Meeting the Ukwala committee, meeting Dr. Obewa - day 4 and 5

On Thursday morning we meet four members of the Ukwala committee. Again, we enjoy a fruitful, constructive, and very goal-orientated meeting. It is very encouraging indeed to see how responsible and caring the people on the ground are. At the end of the meeting we proudly learn that one of our students, Everlyne, has ranked no. 1 in the two subjects Christian Religious Education (CRE) and Geography. She has received two certificates and two book vouchers! After lunch, William, Margaret and I drive to Kisumu where we meet Dr. Obewa and his medical officer Kenneth. The meeting lasts about one hour. We learn a lot about the challenges OGRA Foundation was facing in the beginning and get precious advise how to avoid certain mistakes. We request for medical assistance and agree to cooperate in the future. We further agree that an annual health-check of our students is paramount. Moreover, Dr. Obewa has opened his own college in order to enable his average students (C or below) to obtain a solid higher education. There is again great potential for future cooperation, as OGRA’s students do not occupy all the places the college offers! It would really help if we knew where to send those TaC-students who will not qualify for university. In Kisumu they can obtain a certificate in two fields that allow them to contribute to their society as community workers.

After a last night in Kisumu, William attends a meeting of the Kenyan National Union of Teachers while Margaret and I fly back to Nairobi. Only when arriving in Nairobi we both notice, how exhausted we are after this intense field mission. And we also know already now that there is a huge workload awaiting us…

Visiting Usigu division day 3

On Wed morning we reach Usenge High school at around 10.30. While the headmaster is still in class, Philip, the local secretary of the selection committee, arrives and comes with us. We are invited into the headmaster's office for a general discussion. Later, we meet Alphonse and Jack, two of our sponsored students, and interview them about their life in school. After saying good-bye to them meet this division’s selection committee. Every year a number of students is selected for sponsorship by the local committees. The meeting is very constructive, open-minded, and fruitful; issues are addressed and solutions discussed. It’s the first time for me to meet a local chief and to collaborate with our local staff operating on the grass root level. They are the ones visiting the homes of applicants in order to verify their statements and to identify the most deserving cases. We enjoy a rich lunch together, close the meeting, and receive two visitors. One of them is a sponsored student to be interviewed, the second one is a desperate young man who did not manage obtaining sponsorship. It’s heartbreaking to see those young talents who don’t have anybody able (or willing) to meet their fees. Again, we shall do our very best to enable this young man accomplishing his dream of higher education!

Ukwala division day 2

The next day, we carry out two school visits. In the morning, we meet Sister Margaret Lydia, the principal of Sega Girl’s secondary school. All three girls are in school, but regrettably one of them, Anne, has a health problem. She has received treatment and feels better, but we decide to arrange a health check for her soon. After interviewing the three girls, we say good-bye to them and pick up Everlyne at the gate. Everlyne goes to a different secondary school in the region.  She was sent away for fees, a measure that clearly shouldn’t be applied on sponsored students! We assure she can go back to school right away and later proudly learn that Everlyne ranked no. 1 in two subjects and was therefore presented with two book vouchers. Keep it up! After a quick lunch we proceed to the second school, where we are warmly welcomed and informed about the five student’s performance and well being. This school impresses us with an innovative method of mitigating the daily struggle of the poorest: the Franciscan basket. Wealthier students contribute to the basket in order to assist their less fortunate peers. However, the basket cannot fully cover the great need of the young ladies. We are shown some relevant documents about our students and are shocked to find a record listing all orphans attending this school. We find more than 150 names on that list and are cruelly reminded how overwhelming the number of needy children still is. 

Later, we meet “our” girls, and we are truly happy to find them performing well. At the same time we are informed about the very harsh case of Marceline who was abandoned by her uncle, then by her sponsor, who has never paid a single shilling. Marceline would really deserve sponsorship: the total orphan is the top student of the year! Imagine, no. 1 out of 250! I shall try my very best to arrange sponsorship for her. It is simply heartbreaking to see such a bright young mind left out.

Ukwala division day 1

On Monday morning, William picks us up at the hotel. William is a senior educationalist and TaC’s local coordinator for the whole province of Nyanza. During our visit we witness many times how crucial it is to have such an experienced local coordinator! The first school we visit is St. Mary’s Yala, where TaC sponsors four boys. The principal and the career counsellor are well prepared, they know our students and are fully aware of the work of TaC. After a general discussion with the boys, we give them our questionnaire, and while they answer the questions, William and I are shown around the school. After videotaping the boys, we say good-bye and leave for the next school. As we are running behind schedule, our lunch consists of a few bananas we buy at a junction.

