The following is a poem from EFAC scholar Joyce Njeri to her donor Bill Schlelyer.
From so far, you heard my echoes
Surely, I thought myself too low
From your heart, you answered my call
Actually, I thought myself too far from you
In your hands, you gave me the best
You gave me strength, and held me dearly
Who is like you Bill? You are honored
Its because of you, my dream shines
This is the heart, the heart of thanks and praise
A heart of giving, a heart of generosity
A heart very rare to get
It takes total commitment, to be like you
You are one, among many
I will never shy to stick your name in my heart and all my books
I will never shy off your name, Bill
You gave me roses, I should take care of them
Not only care, but water til they blossom
Not only blossom, but yield healthy, attractive fruits
You are my best, what a kind heart!
You are my burning torch
I will acquire what I require
To nurture the nature of our culture
You are more than a brother or a dad to me
God bless your hands
-Joyce Njeri
Sunday, August 30, 2009
This afternoon, the children piled into a bus heading into Nairobi for the first leg of their journeys home. There was a great difference between the children this afternoon as they said their goodbyes and the children that we met on Friday night. It took a while for them to feel comfortable in their surroundings and to get to know the staff and volunteers, but once they did, they became much more confident and we started to really get to know them. One of the scholars, Bernard was the first to make an impression on me. Saturday morning he came up to me and introduced himself to me as he put out his hand to shake mine. He was quiet yet confident, and very polite. He asked me about my studies in the US and told me how he would like to study in the US one day. For the rest of the weekend, whenever I saw Bernard he gave me a huge smile. He wants to be a doctor, and I can already picture him greeting his patients and caring for them.
The children have great smiles... they often do not smile for photos (which I am guessing is part of the Kenyan culture) but once you see them laughing or greeting you with a smile, you wish you could capture it and keep it with you forever.
This morning I handed out letters from donors. I can't tell you how much these letters mean to the children. They love getting them and especially seeing pictures of their donors and their families (and pets!). It gives them a real connection to a stranger that cares enough about them to support and befriend them. If you are a donor, please continue to write to the scholars and send pictures, they truly treasure them. In a workshop last night, we started to write letters for the donors. We ran out of time and I told them they could either work on them on their own in their bedrooms or we would have time to finish them in the morning. It had been a very long day and I assumed they would all want to go straight to bed! This morning, we were running behind and only had 10 mins to finish the letters. I was worried that it would not be enough time. But all of a sudden, one by one, they came up to me with their already completed letters. Almost all of them had finished them the night before. They are excited for the donors to receive their letters and to hear back from them.
I realized how important this workshop is for them. Many come from difficult backgrounds and have already had to fight to get this far in life. It is not easy for them. This weekend was such an encouragement for them. They were able to be together and to hear how many of us believe in them and how they can achieve their dreams. We handed out evaluation forms and all the scholars said how much they appreciated this weekend; the teaching, the time together, time with their mentors and hearing about their donors. They all hope that the next workshop will be longer and that it will be more than once a year. It would be wonderful to have a week long workshop, the relationships they form and the encouragement they receive is a vital support for them.
To sum up how grateful these kids are, I am following this post with a poem written by one of the scholars.
The children have great smiles... they often do not smile for photos (which I am guessing is part of the Kenyan culture) but once you see them laughing or greeting you with a smile, you wish you could capture it and keep it with you forever.
This morning I handed out letters from donors. I can't tell you how much these letters mean to the children. They love getting them and especially seeing pictures of their donors and their families (and pets!). It gives them a real connection to a stranger that cares enough about them to support and befriend them. If you are a donor, please continue to write to the scholars and send pictures, they truly treasure them. In a workshop last night, we started to write letters for the donors. We ran out of time and I told them they could either work on them on their own in their bedrooms or we would have time to finish them in the morning. It had been a very long day and I assumed they would all want to go straight to bed! This morning, we were running behind and only had 10 mins to finish the letters. I was worried that it would not be enough time. But all of a sudden, one by one, they came up to me with their already completed letters. Almost all of them had finished them the night before. They are excited for the donors to receive their letters and to hear back from them.
I realized how important this workshop is for them. Many come from difficult backgrounds and have already had to fight to get this far in life. It is not easy for them. This weekend was such an encouragement for them. They were able to be together and to hear how many of us believe in them and how they can achieve their dreams. We handed out evaluation forms and all the scholars said how much they appreciated this weekend; the teaching, the time together, time with their mentors and hearing about their donors. They all hope that the next workshop will be longer and that it will be more than once a year. It would be wonderful to have a week long workshop, the relationships they form and the encouragement they receive is a vital support for them.
To sum up how grateful these kids are, I am following this post with a poem written by one of the scholars.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Day 2 of the Workshop
The mentoring workshop is well underway! All 42 scholars arrived at the university yesterday afternoon. Many of them were very tired after a long day of travel (some children traveled over 6 hours to get here). The children go to seven different high schools, and so this has been the first chance they have had to all be together and meet each other. After a good night sleep, they woke up this morning in good spirits excited for the day.
