Sunday 29th July
The internet café was open and no one was using either of the two PCs. A sticky mouse and a dodgy keyboard did not deter me from sending my blog. I had limited time, but this is one of the faster downloads times I have found in Kenya, a mere five times slower than broadband (approx). The cost is a miniscule 150cents (1p) per minute, so no complaints on the cost front.
The reason time was limited was due to being asked to attend the first service, (they have two), of Life Reformation Centre. Fortunately, we arrived too late for me to have to give any impromptu speech. We were just asked to stand up and wave at the 500 or so congregation. Our VIP status was, however, marked with an invitation for tea and a cake with Pastor Komo, before he returned to the auditorium to repeat the first service. Auditorium may create the wrong image. It has walls on three sides and is basically a huge gazebo, with a galvanized iron roof, rather noisy when it rains, but invitingly cool on a hot summer’s morning in Kenya.
Road travel is always easier on Sundays, thanks to so many attending church meetings, although it is not the quiet day it once was. Most market stalls open seven days a week. In Githurai where we are the dusk tracks that pass for a high street have turned to thick mud and lakes of various shapes, sizes and depths. Those who have slept in the street all night contend with the hideous conditions alongside those in their Sunday best. It’s a carnival. Matthew is initially greatly amused and immediately admonished for spraying the contents of one such pond over the legs of several unexpectant folk as we sped passed. Mind you his driving is generally `top drawer`.
We arrived at Umoja for another show piece tournament organized by Steve Mucheru. We have been working together since Matt and I first went to Kenya in 1998. He had arranged it so that members of SCIFC were running the whole thing; refereeing, coaching the teams, administration, first aid, you name it, Steve had it all covered. The field, (this is a loose term that means a mixture of stones, gravel, earth and dry grass. The surface denied the opportunity for easy ball control, but these lads displayed wonderful touch. There were two pitches, two pools of four, seven-a-side, with semi finals and finals. Matt and I met up with old acquaintances, some of whom were with Mucheru even before we met him. His positive influence on their young lives is a testimonial to be more than proud. He is the essence of what SCI is all about and he carried the same vision prior to us coming on the scene.
A presentation followed the usual round of speeches and votes of thanks. This was followed with a bottle of soda for all and a loaf of bread between two, there main meal of that day. If only we could find the funding to employ Mucheru so that this work could be further developed, with daily coaching. It is more than just football, so beloved by Kenyans. It keeps the boys out of other mischief, and gives them the opportunity to work in a team. They learn leadership skills and the value of a disciplined life. In the UK such a gifted person would be snapped up by the FA.
In the evening everyone involved directly with SCI had a meal together at The Sportsview Hotel, where Matt and I are staying. It was the first time I had the opportunity of meeting and talking with all the wives and children of the trustees of SCI-K. Steve Mucheru and his wife, Milka, gave excellent speeches about the work they do, which both encouraged and challenged us all to reaffirm our efforts. It was a very happy time. Everyone was happy to share their thoughts. It augurs well for future.
As I write, Matt and Mike, our spanner man (do anything, fix anything), are ferrying the Mucheru`s back to Umoja. They are taking a long time. When Matt eventually arrived back at the gueathouse, seeing another two accidents and getting stuck in more agonising traffic jams has totally put him off Nairobi. He's had enough!
A day to remember.
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Kenya Blog 5
It’s early on Sunday morning. Rather than having a little down time before traveling back into Nairobi for a football tournament, we have had an extra added to the itinerary, which is already overcrowded. This always seems to happen no matter how hard we try to plan and organize. There are times when over optimism can run you into the ground.
So here I am rushing to type this with no certainty it can be published today. We are to visit Life Reformation Centre. This is the church of the SCI-Kenya director, Obongita Osore, (Fred). I anticipate being called to the stage at some point to give a brief word and greetings from the UK.