The second school to be visited today is called Sawagongo, where TaC sponsors three boys. Unfortunately, the principal has either not received our letter or is generally unaware of the work of TaC. Moreover, two of our boys have been sent home for fees and are unavailable. We get to talk to the bursary, where we learn that TaC was not given the fee structure for 2010, which created the whole misunderstanding. We find their fees to be correct, get the permission for the two boy’s immediate return to school, and instruct the principal to never send away our students before contacting our local coordinator. William locates one of the boys who was sent away and asks his guardian to bring him to our hotel. We are truly impressed by the commitment of his guardian, a teacher called Betha: the widowed lady is a mother of three herself, takes care of her late brother’s two children and has taken in Denis without even being related to him. We get to talk to Denis, learn that he is doing well, and are very happy to know that he is in such good hands.

Arriving in Kisumu

Margaret, the head of TaC-Nairobi, and I catch the afternoon flight to Kisumu. When the plane is about to land, Margaret confuses me by asking „Where is the lake?!“. Turns out that we have been landing on a very new runway and therefore approaching Kisumu airport from a different direction that usual. We then catch a taxi to our hotel and the driver praises the newly restored roads and states that things have improved. I try to remember the last time a local has told me that things have improved. I cannot recall any such statement. The hotel is very new and lovely as well. We rush to town in order to do the shopping for the field trip. Back to the hotel we sit outside and go through our schedule, prepare our task-list and print the last documents needed. Margaret tells me that the hotel was built by a medical doctor who runs a clinic in Kisumu. Somehow, I feel that I really want to talk to this man and convince a staff member to call him. The doctor happens to be at the hotel and listens carefully to my explanation about TaC. Surprisingly, he does not only run a medical clinic, but also a big NGO in Kisumu. And he has been sponsoring needy orphans through secondary education and is fully aware of the challenges! As we both sense great potential for cooperation, we agree to meet again on Thursday evening.

First days in NBO

The first days in Nairobi have been surprisingly easy. In the beginning I felt a little dizzy and figured it must be because of the altitude. Did you know Nairobi is almost 2000 meters above sea level? Me, I didn't know...

I found the city much calmer and much more organized than I had expected (compared, say, to Mumbai). The people I met were all very friendly and opend minded, I sure made many new friends right away. The first days I spent mostly in and around Strathmore University, where my friend Njeri works. On Friday for example, I witnessed the Strathmore graduation party and was very happy to spot some graduates from remote and very poor backgrounds. Imagine, one Masai clan had spent two days in a bus to attend the graduation of their village's teacher...!

Work for TaC also startet almost right away. On my second morning in town, I obtained a very carefully arranged folder with reading materials about TaC, which helped me understand the project in more detail. Further, many documents and questionnaires had to be drafted and revised before the field trip which is scheduled for the 4th of July. I met Margaret, the Nairobi chapter's head, and we spent quite some hours together preparing our materials. A lot of time was also invested in getting the material ready and defining its scope. Poor Margaret went around in town many hours to find an extra battery for our Camcorder, but in the end she got it and we are now fully prepared to take off to the field. It will be a true experience.

Leaving and Arriving

No matter how well you plan and how early you start packing - in the end you will always run out of time and get really stressed. Luckily, I had three friends helping me clear and clean my place, so that I could rent it to a tenant. As soon as that was fixed, my friend Soham came to my place in order to help me getting my luggage to the airport in Zurich, which is 80 minutes by train from Bern. Do I need to mention that I had the worst overweight of my life? After throwing out about 16kg and repacking at the airport, I passed the evening check-in, packed the other stuff in a few bags and went to my friend's home in Baden. They fed and hosted me, helped me packing an illegally heavy hand luggage and gave me a place to sleep. I woke up early, had to bid my last good-bye, took the direct train from Baden to the airport, got my enormous hand luggage through security and then had breakfast at the gate. Phew!

The flight was on time, smooth and didn't feel long at all. Arriving in Nairobi was very easy: getting my luggage, going through immigration, and getting through customs smoothly. And there she was: my ol' roomie from Oxford! Njeri and a friend took me to town by car, cooked dinner, welcomed me in many ways and gave me a home right away. I am now living in Njeri's very nice and calm apartment near Mbagathi Road. She sure helped me a lot in the first few days!

The farewell party

Just a few days before take-off, I gave a farewell party at my home in Bern. Again, so many friends volunteered to contribute in one way or another. There was a highly efficient crew in the kitchen, another team was putting up a tent in the garden, others did last minute shopping for me or simply brought food and beverages for everyone. We had a grill in the garden and the directly imported saussages from southern Germany were a true hit! In the evening my friend Sylvia carried out a most amusing auction by selling out utterly useless stuff as art to the guests, then we had Yen and Malte playing a small concert. 270.- Swiss Francs were raised by those events, of course that money will be used for TaC-related purposes while in Kenya.

Dear friends, it has been the most lovely party ever! Thank you all for coming and contributing in so many ways!