What it Takes to be "Great"

I first met Gilbert Kiptoo in 2008. It was at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM) awards where he had just ran a cool 2hrs 12 min race. The CES team were right at the finish line waving the Kenyan flag, encouraging Kenya's finest runners as they crossed the finish line. Six Kenyans in the top ten…awesome. Despite the huge crowd of 15,000 at Nathan Phillips Square that day, we somehow connected. The green, white, red and black colours of Kenya on his top gave him away. From a distance I greeted him with a "Karibu, jambo sana…habari". The rest is history and since then we have been friends. 

Gilbert is now a celeb in Thunder Bay and the adopted son of John and Sandy Guthrie. He has run many times in Canada at the Victoria, Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa marathons. Gilbert Kiptoo is a global ambassador for Kenya athletics. He also serves as CES Sports Ambassador. During the past three years he has been key to mentoring our students and assisting at the Canada Day (July 1) Run at MMUST in Kakamega. 

His finest contribution however, was to help coordinate 26 elite marathon runners in the CES Kenya Peace Run last February 10, 2013. The 140 km run was established to spread the message that peace and unity could be a reality for the upcoming 2013 election. It was a superb success. I believe it was the first of its kind in Kenya, perhaps globally. The run ended with a Peace Rally at Masinde Muliro Gardens, Kakamega. 

Today Gilbert and his adopted daughter Stella arrive in Kakamega to take me to their home. We abandon our first choice to take a matatu. No seatbelts. Gilbert finds a cab driver and within three hours we are there. Sally welcomes me and immediately asks about her friends in Thunder Bay. 

Sally

In their major living space hangs an assortment of medals won in various cities around the world. Inspirational posters and pictures of Gilbert's parents are on the wall closest to my bedroom. To no avail I protest the fact I will sleep in a space larger than two other rooms housing a dozen. Although not needed, I was still glad for the anti malaria mosquito net. In the highlands of Kenya the air is cool at nights and the days are pleasant. It is not yet the rainy season and mosquitoes are scarce. 

Located half way between Eldoret and Kitale, Gilbert's “shamba” is in the Rift Valley area. His 20 acre farm is a place of peace. Maize is the main crop with napia grass for dairy cattle grown on the side. A new house is being built for his 58 year old mother. Cousins, uncles and extended family all live on the compound. Gilbert is the patriarch, father to all including eight adopted orphans he supports. Gilbert looks after each as his own. At Christmas they all got new clothes; no child would feel left out. 

Two teens, Shadrach (Standard 7) and Stella (Form 1) are part of the family. Gilbert is training them to be runners. Already they are winners at the County level and Stella will soon compete at the nationals in her age category. Stella's mother is dying of Aids. She begged Gilbert to care for her daughter. There was not a moment's hesitation. Six children under the age of nine are also part of the family. Total orphans, they enjoy life with Gilbert and Sally. 

Shadrach

Stella

Gilbert and 2 yr old son Timothy

In the evening we walked 200 metres to an uncle's place. Someone called “Karibu”, welcome and I soon was sitting with eight others in a dimly lit one room hut covered by a tin roof. Only two spoke English. Twenty minutes later I rose to leave. I knew Gilbert was back at his place and I thought it best to join him. Shadrach whispered in my ear, “Don't you think you should have some tea?” Always one for a cup of tea I sat down. I had nearly offended this family. In Kenya once you enter a place, you must drink tea with lots of brown sugar and milk added. It's only then one can be released.

Deanna - 4 months with Gilbert's younger sister

At sunset the entire family group of about forty gathered to sing a swahili welcome song. They had fun listening to me singing harmonic syllables in baritone with a sliding bass at the end. I was the first to be offered a sweetbread cake. I gave half to a young one standing beside me and he then shared with ten others, a morsel each. I got a neat compliment when Shadrach told me, “you sure like children.” That night at Gilbert's twenty gathered for dinner. The TV had Barcelona and Madrid playing football. Plates were piled high with rice, ugali, beans and japati. No way I could finish. My apology was lame, “I am expected to lose ten pounds before returning home to Canada.” No problem, my food was given to another hungry mouth. Then an amazing thing happened. All 10 children of school age cracked the books and they began studying. And this on a Saturday night! Totally worn out, I retired. The rest carried on with their preps. 