Yesterday was a slow start, but the rugby tournament at Mang’u High School attracted eight teams from seven schools. Start time was supposed to be 10:00. The first pool matches began by 11:25. There was some excellent rugby, especially the courage in the tackle and the strong individual running. However, areas such as ruck and maul, and scrummaging were a little naïve. Perhaps the most frustrating was the amount of poor kicking. After a very hot few hours the weather turned to thunderand lighting and heavy rain. Nevertheless, it proved to be a great day. We had a rapper who sang and various speeches during an extended presentation in the school library. (The downstairs was a hall, the books were upstairs). It is hoped that this will become a regular fixture in the Kenyan rugby calendar.
We had planned to have our evening meal with friends back in Nairobi. We were stuck in another traffic jam due to a road accident. These are all too regular. Local buses and Kenyan drivers as a whole simply disregard all and any road safety or consideration. Matthew earned his stripes dodging and weaving, often forced to by other road users. Of course, since, as usual, we arrived much later than anticipated, we left later. No sooner we left Umoja we encountered another traffic jam and another accident. No one seemed badly hurt thankfully.
We arrived at our guesthouse after 11:00. A long, tiring, rewarding day. I wonder if the cyber café is open today. We fly to Kisumu from Kenyatta airport at 07:45 tomorrow so we probably start the day at around 04:15, to be at the airport in time.
So here I am rushing to type this with no certainty it can be published today. We are to visit Life Reformation Centre. This is the church of the SCI-Kenya director, Obongita Osore, (Fred). I anticipate being called to the stage at some point to give a brief word and greetings from the UK.
Yesterday was a slow start, but the rugby tournament at Mang’u High School attracted eight teams from seven schools. Start time was supposed to be 10:00. The first pool matches began by 11:25. There was some excellent rugby, especially the courage in the tackle and the strong individual running. However, areas such as ruck and maul, and scrummaging were a little naïve. Perhaps the most frustrating was the amount of poor kicking. After a very hot few hours the weather turned to thunderand lighting and heavy rain. Nevertheless, it proved to be a great day. We had a rapper who sang and various speeches during an extended presentation in the school library. (The downstairs was a hall, the books were upstairs). It is hoped that this will become a regular fixture in the Kenyan rugby calendar.
We had planned to have our evening meal with friends back in Nairobi. We were stuck in another traffic jam due to a road accident. These are all too regular. Local buses and Kenyan drivers as a whole simply disregard all and any road safety or consideration. Matthew earned his stripes dodging and weaving, often forced to by other road users. Of course, since, as usual, we arrived much later than anticipated, we left later. No sooner we left Umoja we encountered another traffic jam and another accident. No one seemed badly hurt thankfully.
We arrived at our guesthouse after 11:00. A long, tiring, rewarding day. I wonder if the cyber café is open today. We fly to Kisumu from Kenyatta airport at 07:45 tomorrow so we probably start the day at around 04:15, to be at the airport in time.
Kenya Blog 4
Friday 27th July
Today was a mixture of hard work, traffic jams and pure joy. I have just come from a very lengthy trustees meeting. This is one chance each year when I can meet with them and discuss progress and future plans. We spent several hours talking about the budget for next year. There are some exciting developments in the pipeline, but we will have to work harder on fund raising then ever before if we are to see them happen. It will be our greatest challenge to date. If this set of plans does fails to get the income to sustain it then we could possibly fold. Let’s hope it is worth the risk. We all want SCI to be a continuing success. It is very difficult for my Kenyan trustees to understand the market place there is for fund raising in the UK; so many good causes all after a piece of the pie.
Earlier there was considerable frustration as we encountered the heavy traffic as people wrestled to get out of town to spend the weekend in their home village. Parents tend to retire to the village of their childhood. Children and families working in Nairobi are keen to visit as often as possible. Friday is always a bad day for travel, especially in the city.
The day began with a visit to the slum of Kibera, largest in East Africa. We were to visit a new classroom for a girls soccer academy secondary school that SCI had funded. It was amazing to see how much self confidence the girls had. They gave poetic recitations and sang and danced for us. You would think they were from a top girls high school. These girls are taught by volunteer teachers who have finished school but are unable to find the funds to get a teaching qualification with further study. Habbakuk is the 20 year old headmaster. In the UK he would pass for a fresh faced 16-17 year old. They told me that their method is to simply follow the experience of their best teachers at school. It’s working! The girls are progressing very well. They are being taught (as are all Kenyan children) in English. This is their third language. Watch out UK youth. These students will become the adults applying for your jobs in the future.
