tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64046982714890338102024-02-20T19:18:00.750-08:00Achungo Community Center NewsNews and blogs of the Achungo orphanage and school in SW Kenya.Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-39161892651003106812017-07-12T17:05:00.001-07:002017-07-12T17:07:18.482-07:00What is the Secret of Achungo's Success?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA02mRarcheazUXM1YaOoVtJGJpNfMzk9fcZVGjdt8kvApnHGhIqPaT2zOoYeLpDGtVXPiC0ncd5qwZDNxIJR56qXHVIq28LCsUT6kUi97K4lIMj1s45m6mFdsZxmoDeWKyNbu9j_BPi5/s1600/Achungo+%252840%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZA02mRarcheazUXM1YaOoVtJGJpNfMzk9fcZVGjdt8kvApnHGhIqPaT2zOoYeLpDGtVXPiC0ncd5qwZDNxIJR56qXHVIq28LCsUT6kUi97K4lIMj1s45m6mFdsZxmoDeWKyNbu9j_BPi5/s200/Achungo+%252840%2529.JPG" width="146" /></a></div>
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Achungo is frequently asked by Education Ministry and school
administrators throughout Kenya about the “secret” behind their academic
success and exemplary student discipline.
The key has nothing to do with enforcement imposed on the students but
rather lies in a deeply held mission shared by staff and students alike. It is imparted to new teachers by Director
Michael Nyangi as soon as they come on-board.</div>
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Michael meets with new teachers in a one-on-one where he
gives them the background that imparts that vision. He starts by telling them his story.</div>
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Michael grew up in this rural part of Homa Bay County,
Nyanza, where jobs are almost non-existent and those few are nearly all
farm-work. His father died when he was
7, so his family struggled, largely surviving on their garden plot. Friends and family helped him with secondary
expenses. Then as he took work in
Nairobi, an employer helped him save for college. In 2003 Michael graduated with a CPA-Kenya
and began working in a bank, his dream job.
He was living in Kibera and on his walks to work noticed the desperation
of some single mothers. His heart went
out to them so gave them a little money and noticed later that they had used it
to purchase corn to roast and sell. They
had begun a business.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIhbK6P0YsLPup9aIvc7KW5fP0qpC6hakVtwj3G9dSEC2iajwFNFEFTGw36zGqf70i6NGJlcfDrLkhctvVGw4wvUMAteQFJRzj2q8T5HuUTdcMBp0nkq6aOif9Rdrg5VJe0M4ZTPTcBr5/s1600/Grammas+Hse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIhbK6P0YsLPup9aIvc7KW5fP0qpC6hakVtwj3G9dSEC2iajwFNFEFTGw36zGqf70i6NGJlcfDrLkhctvVGw4wvUMAteQFJRzj2q8T5HuUTdcMBp0nkq6aOif9Rdrg5VJe0M4ZTPTcBr5/s200/Grammas+Hse.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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At age 22, Michael quit his job and dedicated himself
full-time to helping the women of Nairobi slums start small businesses and over
the course of some years built up a 15-person office of microfinance called
Lomoro. During that same time, as he
went home on holidays, Michael noticed the desperation of small children,
apparently orphans, on the street scrounging garbage for enough food to
survive. And his heart went out to them. He had known hardship as a child and it hurt
him to see any child left abandoned.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He began to take those children into his home and he and his
mother cared for them. By 2005, with a
few dozen children, Michael formed the Achungo Community Centre CBO, rented a
small shed in Rodi-Kopany, and began to teach the children with the volunteer help
of some widows from a local church.
Thus began the Achungo Educational Centre that has now grown to 2
primaries with about 450 students. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYrEDd22oU9HjU359DNv3jhCq1EC1Jm8OBtE2kwfIAW1O_xTJcJNgFB1nXBy46zDG3SY6iubTWTwa-WbGIvgsD87ReBE6VDB2tIfR67sco0YsTZ0psLVBDjffqjg748-olxsVvPlWdFqL/s1600/P1010747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkYrEDd22oU9HjU359DNv3jhCq1EC1Jm8OBtE2kwfIAW1O_xTJcJNgFB1nXBy46zDG3SY6iubTWTwa-WbGIvgsD87ReBE6VDB2tIfR67sco0YsTZ0psLVBDjffqjg748-olxsVvPlWdFqL/s320/P1010747.JPG" width="320" /></a>We have graduated 3 Standard 8 classes with 100% passing the
KCPE and now in secondaries, some in national schools and some of them have top
scores for the entire county. Our
students are self-motivated in their studies and there are no classroom
discipline problems. When a teacher is
not in the class, the students quietly study independently or in groups, often
led by the student “monitor”. Even the
Baby class is well-behaved. In the six
years that I’ve brought teams from the U.S. to visit Achungo schools, there has
never been a switch used in any classroom.
Caning never happens, in fact it is entirely unnecessary. <br />
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As Michael tells his story to his new
teachers, he makes the point that they need to share his vision for these
orphans and understand their struggles.
They must become like fathers and mothers to them. “Teaching these children is a calling,”
Michael tells them.<o:p></o:p><br />
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“After I tell them my story,” Michael says, ”I tell them
about our orphans, some of their stories, and I take them to visit some of
their homes so that they can understand their struggles.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpxkg1fm6y2I7wWIzpmCFC-ksEmPH9YhBXKv_VzCO0xegJDSkGbo8Q4A0sZeiVYjKykD5R9Vm8EwFXJDnAAGXBdZw8vBi-2pAWV5jX0fvNWP3w_SIrOZCDrJdpCl8iRgpWgrHL8D_rcYV/s1600/Achungo+%252866%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpxkg1fm6y2I7wWIzpmCFC-ksEmPH9YhBXKv_VzCO0xegJDSkGbo8Q4A0sZeiVYjKykD5R9Vm8EwFXJDnAAGXBdZw8vBi-2pAWV5jX0fvNWP3w_SIrOZCDrJdpCl8iRgpWgrHL8D_rcYV/s320/Achungo+%252866%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Some of our children are living with good Samaritans who saw
them on the street and took them in, like Michael did. Most are living with a relative, an aunt or
elderly grandmother, and some are with parents.
Our Standard 8 students live on campus because they are up at 5 a.m. to
begin studies before school and are studying until 9 p.m. And there are also some Standard 7 students
on-campus. <br />
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But there also have always
been a small number of younger children who live on-campus or with a teacher
because of abuse or neglect from their guardian or parent. Our orphans lost their parents to AIDS or to
the violence of 2007 or to starvation, illness or accidents, or simply
abandonment. They have suffered and
gone hungry. Many were out of school
because their guardians needed their help or because they were gathering wood
to make charcoal so that the family could survive. Michael wants his teachers to know what
these orphans already know – education is their key to escaping the age-old
cycle of extreme poverty. For them it changes everything. These children put their whole heart and full
effort into their studies. It is their
key to a bright future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Michael’s teachers emulate his faith and humility, his
integrity and compassion. They love
their children and the encouragement and respect they hold for their students
is evident in every classroom by every student.
