OF SIX GLASSESS AND WHAT EATS US

Every day we meet here in our learning circles, we learn important lessons even we, as adults. I know , that is a very appropriate title. What is eating us?Today all of were asked one question, 

"There are six glasses in a row. The first three are full of water, and the next three are empty. By moving only one glass how can you make them alternate between full and empty?"

I will confirm that this question was not for the children but rather directed towards us adults. Us teachers, us who think we know it all. And as usual there are those among us who ran to answer it quickly, others who were slower and preferred to think longer , others who gave up on the first try.

Lesson learned...our children are different. Our teacher today taught us that we should not let our classrooms be controlled by the brighter children. Yes , those of us who run to answer first were actually right, but because the teacher did not give us that tick just yet, she forced us to think. To think of alternatives. What else could we do about this situation?

Do we ever give our children, even ourselves time to think of alternatives? Are we too quick to give right to those who are right ? Have we ever considered that there are others in the room given enough time will get it right? are we too quick to finish first, complete the curriculum, go ahead of the pack?

Of Kenyan libraries and Friends who support them

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together - Vincent van Goh

have you ever thought about how one book can make a difference? How one book can build a nation or inspire a movement? Have you ever thought about how a space in the right place at the right time can inspire minds?

The trip to Meru today was about a mind inspired, a space that opens doors and windows of opportunity to the youth , a space that is changing its community a person at a time.The Tunachop Launch, did not disappoint. There is something about a room full of youthful faces that moves something in me. It is a roomful of potential, bright minds and futures that we have not yet even began to be dream about.

Our hero today is named Kenneth. A young man who started off at the library (KNLS Meru ) when he was just a tot. Sometimes we underestimate the little things in life. Let me explain. This is a child that was born like any other but the difference is, he was allowed into the library and the library opened for him a window of opportunity. With free programs that teach you about computers to people who really care about what happens to the you in the community. They don't just let you as a youth sit idly. They have all this little innovative programs that keep the youth busy , from going for hikes to having a vegetable patch that the kids can participate in, to letting them participate in library activities such as putting books back on the shelves, cleaning, and going out for outreach programs. They even get certificates of participation that have seen many of them get leadership positions in their respective schools.What better space to send your child?

I could hear the pride in Kenneth's voice. He is now at Stanford University California. This son of the African soil is making people like you and me proud despite being strangers that this far He has come. He did not just leave, he is here today because he is paying it forward. He feels its time to sow the seed in others that was once sown in him. I've been watching the faces of the librarians here with immense satisfaction. The tree is grown. Here is evidence , living proof that libraries can change lives. It is one of their own. The room is filled with awe as he explains what his program can do for others. I can see minds awakened. I can see pieces fit into each other like lego blocks. This is not just a library anymore its a transformational space with great leaders.

WHERE DOES IT ALL BEGIN?
Books inspire , evoke dreams, show us that we can achieve whatever we aspire to do. However, not everyone has books. American friends of Kenya looked into Africa and saw Kenya. they say communities that needed help in terms of getting books, and not just books, but books that were well sorted, and useful and fun to read.  They came up with a model that enabled community libraries to be born and sustain themselves for years with little or nothing except for resources which they send every year that include books, library materials, school supplies and medical supplies. They do not just stop there, they promote parent involvement,encourage proffessional development and create networks to foster communications. And the impact has been felt.

That is why we are here today. This here is a library which has been touched by AFK . AFK saw that libraries both community and public were dynamic , versatile centers that invested in empowering and educating  young people. The potential for libraries is immense .In Meru, it does not just stop at Kenneth. There are many more others lives being touched here- great resources and great leaders at work. AFK's influence is not limited to Just Meru, they are all over the country through dynamic network leaders who are doing great things.

A labour of love. Selflessness that cannot be captured in words. Today I was inspired. What we do is not in vain. Wherever it is you are and you have contributed to such a worthy cause , never stop giving. It is because of you that our Kenyan sons and daughters will be able to change their communities...sometimes a book at a time, a step at a time and like Kenneth, a great idea at a time.

#American friends of Kenya
# Inspire Nyeri Kenya
# KNLS Meru

written by Emily Miller.

