Elimu Christmas cards!

We are feeling very Christmassy at Elimu which may have something to do with the unveiling of our special Christmas cards!

These are charity cards with a difference. They have been designed exclusively for Elimu by talented artist Lucy Strutt who was inspired by our recent visit to Kenya and by Harry Sankey's now familiar logo design. Incidentally, Elimu's logo was inspired by a photograph showing a group of Kenyan children dancing and holding hands at playtime.

Orders are already coming in so if you would like to buy any or even sell a few on our behalf, please email joanne@elimufoundation.org.uk

To contact Lucy to find out more about her work and commissions, please email struttyastuff@hotmail.com

With thanks,

Jo

'A Week in the Life': Mercy and Brian

Earlier this term, we introduced the idea behind Elimu's new 'Week in the Life' project. Two of our Kenyan students, Mercy and Brian, were given disposable cameras to photograph and record aspects of their lives over the course of a week, the results of which are shared here.

Mercy

Mercy is 14-years-old, a Standard 8 student and a former head girl at Kipriria Academy. She is a border at the school. The eldest of three children, her close family includes her mother, younger brothers, aunts and cousins. Mercy recently sat her KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) examinations which she hopes will allow her to go to secondary school either in Nairobi or in nearby Eldoret. Mercy loves English and wants to be a journalist.

Mercy and her class

My Diary
Wednesday, 12th October 2011
I did internal exams which were Science and Kiswahili. I finished the exams at 3.40pm. I went back to class for revision for Social Studies and Christian Religious Education. Then I went to the field for games and exercises.

I revised up to night.

Thursday, 13th October 2011
At around 8am, I sat exams for Social Studies and Christian Religious Education. I finished at around 10am and went to the field for games.

Friday, 14th October 2011
I attended lessons throughout the day. I went for an assembly and came back for another lesson. I sang, read a verse and took photos with my classmates.
 

Mercy and two of her best friends with the Rift Valley in the distance beyond

Saturday, 15th October 2011

Today, I did Cleanliness. I washed my class and dormitory. I also attended lessons.

Sunday, 16th October 2011
I attended a church service. Then I went for a trip to 'Morobi' and Kapsimotwa gardens with my friends. In Kapsimotwa gardens there was a fish pond and various types of flowers.

Kipriria's Standard 8 class

At Kapsimotwa gardens



Lunchtime




Mercy on her day of relaxation



We went to Moi's daughter's house near Kapismotwa. Moi is the former president. His daughter's name is Chemutia. Her husband is Stephen Kasitany. The husband has passed on. Chemutia isn't living there for the moment, she lives in Nakuru.

The house is guarded. The house is extremely beautiful.

Brian
Brian is also 14-years-old and coming to the end of his primary education at Kipsamo School. He lives in one of the surrounding villages with his family, including his parents and his brothers and sisters. Like Mercy, Brian is awaiting his KCPE results which will be released on 27th December. Brian hopes to go onto secondary school.

My Dairy
Monday, 10th October 2011
I woke up early in the morning and went to school. I found my fellow classmates already in class. We had our morning preps from 7am to 8am and then we went for assembly and then back to class for regular lessons. The first lesson was English followed by Maths and then we went for break.

Standard 8 using the dictionaries donated to them by Charles Darwin School

After 20 minutes when break ended, Kiswahili teacher Mr Philomon Chemuntoi came in. After Kiswahili, we went for our second break.

Our Social Studies teacher Mr Kerich, the headteacher, came in for Social Studies. After that, we went for lunch. After lunch, we had a Science lesson and a test paper to do for our mid-term exams. We finished and our Christian Religious Education teacher came in.

Breaktime

The bell rang for games and after 35 minutes, we went in for evening prep. After prep, which took 45 minutes, we went to assembly and then we went to our homes.

Thursday, 13th October 2011
That was day three of our mid-terms and we had passed them all. Our English teacher, Madam Sally Sang, told us that in English everybody had scored 60% and above. We revised for some minutes more and then we went for lunch. Within the shortest time, we were back in class.  

Friday, 14th October 2011
The day started very good in the morning. More revision was going on. Nobody was loitering during the morning preps. Everybody was busy doing the areas they were not familiar with whilst others waited eagerly for the teachers to get in for revision. In our class, Standard 8, everyone said they would not surrender until the last minute when they were going to do their national exams.


Tending to the school's maize crop

Tea pickers at work in the surrounding tea estate


Very important people in my life

My parents are important people in my life. They took care of me when I was young and now they are still considering me. They provide me with all my needs. I really appreciate what my parents have been doing for me since I was young. They took me to school to learn.

Sally Sang and Madam Sharon Maiyo in town

Some teachers are also important in my life. One of the teachers is Madam Sally Sang. She teaches me English. If there was any other teacher teaching English, I could not understand it as well as Madam Sally teaches me.

Another teacher is Mr Kerich. He teaches me Social Studies and has helped me from Standard 1 to 8 in many ways.

Mr Kerich, Kipsamo's headteacher

                                    



Lunchtime in the staffroom

Brian's friend, Elvis Presley, the 12-year-old son of Sally Sang

My fellow classmates are also important. I could not learn alone in the classroom without anyone. It would be too boring to learn lonely. Also among classmates, you could find a best friend.

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With thanks to Mercy and Brian. We wish them and their classmates luck and happiness in everything they do and look forward to hearing more. We will be with them in spirit.

Part 2 of our report - special educational needs and the joy of new-found internet access

Post-Kenya blues have set in since our recent visit although the next one is at least in sight. It was a very enlightening trip both for our schools and for the supporters who came with us, many of whom work in Special Educational Needs, a relatively new area in Africa's education systems (Rwanda is paving the way with an inclusion policy that aims to include all educationally vulnerable children in mainstream schools http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/30/rwandan-schools-open-up-disabled?INTCMP=SRCH).

Nandi Hills Township is Elimu's newest partner school in Kenya which we aim to link with the UK in the near future - and a growing champion of Special Educational Needs. It is the largest public school in the area and has one dedicated SEN teacher. The school works to identify and, therefore, to accommodate SEN children in class and with exams and ensures they have access to a counseller. This is also the case where parental output is low and for vulnerable older girls who are at risk of falling away. Children are kept in school as much as possible while teachers have been known to dip into their own pockets to pay for new uniforms and text books.

Whilst schools in Kenya tend to be very community-centric with active Parent Teacher Associations, Nandi Hills Township has made significant strides in involving parents in their children's education and in helping to educate them, too. All of which prompted some interesting discussions between the Township teachers and our visitors who found a lot of common ground and learnt quite a bit.

Elimu is involving Nandi Hills Township in the beginnings of an Elimu Support Network for the schools we work with so that they remain connected and can share ideas with one another as well as with UK schools.

The trip also included a visit to Greenfields, a sister school to Kipriria whose UK partner we will be announcing soon, and a catch-up with Stalion whose re-development needs as much support as we can muster!

Events are currently being planned, including a party in early March, while Lucy Strutt, an artist who also photographed our latest trip, is designing Elimu Christmas cards. These designs will be unveiled here later this week. All proceeds will go to Stalion so if you would like to buy any or even sell some on our behalf, please contact joanne@elimufoundation.org.uk

And finally... another big thank you to The Priory. The school donated 10 laptops that it no longer needs for use in our Kenyan schools. Kipsamo School was the first delighted receipient last month and is now in the process of connecting itself up to the internet. It is just waiting for our rep. Sally Sang's technologically-savvy daughter to return from university and install a modem!

This will be the first time the school has had a computer and internet access, both of which mean a great deal.

Please keep an eye out for more news in the next few days.

Jo