That is the secret to their exemplary classroom discipline and academic
excellence. Michael tells his teachers,
“We don’t want any child to fail. Not
all will be superior in a given subject but they will have strengths in other
areas. Some may struggle because of
emotional issues, but we don’t want to neglect them, let alone expel
them.” If a student is struggling academically, they
are tutored, both by teachers and by other students. That is how Achungo achieves 100% passing the
KCPE.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYVk1p_PmU_XjKiCx-2v3r9E3Q88Pwm33rgesSglI8o5M6NAiUXSaE4RQJqwYWQv9ctvuP1fJ4MUkNGsF8I3NWevfaBZtxkNxuF3xkKqXbWDXxLm61F8eRPpADCSS_D0hB71Yv5tFGrzy/s1600/IMG_5931.AchungoTchrs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYVk1p_PmU_XjKiCx-2v3r9E3Q88Pwm33rgesSglI8o5M6NAiUXSaE4RQJqwYWQv9ctvuP1fJ4MUkNGsF8I3NWevfaBZtxkNxuF3xkKqXbWDXxLm61F8eRPpADCSS_D0hB71Yv5tFGrzy/s320/IMG_5931.AchungoTchrs.JPG" width="320" /></a>And the teachers are supported and encouraged by Michael and
his Headmasters. It is all-important to
Michael that he and his headmasters not become arrogant with position but
always be approachable for the teachers.
“We must be easy for the teachers to talk to and must give them the
authority to carry out their responsibilities independently, trusting them to
make their own decisions,” says Michael. That fosters an atmosphere of collaboration
and one where everyone is comfortable to bring up any issue to Michael and
their Headmaster because they know they will not be blamed or ignored but will
be joined in collaborative problem-solving – for the sake of the children.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Too often when someone achieves an administrative position
in a school, they become so self-important that they alienate their teachers
and that disaffection of staff ends up hurting the students with neglect or
even abuse. That will never happen at
Achungo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our teachers are like a family. They collaborate in many ways and they
support each other in a creative manner, even pooling funds at times to help a
colleague. A committee of the
experienced teachers guides the assessment process for new teacher
candidates. They feel the empowerment of
being involved in decisions about hiring and about school management in
general. The love and respect and
encouragement that they experience is something they also pass on to their
students. That is the secret of Achungo.<o:p></o:p></div>
Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-49864197449724907452015-07-22T18:03:00.001-07:002016-05-09T17:11:14.734-07:00Our First Graduates Enter High School<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0xC2a0MWau8MifihvFI426_84YLtFQc2vLvQQ9T3PdtVYoomGgqBzdguhrmF-0E66NgCrCTlulfIc6O9ONTpeFy5BofBx9n5bkz-mwD8q8JJDnBBUKshdOIMdqLR29AJ3qZh9G9Hx8VA/s1600/Prayer8th-003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0xC2a0MWau8MifihvFI426_84YLtFQc2vLvQQ9T3PdtVYoomGgqBzdguhrmF-0E66NgCrCTlulfIc6O9ONTpeFy5BofBx9n5bkz-mwD8q8JJDnBBUKshdOIMdqLR29AJ3qZh9G9Hx8VA/s400/Prayer8th-003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8th Graders, November 2014</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We have our first graduates!! In 2014 Achungo Educational Centre (the new name for the primary school that is part of Achungo Children's Centre, Kenya), had its first 8th grade class. The next step in Kenya is secondary school (equivalent to high school in the U.S.) for the 4 years called Levels 1 through 4. Acceptance into </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">secondary depends on a student's results on the Kenya Certification of Primary Education (KCPE) exam that is taken at the end of 8th grade.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-YfXoMl-tLo-KvvqDrWZoLR3yR5x240-CU-7CPRC3uzBpF3zyPHZipcTx9FdIGTH1FNBjJobtuXI8wXqVNXZa0oQwh8DNYPqTeZVhZQxjONuVE5VDySUALi_KcpqLXcdM1mYk3DtVwFF/s1600/dormGirls+%25285%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-YfXoMl-tLo-KvvqDrWZoLR3yR5x240-CU-7CPRC3uzBpF3zyPHZipcTx9FdIGTH1FNBjJobtuXI8wXqVNXZa0oQwh8DNYPqTeZVhZQxjONuVE5VDySUALi_KcpqLXcdM1mYk3DtVwFF/s320/dormGirls+%25285%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls' Dorm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V6qU7JalgjuSaXQNfA90x7Uo5ej12tx4a6DwvK8ycl1oyT-WHuBsNSAyOLOQv0zYMr_OaUpR8erGI_-WEWp6VzM9dJPwKqGg1U5lPBl5YqGAxd9o18XaiIRyhfTp31A-b0jdZEtEK3Eh/s1600/Achungo+%252869%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0V6qU7JalgjuSaXQNfA90x7Uo5ej12tx4a6DwvK8ycl1oyT-WHuBsNSAyOLOQv0zYMr_OaUpR8erGI_-WEWp6VzM9dJPwKqGg1U5lPBl5YqGAxd9o18XaiIRyhfTp31A-b0jdZEtEK3Eh/s320/Achungo+%252869%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8th graders studying</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Our students spent the year studying hard for the KCPE. All of our 8th graders moved onto campus into the new girls' and boys' dorms so that they could rise at 5:30 a.m. every day. They study from 6 am - 7 am, then wash up before school starts at 7:30. They study for an hour after school and then have a break at 5:30 for supper before returning to study from 7 pm to 9 pm. Much of this study time is either independent study or more often, group study with one of the students leading a discussion of practice questions or study topics. On our trips we have spent time with them as they study and tried to help, but often found the questions so difficult that they ended up tutoring us!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In November, after the 3 days of their 8th grade final exams, the next week was 4 days of KCPE exams and then they left for break (school is out for all of December). It was early January before we had the results that everyone had been waiting for. <b>Every one of the 15 passed!</b> That is an exceptional result and we are very proud of them. Apparently it is very rare for a school to have everyone pass and Director </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Michael says many families with students in nearby schools were very distressed because so many did not pass.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Michael was congratulated by the authorities for the high average score and now has many parents asking him for their children to be able to enroll at Achungo! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">In our province of Nyanza, according to the latest data, 74.7% of school-aged children enroll in primary school (2000), but secondary enrollment rates drop dramatically. In Kenya as a whole, the percentage of children of official secondary age who are enrolled in secondary school is only 50%. However, in the Homa Bay District (our area), it is much worse with only 23.5% of secondary school-aged children enrolled!!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Director Michael with some of our new grads at a nearby high school</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">On the heels of the exam results, the children also received information about the secondary schools that they'd been accepted into. Acceptance is primarily based on score and location. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">There are 3 tiers of schools. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The top tier are National Secondaries, but there is only 1 national boys and 1 national girls secondary within our county so only very high scores qualify. The next tier is Provincial and third tier is District. District schools are often local, day schools where most other secondaries are boarding schools. Two of our students were accepted into District school and all the rest into Provincial schools!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">This is a very big step. Our graduates now have to learn survival in these much bigger classes and schools, but some are excelling already. Duke and Clement are in one of the top schools in the entire county and for the first term of this school year, Duke placed first and Clement 4th in their class (out of 60)!! We have great hopes for the road ahead for all our children!!</span></div>
