Simon Reports

Feb. 27, 2014

Simon sent some photos a couple of days ago showing the inside and outside of the new library.  It looks like a wonderful building with good doors and windows to keep the materials inside in good condition.  Now all we need to do is fill it up!

He also said that letters are about to be sent to the students at Cardinal Leger School in Saskatoon to continue the sharing that is so important as part of these projects.  Having our children learn about the lives of children in Kenya and vice versa is very important to understanding the rest of the world.

It will be exciting to fill the library with books and materials to enhance the learning experiences of the children.

Almost Finished

January 23, 2014

I'm pleased to say that the library building is almost finished.  I don't have photos yet of the finished outside but I'll post them as soon as I can.  Simon has indicated that there are small finishing things to be done yet but then it will be complete.

Now, the work can begin on furnishing the inside with shelves and furniture with a reading area and display areas.

We also need to think of a name for the library.  I will throw this out to the Cardinal Leger School community since they have been the major fundraisers for this particular project.

If anyone is interested in going to Kenya in Feb. 2015 I hope to take some people  to see the project then.  A teacher/librarian would be a real asset if anyone wants to go - Kenyan schools don't often have libraries and they need some help with programming and set up.  If you are a teacher or can teach some skill we can arrange for you to do a workshop with teachers there to share some of your expertise too.

I'll be posting more on this as time goes on.

Kinyambu Visit 2013

Wow, it's been a year since I posted.  The first part of the year was quiet while a new head teacher settled in.  Then in fall things began to move.  I spent November in Kenya and Tanzania so I'm just back with lots of news and photos.

After much delay the library building has begun.  Cardinal Leger School parents, teachers and students can feel very proud of their accomplishment.  I've posted photos of the construction process.

After a week spent in western Kenya I met George Bunz, Henry Spenrath and Norm Duerr, the monitoring team from Rainbow of Hope in Nairobi on Nov. 13.  We spent time in Nairobi and then headed east to enjoy some time at Tsavo East and West game parks on the weekend and touring various schools.  Finally on Nov. 19 we were able to visit Kinyambu Primary school.  It was the end of the school year in Kenya and the students were writing exams and finalizing their year so visiting was more complex than usual.

In nearby Kibwezi we meet the District Educational Officer and picked up Mr.Mbithi, public works officer and a construction supervisor for the Ministry of Education and headed to the school. Piles of construction materials were on site, there was a deep trench for the foundation, and workers were tying rebar.  Walls are of stone and will be covered with a final layer of smooth stucco.  Simon sent photos as the walls rose up after we left.

After we looked at the library site we had a meeting with the parents and the head teacher along with some other teachers and Mr. Mbithi from the district office. We presented a suitcase full of gifts, pencils, markers, a laptop and balls among other things thanks to Cardinal Leger School parents and students.  

I took some time, with a translator, to tell them the story of how I came to Kinyambu and how the project began.  I reiterated that there would be money to finish the fence as soon as the library was done.  I also stressed the need for their volunteer labour and explained that the parents and children of Cardinal Leger school had put their volunteer labour into raising the money.  I read a bit of the letter that my niece Jenna wrote too so they could see the importance of the letters exchange.  The school, including the headmaster, agreed to continue the letter writing and the parents were supportive.  

There is no substitute for an on site visit.   If anyone is interested in going to Kenya and visiting the project just let me know.  You will be treated well and have a trip you won't forget!  I hope to encourage some teachers to visit within the next year or so so let me know.  You can do some teaching there, bring some Canadian school ideas to them and learn a lot.  We can also use some help from teacher librarians to set up the library and resource centre.

Ending year 3

This year has been one of consolidation and working on the organization of the project.  

Principal Guy Werbicki and the Cardinal Leger School students and parents continued to fundraise to build a library at Kinyambu Primary School this year.  We now have architectural drawings that will allow us to begin the building at a reasonable cost with the potential to add to the building in the future.  Filling the library with books and computers will also become part of the project once the building is done.

This year there were some concerns about having the headmasters from Kinyambu Primary School too closely connected to the project.  Schools in Kenya are administered as part of the government Ministry of Education and headmasters are often moved around and seldom have a long term stay in a community.  Simon Muendo Ngumbi, our contact in Kinyambu, is a long-term resident in the community owning a small farm there.  He and his wife are both teachers although Simon is now in administration in a different community.  Simon set about to form a new organization which is at arms length from the school and keeps the decision making with the parents and community members who are long term residents.

The new organization is called KCRED - Kinyambu Rural Education and Community Development and is registered as a self help group with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development in Kenya.  They have a bank account and are meeting to organize work for the new school year which begins in January.  The directors of the group have been involved with the project for the 3 years of its operation. Their first priority will be to finish the fence around the school and then to focus on the new library.

Disappointments and Reaffirmation

Our expectations of the visit of Simon and 4 other Kenyan teachers were sadly dashed when they couldn't get their visitor visas.  We will try again for April of 2013 and collect more letters of support so no one can say they won't be supported while they are here.

But on to more heartening news.  Simon and his group of teachers and parents are working on setting up a Community Based Organization in Kinyambu to handle the funds we send them.  They need to develop a constitution and have government approval which we hope come soon.

Then it will be on to more fence building.  Also, plans are well underway for the new library building which will be the size of one classroom with two small offices.  As soon as this is built the job of filling it will start.  Kinyambu Primary School hopes to have electricity within the next 2 months as well.  Great news.

On the 7th June, 2012 Simon attended a parents meeting at Kinyambu Primary School. It was attended by 120 parents including the School Management Committee (SMC) members. They affirmed their willingness to complete the fencing when materials are available and offer the unskilled labour for the library. This includes clearing the site and digging the foundation with expert guidance and supervision. Below is a picture from that meeting.