Daily training is essential. At 6am I heard Gilbert and his young runners leave the compound. They would be joined by two others. After 10km Shadrach and Stella were done. The three remaining athletes ran another 22 km before returning home just before 8am. Gilbert is training for the Jerusalem marathon in March and in April he may be visiting Capetown for the Twin Oceans Run. After that he travels to Canada for a series of competitions. Gilbert's family depend on his earnings. Gilbert has to be mentally tough to compete with younger runners whose main goal is to beat him at the finish line. Of all 44 tribes in Kenya, the Kalengins excel the most at running. During the past three decades, 80% of the world's marathon winners have come from the Eldoret area. Research shows that a combination of genetics and an ideal environment to train accounts for them being the best long distance runners in the world. 

While they were out, a few of the young ones joined me for a walkabout. The sun was just rising and the air was sweet. Chickens , roosters and a duck were creating a ruckus. Cows were sauntering out to pasture. Soon I was surrounded by a few more kids and eventually we were around thirty. There were tugs at my fingers and I had three or four hanging on to each hand. Of course they wanted to touch “muzungu”, feel my skin and give me a little pinch. They must have thought that milk had been poured over me. We all got singing the Kenyan folk song, ``Jambo, jambo sana – habari gani, Mzuri sana`` (Hey there, what`s up…how are you...I am doing fine). Some as young as six or seven were carrying kids half their age. The older ones found some nuts and fruits along the way to eat. One kid picked a lime, pealed and sucked on it for a while. Nearly all had a taste and it was discarded, landing on a pile of cow dung. It was just as quickly retrieved by another kid. No big deal. 

We got back around 8am to meet the runners. Philip Kiptoo Zuia and Patrice Kiptoo Ayabei (no direct relation to Gilbert) were downing a special drink Sally had made for them, designed to refresh and replenish energies lost. Soon with tea and mandazi we were talking about the CES Peace Run they were part of just before the 2013 Kenya elections. They were so grateful for the funds they received. One sponsored a child in school and the other helped his family for necessary foods. I asked Philip what he was going to do for the rest of the day. “Find my cow and milk it”, he said with a huge grin. These phenomenal athletes are primarily farmers, people of the land. The little they have is because of their career as marathon runners. 

Too soon we said goodbye, leaving for Eldoret. There we met with CES Grad Doris Miroya and ran into Hon MP Wesley Korir, also a runner. We shared the story of CES in Kenya. He had married a Canadian girl from the Kitchener Waterloo area and they started the Kenyan Kids Foundation. We had much in common as we chatted.

I shared with Gilbert how much I admired him and what a great man he is. Humble and yet so talented, he always gives the glory to God. He is the leader of his family. A loving father, he delights in all his children. Timothy (2years) and Deanna (4 months) are the youngest. Deanna is so sweet. Named after Lynn Zolinski's daughter, she cooes and is alert at all times. What a joy to hold this little one. 

What does it take to be great? Tops in your field...maybe. Gilbert has been there many times. But few definitions can match the ideal of loving God and taking good care of others. Taking in eight orphans takes love and sacrifice. Moulding the lives of young teens is challenging. A faithful husband and good friend, he leads by example. As we parted, I thought to myself, “I wish there were more like Gilbert Kiptoo in this world.”

Charcoal Kids of Kakamega

It's early morning, 7am and Kakamega is alive with activity. Hawkers, street vendors, newspaper agents selling the latest account of scandal and corruption. The market is just across the street and the women have been setting up their stalls since 5am. Bananas, mangos, papaya, tomatoes, potatoes and host of vegetables will be sold today. They are all there, including those pleading with you that their matatu (17 passenger Nissan van) is the absolute finest…after all, it does say "Glory Ride" on the back window. Pick-pickies whisk people away to wherever for 50 shillings a ride. What a scene…absolutely crazy.

As a "muzungu" I am highly conspicuous. That in itself presents a host of potential problems. Although not in danger, I know I will hear a tale of woe and the need for cash. Gilbert Kiptoo is out finding a cab for us. We have planned a visit to his "shamba" near Eldoret. A shopkeeper invites me to sit on a bench inside his store.