Water Scarcity, Cause of Conflict in Kenya

(guest writer) Francis Njuguna

World Water Day which is held annually (March 22^nd) to focus attention on importance of freshwater and advocate for sustainable management of water resources.

The 2017 theme was ‘Water and Wastewater’; in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.3 on improving water quality and reducing, treating and reusing wastewater. The theme intended to build on previous World Water days by highlighting the mutually beneficial relationship between water and wastewater for sustainability and development.

As we celebrated the day, majority of Kenyans are facing starvation brought about by lack of water with the most affected being the pastrolist communities who have been forced to seek water and pasture for their livestock in far off places. This made the pastrolists encroach on wildlife conservancies and other communities’ land. The encroachment led to bloody confrontations, death and loss of property. And it’s all because of water scarcity.

The 2014 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) show that seven in ten households have an improved source of drinking water. This situation remains the same as shown by data from Twaweza’s latest opinion poll on water and sanitation. In the KDHs survey, 9 in 10 households in urban areas have improved drinking water compared to 59 percent of households in rural areas. The survey also note that it takes 30 minutes or longer to obtain drinking water for more than one quarter of households in Kenya.

Uwezo Kenya Annual Learning Assessment of 2015 shows that 54 percent of villages in Kenya do not have a protected water point. The data also established that 32 percent of public primary schools do not have a water source within the school compound and yet, for those with water source within the school compound, they actually don’t have water throughout the year. A worrying fact is that average walking time to and from water source for 12 percent of the schools is at least 30 minutes.

The Uwezo Kenya data also indicates that only 22 percent of households in Kenya have access to piped water. Twenty six percent of households in Kenya fetch water from the river, 8 percent buy water from vendors with a similar percentage depending on rainwater while 34 percent have either a shallow well or borehole as their main source of water. The 2015 Uwezo Kenya assessment data also shows that 35 percent of Kenyans do not treat drinking water.

These grim statistics demonstrate that we have a long way to go in regard to water accessibility and availability in Kenya’s households and schools. Making water accessible to all citizens as envisaged by Vision 2030 is not a walk in the park. It requires re-strategizing and allocation of more money in the right places that will support water infrastructural developments for underserved areas.

All over the world, majority of wastewater from our homes, towns, industries and agriculture flows back to nature without being treated or reused. This pollute water for drinking and irrigation by losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials necessary for agriculture. Reducing, safely treating and reusing wastewater in agriculture and aquaculture will protect workers, farmers and consumers from communicable diseases and promote food security, health and wellbeing.

With so many fresh water bodies and fresh rivers flowing across the republic, it is a high time that both the national and devolved government systems accelerate water accessibility to all and especially the pastoralist communities. This will go a long way in minimizing conflicts brought about by lack of water during dry spells. The government should invest to ensure that every Kenyan consumes clean water. It has been possible to connect every school in Kenya to the national power grid. It is also time the government embarked on ensuring that our children in schools have reliable clean drinking water.

These are grave concerns which require urgent attention as the 34^th President of the United States of America, Dwight D. Eisenhower, noted - among the treasures of our land is water; fast becoming our most valuable, most prized, most critical resource. A blessing where properly used but it can bring devastation and ruin when left uncontrolled.

Francis Njuguna is a researcher with Twaweza East Africa. For feedback, send an email to fnjuguna@twaweza.org

Meaningful conversations

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

Community engagement is definitely an important way of changing the way we change thoughts towards education. According to Albert Einstein, the world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.  Meaningful conversations must change the way we think. They must push people to action.  Too often, conversations results in wasted time - and nothing, productive to show for it. However today was different. 

I was wondering within myself, how does one begin a conversation? where do you start asking the questions from? But a conversation is about creating opportunities and thus i created mine. I am headed to Waihara area of Othaya. Its coooold. However, i am doing this. I am going to do this. The moment the Matatu stops, i board a motorbike. I don't know how i picked this young man but i don't regret that i did.

