Finding Furaha - "Shivering on the Equator"

“Shivering on the Equator”

        It is hard to describe the feeling of malaria to those who have never experience it firsthand. The feeling of intense coldness that overcomes you sinks deep into the marrow of your bones, and no amount of clothing can provide enough warmth. Your muscles become electrified and cause you to want to run a mile, if only every ounce of your energy hadn’t been sapped away. All one wants to do is to crawl into bed for a week and let things go back to the normal. 

        Unfortunately for me, the truck had already arrived at the guest house and was ready to begin the day’s journey. After six months of endless interviews, meetings, paperwork, and two separate trips to Kenya, there was no way that I was going to miss even one minute of the 2013 CES Community Awareness Program implementation. Even if it meant I would sit half-comatose in the back seat of the truck, I was going to be a part of it all, traveling through the rural roads and encouraging villagers to participate in the National De-worming Program.

The five of us climbed inside the truck, with the two MC’s sitting in the back bed, and for the next eight hours we manoeuvred our way through the country side, spreading our message to anyone in listening range. We cruised along at a steady pace along impossible bumpy roads, even for our rugged 4X4. I struggled to stay lucid as we arrived in bustling village centres, becoming immediately surrounded by crowds of adults and children. 

        Even though I was wedged in-between my two backseat companions, I felt every bump and jostle of the terrible roads, every syllable shouted by my companions out of their window at passersby. I can only imagine how strange I must have looked; shivering in the backseat wearing a thick sweater on what was a stiflingly hot day there on the equator. Did I mention that in the bed of the truck were two gigantic speakers, blasting rhumba beats to entice the attention of those around us? The music thumped on for the entirety of the trip, with each beat causing my headache to implode in on itself further and further.

Surrounded by the cacophonous opposite of what I wanted while in that malaria-saturated state, and I couldn’t have been happier. After so much time and effort put into the program, I could see that the message was being delivered. There was no doubt that we were going to see significantly more children treated for intestinal parasites, resulting in them experiencing fewer negative health outcomes and less chance of those kids missing out on anything because of something as easily preventable as parasitic worms.

I was riding in a physical manifestation of a single, intangible idea. That simple idea, discussed just months prior in a Starbucks cafe in Hamilton, Canada, was now becoming a reality literally on the other side of the planet, to be felt by thousands of people who would never know it’s Canadian source. It is this energy that drives CES and will continue to do so with any of our initiatives, though hopefully next time malaria-free.

Written by Tom Conant 

04/2013 - Kakamega KENYA

New Opportunities for Learning During Pandemic

 Huge Challenge for Kenyan Secondary Schools in 2021

The re-opening of schools in Kenya will be difficult. Today Term One of the academic year begins. Last year nearly 750,000 students left secondary schools, with 1.2M now expected to join Form One - an additional 450,000 students. The result will be overcrowding and reduced opportunity for quality education. The full academic year will take 30 weeks instead of the usual 39 with terms and holidays shortened.

Many schools are creating extra space, including classrooms, dormitories, laboratories and libraries to accommodate larger numbers of learners. For example, Chavakhali HS located near Kakamega, is expected to rise to 2,100 when Form Ones report - 500 over capacity.  

And all this in the face of Covid19, where only 20% of the Kenyan population has received one vaccination. The risk of coronavirus explosion in congested schools remains high. Data from the Health ministry indicates that the positivity rate is 12%. There are also fears that movement of millions of learners and teachers to various destinations across the country could trigger a surge in the infection rate.

This year CES Canada welcomes 20 students registered in eleven secondary schools. Scholarships include tuition fees, school uniform, nutrition and health program support. CES provides supervision and counselling through school visitations and ongoing communications with school staff.

Pictured here is CES graduate Peter Misungu (2014) in a dramatic presentation, playing the part of Principal who was sending a student home for lack of school fees. Sadly this gifted young man passed away in March 2020.

Activate link to view larger image.

