Building leaders using education & local projects

February 2015

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for supporting the PATHWAYS scholars. Today we want to report on the progress of second year scholar Shadrack who is majoring in Education at the University of Nairobi.  Shadrack’s community project focuses on youth and income generation.   

Shadrack

We currently have a mentorship class of 60 boys and girls. Our last year's candidates performed as follows; Mary scored 368/500 marks and is in Luckily girl's national school. Isabella scored 362/500 marks and she's in Moi girls a county school. Obadia scored 347/500 marks and he is in Matunda SA secondary, a subcounty school. I have visited them and my community group is doing great to keep them in school. We have five candidates this year. Our motto is 'improve always'. We began well with each of them scoring above 300 marks. 

We have began this year's program and even done with next month's activities. The latest activity was training on reusable sanitary towel which was graced by madam Monicah (a PATHWAYS alumnus). We had a whole day event. First, the pupils arrived by 8am to begin our program as scheduled with the pupils reciting poems on menstrual health.  At 10 am Monicah who was our guest arrived and we immediately started our introduction. With us were 20 girls; 13 from Mtoni primary school and 7 from Mtoni secondary school. My group members present were five. We also had a pastoress facilitator, a tailor and Monicah’s friend who had driven her to the venue since she's still not so strong after an illness. By 10:25am, I introduced the project 'preparation of handmade low cost sanitary pads'. Monica helped to expound on the same as part of civic education to the members present.

At 11 am we gave out a questionnaire which was filled by the pupils with assistance of the mentors present about menstrual needs. By 11:30 am, our facilitator, who is also a pastor led us through an interactive session on menstrual management. From 12:00 to 12:30, we had question and answer session. We received several myths from the girls about mensuration but corrected them.

Finally, we had practicals for making the pads from 12:30 to 1:30. After this, we took a group photo and offered our girls and guests some soda and snacks. My mother had prepared some lunch for my guests. We therefore went home and had it together. Monicah left at around 2:30pm but my group members remained for an overnight executive meeting.

With regard to other endeavors, we still are interested in farming. We have 30 bags of maize and 7 bags of beans each weighing 90 KGS. We are expecting rain from next month. This will allow us to sell them at the expected prices of  ksh 3500 for maize and 8,000 for beans. This will give a total of ksh. 161,000. This is a profit of ksh. 61,000.- 61% profit. We believe this will sustain the project. Our this year's proposal is rearing indigenous chickens also known as 'kuku Wa kienyeji'. We have identified a place and a person to take care. We have begun preparing a house/hatch. We are targeting to start with 21 layers and 7 cocks.

In addition, I participated in Faulu Bank's capacity building session in March and my life story about how I overcame challenges to getting a secondary school education remains a success story to many who listen to it. We have a date of 18th April for capacity building program.

Airtel, a communication firm has offered to reach schools in western and north rift with free internet services. This is part of my projects.  

Thank you for supporting youth like myself become leaders.

Shadrack

Kenya

February 2015

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for supporting the PATHWAYS scholars. Today we want to report on the progress of first year scholar Isaac and fourth year scholar Justus have made in their academic lives and with their community projects.

Isaac

I have directed all my mind on my project during the December holiday with an aim of uplifting my community. This entailed preparing the second seedbed in December after a superb harvest  of the previous seedlings that amounted to 204 seedlings with a total of Kshs.1020 going Kshs per seedling,with the few remaining. We are planning to sell them in April during the rainy season.

The cash was channeled to our second project that involved cassava and sweet potatoes plantations which do well during dry seasons to enable us to continue making cash. The whole idea came from Michael's project (a PATHWAYS alumnus). Thanks to him.

It was from the members’ idea that we saw it better for each member to contribute at least Kshs.200 so that we can lease a farm within the community where we are carrying out our project. All these are taken care of by our patron when most of us are in schools. 

It is from the profits ploughed back that we are intending to support the school drop outs with necessary but lacked items like uniforms, pens and books that  can enable  them be in school again. We went ahead identifying such kids from our locality like orphans and vulnerable children  from the same orphanage I was once brought up from. 

Thank you for supporting my efforts to give back to my community,

Isaac

Justus

As most students have already begun their holidays, we have not failed to bring them together in the form of our usual youth meetings. We convened a meeting and about 23 members were in attendance. They were all fine and give good academic reports from their various schools as this concerns their promotion to the next class. We plan to start off the many activities for the holiday.

In this holiday also,our youth group involves parents with students in secondary school, colleges and universities in a fund raising activity which is aimed at benefitting the students in form of local bursaries. This helps to keep these students in school to complete their education. 

The irrigation project is doing quite well as we now have plenty of rain here. The women are now relieved from carrying water for the crops as it rains mostly at night nourishing the garden.

Thank you for your continued support. I am grateful for your assistance in this effort to educate youth, especially girls.

Justus

Links:

• PATHWAYS Leadership for Progress