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."

Free Education in Kenya a Myth

A dining room without walls where wooden benches seat 300 high school girls. Classrooms with a single lightbulb and live wires dangling. Playgrounds where boys and girls play soccer with an imaginary ball. Overflowing pit latrines built for 25 students now used by 60, with a cholera outbreak a distinct possibility. School yards where goats and dairy cows graze freely. School communities each with a gate keeper demanding ID from all who enter. Eighty students in a science class with an instructor that has a history of absenteeism, no substitute available. 

Administrators who demand extra fees to pay for a school bus, a sign of status. Bursars that routinely send students home for lack of school fees. Teachers who live 400 km away from their families receiving minimum wage pay checks with "be faithful to your wife" written on the back. Head teachers who cannot escape the demands of 24/7 supervision. Government funding amounting to a third of the actual costs. 

Free education a myth. Access to education for orphans and the acutely poor a disaster. The ideal of equal opportunity has a tough go of it. Sounds like rural Kenya where students like Ezekiel and Lucy deserve much better.

Ezekiel  does his best to stay at the top of his class. A KCPE grade of 356 marks tells the story of a bright and quick learner. Now in his final year Form 4 his grades are slipping. Today is pretty well the same as yesterday. A 5km walk to school, morning exercises at the flagpole, three subjects in a row, a bowl of maize and beans at noon and an afternoon cup of chai at 2:30. Two more classes and then the long walk home. When he is called out of class at break time he anticipates the bad news.  

Ezekiel was sent home for arrears of 5,000 shillings, his dreams of graduating from secondary school dashed. Dejected, he took the long way home. Snapping off a piece of sugar cane, he knew it would never mask the hunger pangs that daily attack his body. What bothered him even more was the ever present body odour. One could hide hunger but not the pungent smell of one who only knew a bar of soap to be an unaffordable luxury. Orphaned at the age of 10, Ezekiel's closest relation was a grandmother who earned a little selling vegetables at the market. 150Ksh was a good day's wages, hardly enough to keep Ezekiel in school.

That same day in a nearby school Lucy's absence is hardly noticed. Afraid of ridicule when they see her stained school uniform, and without money for proper sanitary wear or even underwear, she resigns herself to three days at home until she feels "clean". Some of Lucy's friends rely on rags or tissues for protection or they just stay in sick bay at school. Orphaned since the age of eight, no one has ever told her about changes to her body. Once she had to remove her dress to wash out the stain and return to class after it had dried. There was also no soap available and the water supply was far from the latrines. Lucy is used to these days of deep sadness where she remains home alone. 

Lucy is now in Form 2. She too scored highly in the Standard 8 national 2013 KCPE exams. In fact, with a score of 375 she stood the highest in the whole region. She was invited to register at a national secondary school in Thika, not far from Nairobi. This was a high honour as it was recognized as the top school for girls in the entire country. Here graduates proceed directly to university. Real toilets, running water and electricity, beautiful play fields and small class sizes all within a manicured secure compound. This was the goal, the dream. It soon became clear that although qualified, Lucy could never be admitted due to lack of school fees that totalled nearly 60,000Ksh. She had to settle for a rural District school, far from Thika's promise. 

The class I visited in 2015 had 80 students, double what it should be. A roughly constructed wooden desk accommodates two or three, elbow to elbow. Some windows are broken and the walls need a fresh coat of paint. With no chalk available the boards display work a week old. Teacher or "mwalimu" is professional in every sense, wearing suit and tie despite the heat. I learn he has cycled 15 km to do his duty. He stops a group of boys at the door to ask them why they were late for class. They say they had to wait to have their turn to use the toilets. He understands.

As the lesson begins, I cannot help but notice the torn textbooks. There are not enough to go around and students must share. The lesson that day is on the great engineering feat known as the St Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes canal system in Canada. Unsure of its relevance to their learning, they nevertheless seem to enjoy my version of Canadian history and its economic and geographical significance. A couple of boys are nodding off for good reason. I rather suspect they are sleep and nutritionally deprived. 