Better Health Through "WinS"

CES Canada is in a partnership with 70 organizations worldwide in a WASH in Schools Program. There is much talk about this at the United Nations and CES is on the forefront of the discussion. In 2013 CES Canada shared with UNICEF (NYC) about our vision to strengthen school communities through a WinS (Wash in Schools) program. This global tele-conference received favourable response from around the world.

 

Since 2010 CES has been involved in 10 water/well projects. In each school location, the CES theme is "wash hands with soap."

Clean water is critical in promoting good health. Hygiene is enhanced when soap is used after meals and use of the toilet or latrine. 80% of water borne diseases can be eliminated by the proper use of hand washing with soap.

WinS (Wash in Schools) program is now being shared in 23 CES schools. The goal is to have all students go about their day in their own places of learning knowing that drinking clean water and using water and soap for hygienic purposes is key to their health.

CES Kenya Alumnus group have identified "Clean Hands" as an area of concern. The organization now has a number of skilled medical practitioners who are determined in 2016-17 to launch an education program in CES schools. It is clear that ongoing education and promotion of the concept is needed.

In 2014 a Handwash Station was built at Sidikho SS. It is a central gathering place for students with its location adjacent to the eating area. 

In July 2016 a new Handwashing facility was dedicated at Kimang'eti Girls HS. The design is unique and the structure stands in a central location that can be seen from all corners of the school grounds. It is a model that can be used throughout Africa and around the globe. Cost efficient, it utilizes run-off water that empties directly into an agriculture garden plot.

The fact that young people can raise their achievement levels and strengthen their personal health through these facilities is one thing worth celebrating. In addition, being able to share with UNICEF and schools around the world a model of service delivery to schools is relevant and timely.

CES Canada continues to work on behalf of school communities in rural Kenya. Providing hope through education will always engage our time and resources to improve the quality of health for our students.

Striving for Excellence in the Kitchen

It all started in 2008 when we first heard the request, "please can you build us a school." Students were learning in the open air under trees without shelter. The nearest secondary school was ten kilometres. In 2013 Canadian Lynn Zolinski dedicated Musaga SS in memory of her daughter Deanna O'Neill. Since then CES has added 4 additional classrooms, electricity and now a new Kitchen.

From the original mud hut kitchen to a modern functioning facility...it's like the difference between night and day. 

How do you feed 300 students twice daily with tea breaks in between under these conditions? Impossible. 

The Musaga Kitchen has been a work in progress over the past three years. Thunder Bay's Lynn Zolinski has been the driving force with hundreds from her community coming alongside. July 8, 2016 we told Deanna's story, how miracles of good will often emerge out of a tragic event. 1200 people had gathered at Musaga SS, teachers, students, parents, community leaders - all except the local MP had walked to get there. Trees were planted by four Canadian CES volunteers. Kids were sitting in trees, pressed against fence posts, standing on roof tops just to get a glimpse. Musicians played, dancing started and despite the hot day all were in a great mood. Tents provided much needed shelter. 

The ribbon was cut, doors opened as we got our first look at a brand new facility. Plaques to commemorate the occasion were unveiled. The party was now in full swing.

First the honour guard of scouts and girl guides raised the flag. The Kenyan national anthem was sung in both English and Swahili. Speeches in Kenya tend to go on...and on...and these did. No complaints. CES students offered their welcome in song and dramatic verse. The band began with rhythms from an electronic keyboard. Dancers emerged from the sidelines and like cheerleaders got the crowd involved. Visitors were wreathed in colourful garlands and given special shirts to wear. Women using "udhalili" shouted their high pitched praises during the celebrations. 

In Kenya one cannot leave a place without some tea or a meal. The chief cook and a dozen students prepared a fantastic Kenyan feast. The big size jiko ovens made the difference. Entering into a quiet zone of enjoying our ugali (maize base), githeri )beans), sukuma wiki (similar to spinach) rice, nyama coma (roasted meat) and kuku (chicken) with lots of soup (gravy), we washed it all down with warm soda. Mangos for dessert. No cutlery required or available - Delightful!

There is every reason to believe that Musaga SS will thrive. Nutrition and good food are key to healthy learners achieving their best. The new kitchen will do just that. At the request of CES, the school made a decision to keep the old kitchen as a reminder that we can only be thankful when we understand where we have come from.