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Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-32647426898826622182014-11-21T04:49:00.000-08:002014-11-28T05:01:28.805-08:00Charity Run in Germany<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-size: 20pt;"> </span>Hello, dear friends</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On September 16th, the Max-Schmeling-School in Hamburg, Germany, organized a charity run. The weather was sunny and pleasant, ideal for running. We had 35 students from two 4th grade classes from the Elementary School Oejendorfer Damm in Hamburg, Germany join us. About 650 students from our school participated in this charity run. Both students and teachers did a great job of running, everybody thoroughly enjoyed this event! The school record was a combined 33,812 km run in 4.5 hours which translates into 21,009 miles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Hallo, liebe Freunde,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">am Dienstag, dem 16 September, hat die MSS (Max-Schmeling- Stadtteilschule ) einen Charity Lauf gemacht.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Das Wetter war sonnig und angenehm, ideal zum laufen. Wir hatten 2 vierte <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Klassen von der Schule Öjendorfer Damm zu Gast. Sie kamen mit 35 Schülern. Von unserer Schule haben ungefähr 650 Schüler teilgenommen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Die Schüler und einige Lehrer sind wunderbar und mit</span> <span style="font-size: 18pt;">Freuden gelaufen. Der Schulrekord war 33,812 km in viereinhalb Stunden.</span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Benjamin, Aleksandra, Rosana, Ayla, Wiktoria, Pascal, Furkan and Denis (Students from grade 7)</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17031368083356245627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-3577175893367246672014-11-14T17:03:00.001-08:002014-11-21T11:55:44.072-08:00Two New AmbassadorsIn October 2014, Jake (9) and Luke (7) Smith visited Achungo along with their parents, Nate and Jen. They had already involved the students at their school, Oak Knoll in Menlo Park. And they knew they'd have stories to tell on their return, but no one expected this family to take the story of Achungo so far so fast.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Vg95WE_QQAOKo1Zu_Tv6NguzPLolkNSuDxkbG9p7DqRpN3kR4LAkrdfEv_KjuhLBp91zawlSMhKqk9WBN0tyenQtihqbB1xpd5bzDOpNLbiFZ4jsrg4CcR-iDxzZTuk1s7iluZJuHa-5/s1600/smiths.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Vg95WE_QQAOKo1Zu_Tv6NguzPLolkNSuDxkbG9p7DqRpN3kR4LAkrdfEv_KjuhLBp91zawlSMhKqk9WBN0tyenQtihqbB1xpd5bzDOpNLbiFZ4jsrg4CcR-iDxzZTuk1s7iluZJuHa-5/s1600/smiths.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
I think the first thing they did was get their little brothers interested. Sammy and Micah came to the first team meeting and seemed just totally enthralled!<br />
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Here are the 4-year-olds at the bottom of the picture on the left. Until that moment I never realized they could sit so still or pay so much attention to anything!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVZu24M-EF0CUzvZ-JEk6zzQUQVSk7Zl5GFdoAahihQzXHROVnq-80QBQQC3jGowvrBjEV_FtM_F_-148WHLhSQzKSM0na31-q8Q5_pNm2Oq6ciGAfixOg0vq6oiLUbCLzN702dYz13Le/s1600/lemonade1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVZu24M-EF0CUzvZ-JEk6zzQUQVSk7Zl5GFdoAahihQzXHROVnq-80QBQQC3jGowvrBjEV_FtM_F_-148WHLhSQzKSM0na31-q8Q5_pNm2Oq6ciGAfixOg0vq6oiLUbCLzN702dYz13Le/s1600/lemonade1.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOB3ox9VBMN95q0_dlHOYqgJe3WpxiJhEck1uMNR6pdc7Ry9GYSlRlbVzY-uO6YgvS79SemIv0LE7vNxcMc7FtbVgxDb0YODVfFiWQ68JhKOecXR27sVofsw2cliGLO95GUr6c4Z5WiLMk/s1600/lemonadeCropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOB3ox9VBMN95q0_dlHOYqgJe3WpxiJhEck1uMNR6pdc7Ry9GYSlRlbVzY-uO6YgvS79SemIv0LE7vNxcMc7FtbVgxDb0YODVfFiWQ68JhKOecXR27sVofsw2cliGLO95GUr6c4Z5WiLMk/s1600/lemonadeCropped.JPG" height="119" width="200" /></a>Next these energetic and enterprising boys held a lemonade stand on a
number of occasions to raise money for their trip to visit the children
at Achungo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oaSuJhzmkRIpQXg2gQHGYJmd2GPs-o5jfMCxxjXOaNzXDyJIHvy0B9hs2Q13OEhW2mQSu91X4G6VnVQXATqv9M5cceI_wnIZuipPdYP_LM3iQ_MmFPYCA4qBx9VJSX475TOjM-pl63cD/s1600/MTbackpacks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_oaSuJhzmkRIpQXg2gQHGYJmd2GPs-o5jfMCxxjXOaNzXDyJIHvy0B9hs2Q13OEhW2mQSu91X4G6VnVQXATqv9M5cceI_wnIZuipPdYP_LM3iQ_MmFPYCA4qBx9VJSX475TOjM-pl63cD/s1600/MTbackpacks.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>At the same time, they were mobilizing others. Jen led her mothers group ("Mothers Together" at Menlo Park Presbyterian) to get new backpacks for the Achungo 8th graders (picture at left) and fill them with school materials and other gifts. Their aunt Leslye designed some lovely Zazzle T-shirts for each 8th grader.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgQAHqNzwHK03CAc_CLhpD89llWk-obytUXWi3XRTEr0noGI7A694Mab3ESMzNYqJW_roAazELte5_6fA7_rl_NvfOurB9hKd0hkIdaO7vfoAHLd-K2C9Jcvn1t4IZ5qiySSef4mVzknR/s1600/letters-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgQAHqNzwHK03CAc_CLhpD89llWk-obytUXWi3XRTEr0noGI7A694Mab3ESMzNYqJW_roAazELte5_6fA7_rl_NvfOurB9hKd0hkIdaO7vfoAHLd-K2C9Jcvn1t4IZ5qiySSef4mVzknR/s1600/letters-001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a> And the students in Jake's and Luke's classes wrote letters to the students at Achungo which Jake and Luke took to them during their visit. They've brought back return letters from Achungo and their classes are thrilled to have begun a pen pal program with these children in Kenya!<br />
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In the photo on the left the Achungo students are excited to receive their letters and are working on their return letters.<br />
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And in this picture the Achungo 8th graders are receiving the wonderful backpacks!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheK81RBWsxnJDKXItpSFWKiyp2pDyqGqEfRZrp8HPcCceZS8q_5l66wLDYZtHlo3C74LutlvFAHpIjcgtKH7HL2n-CA3y5u1hBSHDgBIbg5KT1H4v0yAX9XeCMK-7kkc7uozIpe8CFgs7m/s1600/lukesDoor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheK81RBWsxnJDKXItpSFWKiyp2pDyqGqEfRZrp8HPcCceZS8q_5l66wLDYZtHlo3C74LutlvFAHpIjcgtKH7HL2n-CA3y5u1hBSHDgBIbg5KT1H4v0yAX9XeCMK-7kkc7uozIpe8CFgs7m/s1600/lukesDoor.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Yes, the backpacks made it to Kenya. And on their return, Jake and Luke made sure their fellow students at Oak Knoll knew about it!<br />