The conversation starts immediately, after all we are born curious spirits on the inside. " How do you tell the difference between an educated man and an uneducated one? " I ask him. I can feel the smile and really i am seated behind him slowly turning into an icicle. He moves from the basics to the highest level quite quickly. You see this our politicians he says, there is one who is a standard 7 drop out and one who has his degrees and diplomas. But i like and we like our standard 7 drop out. My mouth drops open. Why i muse? one answer....INTEGRITY and leadership.

Okay so is education just about integrity and leadership? i wonder out loud. Surprisingly he says yes. Yes!!!! and goes on to explain that education is about the whole child. Producing a child who can change the world despite their handicap. And with that my iced self arrives at destination (gosh its cold). That was a beautiful insight. It reminded me of a quote from Margaret Mead...“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  This young man is a thoughtful citizen. Maybe he hasnt seen it yet but his thought may have just changed his world.

Since i must thaw out as i await my appointment, i enter into a cafe my focus is the tea and mandazi (they make this bigger than elephant ears...guaranteed to stay in your stomach the whole day). In Kenya and especially the village you must understand that a village cafe is  more of a meeting point. More interesting spaces to have meaningful conversations. So i take out my chosen weapon of war...the 2015 NYERI COUNTY UWEZO report and place it on the table. It has quite a catchy title. Again the people are curious and so naturally i ask them, Do you believe that your children are really learning?

I must have hit a soft spot. One gentleman volunteers....children are the work of the teacher.. the teacher should know what is the problem with the child.....i dont believe that reading helps because its a thing we do to kill time after form four...........WHAAAT!!!!, do you actually know that parents give 70% of what makes a good student? They all pose briefly, cups in the air, half bitten mandazis and then the conversation continues...DID you know that exposing your children to story books and written work improves their English?.... Did you know that our curriculum apart from one subject are all written in English? As a parent what are you doing about it? Maybe this is getting into their system. There is too much debate going on so i take my leave, but today a seed has been planted. My conversations are not empty. They are something. And as i leave......they are talking about the fact that 6 out of 100 children in standard eight cannot do class 2 level work.



What do you think is affecting the education of your children and What would you do to help improve the school or the education of your children? 

I posed this question to about 40 village elders a little later... the room was instantly on fire ....the highlights were very interesting
What affects them
- There is a real drug problem around here. (i actually found drunk men at 9am in the morning)
- The rate of HIV is so high and people are in denial so they are dying real fast
- Parents have alot of assumptions. Assumptions that education is really free , assumptions that they should really not play a part in any part called education
- Parents are negligent (very interesting)
- The issue of teachers being in one place for ever. They taught your grandparent, then your parent then you....their insults tend to be personal
(my ears are all up)
- There are generally no new ideas. The lessons we learnt are those which our children are learning even now. its like its stuck in the mind of the teacher.Lessons become too boring for students. There is no variety, no new thing. The people in town are better of because they have technology....but really is this true?
- And finally there is corruption. Corruption? how does this fit into children not performing?

Because time was running out , i promised to come back. This time we are going to be finding solutions to educational problems in the area. Bill Clinton put it very well when he stated that the price of doing the same old thing is far higher than the price of change. 

The people here are leaders from the entire sub-location. The message is out there that meaningful conversations must happen. We have set the ball rolling. We must challenge the current wisdom, challenge our way of doing things because if we don't we will have the same old results. 

SOLUTIONS ARE NOT OUT THERE THEY ARE HERE WITHIN US. 

written by EMILY MWANGI

#uwezo learning assessments

# American friends of Kenya

I AM because YOU ARE

Someone once told me, I am, because You are. And it got me thinking, who am I? if i will affect people by simply being myself, what kind of an example am I? Will someone be better because they knew me, knew us?

And thus my mind is taken back to this week. The invitation of diversity into one room. 47 counties represented under one roof by people who love what they do, people who make others become ,because their work is the community. Community ....a very strong word. And i am awed because this difference is what makes us who we are. Kenyan to the very core. Different tribes, ages, colours, sizes and the richness of diverse experience. I am having a moment....

We are here, all of us, to have meaningful conversations on topics that will bring change to our communities. Our aim is to have people not only talk about children learning , not only ask themselves the fundamental question of are our children learning , but motivate them to take action. 