First two come in, then more. All girls between the ages of 6 to 13, they carry 50 pound sacks of charcoal on their heads. With straight backs and load perfectly balanced they walk barefoot with such ease. Noticing their blank expressions and torn dresses, I thought how tragic and totally unacceptable. These are just kids…and what happened to children's rights?

In all about a dozen girls walked by me, receiving a plastic bucket from the shopkeeper. These were to measure the amount of charcoal sold. No words exchanged, this routine happens daily. Even the shopkeeper gets a cut from the labours of the "Charcoal Kids of Kakamega".

Charcoal is a huge industry in Kenya, an alternative to just burning wood. It is cleaner and more efficient. The problem is it exacerbates the deforestation happening everywhere. An estimated 700,000 people make a meagre living this way.

Ingredients are charcoal dust and biomass feedstock, water and a binding agent. For 10 shillings (12 cents Cdn) these girls sell a customer a day's worth of charcoal. Ingredients cost 8 cents so for all that work a profit of 2 shillings is made.

I could not take a photo, it was too much…just the charcoal (Google).

Such hard work with so little return. These girls suffer in silence. They will not go to school today, likely not ever. As I watched the "charcoal girls" walk away, I wondered what my life would have been like had I been born in this part of the world. Kenya can break your heart several times a day.

Each Day Another Miracle

"The Orphan Kids of Kakamega are the real heroes in the fight against HIV/Aids"

13/01 WEBUYE...funny how a day begins here in Kenya. Breakfast of banana, mango, passion fruit, pineapple with a sprinkle of corn flakes soaked in hot milk – then two eggs sunny side up a slice of toast and then the best chai, a version called mixed tea. Not quite that extravagant for our CES kids – but at least they are fed. Soon we crawl through town and down the highway past Malava Forest. Beautiful rolling hills dotted with shambas display careful use of the land. We slow down to avoid confronting a tractor head on carrying a load of sugar cane headed for Mumias. Breakfast for many orphaned children not in school is the same...a hunk of sugar cane. Hundreds of kids walking by themselves, many under the age of 10 years are chewing to extract the sugar. Immediate energy with zero nutritional value. Day in...day out.

You have to go far to see a school as beautiful as St Cecilia Girls SS. Its motto, Discipline Precedes Success is seen in the way girls carry themselves, how they attend to their studies and a high level of self confidence that is most extraordinary. A working farm, a play-field and a variety of different plant species create a great environment for learning. Each girl carries a cloth handbag matching a green and white school uniform. In it is soap, toothbrush and paste, sanitary pad, drying cloth and a plastic container for water. Self sufficient, these students are prepared. Washing hands with soap is routine, unlike most schools where sanitation and hygiene is a real issue.

CES Patron Malik Khaemba spoke to a girl who confided that she never knew her mother or father. A total orphan, she had been transferred to St Cecilia from Divine Providence Orphanage in Kakamega. Her ability to focus and perform on tests was hindering her progress. She broke down when describing how difficult it is to not know who you are or where you have come from. Total abandonment...that's where CES steps in. Principal Beatrice Ingonga cares for all her 900 students, especially those girls supported by CES Canada.
What a delight to spend time with Father Anthony Werunga of Barrie Ontario. Imagine finding out the day before leaving for Kenya that he too would be visiting family in Kitale. We connected and met at St Cecilia SS. Miracles like this happen too often to be mere coincidence.

St Cecilia Girls HS - Students take a tea break in Dining Hall

Kinang'eti Girls SS is situated in Malava District, right at the base of the Nandi Hills escarpment. A more peaceful place is hard to imagine.Opened in 2012, there are only two forms with 120 students. Each year will open up another form (grade). The entire school is the choir. They sang and created some movements that symbolized the opening up of the soul just as a flower blossoms. What a delight!

Each school shows appreciation...cup of tea or warm soda and biscuit. At the end a typical Kenyan meal with meat, vegetable, rice and ugali with lots of sauce. I refuse the spoon given...more fun to eat with your fingers, rolling it all up into a little ball and popping it in. Easy to end up wearing some of it though. Before and after we wash with warm water and soap...individually served with all respect given. What gracious people!