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The picture to the right is from the door to Luke's classroom with the pictures of the children of Achungo receiving the backpacks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-yYC3mFWDiOZ8S28chYdur5Lxy4opSmeGSZ3Rp8ugpsm5ZFQdhcbtPX-TX9sZX7vu_PjHT_pOwNcMFnJX0N7uH39zh_mvh7okm-vC7-AHjphy7i8OJnRhblahuD56ZTH-ppT3BKTCxc8/s1600/LukeNJake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-yYC3mFWDiOZ8S28chYdur5Lxy4opSmeGSZ3Rp8ugpsm5ZFQdhcbtPX-TX9sZX7vu_PjHT_pOwNcMFnJX0N7uH39zh_mvh7okm-vC7-AHjphy7i8OJnRhblahuD56ZTH-ppT3BKTCxc8/s1600/LukeNJake.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>Jake and Luke not only shared with their classes but gave a presentation over the video news program at their school, sharing the wonderful experience they had with the children of Achungo and how much they all valued the backpacks.<br />
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Below are the notes from their talks. They talk about how the Achungo children seemed to have so little but were the happiest kids they'd ever met. What a wonderful representation of how the experience of Achungo changes us and impacts our lives!!<br />
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Thanks, Jake and Luke!<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/e5ic27dVtbk" target="_blank">Video of Jake and Luke at Oak Knoll School, Menlo Park</a>Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-21408384711037041372014-01-29T16:43:00.002-08:002014-08-07T17:44:50.263-07:00Grassroots Neighborhood FundraisingReturning home one Saturday afternoon I found a basket at our door with $9.50 of cash and a note:<br />
"<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>this is from our lemonade stand and it is for the orphans; from Neekie, Bella, Max, Grace, Fiona and Phillip</i></span>".<br />
I was floored!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWm9lUQ3LyWdrS5D_FPO2NyZfIbD7yGDdofxlFMJM1BOAhHHTEbZdvmXDU7qwcBflRKL-rQYYRFATWGqT1QJ_PUbW0BW5oqtQxni7Dx6Y5hF8Js8WuaAVgKIj0qmdFvLrdmpluBrnsV7C/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuWm9lUQ3LyWdrS5D_FPO2NyZfIbD7yGDdofxlFMJM1BOAhHHTEbZdvmXDU7qwcBflRKL-rQYYRFATWGqT1QJ_PUbW0BW5oqtQxni7Dx6Y5hF8Js8WuaAVgKIj0qmdFvLrdmpluBrnsV7C/s1600/001.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
We live in a small neighborhood and I knew these kids were my neighbors. Apparently Neekie (10) organized this herself--and it was a well-organized enterprise!<br />
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Here she is (on the far right) with her friends (from left: Fiona, Grace, Max and Bella).<br />
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Since then they have held other lemonade stands and mailbox washes and even car washes with Phillip biking around the neighborhood to solicit interest. At the lemonade stand above they had a menu of options that included a slushee (on order, Neekie would run inside and get her mother to make one in the blender) or for about 5 cents you could pet their sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Sky (in the background near the potted plant).<br />
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Neekie's mother, Fojan, tells us that she's cleaning out her closet to find clothes to send to the Kenyan orphans and is quite motivated in all this. Last month she invited us to present to the students at her school, Bowman International School in Palo Alto. Neekie introduced me to her fellow students!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjsg5xBFY9Z_3YPTjs0DAl4Jd3wyhnocnnLIty3NC_fv0WG42pGSOhBP7ItNZZWdQApJcSmsi9TcHrn3Tihm5soL4LGPQ3eA0k_uiKM6kTNKu49xer-Sof_m4eKaBEwm069TCHuYllH7m/s1600/IMG_1869.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjsg5xBFY9Z_3YPTjs0DAl4Jd3wyhnocnnLIty3NC_fv0WG42pGSOhBP7ItNZZWdQApJcSmsi9TcHrn3Tihm5soL4LGPQ3eA0k_uiKM6kTNKu49xer-Sof_m4eKaBEwm069TCHuYllH7m/s1600/IMG_1869.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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Neekie was a keynote speaker at our annual Achungo Tea event in December and made sure to drag her friends on-stage with her to be interviewed. It was truly the highlight of the event. <br />
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Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-59451675346192091652013-09-07T16:44:00.000-07:002014-01-29T14:55:18.538-08:00The Trinity School - our sister school in Menlo Park<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-quinU3hhDnCC_U0c-tiluLlCJhzptPc8eUEPNfV8m8mN3Fle_pf1eYujFT2bKt2uHKUCx_nWDRzOWERaocIRKQQRIo2vJVJPsmGJUGwYxQ-gEpB2-sr3AK7Wy5YRV2bqi8aRW7dCJ_sa/s1600/1TrinityCropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-quinU3hhDnCC_U0c-tiluLlCJhzptPc8eUEPNfV8m8mN3Fle_pf1eYujFT2bKt2uHKUCx_nWDRzOWERaocIRKQQRIo2vJVJPsmGJUGwYxQ-gEpB2-sr3AK7Wy5YRV2bqi8aRW7dCJ_sa/s200/1TrinityCropped.jpg" height="133" width="200" /></a>Last Thursday we presented to the student body at The Trinity School, a private preschool and primary in Menlo Park. They have been a sort of sister school to Achungo since early 2011 when 5th grader and friend, Karen Rader, brought Achungo to her class as a 5th grade service project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ3MEnzidWLHYOhrlrdIkJfZMeJFtSvuB7Jat0pxRVmSdjQmDglSwYcs_9_vhVtCT15dmo83MsilaMLTZW59XTAPF7mPdZn7ADuMfml8pAUxdaFnrBid6FiuAOEtLaHkX-lHh1o3wm0rG/s1600/zAchungoToTrinity.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJ3MEnzidWLHYOhrlrdIkJfZMeJFtSvuB7Jat0pxRVmSdjQmDglSwYcs_9_vhVtCT15dmo83MsilaMLTZW59XTAPF7mPdZn7ADuMfml8pAUxdaFnrBid6FiuAOEtLaHkX-lHh1o3wm0rG/s200/zAchungoToTrinity.JPG" height="200" width="153" /></a>Here Karen is presenting to Monte a gift from Trinity including the school medallion and a letter signed by all the 5th graders. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolQPZXNG_6Z1-G033FDmhvJPtW7GFRYWBcuF1XwhZNW3hY9_F3UE6t8pwd08XB-stjyoapDwh21wuV6S2QkKqAKTlkPbHLMcjAlYSNAWqsu3Ex4gvuAl7F9pdZovsQzygKul8uUtk7I0e/s1600/2TrinityAward.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolQPZXNG_6Z1-G033FDmhvJPtW7GFRYWBcuF1XwhZNW3hY9_F3UE6t8pwd08XB-stjyoapDwh21wuV6S2QkKqAKTlkPbHLMcjAlYSNAWqsu3Ex4gvuAl7F9pdZovsQzygKul8uUtk7I0e/s200/2TrinityAward.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a> <br />