The theme of the workshop has been leadership, the scholars have heard from different teachers and university staff how they can be the leaders of tomorrow. Head teacher Joanne Watsulu from Vanessa Grant School talked about the link between education, leadership and character. In a country which sees a lot of corruption from its leaders, the EFAC scholars are being taught that they can be different.
Another goal of the workshop is for the children to get to know one another. It is important that they know that they are not alone and that they are part of something bigger. Today has been a great day for them to relax and enjoy spending time together. This afternoon they had a break from the teaching sessions to play team building games and have fun. It was great to watch them playing basketball and laughing together and cheering one another on. One young girl told me today how it can be hard at school because fellow students sometimes make comments about their difficult backgrounds, but that from being at the workshop with other EFAC scholars, she is encouraged to go back to school and stand strong and keep pushing forward.
The children are amazing. They have been maintaining high grades (many of them straight A's) and are determined to succeed. In one session today, the scholars were given a chance to ask for advice about any problem or challenges they are facing at school. One girl told us that at primary school, she was always top of her class, but now in secondary school, she is coming in second highest in her class. She wanted to know how not to get discouraged by this now that she has new competition! This is the level of determination they have and shows the hard-work they are putting in to succeed.
We also talked about their dreams... and we heard about dreams to become chemical engineers and brain surgeons. They are not letting their background hold them back in any way, they are aiming high...and with our help, they will get there.
They all enjoyed the 'Hi from Denver' video and I think it helped them to really understand the scholarship program to be able to see faces of donors. Afterwards I recorded many of the scholars with their own message for everyone back home.
Thank-you for following along, I can't wait to upload some of the pictures and video messages from the kids. I have had some difficulty getting internet access while here at the workshop, but I will post again tomorrow and when I return home to Colorado next week, I will begin uploading!
Thanks for everyone's support, it's a privilege to see first hand the children whose lives have truly been changed by EFAC donors.
The theme of the workshop has been leadership, the scholars have heard from different teachers and university staff how they can be the leaders of tomorrow. Head teacher Joanne Watsulu from Vanessa Grant School talked about the link between education, leadership and character. In a country which sees a lot of corruption from its leaders, the EFAC scholars are being taught that they can be different.
Another goal of the workshop is for the children to get to know one another. It is important that they know that they are not alone and that they are part of something bigger. Today has been a great day for them to relax and enjoy spending time together. This afternoon they had a break from the teaching sessions to play team building games and have fun. It was great to watch them playing basketball and laughing together and cheering one another on. One young girl told me today how it can be hard at school because fellow students sometimes make comments about their difficult backgrounds, but that from being at the workshop with other EFAC scholars, she is encouraged to go back to school and stand strong and keep pushing forward.
The children are amazing. They have been maintaining high grades (many of them straight A's) and are determined to succeed. In one session today, the scholars were given a chance to ask for advice about any problem or challenges they are facing at school. One girl told us that at primary school, she was always top of her class, but now in secondary school, she is coming in second highest in her class. She wanted to know how not to get discouraged by this now that she has new competition! This is the level of determination they have and shows the hard-work they are putting in to succeed.
We also talked about their dreams... and we heard about dreams to become chemical engineers and brain surgeons. They are not letting their background hold them back in any way, they are aiming high...and with our help, they will get there.
They all enjoyed the 'Hi from Denver' video and I think it helped them to really understand the scholarship program to be able to see faces of donors. Afterwards I recorded many of the scholars with their own message for everyone back home.
Thank-you for following along, I can't wait to upload some of the pictures and video messages from the kids. I have had some difficulty getting internet access while here at the workshop, but I will post again tomorrow and when I return home to Colorado next week, I will begin uploading!
Thanks for everyone's support, it's a privilege to see first hand the children whose lives have truly been changed by EFAC donors.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Hi from Denver!
Some of our donors from Denver say hi to the EFAC kids. I will show this video at the mentoring workshop, and hope to record the kids sending back their own message. Communication between donors and the students is very important. EFAC encourages donors to write letters and use Facebook to stay in touch.
Friday, August 14, 2009
What's This Blog All About?
Education For All Children (EFAC) is holding their first ever Mentoring Workshop at the African Nazarene University in Nairobi, Kenya. 43 Kenyan children who are currently receiving a scholarship from EFAC to attend High School will join together from August 28th to August 30th to receive leadership training and prepare for University. The children will meet with mentors to discuss any problems or challenges they are facing in school, learn more about the work of EFAC and hear from some of their donors through letters, facebook and video messages! I will be attending the workshop to meet the kids and report to you all the progress they are making. I hope to update this blog twice daily each day of the workshop and upload pictures of the kids. Internet connection at the University is not always fast or reliable, so please be patient if I run into 'technical difficulties' while I am there. I will also write a full report of my time and experiences in Kenya when I return early September. Join me on the journey and meet the kids whose lives are being transformed by donors all over the US!
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