Today was a mixture of hard work, traffic jams and pure joy. I have just come from a very lengthy trustees meeting. This is one chance each year when I can meet with them and discuss progress and future plans. We spent several hours talking about the budget for next year. There are some exciting developments in the pipeline, but we will have to work harder on fund raising then ever before if we are to see them happen. It will be our greatest challenge to date. If this set of plans does fails to get the income to sustain it then we could possibly fold. Let’s hope it is worth the risk. We all want SCI to be a continuing success. It is very difficult for my Kenyan trustees to understand the market place there is for fund raising in the UK; so many good causes all after a piece of the pie.
Earlier there was considerable frustration as we encountered the heavy traffic as people wrestled to get out of town to spend the weekend in their home village. Parents tend to retire to the village of their childhood. Children and families working in Nairobi are keen to visit as often as possible. Friday is always a bad day for travel, especially in the city.
The day began with a visit to the slum of Kibera, largest in East Africa. We were to visit a new classroom for a girls soccer academy secondary school that SCI had funded. It was amazing to see how much self confidence the girls had. They gave poetic recitations and sang and danced for us. You would think they were from a top girls high school. These girls are taught by volunteer teachers who have finished school but are unable to find the funds to get a teaching qualification with further study. Habbakuk is the 20 year old headmaster. In the UK he would pass for a fresh faced 16-17 year old. They told me that their method is to simply follow the experience of their best teachers at school. It’s working! The girls are progressing very well. They are being taught (as are all Kenyan children) in English. This is their third language. Watch out UK youth. These students will become the adults applying for your jobs in the future.
Friday, 27 July 2007
Kenya Blog 3
It’s Wednesday morning and we are off to buy some footballs from Alive and kicking, a non profit organization in Nairobi. They make special leather balls and employees earn a good wage.
We were due to meet Fred, but he has no water at home and he is unable to travel to Nakuru with us. Matt and I go alone. Matt is going to drive. All is well until we arrive at Gilgil. The main road is still be remade from last year and now we are on a treacherous unmade track that is difficult to describe. It is the main highway to Nakuru.
We eventually arrived at Ken Andayi’s home at 2:15 for lunch. He insisted we attempted to eat raw sugar cane. This is a real challenge to the back teeth. Apparently the sugar keeps the teeth white. Ken gave a good report on the continued use of the kit we gave him.
From here we drove back to Fran & Mike Kaime’s home above Lake Elimentitia. There they run a street kids home called House of Plenty. It is a chance to catch up with old friends and relax.
On the 26th we returned to Nairobi and met Fred and Mike Kibathi to travel to a Masai community near Kitangela. It was way out in the sticks. The dust in the air gets into the throat, taste buds and eyes. The pitch is located in a vast expanse of savannah grassland. They are new to football. They are running a tournament for four teams. From this the best 5 in each team will form a district team to play others. They hope to form a league. As in so many communities, there is little for the youth to do, so football is excellent in helping. In the last ten years girls have been considered with more respect and we were able to donate two kits from Kerrier Terriers, a disbanded Cornish ladies team. They were thrilled.
By the time we arrived back at our new lodgings, Sportsview Hotel, is was 22:30. Ridiculous police check points where strips of nails are laid across the road slowed down our progress and created dangerous traffic congestion, which the police both create and ignore. It is a kind of every man for himself with little regard for other road users. It is always frustrating to me that Kenyans find this funny! It was a long, but successful day.
We were due to meet Fred, but he has no water at home and he is unable to travel to Nakuru with us. Matt and I go alone. Matt is going to drive. All is well until we arrive at Gilgil. The main road is still be remade from last year and now we are on a treacherous unmade track that is difficult to describe. It is the main highway to Nakuru.