To the left is the letter and the medallion from Trinity and to the right is the letter from Achungo and the Achungo children in response<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh5UnK7p-6mrPdwlQV6avB0wfVk_OcjLpJ2zXEfnTomgSD7hebFfhYacVwAWb8P_EMOWrLRzAI551GBvoUVgQfFra-iG6-FZrseh8fXfGLyvsYvWCIhCHGZ0EkicjGre3sdMglZkuIeAb/s1600/Medallion_0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoh5UnK7p-6mrPdwlQV6avB0wfVk_OcjLpJ2zXEfnTomgSD7hebFfhYacVwAWb8P_EMOWrLRzAI551GBvoUVgQfFra-iG6-FZrseh8fXfGLyvsYvWCIhCHGZ0EkicjGre3sdMglZkuIeAb/s200/Medallion_0974.JPG" height="133" width="200" /></a>On our June 2011 trip to Achungo, we presented the medallion and letter to the children of Achungo and they provided a letter from Achungo back to Trinity, signed by Achungo's 5th graders.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7j6p3_0dpFNIbIEDWINDyO7lAk7hGoBEF1nr5_XvpbaQAdmcu-e-BacuY3bCUooG9zTNjGujIMYWP-epx9TxI4tFfz3By6gHosvz7ziMz4Kn02Vxi6P1jqyMEdDFSyOcgtxk2eBdDpKX/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7j6p3_0dpFNIbIEDWINDyO7lAk7hGoBEF1nr5_XvpbaQAdmcu-e-BacuY3bCUooG9zTNjGujIMYWP-epx9TxI4tFfz3By6gHosvz7ziMz4Kn02Vxi6P1jqyMEdDFSyOcgtxk2eBdDpKX/s200/001.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSjVMaotPDLmfYcsXrQ6fO4jAoBe32DcrX3Ku6pl3mqgSe9AWQZKG7jyz-SDk9Y9RUxLB8FOWL0l5XEtls3AidvoWkeZNy9XsGWLNvlYKHEsDaQIbrO2zx83iZm11x-R-3IDBUMWXgUKk/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSjVMaotPDLmfYcsXrQ6fO4jAoBe32DcrX3Ku6pl3mqgSe9AWQZKG7jyz-SDk9Y9RUxLB8FOWL0l5XEtls3AidvoWkeZNy9XsGWLNvlYKHEsDaQIbrO2zx83iZm11x-R-3IDBUMWXgUKk/s200/007.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a> Since then, the students of Trinity have collected used clothing and
shoes and such that supplied many wonderful things to the children of
Achungo in addition to writing letters that our children have enjoyed
and they have responded with letters and cards to the children of Trinity.<br />
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This year Trinity donated 30 used Mac laptops to Achungo. We've taken
20 out already and they are in excellent condition. We set them up
during our June 2013 trip and the Achungo students immediately began
learning on them. These are children who live in mud huts in one of the
most economically depressed areas of the world. The computer skills
they learn will set them apart from all other primary school students
and prepare them to be outstanding candidates for potential employment.<br />
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Monte has presented several times to Trinity's 5th grade class, sharing pictures and interactive discussion of life in rural Kenya while they took notes on their laptops and asked insightful questions. He has presented a few times to the 2nd grade and other classes, and it is always a delightful experience. When Michael Nyangi visited last December, he was able to share with a number of Trinity classes also.<br />
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This visit last Thursday Monte shared pictures like those here, including some of the laptops in use, of their past gifts and of the progress at Achungo since they first engaged with us (our classes were in tin sheds at that time and are now in our new campus!). We also had letters from Achungo's 5th, 6th and 7th graders and cards from the younger classes that we distributed to the Trinity classes.<br />
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<b>This is a very special relationship for us all!!</b><br />
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<br />Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-71960631672048831112013-08-03T05:52:00.003-07:002014-11-21T11:58:41.381-08:00News from Hamburg, Germany<b>News from Hamburg, Germany</b><br />
I would like to introduce a new thread in this blog about activities in Hamburg leaded by Armin Opitz concerning support to the Achungo Children Centre.<br />
My real name is Stefan Menck and I am, like Armin, teacher at a school in the Eastern Part of Hamburg, Germany.<br />
With much work Armin was able to install an annual sponsored walk.<br />
So I would like to announce the Achungo Sponsored Walk 2013 which will be held on the 12th of September.<br />
Like last year two schools will participate: Our school, which is a secondary school and the school Oejendorfer Damm which is an elementary school. This means that about 800 pupils will start running on this coming september morning.<br />
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I will add news (and some photos of the last years walk) as soon as possible.<br />
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In future we will write this thread in German and English so that some of our younger pupils (who aren't capable of reading English) may follow this thread too.<br />
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Stefan MenckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17031368083356245627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-78563686139082647932013-01-03T17:18:00.002-08:002013-01-03T17:50:50.726-08:00Our Founder Visits California: Michael's December TourMichael Nyangi, Founder and Kenyan Director of Achungo Children's Center, made his first trip to California this year. This was a long awaited, long-planned visit to connect with his many supporters and for many more to hear his incredible story (see the prior post for his story). He arrived on Wednesday, November 28 and stayed over 2 weeks, departing December 13.<br />
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Most of his flight costs were covered by a very generous supporter, using frequent flyer miles and paying the added fees. Most of his trip he stayed with the Fishers and became part of our family and a very evident inspirational influence on our children. And during his stay he visited 3 church sites, spoke at an informal dinner (potluck) and a formal tea, shared with many school children at 3 different schools, and told his story at 3 evening events and 2 luncheons as well as the MPPC Men's Bible Study and a private prayer group who had been praying for him for the past year. I accompanied him at these events and each time I heard his story I was more inspired by it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nDsbdH26EH329-6h01WrRYPGOEMKPcYT3fDQH_OvtZUV6IW6H2rYd44VU_QmCB3XfdGyuxTI_OCE4_N4zTsYQAk4mCcIwPyI8j24ESIR1uk08RP0Ai9XWz68-gslB6KO4Z_3RZeye0U/s1600/SANY0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh12nDsbdH26EH329-6h01WrRYPGOEMKPcYT3fDQH_OvtZUV6IW6H2rYd44VU_QmCB3XfdGyuxTI_OCE4_N4zTsYQAk4mCcIwPyI8j24ESIR1uk08RP0Ai9XWz68-gslB6KO4Z_3RZeye0U/s200/SANY0109.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtH5lcDY4Il4QBXYWv131Ls1e2gv7-6IfJMznj6BGBP5Kjpdht2bHUChxRHU3S1KRnOd3N7tovi3fftyKqUezRI7AZ-r-qxbHAnvW0BGSq-EVEKoBAtXkTvO_08ScHhuPgZku432xQPUMZ/s1600/SANY0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtH5lcDY4Il4QBXYWv131Ls1e2gv7-6IfJMznj6BGBP5Kjpdht2bHUChxRHU3S1KRnOd3N7tovi3fftyKqUezRI7AZ-r-qxbHAnvW0BGSq-EVEKoBAtXkTvO_08ScHhuPgZku432xQPUMZ/s200/SANY0105.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
He enjoyed a trip to the beach and to SF, including the Golden Gate Bridge, and visited with the Sisters of Mercy and with Kiva in SF<br />
