the disciplined pupils physically, but you should remain strong in soul, mind, and character and serve your fellow pupils faithfully.”

Early in the morning she usually speaks to us seriously. She teachers us two subjects: English and Social Studies. We always pass the two subjects and find we are the best in the zone. We always smile appreciatively exposing a set of pearl white teeth, thinking “for sure I have never before learned in such a blooming, great school.”

After the end of year exams we always have a trip to enjoy. We go for pleasure and for further exploring Our school is visited by foreigners often. We have many other clubs like games, quiz, debate, and agriculture. I really like my school like the way I like my parents.

- Muttaquina Salim

Students get outfitted for success!

Class 3 and 4 students received the second set of uniforms brought over from the US. Thanks again Rotary Club of San Mateo, CA!

Obviously, the students are pretty excited. We won our first game against much older children in these uniforms!

From 6th grader Ibrahim Ramadan

"My school is called Vutakaka Junior School. It got it’s name from the names of the villages around it. The villages are Vuma, Takaungu, Kanyumbuni, and Kayanda. The name came from the first two letters of each name. Vu came from Vuma, Ta came from Takaungu, Ka came from Kanyumbuni, and Ka from Kayanda.

Vutakaka School is located at Coast Province in Kenya. Now, it has six classes and one is uncomplete. There are around two hundred pupils and seven teachers. Pupils sit at wooden desks and the classes are made of bricks and iron sheets. It also has a kitchen which is made of mud and two cooks work there.

Each class has several subjects. Classes one to three have similar subjects and four, five, and six have their own. The lower classes, that is one to three, have Maths, English, Science, Social Studies, and Religious Education. Class four to six have Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Religious Education, and Computer class, that is XO. Teachers, pupils, cooks, and other workers have a good time at Vutakaka. We pupils ourselves are very happy with what the teachers are doing. They are very hardworking as we are. All of them work hand in hand among themselves and to the pupils. Our teachers and pupils are kind, polite, and loving to one another.

The school routine is well observed. Pupils relax after every two lessons. The school has a playground for soccer, a pitch for basketball and volleyball. There are good players at the school and I am one of them. The groundskeepers have done a lot. They have planted all kinds of flowers around the school, big trees which give shade, and some vegetables. We pupils always enjoy excitedly as we eat the honey sweet watermelons.

There are three terms in one year. The pupils usually do some test at the middle of every term and at the end of the term. The whole zone is doing the same exams as each to her. After finishing, the teachers combine their marks and give them to the head teacher. The head teacher takes the marks to the zone office. The results are packed together and the winners are announced. My school is always being announced as a winner. The best pupils also come from our school.

Usually, after normal classes, we have some activities to do. On Monday we go for games, Tuesday we have the XO club, Wednesday we have clubs, Thursday we have quiz, and Friday we have debate. These activities help us to improve in class and in our normal speaking. The debate is my best activity together with games. We sometimes have a debate, quiz, or soccer competition. We mostly win.

After the end of the year, we always have a trip to any part of the country. That is when the Vutakaka School is excited. Buses come to collect us to the place we have planned to visit. The educational trips help us a lot especially in Social Studies. We are able to see historical sites live and the beautiful features. We really enjoy those trips. I love my school because it is helping the Vutakaka community at large."

-Ibrahim Ramadan

Vutakaka Students get Soccer Uniforms!

Vutakaka Junior School (VJS) students are enjoying their first sets of soccer uniforms! US board member, Libby Gluck, worked to get the uniforms donated by the American Youth Soceer Organization (AYSO) in Foster City, California. From the students at San Mateo High School who collected the uniforms to the Foster City Rotary club that supported them and to all those who helped in shipping and carrying the uniforms from one coast to the other and then from the US to Kenya (including Kathy Spergl who is currently interning in Kenya and Carrie Petler who will be there next month), many were involved in providing VSJ students with uniforms to play their daily soccer matches in.

Studies show that children's participation in extracurriculars has a positive impact on their education, confidence and social life. Sports and skills building clubs build "values of teamwork, individual and group responsibility, physical strength and endurance, competition, diversity, and a sense of culture and community". Again, this is the first time VJS students have had a change of clothes to play in and we are sure this will only strengthen the positive role sports will play in their lives!

Thank you to all those involved in making this impact!

Grant for Water Well Awarded

Earlier this month, the American International Women's Club of Genoa (AIWC) raised $1,200 to fund the building of a water well.

As part of a larger project to create a sustainable farm that will provide food for the school's lunch program, the well addresses one of the most important parts of this preparation. That is, assuring a constant supply of water.

The school has tap water for day to day use, but using tap water for farming would raise monthly water costs to extremely high rates, especially during the dry season. This well which will be built on the school's property means that the school is assured a constant, free supply of water for the farm.

We are currently approaching the AIWC, and other funders, to complete this project as part of our mission to build long-term, sustainable programs with projects that can be managed by the community and continue without a large amount of outside funding.

If you are interested in contributing to this project, please contact Jen Hill (jhill@eastafricancenter.org or 347.330.2670)

Thank you to Margaret Canepa and the AIWC of Genoa!