A home away from home

Hello (:

My name is Rajshri Mainthia.

I just returned from Kenya/India and as expected, my time in Ikumbo was incredible, but too short. It was wonderful to see months of planning and fundraising so rapidly come to fruition.

A brief reflection and some pictures, with more to follow:

~*~

I left my heart in Africa
Only with me are pixels of what I saw
In the village of Ikumbo, an inspiring place
Where a thousand words are muted with a smiling face

I’ll remember the Nyagas and the warmth of their welcome
And their open living room where great ideas stemmed from
Like how to develop a secondary school and cultivate futures
Maybe one day young farm hands will trade shovels for sutures

So Harambee for All Children set forth a comprehensive mission
To involve a vibrant community in a brilliant vision
Led by three shades of wisdom, an eclectic brew
Respected and loved: Davis, Ravi, and Matthew

With so much to do, and so little time,
We discussed and chose what mountains to climb
The first was addressing the teacher shortage; Ikumbo needs six
But meeting with the Ministry of Education revealed no quick fix

With 60,000 spots for teachers, and 100,000 needed
The teacher shortage in Kenya is deeply seeded
So without acquiring teachers in a zero-sum way
We have networked and lobbied, in hopes to draw teachers who will stay

Another priority is to integrate technology into the Ikumbo classroom
With computers skills and internet knowledge, student ambitions can bloom
So we met with Kenya Data Networks and Mustek and Next
To discuss the wiring of Ikumbo and to negotiate computer specs

With the help of a CGI-U grant and private donations
Students will soon be Word-processing, and researching nations
In the library that is currently under construction
And in a curriculum that will welcome such technology introduction

But enhancing dictation-based learning is no easy feat
So we acquired more textbooks, and discussed a curriculum that is incomplete
And we strengthened partnerships with the Kenya Institute of Education and Strathmore University
To provide Ikumbo with more mentors, resources, and intellectual diversity

All these efforts brought forth the importance of career counseling
So we gave the director of Materi Girls Boarding School a ring
He showed us how his school sends all its graduating students to college
So we took notes and will equip our students and teachers with this knowledge

So many exciting projects, and this is only a fraction
Of the work that has brought so many to action
Clearly an endeavor that is easy to get passionate about
That I will return to Ikumbo, I have no doubt


Soon, but not soon enough,

Rajshri

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Matthew and I in traditional Kenyan clothes, but not quite blending in :/

Davis giving an inspirational sermon at Chogoria Girls Boarding School

Two students in front of a periodic table mural at Chogoria Girls

Another cool mural of the kidney nephron

Rafal and Ravi helping lay bricks for the Ikumbo Secondary School libary

Amrita videotaping as Matthew and Ravi conduct interviews and give a tour of the school

Matugi (the son of the Ikumbo Primary School headmaster) helping me on day 1 of the painting project

Day 3 - progress!

Day 4 - final touches

Day 5 - Alas!

Students gathering for end-of-day assembly

Headmaster Mugambi at the library construction site

Last day - Mama Mainthia, Rajshri, Matthew, Mama Nyaga, and Amrita at Chogoria Girls

~*~