Jiggers is Not a Curse

Shoeless One

Run fast, run hard shoeless one

Bruised feet burned by the scorching sun

Run on dear child, still time for fun

Though attacked by Jiggers

Don't cry out shoeless one

Bear the pain just like the other one

Who just like you has never won

A day free from Jiggers

Shoeless one I feel your presence

Razor cuts deep, a pain immense

Strength and courage your only defence

To combat Jiggers

Shoeless one you passed the test

Laugh and smile just like the rest

I watch you leave, I am blest

Sweet Jesus free from Jiggers

Michael Frederiksen

...the following report by Senem Ozkin, CES Canada Associate

CES Canada with the CES Alumnus and ACCES have over the past two months completed three Jiggers campaigns in Navakholo sub-County of western Kenya. During a recent visit by Canadian volunteers Renee Rerup, Dennis White, Senem Ozkin and Michael Frederiksen, the team had the privilege of "lending a hand" at Lusumu Primary School. Photos tell the story; so too, the deep feelings felt by Senem where she writes:

"By all appearances, it was just another Wednesday on the school ground: the primary school students playing and chasing one another in the field, a trail of happy screams behind them; the secondary school students listening attentively to the teacher in their outdoor class despite the noise of their younger counterparts.

 But it was not just any ordinary Wednesday. Shortly after the children's play was done, some of the boys and girls were asked to line up and register; the third jiggers campaign was ready to commence. And no amount of Google research could have prepared the Canadian delegation of CES visitors for this important event held on July 6, 2016.

Jiggers are a type of sand flea that burrow themselves in human skin, primarily in the feet (though they can also take residence in any part of the human body that is close to the ground, such as hands, if someone has no bed and has to sleep on the floor, for example). Jiggers are an especially significant issue in a particular part of Kenya - Navakholo - where the CES campaign took place.

Once the kids were registered, they took their seats on wooden benchers not unlike the bleachers at football games in North America. They were each given a piece of soap and asked to wait until a basin full of warm water could be brought to them so they could have their feet washed. They waited patiently and without a trace of anxiety about the painful procedure they were about to undergo.

Even when the time came for the sharp razorblades that would cut out the affected parts of their feet, it was rare to hear a cry or to even see a grimace of pain on the kids' faces. They sat without any sign that they were worried, scared, or angry for having to go through such an ordeal. It was as though they were sitting to have school pictures taken. For them, the jiggers making themselves a home in their feet was a natural part of life.

It is easy to take for granted all the rights and privileges we have as Canadians and it is also easy, in the face of those who struggle for a fraction of the freedoms we enjoy, to appreciate what we have...at least on a temporary basis. But witnessing what happened at the jiggers campaign went far beyond appreciating that we, in Canada, do not have such problems. The demeanour of these kids, their courage in the face of impending, certain pain (and knowledge that this would likely not be the first or only jiggers campaign they would have to resort to for help) signalled something far more tragic: a loss of innocence. It was as though they were resigned to the fact this was their fate.

The Constitution of Kenya guarantees children the right to basic education; whether that right is exercisable is a topic for another day. But what the Constitution does not speak to is the manner in which that education will be obtained. It says nothing about whether children are guaranteed to have their basic needs met - to have shoes on their feet, to be free of things like jiggers - so that they can focus solely and exclusively on their learning. It does not guarantee that they will be allowed to act like children, to run around carefree, to play with their mates, to complain and be coddled when they are feeling under the weather - let alone when they have fleas in their extremities.

After dozens of kids, ranging in age from approximately 12 months to 12 years old, went through the process of go being de-jiggered, their feet were soaked in sodium bicarbonate to close up their wounds, and on they went - many of them without shoes - to their homes. If only we had a pair of shoes or even flip-flops to ease the pain a little bit.

And so after 8 hours of concentrated work without a break the jiggers campaign came to a close. Facing the reality of leaving these kids behind and wondering how these brave little souls handled themselves in such a grown-up way was almost too much to comprehend. What could we do to give them back the innocence? So little really when compared to what they gave us."