The school's head teacher later expresses concern over the safety of students walking to and from school. Young girls are particularly vulnerable in pathways that take them off the main roads. She also talks about the growing crisis of drug and substance abuse in the village impacting on her school. When asked what the school needs the most she indicates a source of clean water. Her priorities are right on, unlike other head teachers I have encountered that would opt for a school gate or a bus. 

Change takes time and in Kenya there are setbacks and discouraging realities that prohibit progress in the school system. That does not mean that we walk away from students like Ezekiel and Lucy who endure so much and with just a little help will succeed. We cannot abandon our mission knowing we partner with strong and compassionate educators and people of good will.

Since 2004 CES Canada and CES Kenya have partnered to create scholarships for needy students in rural western Kenya. In return, CES maintains an expectation that high levels of cooperation, communication, care for our students and a focus on selecting the best and brightest students. We seek gifted, creative and motivated students who will emerge as successful future leaders. We also wish to support those schools that are fully engaged in the vision we believe in.

In 2016 CES Canada is there for the Ezekiel's and the Lucy's, all 250 in 24 secondary schools. We invite you to share in our vision and by doing so you make a small part of Kenya infinitely better.

The Global Challenge of HIV/Aids

The World Must Act Now 

Positively and with Purpose

The U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) convenes this month in New York City to deal with the challenges of our time. Among the many problems is the scourge of HIV/Aids. Since 1978, the world has struggled to end AIDS. The MDG's set out two goals to be achieved by the end of 2015; reducing the number of new HIV infections in children by 90%; and reducing the number of HIV-related maternal deaths by 50%.  

This Global Plan has been supported by various sectors and NGO's contributing resources to address a critical issue. Businesses and private foundations have provided financial  resources and technical assistance to achieve these objectives. According to UNAIDS, the number of new HIV infections among children has declined by 58 percent. And, over the last five years, there has been a 29% decline in the number of AIDS related deaths among young woman.  

Despite having made impressive strides, mother-to-child transmission of HIV will not be eliminated by December 2015. There remains much work to be done. In Kenya for example, there are rural areas where Aids is actually increasing. Poverty, lack of education and regressive cultural practises stand in the way of substantive progress. 

CES Canada's role is to provide access to secondary education and to alleviate acute poverty in Kakamega, Bungoma and Navakholo Counties of Kenya. By 2016 over 2000 secondary and post secondary scholarships will have produced an Alumnus Group that will create new hope for their communities. An innovative "School Without Walls" is planned to provide Leadership and Skills training to future leaders of Kenya. 

Education is a cornerstone for the work of CES Canada

The future of children without Education is grim

CES Canada believes that a bottom up grass roots approach is more effective than a top down cascade of funding and resources that seldom actually reaches the ground. To that end, CES works closely with public health and education stakeholders to deliver effective service in 24 school communities in a 3000 sq km area of western Kenya.

Global health experts are targeting 2030 as the deadline for ending AIDS as a public health threat. The challenge is to create a model of delivery that combines Health and Education. This approach must focus on children and their mothers and provide access to education even beyond secondary school. The private sector is critical in providing resources; however, without the work of NGO's on the ground, the planned programs will not be effective. 

As world leaders gather this week at the Sustainable Development Summit they will no doubt focus on the next 15 years as the SDG's replace the MDG's. If HIV/Aids is to be eliminated, it must be done in conjunction with a focus on education for all, gender equity, justice and human rights that protect women and children. To skirt around these critical areas will be a disaster. 

Michael Frederiksen,

President, CES Canada

CES Canada Advocates for Women's Rights

Child Marriage in East Africa: An Unacceptable Reality

Young women in East Africa face high levels of violence, discrimination and marginalization. Early marriage denies girls their rights to health, education, equality, non-discrimination and a life free of exploitation. In rural western Kenya, CES Canada continues to advocate for young women’s empowerment by providing equal opportunity for education. By encouraging girls to stay in school, CES demonstrates its commitment to influencing the community to stand against the practice of child marriage.

