Visit to Kabongo 2016

Spring 2014

  Spring 2014

   David and I chose to do our medical volunteering trip in Tanzania this year so we could visit our Kabongo kids at the same time.

Our charming duplex. The kids stayed on
the right, and we had the left half.

   We were only able to stay for one weekend in Eldoret but we took advantage of every minute by renting a duplex cabin at the Club for us all. We brought everyone new running shoes and David got the gang going with a 4km. morning run...no lingering allowed! This was the only way to earn that breakfast buffet!

Sharon works on a painting kit
 

Moses, Veronicah, Kelvin and Sharon in the pool
They are all great swimmers now

   Then the FUN began! I had brought a large suitcase full of games, toys, puzzles and clothes including new bathing suits (gymnastic outfits actually, young girls in Africa are very modest and like to cover up).


David helps Moses and Kelvin put
together a model car

Moses snaps a "selfie"

  We did arts and crafts in the morning and enjoyed pool time in the afternoon. The all can swim independently, thanks to their swimming lessons. Grandma sat by the pool with us but only dunked her tootsies.

Veronicah tries on her new
American backpack

New American double-breasted jackets (and ties!)
Church is the main event of the week and they like
to get dressed up for the singing, dancing and praying

In the evening we were joined for dinner by Brother Paul and our dear friends, the Mabeyas. We had brought the movie "Ice Age" and the kids were enthralled as they watched it on our laptop.

Watching the movie Ice Age - they loved it

They take computer classes  from Teacher Sammy but unfortunately, cable  connection has not yet been run to the school. Instead, Sammy goes to town every week and downloads news and programs onto a jumpdrive and shares it with the class. Brother Paul says they hope to have direct cable access in another year.
    We spent some time with the teachers to review their grades. They still struggle in school and probably always will, since they got a late start in the educational journey. At the end of the first term (April 2014) Kelvin is in grade 6 and scored 272, (out of total possible perfect grade of 500) and his target goal, per Teacher Sammy was 320. Sharon, also in grade 6 scored 295 and her goal had also been 320. Veronicah, in grade 5, scored 292, and she is quite close to reaching her target goal of 300. Moses is doing well, and his reading and writing is improving. Sharon wants very badly to be one of the top 10 students in her class, and Kelvin is quite competitive, so this may encourage him to work harder. Veronicah is a social butterfly but loves to read and enjoys helping Moses with his lessons. She also requests extra work and doesn't hesitate to ask questions in the classroom. They continue to have extra tutoring with Teacher Sammy which is essential.We have arranged for them all to sit in the front of the classroom so they stay attentive. Their next set of exams will be at the end of July and I will report their grades to you then.
      The weekend went by SOOOO fast and soon it was time for those last hugs.

Time to say goodbye for another year.
 Be good kids and study hard!
And do what your Grandma says!!!
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I will be adding grades, Teacher Sammy's assessments and notes from the children as I get them.
Check in every couple months to see what's new!!!



Spring 2013

 

       Spring 2013!!!

It does not seem possible that a year has passed since we saw "our kids"! We call them and write them every month and when we speak on the phone, they manage their end of the conversation much better. In their letters, there is obvious improvement in their vocabulary and grammar. We also keep in regular contact with their teachers Sammy and Jim, who send us their exam scores.



Grandma working in her fields of corn
 and millet with Veronicah and Moses.
 

   At The Patrician School students take tests monthly so we know that there have been good months and difficult months. We attribute some of that to the adjustment period of  the older 3 being  boarders and living in one room with 50 fellow students. We also know that English continues to be a struggle for them. Unlike the majority of their classmates, these kids had only had a couple years of school before they were orphaned. They had never read a book and had learned little beyond their ABC's. Their early years were of a basic subsistency level. I can't say if anyone ever truly cherished them, though I certainly hope so; it's possible that they were viewed as "one more mouth to feed". They had been sent to live with their other Grandma but she had been unable to care for them and were then sent on to Grandma Jane. Grandma Jane didn't have enough money for food, let alone school, so the kids found odd jobs to earn a few shillings.

      The Kenyan school calendar runs on a 3 month program; schools close for the entire months of April, August and December and like all children in the agrarian countryside, they must help with planting, hoeing and harvesting.

    Enrolling the older 3 as boarders in the school guaranteed them basic daily meals and we give them small pocket change so they can buy extra bread or tea. Boarding is not permitted before grade 5, so Moses still has a few years at home living with grandma and that means, no sanitation, water or electricity. That's not a very conducive environment for learning.

New bathing suits from America. Don't they just love those goggles!

   Our contact person is Carolyne Mabeya, a friend, mother and social worker who has volunteered to manage the finances for our family. Her husband is the fistula surgeon whom we got to know well during our time in Kenya. We are so grateful to her and all she does. It is really just not possible to send money to Africa without a reliable and trustworthy intermediary, funds are certain to get "diverted". Carolyne values every penny we send her and makes sure it is wisely spent. All expenses are paid directly to The Brothers of St. Patrick and are tax-deductible as a charitable donation, including school tuition as well as texts, school uniforms, swimming lessons, tutoring etc.

