The Primary Schools Assistance Project continued, but Mo & Jo had moved on and their replacements did not really want to be bothered with this project, but because the funding had been approved, they handed it out to the various partner organizations involved without regard to how well the money was spent. Their attitude was the organizations had 'one bite of the cherry' and good outcomes or bad, the organization must live with the outcome. In fact I had a serious debate because he could not see the benefit of school text books as people could learn without them! The guidelines were basically the same - the only building was for new toilets but rehabilitation of classrooms was allowed, desks were supplied, text books and teaching aids.
There is more to this story.
DME were given the funds and they had used the vocational college - Shule ya Fundi - to carry out the work. In the end I stepped in but on this first tour I was establishing the environmental programme and at the same time checking on the progress of the assistance project. This all became a bit like Big E!
I write from my diary.
First met with Mchungaji - Pastor - from Akeri at the Total service station at Tengeru, Loti was with her. We turned off the main road at the bridge and headed up the hill through coffee and banana plantations. Practicing my Kiswahili, I wrote 'hali nzuri' which means the environment was in good condition.
Way up high there is a T intersection and we turned left to the saddle where 24 acres was in church ownership and where both the school and the church 9with several outbuildings stood all in the same compound.
The church was large and modern, and there was an old church that had been built from local stone. This church was falling down and I was pleased to hear of it's historical importance and was to be restored.
There stands a monument to the first missionaries who were actually slain by the Meru People, but the site later became a mission station and was pretty much self-sufficient.
There is huge potential for an environmental project here and probably easy because there is good rainfall and fertile soils.
The primary school has a large roll and the buildings need some work. The desks had not yet arrived but work had started on the new toilet block.
The Head Teacher was a woman who was obviously dedicated to her role and she introduced us to the Environment Teacher who was also enthusiastic. There was good potential to work with school on tree planting projects.
We left the young woman - Pastor - who had been an excellent guide at the church office there. I though it a wonderful thing that Loti had taught this young woman at Makumira Secondary School.
I had not planned this day but it turned out to be daunting because we travelled from one end of the Diocese to the other!
On to Valeska [which is far to the south of Usa River]. We passed through Dolly Estate where there is a primary school and a sisal factory. The estate is a sisal plantation.
The road is difficult with mud holes water crossings and passes throughthe village of Kwaugoro and on through savanna over dusty tracks. Now and again there are Mbuyu, Baobab trees.
We met with the Pastor and he took us to meet the Head Teacher of the primary school. The Pastor seemed only interested in some plantings around the church and seemed more interested in us working with the school.
The school consisted of a clay-brick office and one tiny classroom which was falling down, brick by brick. There was a newish concrete block building which was two classrooms but only partly built.
The rest of the classes were under two large Acacia trees.
The school roll was large - 800 kids of several tribes including Maasai and Meru.
The village leaders were there to meet us as well as the Ward Executive Officer, and District Education Officer. They said that the NZHC policy of building repairs only was no good to Valeska Primary School and asked if NZHC supplied cement, roofing iron and timber, they could carry out the necessary work.
I promised that I would write up a proposal, and in return they should utilize the irrigation channel to carry out a tree planting programme. Because other than the two trees used as classrooms, there were on others!
On closer inspection of the partly completed classrooms, there was a stash of unused desks. Of course I questioned the reason and found that they were supplied through the project but moving them daily outside and back at the end of school would damage them quickly. So they decided to protect them until the classrooms were completed - this I thought fair.
So after a walk around the area, we sat beneath a Parkinsonia bush to share a soda, but as I made to move off we were told to wait as there was food! We sat down to chipsi mayai and chips. This is like an omelet poured over a bed of chips! Yum! So finished, politely I made to go, but out came the goat - keki! Roasted over coals. The liver was cooked and I was given first taste as the ceremony dictates and the cook who was cutting the keki worked hard to keep the meat up to all of us! Then came the roasted peanuts - the red ones locally grown. This was followed by roasted beef with ginger!