We eventually arrived at Ken Andayi’s home at 2:15 for lunch. He insisted we attempted to eat raw sugar cane. This is a real challenge to the back teeth. Apparently the sugar keeps the teeth white. Ken gave a good report on the continued use of the kit we gave him.
From here we drove back to Fran & Mike Kaime’s home above Lake Elimentitia. There they run a street kids home called House of Plenty. It is a chance to catch up with old friends and relax.
On the 26th we returned to Nairobi and met Fred and Mike Kibathi to travel to a Masai community near Kitangela. It was way out in the sticks. The dust in the air gets into the throat, taste buds and eyes. The pitch is located in a vast expanse of savannah grassland. They are new to football. They are running a tournament for four teams. From this the best 5 in each team will form a district team to play others. They hope to form a league. As in so many communities, there is little for the youth to do, so football is excellent in helping. In the last ten years girls have been considered with more respect and we were able to donate two kits from Kerrier Terriers, a disbanded Cornish ladies team. They were thrilled.
By the time we arrived back at our new lodgings, Sportsview Hotel, is was 22:30. Ridiculous police check points where strips of nails are laid across the road slowed down our progress and created dangerous traffic congestion, which the police both create and ignore. It is a kind of every man for himself with little regard for other road users. It is always frustrating to me that Kenyans find this funny! It was a long, but successful day.
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Kenya Blog 2
Today has been about meeting people. We have decided to hire a RAV4 rather than a taxi. We need the extra seat this will provide and it should not be a great deal more expensive. On some trips we have had a vehicle sponsored to us but this is not always possible.
We have visited the secondary school where we are holding a rugby tournament for 10 schools on Saturday. We wanted to ensure that all the organization was OK. It was useful because we were able to save on some of the budget. The vehicle will double as an ambulance in case of injury. This saved 15000KES. You get 135KES to £1.00.
To look at the school (Mang’u) you wonder where the poverty is. Why do charity work for a place that has a 300 acre site, even an airplane on site, with aviation as a subject on the curriculum? They produce many of the aviators for Kenya. Well, they are a private school run by Catholics, first started 150 years ago by some monks from America. They are the host school as they have the facilities. The students go home to very different circumstances; little electric power, no flushing toilets, many siblings in one shared room.
Admittedly these children have more than those from some places, but they make the most of their opportunities. Failure in education is not an option. They would be thrown out of the school in an instant.
Having said that, most of the schools coming to the tournament struggle for kit, even balls. Mang’u does have a room with PCs, but not even the staff has internet access.
This is all a part of culture. It is important to embrace the differences rather than judge them. Remember, need is not only the province of the poor in wealth. Ask a rich man with a life threatening illness for which there is no cure.
One of the community based organisations (CBO) we work with, SAIPEH, has an aspiring MP, Phitalis Were on their board of trustees. As a disabled person, (his terminology, so I’m not being politically incorrect), he is passionate about raising awareness and help for those in his country in similar circumstances. They are generally marginalised. We had lunch together and listening to his views and vision was a real challenge.
Originally we had planned a flight to Marsabit, a round trip of 1100kms. This was booked with MAF. Unfortunately, this proved too difficult as we could only stay for maybe three hours before flying back to Nairobi. We were thankful that they waived the 50% cancellation charge for doing so within 24 hours of the trip taking place.
We have just had a meal with some of Kenya’s top young rugby players. They are going to be at the tournament on Saturday. The idea is that they are an aspiration to the students, and will be able to speak to them about how to move into the world of adult rugby. As most of you know, rugby is close to my heart. I would love to be able to act as a catalyst in developing the sport in Kenya through a growing network of contacts.
Tomorrow we hope to get some footballs from Alive and Kicking. Some of these will be gifts for those we visit in Nakuru and Naivasha. Look out for some photos when I next get a chance to write.
We have visited the secondary school where we are holding a rugby tournament for 10 schools on Saturday. We wanted to ensure that all the organization was OK. It was useful because we were able to save on some of the budget. The vehicle will double as an ambulance in case of injury. This saved 15000KES. You get 135KES to £1.00.