as well as with the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Countries (SEED). And he toured Stanford and Silicon Valley, with a special tour of Google. He thoroughly enjoyed his visit and reached many people in many ways and it was hard to see him go!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8daf6IW6VAUEOvHy8jDPsZwIrmjzQHbaqU7qAfvOtS-OfYfg34VpFlBH3wVHAyRk7YVVJdt38TdDCjfqAwts0dTYX9U1wjJIYzrUWSzubDxUWgrIrXFItu2HCcbGrkkDQXt2TF9xuUC9/s1600/SANY0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8daf6IW6VAUEOvHy8jDPsZwIrmjzQHbaqU7qAfvOtS-OfYfg34VpFlBH3wVHAyRk7YVVJdt38TdDCjfqAwts0dTYX9U1wjJIYzrUWSzubDxUWgrIrXFItu2HCcbGrkkDQXt2TF9xuUC9/s200/SANY0070.JPG" width="200" /></a>Michael joined a panel with Mark Swarner, Mission Pastor, and Zenebe, Director for an NGO in Ethiopia (Hope Enterprises) on Sunday, December 2nd at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (MPPC) in Menlo Park in front of about 60 people and that evening again at MPPC's Mountain View campus with about 35 attending. Michael told his story of realizing how little it took financially to change lives and founding first a micro-finance organization and then Achungo. And he shared his forward-looking vision for Achungo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2rKu_9L1vMusnjZ0ZrcqoHFA7typPhr7X7TcM9sTN8iM3aAjCQ2_TfREexx9ONK90fRzIGelxVrFPGlFNb0XibYEBlPjIpwA04T1g2eXwjelnVrNmu1JUsxsMKvO9sQlnBaB7kj5KvjJ/s1600/SANY0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2rKu_9L1vMusnjZ0ZrcqoHFA7typPhr7X7TcM9sTN8iM3aAjCQ2_TfREexx9ONK90fRzIGelxVrFPGlFNb0XibYEBlPjIpwA04T1g2eXwjelnVrNmu1JUsxsMKvO9sQlnBaB7kj5KvjJ/s200/SANY0135.JPG" width="200" /></a>The following Sunday, Michael shared his story with the youth group at Saratoga Federated Church and after services, spoke to a large gathering of those interested in missions in Africa and supporters of Achungo. Here he is part of a presentation to the original U.S. Executive Director, Barbara Jeanrenaud and her husband, Henri, who are retiring from the Achungo Board.<br />
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During the week, Michael spoke to the 6th, 7th and 8th graders at Eastside College Preparatory School in East Palo Alto, hosted by Suney Park, a longtime Achungo supporter and teacher at Eastside.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKkg31_t5ECdY26-9mFZuaIOS8S9txNLBhEh_-Y5ClzK0YWM5_e_FuJUaZbJbqLLyC-t_QFN51L4yhGTim4Ldt0EqtcgJZAoIblLDA_KwSLc6u2HylRVhv1qC4Azcj5WuU0_j3WYM2c-j/s1600/SANY0110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKkg31_t5ECdY26-9mFZuaIOS8S9txNLBhEh_-Y5ClzK0YWM5_e_FuJUaZbJbqLLyC-t_QFN51L4yhGTim4Ldt0EqtcgJZAoIblLDA_KwSLc6u2HylRVhv1qC4Azcj5WuU0_j3WYM2c-j/s200/SANY0110.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJi8CeecClefbkm4IbVVFfdUx22dV4-sD71H_1f-fAq5-Y7WQgPjHqRYYq1qUPea2Yb5bIovqKHHEV9UfP4RkWGaTqpHD_qpE9bLXdLHSYavOI0hRLViohx9i2oIfy9Bi6gfHw1vUWAj55/s1600/SANY0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJi8CeecClefbkm4IbVVFfdUx22dV4-sD71H_1f-fAq5-Y7WQgPjHqRYYq1qUPea2Yb5bIovqKHHEV9UfP4RkWGaTqpHD_qpE9bLXdLHSYavOI0hRLViohx9i2oIfy9Bi6gfHw1vUWAj55/s200/SANY0112.JPG" width="200" /></a>Trinity School, a private primary in Menlo Park, has been something of a sister school to Achungo for almost 2 years. Michael shared with the entire study body on Friday morning and then was invited into the 5th grade class (top picture on the right) and 2nd grade class (lower picture on right) where we handed out letters from the 5th and 2nd graders of Achungo. Trinity students have been writing letters to Achungo students for over a year now and it has been an enriching experience for both sets of students.<br />
<br />
We also shared with the Trinity preschool class and showed them pictures of the animals and of the school and students in Kenya.<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3wnqRtfcHxs88qyEv0tNHRMZ9SpUiJ8I7P17d38tgqrzYqhsWIJBsZmZkc9LR3HWbg5Yv9WwlhvVPyvynhDJp7357LcmJdbLZ3iF7POCYnNFScd2dhIYKqijizbdAhX2XE-G6Q8j8Snn/s1600/SANY0115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix3wnqRtfcHxs88qyEv0tNHRMZ9SpUiJ8I7P17d38tgqrzYqhsWIJBsZmZkc9LR3HWbg5Yv9WwlhvVPyvynhDJp7357LcmJdbLZ3iF7POCYnNFScd2dhIYKqijizbdAhX2XE-G6Q8j8Snn/s200/SANY0115.JPG" width="200" /></a> That afternoon Michael shared his story with 200 7th graders of Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park. In the top picture to the left, Jonathan Schaff, a 7th grader who visited Achungo in June 2012, introduced Michael to his fellow students.<br />
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In the lower picture to the left, Michael stands in front of the bleacher seats that were filled with the 200 7th graders during his talk.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PqEL1fzuq20HdTohWctZp5rRUM3HR4RjfUPxif65hBwXy8gAtzrIDpyeiil_r_zbTSIo6Ezz06tp1lix6ZbdsrvLjlvqxdVSvl8XLgGQlprpFOC7K23E7y6olqlV_LamMhWUyVKerjZA/s1600/SANY0120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PqEL1fzuq20HdTohWctZp5rRUM3HR4RjfUPxif65hBwXy8gAtzrIDpyeiil_r_zbTSIo6Ezz06tp1lix6ZbdsrvLjlvqxdVSvl8XLgGQlprpFOC7K23E7y6olqlV_LamMhWUyVKerjZA/s200/SANY0120.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
That was a large crowd of teens but they were silent and respectful throughout Michael's presentation.<br />
<br />Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-5323102203497043182012-11-14T13:19:00.003-08:002013-01-03T17:50:31.865-08:00Visit With Our Kenya Founder/DirectorMichael Nyangi, the founder and Kenyan Director for Achungo Children's Center, is making his first trip to the Bay Area in late November (2012). Below are some of the events planned.<br />
<br />
You should consider attending and meeting this incredible man who grew up a poor orphan, was sponsored through college and then, forgoing a lucrative career, began immediately to pursue a life focused on others. His lifelong ambition was to work in a Bank. Graduating with a CPA he was well-positioned and says he actually worked in a bank...for 1 week. I think he was just destined for greater things. Living in one of the world's largest slums (Kibera in Nairobi), he noticed a woman with a small child by the railroad tracks and worried that in her desperation she was considering suicide. He had $20; he approached her and gave it to her, hoping it would help. The next day, on his way to work, he saw her there again, but now she had corn and was roasting it over coals to sell. A few days later he saw another woman similarly destitute, gave her his $20 and before the end of that week, both women were sitting together selling food to passersby. It was thrilling to Michael to think about how little it took to make a difference in their lives (they eventually were able to move out of the slums and send their children to school, and even set up a small restaurant).<br />
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Michael was all of 22 and he began soliciting friends to join him by donating what they could -- often a dollar or less, and he eventually developed Lomoro, a micro-finance office of 15 staffers that helped more than 100 women of Kibera better themselves. Lomoro eventually attracted a little support from an NGO called 1010project out of Colorado and those contacts led to Michael being a guest speaker at the UN General Assembly (October 2008) and at a conference in Italy hosted by Amnesty International.<br />
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In 2005, at 24, Michael formed a local NGO (a Kenyan "Community Based Organization") that he called "Achungo Community Centre." A few years before he had begun taking orphans into his own mud hut. He had seen a group of 3- or 4-year-olds on the streets of the village, scrounging in the garbage for food and decided that he needed to find care for them. He eventually found some widows to do the same and with his own meager funds rented a shed to use as a school. That eventually turned into Achungo, now with over 190 children and a staff of 13. .
