Kenya coming up!

It is less than one week before students and staff from The Priory School and Bishop Justus head out with us to Kenya, a journey which in fact began last Autumn. An initial sense of nervous anticipation and excitement was followed by a lot of hardwork with student-led fundraising activities, regular meetings with both students and parents, a round of innoculations, many, many questions, and an inbox full of emails between their teachers and me. And that was just at the UK end and without mentioning the occasional Foreign Office announcements on Nairobi or the various other things that only ever crop up with school trips.

Putting together these trips is quite a painstaking, and at times, painful, operation requiring much patience, humour and forebearance from everybody involved. We are fortunate in having a fantasically supportive, collaborative team of teachers, one of whom took part in our very first trip and is looking forward to teaching in a Kenyan classroom again.

The focus on teaching and the chance for teachers from Kenya and the UK to come together and share ideas is becoming a central component of Elimu's work - and provides the underpinning to our school trips.

We hope staff and students enjoy their time in Kenya and that they are able to get out of the experience, and give to it, all that they want to.

The Nandi Hills community is ready and waiting to introduce them to Kenya, and to their partner schools.

Until Thursday... and an update from Kenya... here is a peek at our itinerary (please note, some details have been omitted to protect the interests of the group in line with our Child Protection policy).

Itinerary

DAY 1: Thursday, 28^th June

Travel to Kenya: Leave The Priory School late PM for London Heathrow

DAY 2: Friday, 29^th June

Arrive Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta Airport

Afternoon	Dinner
Drive to Naivasha, on the floor of the Rift Valley, approx. 2hr drive away Chance to take photographs at ‘Viewpoint’ Arrive Sanctuary Farm, Naivasha A walk round the farm bringing you into close contact with giraffe, zebra, antelope, gazelle, and several species of birds in their natural environment	Dinner on the farm Campfire

DAY 3: Saturday, 30^th June

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Sanctuary Farm 8AM Choose between horse riding or wildlife walk Orientation Part 1: Overview of Kenyan culture and education system	Sanctuary Farm	Orientation Part 2: teaching practice	Dinner on the farm, 7PMish Campfire Orientation Part 3: Q&A

DAY 4: Sunday, 1^stJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Sanctuary Farm 8AM Depart for Nandi Hills, approx. 7 hrs away, at 9AMish	Eldoret	Arrive at Kip’s Eco Resort, Nandi Hills	Dinner at home of Elimu Rep., Sally Sang Daily debrief at Kip’s

DAY 5: Monday, 2^ndJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Kip’s, 7.30AM Walk to Kipriria, approx. 45mins away, at 8.15AM Welcome assembly Introductions	Kipriria	Teaching Tour of town	Dinner at home of Kipriria’s director, Mr Yego Daily debrief at Kip’s

DAY 6: Tuesday, 3^rdJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Kip’s, 7.30AM Walk to Kipriria, approx. 45mins away, at 8.15AM Teaching	Kipriria	Teaching After school clubs	Local venue Daily debrief at Kip’s

DAY 7: Wednesday, 4^thJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Kip’s, 7.30AM Walk to Kipriria, approx. 45mins away, at 8.15AM Teaching Study tour of Nandi Hills Hospital and Stalion nursery school with specific students	Kipriria	Teaching After school clubs	Cooking and hosting a dinner for school and community leaders Daily debrief at Kip’s

DAY 8: Thursday, 5^thJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Kip’s, 7.30AM Tea picking competition in neighbouring tea estate, 8AM Visit Greenfields, Kipriria’s sister school, a 15min drive away Teaching	Greenfields	Visit Kipsamo School, host of afternoon activities Teacher conference Inter-school football match involving Elimu’s 4 local schools: Kipriria, Greenfields, Kipsamo and Township	Early dinner at home of Kipsamo’s headteacher, Mr Kerich Daily debrief at Kip’s

DAY 9: Friday, 6^thJuly

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast at Kip’s, 7.30AM Walk to Kipriria, approx. 45mins away, at 8.15AM Teaching	Kipriria	Farewell assembly Depart Nandi Hills at 5PM for Kakamega Rainforest, a 2hr drive away. The last remaining section of tropical rainforest in East Africa which used to stretch across the continent, Kakamega is home to butterflies, monkeys, parrots, and more than 300 species of birds which are all unique to this region.	Dinner in Kakamega prepared by local forest community, 8PMish Traditional African storytelling or evening walk Daily debrief

DAY 10: Saturday, 7^th July

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Dawn walk through the forest and a chance to see the sun rise over the highest point Breakfast at Kakamega, 7.30AM Depart Kakamega for Kisumu, approx. 1.5hr drive Lake Victoria Craft markets	Kisumu	Internal Kenya Airways flight from Kisumu to Nairobi Flight approx. 50mins. Game drive through Nairobi National Park. Lions, cheetas, zebra and wildebeest are among the animals that live here. Continue to Karen via the park, thus avoiding the city. Karen is a semi-rural enclave separated from the city by the park & the Ngong Forest. Arrive at campsite	BBQ Daily debrief

DAY 11: Sunday, 8^th July

Breakfast/Morning	Lunch	Afternoon	Dinner
Breakfast 7.30AM Final debrief Drive to Nairobi airport approx. 40 mins drive away	Nairobi airport	Flight to London Heathrow	On the plane

DAY 12: Monday, 9^th July

Arrive London Heathrow

END OF TRIP!