Students at Kakamega Muslim SS

Further to being a human rights violation, child marriage also undermines efforts to reduce poverty. There is a strong correlation between child marriage and girls dropping out of school. Girls are denied the education they need for their own personal and career development. There are also serious health implications. Medical complication during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of death and the mortality for newborns is 50% higher amongst this group. Although legislation specifically outlaws marriage under the age of 18 in Kenya, many marriages are performed under customary or Islamic law, which sets no minimum age. A high prevalence of HIV in Kenya means that young married girls are particularly at risk.

CES Canada has a Gender Equity policy where a minimum 50% of secondary scholarships are offered to girls. CES is also engaged in the betterment of education in six all girl secondary schools. CES provides a role model to schools that prioritizes young women.

Empowering girls is an area that CES Canada deems to be essential. During the past decade, CES female scholars have done well. Of the nearly 750 scholarships offered to girls, only 12 have dropped out. Of these, three were for pregnancies, two others were health related and one was a young girl whose family pressured her to marry before completing secondary school. The rest left school due to poor grades. On the bright side, female CES graduates are finding their place in post-secondary studies and there is every reason to believe they will be equal to or better than their male counterparts.

Post-script: GLOBALLY, THE PRACTICE IS DECLINING, ESPECIALLY MARRIAGE OF GIRLS UNDER 15: In 1985, 33% of women aged 20-24 were married before 18; in 2010 it was 26%. However, in real terms, the numbers are going up with increasing population – and will continue to do so without ACCELERATED progress. (RCS 2015)

CES Grad Eyewitness to the Tragedy at Garissa University

The loss of 147 beautiful young Kenyan university students was horrific. In the early hours of April 2 terrorists entered the gates of Garissa University undetected. A wave of evil swept through the dorms as many were preparing for a day of exams. Those who were gunned down had no chance, most were Christian. By 8am it was all over. The killers detonated their bomb belts taking their own lives.

CES Kenya graduate Milridah Ayuma Ominde was an eyewitness. She describes a morning of confusion and terror. By 5:30 am she was up preparing for the day. Finishing her toiletries she was about to begin her morning prayers and early morning studies. It was then she heard the shouting, the gunshots, people screaming, and she knew something terrible was happening. She grabbed her cell phone and ran.

"I ran down the stairs from the hostels/dorms to the field which is a distance away. The back of the university compound had not been fenced by wire and I managed to escape through the thorny bush fence. Beyond that was forest and desert. I ran and did not look back. After 15 minutes I found myself on a side street leading to Garissa Town. Other colleagues joined me as we found a bus leaving for Nairobi. As we got to the Tana River border patrol at the edge of town, the Somali bus driver demanded 500 extra shillings. He claimed it was danger pay because of the insecurity. Luckily for me a friend lent me the money and we continued the eight hour journey to Nairobi."

Milridah spent the next two days at Kenyatta Hospital comforting the injured students who had survived. It was her friend, CES graduate Doris Miroya who was able to track her down. Through Doris, CES Canada was assured that Milridah was safe. A few days later CES Kenya Director Rev. Nyanje met with Milridah and invited her to stay at his family home in Nairobi. CES Canada volunteer Karen Dahl had just arrived in Kenya. She and Milridah agreed to spend a few days of rest at the home of CES Sports Ambassador Gilbert Kiptoo.

Karen shares, "Gilbert and his gracious wife Sally made us welcome and provided much support and encouragement to Milridah during our stay at Ziwa. This provided the initial opportunity for Milridah to relax and get to know me. I knew the healing process has begun. Life on the farm provided the perfect healthy balance of quiet time for reflection, counselling and links with community activities. Gilbert introduced us at the private school of his brother, James Moiben, where we were given a tour of the facility. A visit to the Zurrie Flower Farm was a refreshing break and so stimulating to the senses. Gilbert and Sally invited us to attend the Passover Feast and service at their church and we had the opportunity to celebrate with them and their church community. It was an evening filled with fellowship, praises and joy.