One of the woman cooking was an Indian who had married a local and she introduced the more exotic flavors to the feast.
Finally, full to my eyeballs, we managed to take our leave. These people were thanking me in the only way the knew for the desks and the promise of texts books from a list they gave me.
It turned out that I was successful in finding funds and we did build the school - more of that later.
I was very late returning home to Makumira which meant I could not meet Joshia as I promised and that I could not help another vol to transport bicycles for his particular project.
There is more to this story.
DME were given the funds and they had used the vocational college - Shule ya Fundi - to carry out the work. In the end I stepped in but on this first tour I was establishing the environmental programme and at the same time checking on the progress of the assistance project. This all became a bit like Big E!
I write from my diary.
First met with Mchungaji - Pastor - from Akeri at the Total service station at Tengeru, Loti was with her. We turned off the main road at the bridge and headed up the hill through coffee and banana plantations. Practicing my Kiswahili, I wrote 'hali nzuri' which means the environment was in good condition.Way up high there is a T intersection and we turned left to the saddle where 24 acres was in church ownership and where both the school and the church 9with several outbuildings stood all in the same compound.
The church was large and modern, and there was an old church that had been built from local stone. This church was falling down and I was pleased to hear of it's historical importance and was to be restored.
There stands a monument to the first missionaries who were actually slain by the Meru People, but the site later became a mission station and was pretty much self-sufficient.
There is huge potential for an environmental project here and probably easy because there is good rainfall and fertile soils.
The primary school has a large roll and the buildings need some work. The desks had not yet arrived but work had started on the new toilet block.
The Head Teacher was a woman who was obviously dedicated to her role and she introduced us to the Environment Teacher who was also enthusiastic. There was good potential to work with school on tree planting projects.
We left the young woman - Pastor - who had been an excellent guide at the church office there. I though it a wonderful thing that Loti had taught this young woman at Makumira Secondary School.
I had not planned this day but it turned out to be daunting because we travelled from one end of the Diocese to the other!
On to Valeska [which is far to the south of Usa River]. We passed through Dolly Estate where there is a primary school and a sisal factory. The estate is a sisal plantation.
The road is difficult with mud holes water crossings and passes through
We met with the Pastor and he took us to meet the Head Teacher of the primary school. The Pastor seemed only interested in some plantings around the church and seemed more interested in us working with the school.
The school consisted of a clay-brick office and one tiny classroom which was falling down, brick by brick. There was a newish concrete block building which was two classrooms but only partly built.
The rest of the classes were under two large Acacia trees.
The school roll was large - 800 kids of several tribes including Maasai and Meru.
I promised that I would write up a proposal, and in return they should utilize the irrigation channel to carry out a tree planting programme. Because other than the two trees used as classrooms, there were on others!
On closer inspection of the partly completed classrooms, there was a stash of unused desks. Of course I questioned the reason and found that they were supplied through the project but moving them daily outside and back at the end of school would damage them quickly. So they decided to protect them until the classrooms were completed - this I thought fair.
So after a walk around the area, we sat beneath a Parkinsonia bush to share a soda, but as I made to move off we were told to wait as there was food! We sat down to chipsi mayai and chips. This is like an omelet poured over a bed of chips! Yum! So finished, politely I made to go, but out came the goat - keki! Roasted over coals. The liver was cooked and I was given first taste as the ceremony dictates and the cook who was cutting the keki worked hard to keep the meat up to all of us! Then came the roasted peanuts - the red ones locally grown. This was followed by roasted beef with ginger!
One of the woman cooking was an Indian who had married a local and she introduced the more exotic flavors to the feast.
Finally, full to my eyeballs, we managed to take our leave. These people were thanking me in the only way the knew for the desks and the promise of texts books from a list they gave me.
It turned out that I was successful in finding funds and we did build the school - more of that later.
I was very late returning home to Makumira which meant I could not meet Joshia as I promised and that I could not help another vol to transport bicycles for his particular project.
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