 

  The children study hard and with the help of teachers Sammy and Jim, they understand more and more English. However, it was felt that the older 3 should repeat their grade level for the 2013 year. Moses however, advanced to the 3rd year of kindergarten and proudly recited his ABC's on the phone when we called. They love being Scouts and wear their new uniforms weekly to school where they lead the flag-raising ceremony (the short video captures Veronicah and Kelvin practicing their Scout drill).

  The grades at the end of 2013 were good enough for all of them to advance, which was a great relief to us. They had already taken that grade level for 2 years and we certainly didn't want them to be taking it a third time.

Kelvin, Moses, Sharon and Veronicah with their teachers and Grandma

To move on to the next grade level, a score of 250 (out of total possible 500) is needed. Sharon scored a 307, Kelvin 293 and Veronicah 279. Sharon ranked 34th out of her class of 51 students, Kelvin (in the same class as Sharon) ranked 41 out of 51, and Veronicah 39 out of 44. Moses ranked 10th out of his class of 42 and was able to skip his last year of kindergarten.

Moses graduates from kindergarten!!! He is the furthest on the right

   The school system in Kenya runs on a calendar year so in January 2014 Sharon and Kelvin will be 6th graders, Veronicah will be in 5th grade and Moses in 1st grade. YIPPEE!!!

The boys looking spiffy in their new jackets

Two pretty young ladies

   The family is Christian and Christmas is celebrated throughout Kenya. These kids had never received gifts before, so we arranged for our dear friend Carolyne to grant them a Christmas wish. They all wanted new "going-to-church" clothes; the girls chose a matching skirt and blouse ensemble, the boys found new jackets. Our dear Grandma's only request was fertilizer for her crops. We happily obliged and also arranged a bountiful Christmas dinner with meat and fresh fruit. It was a Christmas to remember!
  We called them on December 31, 2013 to wish them a Happy New Year. Here's to great happenings in 2014!!!!
We keeping our fingers crossed-
  

 
 

Spring 2012

Our Beautiful Kabongo Family


   My husband, David, and I were doing medical volunteer work in Kenya in 2012 and during an HIV/AIDS outreach "ride-along", I came across Veronicah, a young orphan who was washing clothes to earn a few shillings. She had not been in school for several years. She spoke minimal English but with the help of our driver, I ascertained that her Grandmother could not afford the cost of school supplies nor rental fee of a school desk.That afternoon we bought her shoes, a uniform and text books and enrolled her in the nearby Patrician School. At 7:00AM the following morning Grandma walked her to the school gates, fresh pencils in hand and on the threshold of a real future. 
   On my last day in Kenya, I made arrangements to visit Grandma's mud and dung home where, much to my surprise, I was shyly greeted by Veronicah's 3 siblings. They had all been parent-less for several years. They had also been out of school, working as domestics/field hands and Grandma Jane had called them home to meet me. (She was a wise Grandma...) Within  the next couple days, we had them all enrolled and they joined Veronicah at The Patrician School.

Veronicah with her Grandma Jane

    These children study hard and want very much to succeed. However, due to their minimal previous scholastic exposure, school continues to be a major challenge for them. All classes in Kenya, starting with kindergarten, are taught only in English; but at home only Swahili is spoken (Grandma speaks very minimal English). We hired an English language tutor to help them bridge the gap. We also enrolled them in Scouts and arranged swimming lessons at a local pool on weekends so they would have a fun activity to look forward to. At the time we first met them, Sharon was almost 13 and we enrolled her in 5th grade, Veronicah was 12 and was started in 4th grade, Kelvin almost 11, 5th grade, and Moses, 7, began his first year of kindergarten.



One hour after finding Veronicah, we go directly to the
school and I get Veronicah enrolled.
Now, time for shopping-

   These kids live with their Grandma Jane, who earns about $1 a day growing vegetables that she sells. Her dirt floor abode has no electricity, sanitation or water and despite her hard work in the fields, she does not have the means to feed her grandchildren adequately. For this reason we enrolled the older three into the boarding program at the school as soon as they were eligible. We give Grandma a small monthly supplement of eggs, fruit and milk to help her feed Moses, who must still live at home until he will be in 5th grade.



Grandma watches as Veronicah
tries on a school uniform.

    We return every year to visit them, and bring them clothes, books, puzzles, toys and games.We are so thankful for the generous contributions of family and friends for the support they give this very deserving family. 
  The picture at the bottom is one of our very favorites! When we arrived in Eldoret, Kenya, the hospital where we were volunteering had made arrangements for us to stay at the Eldoret Club, a charming old golf and swim club from old British days. The first person we met was Brother Paul, a charming member of the Irish order The Brothers of St. Patrick, and he had been a long time president of the Club. 

Grandma Jane, Kelvin, Moses, Veronicah,
my driver John and Sharon

We engaged in conversation and as a former nurse and teacher, I was delighted to be invited to spend some time in Kabongo. This was a very destitute area outside of Eldoret where Brother Paul had built a school and small medical facility to serve the poor families who live close by. Thanks to my time spent at The Patrician School, I knew right away where I could get Veronicah enrolled that very afternoon. 

Brother Paul and our 4 little scholars, all enrolled in school!