Milridah also spent a few days at her grandmother's shamba. The home is located near to Ibinzo Girls HS and where Doris Miroya's family is from. She was greeted by her pastor and many friends who came to see her. It was a joyful celebration.

Prior to her returning to Canada April 30, Karen Dahl maintained daily contact with Milridah offering support, encouragement, and continued counselling. She helped Milridah deal with the impact of this event and to utilize some basic coping strategies. Due to the loss of close friends during the attack, Karen also encouraged her to remain connected with her other friends by phone and to consider attending the funerals of her colleagues who lost their lives at Garissa University.

Her closest friend Josephine Onyancha Nyaboke, age 21, was gunned down as she prayed in the Morning Glory chapel with other Christian students. Her other roommates Agnettah Chite and Lucy Nyambura were killed in their beds while sleeping. Milridah did travel to Butere with her friend Florence to join other mourners at the funeral service for Agnettah. She shared that it was sad but that she felt Agnettah was at peace.

Overall, Milridah has been connected with her friends and family and is coping fairly well. She is the secretary for the youth programme at her church and continues her commitments to her church community. She is staying in the home of her step grandmother and assists with chores and planting vegetables. Milridah has met with CES Patron Malik Khaemba, Chairman Ben Odoto and other board members to provide her account of the Garissa attack.

She has been made aware of the efforts made of the CES family to raise funds to assist her. During the CES Leadership Scholarship Interviews this past week, Milridah participated by greeting the candidates and assisting with the ushering of the participants to the interviews. She also addressed the group during the workshops, providing the new graduates with a role model exemplifying strength and courage through the most tragic of events.

Milridah at the CES Leadership Seminar

Other supports include CES Kenya board member Aziza Rajab. Aziza encouraged Milridah to remain active, continue with her church involvement and volunteer work at the school. In addition, Aziza followed up with a call Karen had made to the Kenya Red Cross inquiring about the counselling services for the Garissa students. Aziza has confirmed that Milridah was on the list for counselling and that a plan was in place to respond to her needs.

 CES Patron Malik Khaemba, Karen Dahl, CES Director Aziza Rajab

On Monday April 27th Milridah attended her first counselling session provided by the Red Cross at Kakamega. The students met together and then were divided into small groups with a counsellor facilitating each group. According to Milridah the session was successful. “We were allowed to talk everything about the attack and air out all views”, she said afterwards. It was also confirmed that she is to report to Moi University Eldoret on May 20th. Counselling will continue at the Golf Hotel twice per week up until the 18th of May.

At this point Milridah has expressed her willingness to apply to attend the Moi University campus to complete her second year of the BA in Education. She has a desire to remain close to home and near her former Ibinzo colleague Doris Miroya who is also willing to provide guidance and support. Milridah will benefit from continued follow-up from CES Kenya for encouragement, problem solving, emotional support, educational guidance and financial assistance to ensure a smooth transition into university life.

Milridah is a soft spoken young woman with incredible strength and courage. Her faith in the Lord is unwavering and her determination to complete her education for the betterment of her younger siblings is powerful. Milridah now 22, is a CES graduate from Ibinzo Girls HS. Achieving above average in the 2012 KCSE, she was invited to register at Garissa University. Her dream is to teach and at present she is in Year 2 of the B.Ed. English Literature course of studies.

She is one of 6 children. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she has never seen or heard from her mother since. Her father and step-mother raised her on the meagre products from the farm. School fees were managed, until her father became ill and died. At that time, she was in Form 3. Her father's death was distressing as she now was a total orphan. This impacted her ability to perform her best in school. Her focus was further disrupted when her step mother sold the family land and the shamba in which Milridah and her siblings had grown up. Her step mother went with another man and Milridah was left to support herself and two younger siblings. It was at that time that she was assisted by CES Canada with a full scholarship to complete her secondary education. She is concerned for her 2 younger siblings Melvine Achimbo in Standard 8 and Brancice Aylela, Standard 4. They are both living in separate homes with different relatives. Her father had instilled in Milridah that obtaining an education could improve her life so that she could help her siblings. He told her that he would not always be around.