They will become because we are, because we have accepted the call to go into the world and make a difference. In itself this group of people is a community. A community that has been empowered to become. We have all pulled together for a united cause, and you can be assured that the change we want to bring will be greater than us, greater than what just one individual can achieve on their own. It will require input. Will require contribution of thought and commitment to effort. It requires people like you and me to become so that others can be. 

We have a purpose, a mission by the end of the day. That our actions will inspire others to dream more, learn more , do more and be more because we have accepted to be more. Put our differences aside and decided to make a difference in our world.

WE ARE BECAUSE YOU ARE

.......SO WHAT HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO BE

.........LET WHO YOU ARE BE THE CATALYST THAT CHANGES THE WORLD.

TOO CLOSE TO THE MIRROR

I love story telling so I am going to begin with one. from Aesops fables...

Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.)  Fables.

The Young Thief and His Mother

A YOUNG Man had been caught in a daring act of theft and had been condemned to be executed for it. He expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak with her before he was led to execution, and of course this was granted. When his Mother came to him he said: “I want to whisper to you,” and when she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off. All the bystanders were horrified, and asked him what he could mean by such brutal and inhuman conduct. “It is to punish her,” he said. “When I was young I began with stealing little things, and brought them home to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing me, she laughed and said: ‘It will not be noticed.’ It is because of her that I am here today.”	1
“He is right, woman,” said the Priest: the Lord hath said: “TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART THEREFROM.”

Today we had one of those experiences that first reminds you of the story above and then  you stop and think ...okay...wow...people actually still think like this in real life? And then i remembered a song we once sang somewhere. " I am too close to the mirror...? I suppose in a big way that line has stuck to my mind. Every time i cant seem to have a direction I step back and take a look at my thinking.

So there is this mom concerned that her child is sweeping a class...(from how it was described i noted with concern it might have been a punishment). However she did not stop there and went on to rant and rave that her child was made to sweep, clean and explained that her child even at home cannot do such a thing and it is a show of abuse. OKAY......STOP!!!how old is this child.......9 YEARS.....CASE CLOSED. And my oh my was she angry at the teacher and the school to the point of annoying all of us seated there...

9 years old should know how to at least pick a broom up or remove a cup from the table ...NOT this child i tell you. Not this one. But as a matter of concern how many parents (Mother's we top the chart on this one) do we actually baby our children to the point that they cannot or will not do anything for themselves...? I am especially concerned that it spills over into our school system. We don't like to be told that our children need correction, we don't like them to be corrected, we don't want to correct them because they are "babies" and then when disaster strikes we are quick to cry that our child does not listen...

We have a saying here..(translated from Swahili) "Whoever is not taught by the mother will be taught by the world"

I believe that a child until they are of a certain age will project their parents thinking onto the rest of the world. We need to be careful. Are we too close to the mirror that we see with a distorted view? Will we be the kind of parents who paint a bad picture of everyone else then expect that this children will fit into the society some day, will be able to handle situations that come their way? We don't claim to be perfect , but the day those little feet know how to walk a level of independence settles in. What do we want them to see of the world?

It is wrong to victimize a child. It is even worse to give a child a punishment they don't deserve and don't understand, but denying them the opportunity to learn a skill that will be useful in the future is wrong on many levels. This children will not have us fighting their battles all the time. In our absence will they stand the test?

i will leave you with Solomon’s advice to parents is to “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

OF PUPPETS, BROKEN POTS, FLAWS AND THINGS IN BETWEEN

Our audience is mainly made up of children from the ages of 8 to perhaps 16. Interesting combination of both boys and girls. Yesterday we invited the puppets into the classroom and kids took off. it was perhaps one of the most entertaining segment i'd had all day. Eventually after learning that hand puppets don't actually talk to you and they don't in fact bite we had almost every one in a class of 70 decide they wanted to stand in front of the class, sing , recite poems and give us stories. I was not surprised that even the usually very shy ones had something to say while they simply opt to be silent.