CES Meeting at Kimang'eti Girls HS

14/01 ESHITARI ...Tourism has been a top performer but in recent years it has slid to second place behind “TEA”. Tourism is not a big draw in this part of Kenya. Poverty surrounds every village and town. Agriculture is the main source of income and there is little reason for tourists to come to Kakamega. Muzungus show up primarily for development and humanitarian purposes. Tea grows around the Kakamega forest as well as southwest in the Kericho area. Miles of rolling hills display the dark green tea leaves to be singly handpicked. If you like tea you love Kenyan tea. Maybe that's why the Brits flocked here in the early to mid 20^th century.

Dining Hall and Kitchen area at Eshitari SS

Travel to Eshitari SS means rough roads, average speed 10km. Nearly one hour to see the first well dug donated through the Parry Sound/Muskoka chapter and Redeemer Church in Rosseau. A cup of cool water...nothing like it when pumped from the ground by a student at Eshitari. The kitchen/dining hall project needs work before two jeeko ovens are put in place. Yes, this project has been ongoing...three years now. Two things never jive here...the quotation given and the actual cost; and, the timeline anticipated and actual time elapsed. Progress is undefined and volunteerism is seldom understood as something to be valued. CES students may someday lead the way to change this way of thinking.

We leave Eshitari to visit Billy O'Wabechelli in Butere. Billy is a champion for the disabled and his campaign to include disabled youth in the school system is well known. Despite his struggles as a paraplegic he is open and positive. Kenyans struggle in many ways. Many suffer with the effects of polio and of course HIV. The latter is not in the open...but what you see is a huge industry in the funeral and casket making business. Imagine going to a funeral once a week and even then having to make decisions as to which one to attend. Productive living and employment is truly compromised! Incredibly sad to see politicians showing up for political reasons...o my, how Kenyans hurt.

Last stop is Kilimo Girls HS. They are digging a well by hand and finding means to grow crops to reduce the cost of feeding 210 students. Twelve orphaned girls will attend secondary school this year. Each one tells us how grateful she is. Another attribute of Kenyans...always thankful - accepting their fate in life with dignity and grace.

15/01 BUNGOMA ... 85 km one way to a town much larger than Kakamega. A busy center for commercial trade, we are now close to the Uganda border in the lee of Mount Elgon. We are on our way to St Jude Napara Girls SS. The journey takes a full two hours. A funny thing happened on the way. A police officer waves at us as we drive by. Speed limits are 80km/hr and I know for certain our careful driver was not speeding. It's easy to take off and ignore the hand signal and furthermore it's impossible for an officer on foot to chase down a motor vehicle. Besides, there is no radar and thus no proof of speeding. Good citizen Malik Khaemba stopped, backed up to the officer. Out of nowhere came a senior sergeant, complete with high ranking uniform and a fancy stick under his arm. After preliminary greetings, “pole sana” sorry from Malik and a brief look at muzungu had us once again down the Bungoma-Uganda Hwy. Documentation was not required. I was waiting for the inevitable cash transaction but it never materialized. I think the police were a little bored that day or maybe they were just checking people going to and from Uganda. Malik's response was, “I must be careful not to exceed the speed limit...I have valuable cargo here with me.”

The value of a District school is immense. Bright students who have the marks to attend a National or Provincial school simply drop out. School fees are too high. CES can help a school like St Jude Girls, pay the much lower school fees and at the same time feed and clothe the students. Their secondary education ensured.

Washing and Drinking Water at Well

(less than half rural schools have this facility)

National statistics are shocking...of the estimated 1.3 million students enrolled in Primary Class 1 in 2005, only 840,000 sat for the KCPE. That's over 200,000 dropouts...what a waste. That does not include the orphans who never pass the gates of a public school. An estimated 240,000 Primary school grads will be forced to repeat Standard 8 this year because they cannot pay school fees at the secondary level. It's either drop out or repeat to get a better grade...and then what? There's nothing more tragic than a young mind that's not growing. What pales in comparison is trying to write this blog enduring the third blackout in the past two hours. This happens daily...no point complaining.