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Saturday, December 1st (Mountain View) </b>--<b> Holiday Tea</b>. <br />
<ul>
<li>12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. This will be a full service tea with presentations from Michael Nyangi as well as U.S. Director, Monte Fisher. </li>
<li>100% of the proceeds go to Achungo operations in Kenya. </li>
<li>Reservations required! </li>
</ul>
<br />
OPEN EVENTS<br />
<br />
<b>Sunday, December 2 --Vantage African Partners Forum</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. </b> Michael will share briefly at these services at Open Door Church, Mountain View (1667 Miramonte)</li>
<li><b>12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.</b> Michael and leaders of Ethiopia’s Hope Enterprise will take part on a panel of the Vantage African Partners Forum, hosted by Mark Swarner, Mission Pastor at MPPC. </li>
<ul>
<li>Light lunch. </li>
<li>Held at Fellowship Hall at 950 Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>7 p.m. – 8 p.m.</b> Vantage African Partners Forum (details above) at Open Door Church, Mountain View. </li>
<ul>
<li>Fellowship Hall at 1667 Miramonte Ave. (at Cuesta), Mountain View. </li>
</ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b> Sunday, December 9</b> -- Saratoga Federated Church (20390 Park Place, Saratoga)<br />
<ul>
<li>11:45 to 1pm “Go and Tell” presentation by Michael and Monte. Opportunity to meet and greet.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
For more information on any of these events, please contact Kathy Fisher: kathyfisher1106@sbcglobal.net Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-67936041086277621842011-12-26T18:13:00.000-08:002011-12-26T18:13:55.480-08:00The New Campus<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On our first trip to Kenya (October 2010) we realized that there was an urgent need at Achungo for more land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have by now purchased the new site, fenced it and have begun construction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m getting ahead of my story.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In 2008 Saratoga Federated Church purchased a well for Achungo Children’s Center and the parcel of land where it was located.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gifts from Germany built a 3-room cement block building for the preschool class, offices and a sleeping room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2010 we put up a temporary classroom building of tin alongside the kitchen shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between these buildings, the pump house and the latrine, there is little room left on this 1/3 acre parcel for the children to play and no room to build the additional classrooms we will eventually need for grades 5,6,7 and 8.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(We add a grade each year, adding 6<sup>th</sup> now in 2012).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There are a variety of other problems with the current site as a long-term campus:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The temporary classroom building has dirt floors and posts driven into the ground—it will not last long (the tin is already breaking loose in places) and the floor turns to little rivers in heavy rains.</span> </li>
</ul><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The yard turns to deep, sticky mud during heavy rain and we saw the smaller children (3- and 4-year-olds) get stuck in it, unable to move their shoes until they cried in frustration.</span> </li>
</ul><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"></span><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Even in good weather, there just isn’t enough yard for now over-140 children to play.</span></li>
</ul><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In 2011 as the new 5<sup>th</sup> grade had to share space in the sleeping room, we began looking for more land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are close enough to the village crossroads that we were dismayed at the prices and lack of available land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the summer Michael thought we could purchase some adjacent land, but that fell through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, he located a parcel about twice the size of our current one (about 200 meters away from it) and we put down a deposit to hold it as we tried to raise the funds to purchase it and to begin building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end we were blessed in amazing ways even as we felt like failures, unable to develop a fundraising strategy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of September we were able to complete the purchase and since then have fenced the parcel, cleared it and have begun construction.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our goal was to complete 3 classrooms in time for January school start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan is to build a U-shaped building at the upper end of the site. It will be block and cement construction with a tin roof and the room linked by a cement walkway, all elevated a few feet off the ground to stay free of runoff and mud even in the heaviest rains. In November we broke ground on the first wing and have now completed the foundation that will support the 4 classrooms of that wing. Construction has begun and we have most of the funds to complete those 4 classrooms along with the new latrine building at the other end of the parcel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;">In 2012 we hope to find the funds to complete the entire campus, including all 9 classrooms, offices and library/computer room. Then our attention will return to the old site where we need to build a kitchen and move out of the tin shed and its 3-stone fireplace. We also plan to build an assembly room that can accommodate the entire school -- for meals, exams, and school assemblies. Currently if it is raining, everyone packs into one of the classrooms for assemblies and it's such a tight squeeze it's hard to inhale (and I'm only slightly exaggerating!).</span></div>Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-89621807664422096322011-11-20T18:20:00.000-08:002012-01-27T16:14:50.883-08:00News of Our SchoolThe school of Achungo was born in 2005 as Director Michael Nyangi had recruited 2 widows with hearts for orphans who began to work with him both by taking care of orphans (along with their own children) and beginning to teach those who were unable to attend school due to cost.<br />