Today however the crowd was a little more older and mature. We did the broken pot again. There is simply something about that story. The water bearer knew all along that one of the pots was broken and even went to the point of planting flower seeds along its path so that whenever they came back from the river, it would water the seeds. The final point hit the nail on the head...." Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots, but its the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. There's alot of good out there.

We asked the kids  to write a letter to their future children. i want to write out a bit of what they wrote...
1) My dear children, I am writing this letter when i am 13 years old. I am telling you that when i was in lower classes, i used to eat papers and throw them at the teacher. Please do not do this because the teacher used to be very sad

2) My dear lovely children, i want you to know that i am a lazy person in my home and in class. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be good. I am writing from your past to you and i wish you get this letter

3)I want to tell you my dear future children that i was busy watching television in my home and i was always the last in class. I want to tell you that you should be reading all the time in the class and outside so that you have good marks.

I wondered to myself, if they know so much about their flaws and would in fact advice their future children not to be like them, why don't they then change now? What is holding them back?
THEN ...i looked into their background. Maybe we have looked so much into what we don't have that we don't see what we can be.
INSPIRE NYERI KENYA

When story telling INSPIRES

Storytelling takes you on a journey that inspires you to learn about yourself and the world around you. It reflects social values in a culture that motivate people in their pursuit of a meaningful life. The oral tradition of storytelling makes it possible for a culture to pass knowledge, history, and experiences from one generation to the next. Since humanity first walked the earth, they have told stories as a way to shape our existence..maybe that is why i look forward to our story telling sessions every week.



There is a beauty in the keen faces of children as they follow your every move. React when you do and even sing along and repeat after you. The purpose.....cultivate the love for both reading and story telling. 
There is a little boy who really touched our hearts the other day. We had just finished telling the story of the little engine that could. Its an old story that helps to teach about not giving up and specifically that it is okay to ask for help. We had given the kids (all 70 of them) little engines to colour and some extra work for home work. Then i noticed this little boy looking all depressed and inquired as to why.
Then the little boy told me," teacher if you give me this work i will not do it because i don't have crayons. Can you kindly give me crayons because my mother cannot afford to buy them for me. Every money she has, she has to utilize it for our home use." You said it was okay to ask for help. I am asking for help."
Yes i gave him the box of 10 crayons. It was the best feeling ive had in a while, when what you teach is practical and has impact. When it INSPIRES.
That is what our stories do. They INSPIRE. We may no longer have fire side places where we sit round our elders and listen to ancient wisdom but we can revive an art that will help our children grow up morally correct.

"You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes thier blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift." - Erin Morgenstern

WHY WHAT WE SAY MATTERS

We take great pride in what we do. We teach children based on leadership habits. Yesterday we were teaching a rather important lesson. The question was very simple...what do you see when you look at your self? Towards this end we decided to open the topic with the illustration of the Japanese way of repairing broken pots where they use gold dust glue. The pot comes out looking amazing at the end of day.
Then we quickly moved to the story of the water bearer which i have posted here on a previous blog. it is basically a story about our imperfections. It talks about a pot which hated itself for having a crack. It was so focused on this crack that it failed to see the flowers on its side of the path that it had watered for two years.
We are not perfect. Most of the children we handle come from backgrounds that would make one blush in protest when they count their blessings. There are homes where anger and resentment are the order of the day. There are homes where a child is a bread winner before they are 10 years old. There are homes without parents only grandparents. There are homes where mothers and daughters are victimized constantly that they have to suppress who they really are. There are homes where poverty is so strong it comes with brothers. And yet, in spite of all this, this children will brave the morning cold in pursuit of an education.
However we have to step in and remind them that they have value. They can believe in their dreams. That we have imperfect people who have beaten all odds to come out on top. That there are flowers on your side of the path if you can only look. But we found that even for them its hard to recognize any good in themselves. And so our assignment for the week was set. 7 days of writing something nice. Seven days in which a child is required to affirm themselves. To dig deep and find that which is of value to them.

                                (a class of children with various learning disabilities using tablets)
of particular importance to me, is that as parents we really need to start telling our children that there is good in them, such that at a moments notice they can find the strength in who they are. Before they ever see the world for what it is, this precious little ones will learn it from somebody else's view point. What are we telling them?