Kenya Projects

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Comment by Mboya Wycliffe on March 17, 2011 at 11:15

Getting involved and counting on our school would be our happiness

Comment by kabiru usman on December 14, 2010 at 12:32

I  cant wait to be actively involved.

Comment by Lois McGill-Horn on December 9, 2010 at 23:03

Good questions: I was actually just going to address the cost of texting with the teacher in the next few days but I do know it is cheaper than sending a package of letters which is something we tried to do last year. As far as time zone, I send early in the morning which catches my colleagues later in the day in Kenya. This is also the process I use for Skyping with some of the colleagues in Kenya who have more internet access.

Comment by Mali Bain on December 9, 2010 at 16:59

Ji Ai - amazing that you're able to keep in touch through text! I hear you on the lack of depth, I'd be curious how folks work around that.
Lois - Very interesting indeed, I really like it. Two more questions - how do you deal with time zones? And how do you compensate the Kenyan teacher for the texts they send? (I think international texts cost about 40 cents each last I checked) This could have real application as we plan for next years workshops in Kenya - we want to involve the Kenyan teachers more in planning processes but realise that they have infrequent access to internet.

Comment by Lois McGill-Horn on December 7, 2010 at 23:17

Hi Mali,

We use snail mail to also communicate with this particular school but our last set of letters did not arrive so mail is not always reliable. The benefit of a text message is that within minutes or the hour, we often have a response. It makes the world seem like a very small place. The downside to the texts is the small amount of info that can be shared at a time but once you learn how to word things well to maximize what you want to say, it becomes quite effective. The teacher in Kenya and I simply relay the messages and questions back and forth between our classrooms.

Comment by Ji Ai Cho on December 7, 2010 at 10:59

I have been keeping in touch with one person - Samuel Kamau (Principal of Sweewaters Elementary, Nanyuki) through texting. He does not have regular internet access. The downside to cell phone use is that we cannot get too deep on a topic via texts.

Comment by Mali Bain on December 7, 2010 at 10:55

Applications are now available for the 2011 Kenya teams in Laikipia and Naivasha! Email info@educationbeyondborders today... applications are due December 20th.
Tutaonana (we'll see each other) in Kenya, perhaps!

@Lois, I'd love to hear more about how you've used cellphones to communicate with schools in Kenya. We often struggle to communicate reliably via email, and it is amazing how prevalent cellphones are throughout Kenya. Did you have the messages coming to & from your cellphone in Canada?

Comment by Lois McGill-Horn on September 11, 2010 at 9:26

Although disappointed that I was unable for personal reasons to participate in the Kenya projects this year, I still maintain many of the contacts that I made during the 2009 trip. With these contacts, my Gr. 9 students were able to collaborate and develop a relationship with an all girls school in Kenya where the focus of our discussion was on the importance of an education to girls. My students have since moved on but were so motivated by this experience that they are personally continuing to follow up on this collaboration. I also had my students connect to a school in rural Kenya where, due to a lack of electricity and remoteness, the best way to collaborate was via cell phones. Messages were sent to their teacher via his cell phone and shared with his students, who in turn followed up with messages back to us. This experience led to a greater appreciation and understanding that although life can be so different, the similarities between children around the world is incredible.

My new group of students will be collaborating with these two schools again this year and as we have just started our school year, what this collaboration will look like is yet to unfold.

My experience in Kenya was in 2009, but my connection to the people and the communities is stronger than ever and as a person and a teacher, my life continues to change because of these connections.

I can't wait to return to Kenya again.

Comment by Lee Rother, PhD on September 10, 2010 at 12:48

Hello,

I am still in the 'messy thinking stage' of writing about my experiences this past summer in Kenya.

In many ways the return experience was different from 2009. The team comprised of a few who had participated in 2008 and 2009 as well as those who were new to the Kenyan experience. To members of this year's team, thank you for teaching me so much. The other difference was the weather. Until recently Kenya had been experiencing drought for four years so that much of the land was very dry. This year was mildly cold and many days saw rain. Whereas I wore shorts and teachers in 2009, this year long sleeves and pants as well as a jacket was often required. It was great to see so much greenery and pools of water. Indeed, in some locations the difference in color , i.e. brown to green was dramatic.

There were many other reminders of 2009, such as the two puppies, now dogs, still protected the 'principal's house where I stayed.

And yet much of this year's experience was not knew. My Kenyan colleagues who participated in last year's sessions returned in 2010, which says a lot about the determination and passion of the Kenyan educators as well as a sign that last year's session were successful. They greeted me with great enthusiasm and I was just as,if not more than, pleased to see them again. While its is a cliche, in some ways I felt that I was returning to a place that has special meaning.

On a more personal note, I was honored to have been adopted into the Kikuru tribe, ceremony and all. And I was given the name Chege.

Soon I will put my thoughts into a more coherent text.

While I cannot plan that far ahead, I hope to return.

Chege (Lee)

Comment by Dennis Kuzenko on September 10, 2010 at 7:55

Hello to you Benson. It is wonderful to hear from you. The best to you in your new position.

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