Milridah is an exceptional young woman, an inspiration to us all. Despite her own situation of fear and uncertainty, she was ministering to and thinking of others. She writes, "I was lucky and I thank God He helped me to escape; however, I lost many friends and three room mates which is very sad for me. I thank CES because they have stood by me and encouraged me. I feel loved and cared for and I will be very happy if you (CES) continue to stand with me so that I can finish my education.

CES Canada and CES Kenya and the entire CES family will do just that. When one suffers we all do, at least in part. It's the least we can do.

Karen Dahl

CES Canada Associate

CES Graduate Confirmed Unharmed at Garissa University

Imagine the horror...in the early hours of April 2 while students were preparing to write their exams, 147 people were killed in an assault by al-Shabab militants on a university in north-eastern Kenya. Heavily armed attackers stormed Garissa University killing two security guards then firing at random on students. Four of the gunman were eventually surrounded in a dormitory, and died when their suicide vests detonated. Witnesses have confirmed that Christians were singled out and shot. More than 500 students managed to escape, 79 of whom were injured.

Many friends of CES expressed their concern about the tragic events happening in Garissa, Kenya. There is no way to describe how we feel about this atrocity. Vulnerable young people were killed in the early hours as they were rising to prepare for their exams. This is so tragic and it deeply saddens us. The face of evil hides behind the mask of hatred and intolerance.

Yesterdays' terrorist attack took place at the four-year-old Garissa University College, the region’s only higher education facility. Universities are the sites of discussion and debate and the transmission of values that groups may oppose or consider ‘Western,’ which is clearly the case with the attack in Garissa. Only 6% of Garissa county residents have attained secondary level of education or above, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics; most live below the poverty line. This is a very needy area that sadly has been infiltrated by those wishing to destroy Kenya's democratic heritage. It is also an area where Christians are openly persecuted.

I lived in Garissa for three months back in 2003/04. In fact, the seeds of our work in Kenya were sown in this place. There was no university in Garissa at that time. I considered the place relatively safe and I learned much from the people. Teaching at Garissa Boys HS and spending time in a number of Muslim schools gave me a strong sense of what it means for students to learn in such a place as NEP.

Travelling east and crossing the Tana River is like going into another country. The conditions are hard and the opportunities for education, especially for girls are few. It was later in 2005-06 when there were reports of Christians being harassed and churches burned. Slowly things have changed and I must say that today all of NEP is unsafe, especially for those who are Christian.

This news is grievous and it is a blight on Kenya, my adopted country. People do not differentiate between Northeast or West - without being informed they think Kenya is unsafe, not to be accessed for any reason. There are obvious repercussions for Kenya's economy. I have no concern about travel to Nairobi and from there to western Kenya. The social and economic environment around Kakamega area are so different from what we see in places like Dadaab, Garissa, Mandera and Wajir. Kakamega has always been a welcoming place for Canadians.

Our concern was for one of our former students who is actually attending the University at Garissa. She graduated from Ibinzo Girls HS in 2011 and is now in her third year in the Bachelor of Education program. CES supported Mildred Ominde for four years and she was a fine student. She is part of the CES family as an alumnus. Often with some of our students who have been orphaned from an early age, it is difficult to find contact information through direct family. Today we have just heard from CES Kenya and it has been confirmed that Mildred is safe and now at a shelter in Nairobi. We are grateful; yet, saddened as we think about those who died. Today the soul of Kenya has been wounded. We grieve the loss of these young people who died essentially because they were Christian.

May the message of Easter circle the globe to embrace us all

Michael Frederiksen

President, CES Canada