Building leaders using education & local projects

August 2014

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for supporting the PATHWAYS scholars.  Today we want to report on the progress Justus, Brian and Jemimah have made in their academic lives and with their community projects.

Brian

I have been really working hard at my studies.  For first part of the year I have been taking several units in Medical Scholl at the U of Nairobi that have been quite demanding of time and effort. We started with Internal Medicine then Pathology and currently I am in Psychiatry. Each unit takes eight weeks and there are regular tests we sit for..It has been quite exciting- the real taste of clinical years- and quite intensive. 

Each day as the clock ticks it gives me great pleasure to see that I am slowly leaning towards becoming the Doctor I have always dreamed about. Clinical years are kind of pleasant in that now the career is really taking shape. I have learnt a lot so far, from patient interviewing techniques to examining and diagnosing and treating various diseases. These skills have been of great help as I have had a chance to participate in several medical camps. .I am enjoying every bit of the curriculum. Next month I will start on introduction to Orthopedics and later Surgery. 

As a community group, we are doing well especially with our Table Banking with the exception of a few cases of defaulting payment. To this end, we have requested the help of the local administration. Other projects are going on well. Many sisal products are made and sold each day from baskets to ropes. Also, our AloeVera project is doing well. We now have a substantial yield of the plant and bit by bit we are benefiting from it's products.

We are grateful for your support!

Brian

Justus

I am greatly humbled by your support.  Our vegetable growing project is going well.  In addition, we started a goat project to help the local economy.  It is modeled on Hussein’s project and we are calling it the “One sheep initiative.  It will do much to reduce poverty in our community.  With the extra money made from sheep milk, parents can better afford to pay their children’s school fees.

Many thanks,

Justus

Jemimah

Currently we are working on the underground tank that Catherine (my mentor) had suggested we construct to assure that our women’s group and indeed, our entire community have access to water. It has a capacity of approximately 10,000 litres. Kitui is a chronically dry area and so much of women’s days are spent just trying to get water for everyday uses.  Even the children’s days are taken up by trying to secure water.  This tank will go a long way in freeing up time so that women can work on their income generating projects and children can focus on school work.  The main part was completed some months ago.  We are just waiting to cover the top.

With appreciation,

Jemimah