Learning, power and literacy

This is more Elimu-related than it is about the charity specifically. Whilst attempting to find something that I had recently misplaced, always the way, I instead came across some lecture notes that I made a few years ago after taking a course on Teachers, Teaching and Learning in the Context of Education for All as part of my Masters. These notes do not seem to have featured in an essay but they are relevant to Elimu and to the schools we work with, both in Kenya and in the UK.

Some of those thoughts and comments I have put together here:

-          There is no historical context for where good governance has led to good education; it is normally the other way round, starting with grassroots movements.

-          Historically and now, at least since human beings began to keep written records, the written word has dominated.

-          If literacy is so fundamental to other areas of life – i.e. skills and accessibility – why is so little money spent on it? Is it perhaps because it is not generally seen as a separate programme within basic primary education? (And secondary education, for that matter).

-          Different conceptions of literacy. Access to something is prioritised, but competency is not – what outcomes should there be? Can it be pre-judged when it is down to an individual’s ability to understand? How should it be judged? There is, for example, a clear gauge within banking – literacy is harder. Measurable benefits, beyond the reach of a school, can take a generation. Timescales though are important for policymakers.

-          To have literacy, and to be literate, is to articulate with the state.

-          Literacy is the foundation to education. Decoding and understanding = access, in real terms.

-          Chinese example of dyslexia affecting other side of the brain to that of someone in a western country because Chinese languages are based in symbols. Is being literate the same as acquiring a language? Does one concern understanding while the other is more of a technical function? Should we not have a holistic understanding of both these things?

-          Education is not a guarantee, but it is an opportunity. Education works with other domains i.e. law, human rights, society, and policy.

-          Education is a project of engagement but there is complexity surrounding it. The timescale for effective change is long, but it has to start somewhere.

-          In former colonies, which have changed beyond recognition due to Imperialism, it is too late to go back and undo what has been done. Have to listen and engage and help give options. It is important to pause, consider and involve before going forward in the most morally responsible way.

-          EFA (Education for All) goal is antagonistic towards nomadic values and cultures where individual rights are subordinate to the welfare and survival of the unit.

-          There is a tendency especially within former colonies to defer to what or who is perceived to be the best – some governments are unsure of how to proceed in implementing global policies, so they wait for outside ‘experts’ to come in even though they do not know the context.

-          Missing element in educational policy is teachers.

-          Communication of global and national policies tends to go from the top to the bottom. Development has become a business. Are we at risk of simply going round in circles?

And yet, I concluded at the end of my notes that there was hope. The implementation, development and acquirement of education, I felt then as now, is a process that is never finished. It is always improving, and when we look back on what there was before we should hopefully see that for all the things we may have got wrong, there is usually some improvement, some heightened awareness and understanding, somewhere.

The same is true I hope for Elimu

Jo

Countryside walk coming up!

As we speed towards our next sixth form Kenya trip, departing from London Heathrow on 28 June, a few updates in the world of Elimu.

Our recent African themed fundraiser was a lovely occasion (photos from Lucy to follow in due course) and we are very grateful to everyone who came along to support us and helped make the event possible. The Mayor of Bromley attended with his consort, Marianne Chambers, and took the time to write a very throughful note afterwards saying how much he and Marianne had enjoyed it.

Special thanks goes to Kevin French again for supplying the food and to Katy Hughes, head of Art at The Priory, who allowed us to host the evening in the Art block (she, in fact, suggested it!) and donated two of her paintings for the auction. She had been working on them both - one a giraffe and the other a Malachite Kingfisher, a bird commonly found on Lake Naivasha, Kenya - for a while.

The evening raised nearly £400 for Elimu, which has risen, and is still rising, to over £600 thanks to the generous donations of absentee supporters.

With the summer holidays in sight, Elimu's focus for the next few months is to build on this and raise as much as possible for the charity, particularly our development project, Stalion nursery school. This will be through grant applications as well as further fundraising ventures. As mentioned previously, we have been offered a conditional grant of £5,000 from the AV Foundation which will be released in two parts once we have raised half of that amount ourselves.

It is a tough time for any charity to be raising funds, especially one as small and relatively new as Elimu, but we are determined.

In view of this, we are organising a countryside sponsored walk to take place on Sunday, 15 July, starting in Borough Green and ending in Sevenoaks via Ightham, apple orchards and a nice pub lunch, Knole Park and an afternoon tea stop. The walk is 9.6 miles and rated 4/10 for difficulty according to Time Out magazine. Having completed a reki last week, I can confirm it is a beautiful walk suitable for both regular and non-walkers.

We are hoping for warmth and sunshine and encourage as many people as possible to join us!

Please email joanne@elimufoundation.org.uk for a sponsor form and exact details.

More about the route can be found here http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_1/walk_36/index.shtml

In other news... Elimu is now a member of the Small Charities Coalition, which brings together small charities with experts in the sector and provides opportunities for networking, skills sharing and mentoring www.smallcharities.org.uk

We are also excited to report that we have joined The Big Give, part of the Reed Foundation, which offers a free and intelligent way for philanthropists to support charities and projects of interest, and for charities to engage with donors. The Big Give showcases the work of its member charities and runs a variety of programmes and events to help them raise funds and further their income. Elimu's profile - which took several hours to set-up and contains extensive information on the Stalion project, including aims, impacts, risks, background and who is involved - can be viewed here http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/charity/view/10498

More on this to come!

Don't forget to make contact if you would like to breathe in some country air and take part in our walk on 15 July.

With thanks and best wishes,

Jo