To look at the school (Mang’u) you wonder where the poverty is. Why do charity work for a place that has a 300 acre site, even an airplane on site, with aviation as a subject on the curriculum? They produce many of the aviators for Kenya. Well, they are a private school run by Catholics, first started 150 years ago by some monks from America. They are the host school as they have the facilities. The students go home to very different circumstances; little electric power, no flushing toilets, many siblings in one shared room.
Admittedly these children have more than those from some places, but they make the most of their opportunities. Failure in education is not an option. They would be thrown out of the school in an instant.
Having said that, most of the schools coming to the tournament struggle for kit, even balls. Mang’u does have a room with PCs, but not even the staff has internet access.
This is all a part of culture. It is important to embrace the differences rather than judge them. Remember, need is not only the province of the poor in wealth. Ask a rich man with a life threatening illness for which there is no cure.
One of the community based organisations (CBO) we work with, SAIPEH, has an aspiring MP, Phitalis Were on their board of trustees. As a disabled person, (his terminology, so I’m not being politically incorrect), he is passionate about raising awareness and help for those in his country in similar circumstances. They are generally marginalised. We had lunch together and listening to his views and vision was a real challenge.
Originally we had planned a flight to Marsabit, a round trip of 1100kms. This was booked with MAF. Unfortunately, this proved too difficult as we could only stay for maybe three hours before flying back to Nairobi. We were thankful that they waived the 50% cancellation charge for doing so within 24 hours of the trip taking place.
We have just had a meal with some of Kenya’s top young rugby players. They are going to be at the tournament on Saturday. The idea is that they are an aspiration to the students, and will be able to speak to them about how to move into the world of adult rugby. As most of you know, rugby is close to my heart. I would love to be able to act as a catalyst in developing the sport in Kenya through a growing network of contacts.
Tomorrow we hope to get some footballs from Alive and Kicking. Some of these will be gifts for those we visit in Nakuru and Naivasha. Look out for some photos when I next get a chance to write.
Monday, 23 July 2007
The end of the beginning - Kenya blog 1
We left St Ives at 09:35 on Sunday morning. We were concerned that the roads may be blocked in places due to flooding that had taken place the day before. In the event we arrived at Heathrow airport early. Our flight was in two stages; stage one was 6 hours to Dubai, then a four hour wait for our connecting flight to Nairobi, another 5 hours of flying. Eventually we arrived at Gracia Gardens our accommodation for the first two nights, exhausted.
Some of you may have flown into Dubai. It is so hot, over 40oC and the duty free is full of quality goods. The city is built in a desert. Everywhere in the airport people are reading Harry Potter!
We were met at the airport by Obongita Osore (Fred). He is the Kenyan Director of Sporting Chance International. On our arrival we discussed at length the proposed itinerary. Several changes are likely, because of over optimistic plans. We simply cannot fit it all in.
As you can see, the guesthouse has PCs with USB, skpe and an internet connection. It is impressive the speed that technology is moving here. Of course, it is not widely available though. Most folks have TVs but very few have cars, even the well paid people. The growing gap between relatively well off and poor is becoming more obvious. Inside the compound of the guesthouse it is all quite pleasant. Kibera, where we are due to officially open a classroom later in our stay, there is abject poverty.
It is a little warmer here than home, about 20oC. Nairobi is usually overcast which keeps the temperature down. It is not hot everywhere in Africa all of the time. When it rains here in Kenya it is like the rain the Midlands had last week. Since the country strides the Equator, it gets light at about 06:30 and dark at 06:30 every day with only slight seasonal variation. There is very little twilight. This is their cooler time of the year.
Not a whole lot more to tell you. Things will get up and running tomorrow. I’m off for some food before posting this to the blog.
Some of you may have flown into Dubai. It is so hot, over 40oC and the duty free is full of quality goods. The city is built in a desert. Everywhere in the airport people are reading Harry Potter!
We were met at the airport by Obongita Osore (Fred). He is the Kenyan Director of Sporting Chance International. On our arrival we discussed at length the proposed itinerary. Several changes are likely, because of over optimistic plans. We simply cannot fit it all in.