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Although Primary School (K-8) is tuition-free in Kenya, the indigent still cannot attend because they are required to pay for uniforms, shoes, books, school materials and exams. Thus there are many children who fall through the cracks of the "free educational system" and Achungo addresses that need for our orphans. We provide uniforms and other clothes and shoes, food, care, medicines and schooling (with school materials, exam costs and all other costs covered). Although we have some beds at the children's center, nearly all of our children are always cared for in homes in the nearby community. Although these are poor family units living in mud huts, they provide a sense of belonging and of integration into the greater community that no group home can provide. See my blog article: http://achungo.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-on-orphanage-care.html. Most of the children are in homes with relatives, often aunts or grandmothers, but some are in homes of good Samaritans, often widows who also have their own children.<br />
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<h1 style="font-weight: normal;"><b><u><span style="font-size: small;">Achungo Staff</span></u></b></h1><div class="MsoNormal">Founder and Director: Michael Nyangi</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Faculty</u></b></div>Headmaster : Mr. Nelson Aketch<br />
Assistant (or Deputy) Headmaster : Mr. Eliakim Ochieng<br />
Office Clerk : Madam Nancy Akoko<br />
Baby Class / Nursery / Middle Class: Mrs. Dorcas Ouma<br />
Mrs.Christine Kibwana<br />
Pre-Unit (Kindergarten) : Mr. Erick Olony<br />
Class One (1st Grade): Mr. Nelson Aketch<br />
Class Two (2nd Grade): Madame Esther Akinyi<br />
Class Three (3rd Grade) : Mr. John Mwai<br />
Class Four (4th Grade) : Mr. Eliakim Ochieng<br />
Class Five (5th Grade): Madam Asha Okoth<br />
Class Six (6th Grade): Madame Emily Sumba<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Other Staff </u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Cook: Mrs. Mary Auma Okello </div><div class="MsoNormal">Asst. Cook: Mr. Kennedy Odhiambo Oyolo <br />
Caretaker in charge of water distribution: Shadrack Charles Oketch</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">School Counts As Of September 2011</span><br />
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<b><u>Class Size</u></b><br />
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Class Student Count<br />
1st 17<br />
2nd 23<br />
3rd 17<br />
4th 13<br />
5th 9<br />
Early Preschool 26<br />
Preschool 12<br />
Kindergarten 13<br />
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Grand Total 130 </div>Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-64197611315989411602011-11-20T18:11:00.000-08:002011-11-20T18:11:15.629-08:00Our Farming ProjectIn 2010, after 2 years of supporting the food program at Achungo, Samaritan's Purse encouraged us to undertake a project that might move us toward self-sufficiency. We had experimented a little with farming, so wrote a proposal for farming 11 acres which was then funded for the 2 planting seasons of 2010-2011 and has now been funded again for 2011-2012. <br />
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The planting seasons in SW Kenya, coinciding with the rainy seasons, are in August/September ("short rains") and in March/April ("long rains"). The land is cleared as needed, then plowed with oxen and a plow with wooden handle and a metal blade (advanced from what we saw in Ethiopia where it was entirely wooden). We had advice from some farming experts from the U.S. who showed us to plant more densely than is common in the area, to weed and fertilize twice after planting (and the fertilizing that preceded planting), and to do some ditching so that the runoff during heavy rains doesn't wash out the plants. With these methods, we expected a better crop than is common and hoped to produce enough to gradually move toward self-funding subsequent crops while covering the costs of our food program at Achungo.<br />
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The 11 acres are not near the school but near Director Michael Nyangi's home, making use of a few acres of his own land at no cost and renting other land at often reduced cost based on his relationships with neighbors. About 1/2 of the acreage is in the hills on significant slopes and the other half in lower and more level land. The lower land retains water better and typically shows its advantage in the health, size and yield of the crops.<br />
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We've grown mostly maize because better cash crops could be at significant risk of theft since the plots are not guarded or near someone who could watch them. We grew some beans the first season but have not done so since as the bean plants are more susceptible to damage from heavy rain and loss of bloom to chickens, among other risks. Because we do not have adequate long-term storage for the maize, we sell much of it at the time of harvest when the price is at its lowest. As such, the farming program has supported the food program costs to a great extent, but without much remainder.Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404698271489033810.post-10019677496394196632011-09-10T15:11:00.000-07:002011-09-10T15:11:21.990-07:00Current Funding Focus - Fall 2011In August we began fundraising in earnest to purchase land and begin building out the Achungo school campus.<br />
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We have learned from Michael Nyangi, our
Kenyan Founder/Director, that land nearby our current parcel is
available and he has verified title and cost. Total cost is $9,500 including
fees and fencing (for a bit over 1/2 acre). This is the most important purchase
we will face and we are committed to providing the funds so that Michael doesn't
lose the opportunity.<br />
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The land purchase is particularly urgent -- if we lose
it, we do not have any nearby options. It is also urgent because we already do
not have enough classrooms (we're doubling up now) and we do not have space on
our small current parcel (.3 acre) to build a new classroom building. In addition most of
our classrooms are in a temporary, corrugated metal building with posts driven into dirt
and dirt floors and it will not last long (it also tends to turn into a river
during heavy rains). It's really more like a 4-sided shed!</div>
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Our immediate development priorities are to obtain and fence this land and
to build a latrine and at least the first 2 classroom buildings ($15,000 each building, about $2,500 for the latrine, so about $42,000, all told). We are anxious to complete the first classroom building and latrine by December as we need to add a 6th grade in January and are out of space. This year one class had to use space in the sleeping room.</div>
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The current parcel has the well and pumphouse, the kitchen, the cement block building that holds the office and sleeping room (and a classroom), as well as a latrine and the temporary classroom building mentioned above. Once we have the new land, we will build our classrooms there. Then the current site can be built out with a proper kitchen (it's just a shed now) and an assembly room so the children have a place for everyone when it is raining and for exams, lunch, etc.</div>
Achungo Children's Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03456231103872600842noreply@blogger.com0