16/01 KAKAMEGA...deeply moved by two stories out of our visit to Bushiri SS. We meet Form 4 student Lucy Isalako and Richard Omrunga, Form 3. Both are orphaned and without CES would have no hope of attending school. Meet retired Principal Rispah Aruma, Ibinzo SS. Then there's Richard Kubondo, Principal of Bushiri SS.

Principal Richard and student Richard to his left with Bushiri SS students

Scene 1: Principal Richard goes to timber shop in Kakamega to buy wood to build grain shed at school. There he meets young Richard. Principal asks why one so young is not in school. Details emerge that young Richard has a high mark in KCPE but for lack of fees (and shoes) cannot attend any school. Principal asks Richard to come to school with an adult/guardian. Next day student is enrolled and he receives one of Principals's shoes. Young Richard states, “Principal found me on the street and now is acting as my parent.” Life is good.

Lucy and Madame Aruma

Scene 2: Madame Aruma has four children she supports. Lucy is now the 5^th. Her father dies 10 years ago, mother abandons Lucy because there is quarrelling over land ownership. She raises her own school fees by working as a maid for an entire year. No one knows she is destitute because she simply pays the fees to the school burser. Yr 1 complete. Still living alone, fending for herself and walking 7km each way to school. Yr 2 drops out for 7 months and again comes back with fees. This time it all comes to light. Madame Aruma hears about Lucy, takes her in to her place and finds a way for CES to connect with Principal Richard. Walking distance now reduced to 5km each way. With school fees not an issue, Lucy now in Form 4 achieving very well. Life is good.

Saw a motto on a school bus today in town: “Restless Pursuit of Excellence” ... wonder if they borrowed from Toyota but made a typo. Each day in Kakamega is an adventure...oh yes, the power just came back on! And Tom...you are still the most popular muzungu ever to walk these dusty roads! I just drop your name and I am deemed to be OK. Asante sana.

CES and Western Kenya

CES KENYA

06/01 Toronto – Paris – Nairobi a 33 hr journey, finally in Kenya. Temps have come full circle -20 to +25 degrees but what has not changed is the incredible welcome “Karibu” for this “mizungu” (white guy). CES Kenya Director Livingstone Nyanje had already set up lodging at the newly renovated ACK Guesthouse in central Nairobi. Jet lagged but still pumped by a journey taken many times over the past decade, only a few hours sleep were needed to recover.

07/01 NAIROBI – crowded with unbelievable gridlock during rush hour. Idling for 30 minutes in a queue and jostling with three “matatus” for one space is a nightmare. Religious messages plastered on windows of these 14 passenger motor vans have little in common with their unruly drivers. The city is building a three terminal airport and expanding through better transportation networks and new building developments. The tragedy of Kibera and Methare slums remain part of modern day Nairobi.

The sad reality is that nearly half of gross earnings by working Kenyans goes into food. A recent Ipsos Public Affairs survey indicates that 50% of people give money to others outside their immediate family for daily needs. Up to 1/4 of Kenyans are going to bed hungry. Away from food, the next big expense is school fees. Free education does not exist and many living in rural areas cannot afford to send their children to school. Despite these realities, Safaricom does a booming business. A cell phone however cannot replace education or fill an empty stomach.

09/01 KISUMU – 3rd largest city of 1million in KENYA, it lies on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria. Here last February the CES (140 km) Run for Peace created quite a buzz. CES Graduate Pendo Lugalia accompanied me, taking notes and photos. She proved to be a great asset throughout.

Lions HS sets high standards for students, many that come from a nearby slum area. CES student Stephen Oginga shared his story. His father died in 2009...his mother sells charcoal by the roadside for she and five children to survive. He is the only one of five siblings to attend secondary school. Grades have improved as he now can study at night by a solar lamp provided by CES Canada.  

Principal Penina Okech is a wonderful example of what it takes to care for the poorest, to help raise their hopes and dreams. Here CES Chair BenUdoto joins Stephen and his Principal.

Dr. Ruby Sokwala is a modern day Mother Theresa. Well known for her work with Aids patients, she has worked in Kisumu since 1971. Besides her medical practice she works in Obunga slum in a program called Agape Girls. Here girls age 13-18 receive clothing and life skills. Part of her work is another organization called Newlife where orphaned children are found homes in the community. Dr Sokwala helps CES in Kenya as Medical Advisor. Leaving her tiny office on Ogado Street, we realized we were in the presence of a saint.