As you can see, the guesthouse has PCs with USB, skpe and an internet connection. It is impressive the speed that technology is moving here. Of course, it is not widely available though. Most folks have TVs but very few have cars, even the well paid people. The growing gap between relatively well off and poor is becoming more obvious. Inside the compound of the guesthouse it is all quite pleasant. Kibera, where we are due to officially open a classroom later in our stay, there is abject poverty.
It is a little warmer here than home, about 20oC. Nairobi is usually overcast which keeps the temperature down. It is not hot everywhere in Africa all of the time. When it rains here in Kenya it is like the rain the Midlands had last week. Since the country strides the Equator, it gets light at about 06:30 and dark at 06:30 every day with only slight seasonal variation. There is very little twilight. This is their cooler time of the year.
Not a whole lot more to tell you. Things will get up and running tomorrow. I’m off for some food before posting this to the blog.
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Some corrections please and the odd answer
- This is the definitive spelling of definitely.
- It takes about 10 hours flying time to get to Kenya.
- If you check the All Hayle blog you will not need to wait until I return. Remember, that is the whole idea!
- When you use I in the first person singular it must be as a CAPITAL letter, UPPER CASE for all you ICT anaraks.
- I didn't realise how many budding teachers there are in my ICT group.
- Please proof read your postings and comments before you submit them. If you cannot read, ask a friend to check it for you. But then, if you cannot read why are you looking at these funny shapes on the page? Perhaps you are just a little lazy when it comes to checking your text for intended world wide publication? Oh, and you leave a space after a full stop. Let us all hope that this blog will become useful for ICT as well as English.
- What did I do without you? I started this blog, marked all your work up to date and so on and so forth, but mostly rejoiced in the fact that I had a lot of free time when I would have been teaching year 10.
- Thanks for all your comments.
- I have just checked this so I hope there are no mistakes!
At last an ICT lesson!
At last I have the opportunity to share the blog with my students in a class setting. Hopefully there are a few budding writers in the group who are prepared to regularly post discussion points about their project work or submit some quiz type questions from topics recently faced in the exam.
The image above is taken during a football match in a town called Mumias, Kenya. Today 95Kgs of rugby and football kit left the school via DHL, the international courier. It is on its way to Nairobi. Have a look on the internet to see where these places are.
I leave for Kenya on Sunday 22nd July and hope to add to this blog while I am out there. You will be the first to hear the news if you log on. Getting your comments while I am still in Africa would be great. I could answer any questions you pose.
Monday, 9 July 2007
Friday, 6 July 2007
If you have got this far, well done! You are now able to engage with others from the Full Course ICT GCSE group. So, let's see if you can comment successfully. On the school website (http://www.hayle-comm.cornwall.sch.uk/) when you arrive at the ICT page, it states;
"Constant change is here to stay."What do you think this means in relation to ICT?
By the way, ALL comments & postings should be typed in quality English. No texting please and suitable language. Proof read your work.
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Inaugural post for the All Hayle blog
Today must be a special day. This is my first post on my newly created blog. Having crossed the Tamar to reach Torquay for the annual SW regional ICT conference, I found myself choosing a seminar change last minute.com! I was being shown a world of Blogs, Flickrs and the infinite possibilities that exist. I feel like my students and me must be missing out big time. Surely every other self respecting ICT teacher has already got their own blog? Anyway, here I am, 24 hours later, with post no1.
The simple idea behind this particular blog is to encourage my ICT GCSE students to engage with eachother about their coursework projects. I can see them sharing ideas, views, knowledge and skills. They are all on work experience at the moment for two weeks. This is giving me the time and inclination to take this first step. I have already encouraged my English ICT champion to try one herself to get some of the less keen lads to get a bit of a buzz from their lessons.
I consider this to be sufficient for a first tentative post. I have no idea how anyone gets to know about it. I suppose I invite people. That's the bit I think I'll have to learn more about.
I've just realised that I can add a picture - easily!
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