By Claire Mathijsen | Project Leader
Dear Rafikis and future friends,
There is so much exciting news to report as we move towards the opening!
It starts with the official registration of the new Koshyn Technical Training Institute, henceforth locally referred to as KTTI. A great acronym, don't you agree? See the Certificate issued on April 25, 2016. This means that the school can actually open. The new future Principal is being sourced as I write, along with the Deputy and teaching staff. Equipment is being located and we hope for donations in kind from other schools and from the Kenyan government. The Ministry of Education is aiming for an opening in September.
We are happy to inform you that Dr. Dinah Mwinzi, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and a long-standing friend of Rafiki Ya Maisha arrived in Paris this week! She is leading a team of 4 delegates at the invitation of the Embassy of France in Kenya and is busy developping a partnership with France in the area of technical & vocational training. We are told that the seeds of this project were planted by Rafiki Ya Maisha 2 years ago when guests of honor H.E. Ambassador Rémi Maréchaux and the Cultural Attaché Jean-Pierre Tutin of the French Embassy in Nairobi inaugurated the donated classrooms in a ceremony in Koshyn. We are delighted that the spirit of exchange that Rafiki Ya Maisha stands for is developping and gaining ground.
Last but not least, a first Harambee was held by our Kenyan partners on June 18, 2016. A major event! The word "Harambee" in Swahili translates as "let's pull together" - it was a rallying cry and slogan for the first independant government of Kenya in the 60's. In East Africa, it refers to an event held by and for the community to raise funds for a charitable purpose. Our fund raiser aims to raise money to put the finishing touches on the Administrative wing and for building the principals' house. A group of High School finalists planning to apply to the school joined in a dance for the community and their guests for the occasion.
Thank you all for giving these young people the desire to learn a trade and to dream of a productive and open future. You are changing their lives.
Asante sana!
Claire
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