Pendo Lugalia and Dr Ruby Sokwala

Before heading up the Nandi Escarpment to Kakamega, we visited St Mary's Yalla. CES students are thriving in a strong academic environment. Each spoke eloquently about their goals in life - Kevin Magonere wants to study Actuarial Science, Wycliffe Mululi dreams of being a Pilot and Gerald Ayeye is hoping to be an Electrical Engineer. Each of these Form 3 students has a unique story reflecting acute poverty and the reality of living without a parent(s). High achievers all, it was Kevin who told us he was disappointed in a mark of 396 in the KCPE standardized test. He actually is among the top 5 percentile in the entire nation!

Gerald, Wycliffe (centre) and Kevin - Form 4 St Mary's Yalla SS

10/01 KAKAMEGA- a bustling town of some 90,000 and home to Masinde Muliro University. Here CES Kenya has its headquarters. Like coming home to a familiar place, we quickly adjust to the the conjestion caused by boda bodas, matatus, picky-pickies, tuk-tuks and those walking. Speed bumps and gigantic potholes in the road provide us with the typical “Kenyan massage”. Good to be back. CES Patron Malik Khaemba and Chair Ben Udoto are our chief hosts. Like good friends, we pick up just where we left off last September 2012.

Thirty minutes out of town to the north lies St Mary Goretti Girls HS at Shikoti. Principal Everlyne Shinal is at the main gate to greet us. The main aim of our visit is to see the progress on the St Agnes Dorm. It was constructed July 2013 by a Canadian team of volunteers from Thunder Bay. This dorm will hold 72 girls when completed. A dozen workers were putting the finish on the inside. As I had missed the chance to do any work last summer, it was fun to lend a hand by plastering one wall. Electical conduits are complete and the areas for showers, toilets and ironing clothes is roughed in. The newly reinforced septic tank is now in place. What has been accomplished through St Agnes Church community Thunder Bay is extraordinary. The change from a dilapidated 35 year old mud dorm to a well built modern facility is amazing. The only problem for the school now is to decide on which 72 (of 900) will be the first residents. Not easy as every girl has signed up for the opportunity.

Shikoti Girls Board Chair Charles Lwanga Lwole at St Agnes Dorm

With the assistance of the EAAPP (East Africa Agricultural Production Project), CES is creating a farm where dairy cattle will produce enough milk for the school. This includes a zero grazing initiative on five acres of napia grass. At time of visit the basic structure of the cowshed had been built. The chicken coup funded in 2012 through St Agnes Church will receive a fresh brood of chicks to start of the school year.




No school choir in the world sounds better than Shikoti Girls - the criteria of course being quality of the sound and passion. “Today is a Wonderful Day” greeted us as we entered the gathering place where the entire school was assembled. Sung first in English, then Swahili and finally in their Luyha mother tongue, it really stirred the soul. I had the extraordinary opportunity of speaking on a topic to do with the school motto: “Arise and Shine”. Funny how you have to sometimes switch gears in mid-stream. Unknown to me was the fact that the school community had recently changed the motto from its inception in 1971. I quickly realized my faux pas. Offering a “pole sana” apology I had to redirect comments to reflect the new motto - “Strive to Be the Best Always”. Next time I shall note the school gate signs more carefully. Pendo had been a teacher assistant laast May to August 2013. As she was invited to speak the girls gave her the biggest cheer of all. No matter in Kenya or Canada, high school girls are the same...full of life and lots of fun.

Pendo mentoring CES students at Shikoti

11/01 LUTASO/MUSAGA/NAVAKHOLO
“Today is a Wonderful Day” ... can't get that song out of my head. It's Saturday...students remain in school until 3pm. Education is cherished and the discipline of learning is strict and demanding. Yet as we travel we see young people in school uniform sent home for lack of school fees. Children of school age show signs of unimaginable poverty...for them school is not an option. At St Caroli Lwango Lutaso SS we meet Principal Sister Mary Goretti and other school officials. Since 2011, CES has seen the need for clean water. Students now drink tainted water brought by bicycle from a stream some 3 miles away. Huge boulders surround this school built on solid rock. Two surveys and four quotes are now in place. The water must be pumped 300 metres from an underground water source in a valley below the school. The well will provide water to the adjacent primary school as well as the parish surrounding St Caroli school.

CES grad Doris Miroya (Ibinzo SS 2010) meets St Caroli CES Students

CES Kenya Patron Malik Khaemba with CES students and Principal Sister Mary Goretti

Next we tavelled to the village of Musaga where CES Chair Ben Udoto went to school. As a child his teacher held his hand as Ben wrote with his finger in the sand. In those days there were no books or pens at Musaga P.S. Today thanks to CES Canada Thunder Bay a secondary school is running with a total of 300 expected this year. I tried to imagine the excitement of Lynn Zolinski and her friends as they dedicated this beautiful school to the memory of Deanna O'Neill. Eight classrooms are open and the last two – the Musaga Center for Biology and Chemistry needs a roof. Leaving Musaga we revisited the Musaga well dedicated by Sheila Smith and the late Sharyn Poole in 2011.

Sheilah Nasindu, Musaga SS

CES grad (2013) and CES Young Writers Contributor

Navakholo SS was the last stop. Roads are hot and dusty and difficult to drive on. CES Kenya Patron Malik Khaemba deserves a medal for his unqualified expertise in keeping us all safe. In 2010 a well and farm were officially opened and today we visited it again...fully operational with 100 litres of milk provided each day.

The newly renovated science lab, also a gift from a CES donor was nearly completed. The progress of this school is remarkable and CES is a big part of that. Principal Aquinas Wamukoya was so grateful to hear that one family in Canada had funded these projects. “Tell the Freeman family”, he said, that they now have a farm in Navakholo Kenya.



Tired after an absolutely incredible day, I was about to rest when a knock on my door at Sheywe Guesthouse revealed a familiar face. Benjamin Wafula has been a teacher in Kakamega since 2010. How good to spend time with our first graduate (2006) talking about his future. Pendo Lugalia (2010) and Doris Miroya (2010) stopped by and by the end of a conversation that included two power failures, it was decided by candlelight that a CES Kenya Alumni group be established. How exciting that graduates still feel the impact of CES on their lives and together can find ways to give back by supporting other needy students!

CES Alumnus Pendo and Doris

Pendo Lugalia -Yr2 Kenyatta University (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology)

Doris Miroya - Yr 2 Moi University Eldoret (Agricultual Economics)

12/01 KAKAMEGA ... Sunday, a day of rest. Slept in until 6am as the birdsong filled the air. Luhya drummers summoned the faithful to prayer. The outside air is too sweet to sleep in. I was reminded of the verse “in the morning will I lift my eyes to the heavens”.

The day was filled with thoughts about our dear friend Sharyn Poole. How she loved coming to Kakamega to see Doris, Pendo and a host of other students who called her “mom”. We were to visit the Divine Providence Orphanage on the outskirts of town. At the gates we were met by Sister Caroline and Ryan a young one just learning to walk. He raised his arms and naturally I picked the little fellow up. What a precious moment...he was my main buddy for the day. Clement was a 16 year old born deaf and dumb. He greeted me with a smile. Kelly, a six year old victim of polio had crutches to move as he dragged his legs behind him. I wanted to see him as I too at his age had polio. Vaccines in Kenya are available to all; yet, some mothers do not bother because of poverty or lack of education. Kelly and I just hung out for a bit. I told him I wanted to be his “rafiki” friend.

Older orphans caring for the babies

Little ones want to learn with the older children

My buddy Ryan and 6 year old Kelly

Sister Carolyne took us to the chapel to spend time in reflection and celebration of Sharyn's life. Pendo and Doris spoke so beautifully and we were all touched by the love and respect shown by Sister Carolyne. A portion of Sharyn's ashes had been lovingly placed under the altar. This was a holy place. We were at peace.

 

Tomorrow is another day! There is a sense that each day is to be treasured for what it brings. Even though this is my 8^th visit to western Kenya, it's not any easier to deal with the acute poverty that prevails.