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Another great visit

 A group of nine just returned from another rewarding trip to Kisima.  We brought shoes and socks, clothes, toothbrushes, Frisbees, jump ropes, soccer balls, and school supplies.  Each child got to pick out a pair of shoes, an item of clothing, socks, and a toothbrush.  Lots of happy faces!  It was wonderful to see the kids happy, healthy, and thriving. 

Plantings

The high school students planted a row of flowering bushes between the boys and the girls dorms.  They had a great time doing it and learned a few things about gardening along the way.

April news

 

It's always exciting when a new calf is born at Kisima.  Charlie (Charlene? Charlotte?), gave birth to Grace recently.  Feed has been very scarce during the dry season. There has been nothing to graze on and Martin has had to drive 17 miles into Kitale to buy what feed was available. Thank God the rains have come and things are growing again.

April is a holiday month for Kenyan students and the high school students have been home at Kisima.  They've been making good use of the time--working with computers, helping the Kisima students with computers, meeting with recent high school graduates, and being tutored by secondary school teachers. 

April rains

The hot, dry, dusty summer is over and the long rains came on schedule.  The landscape is green again.  Hopefully favorable growing conditions will continue and the harvest will be good.  April is one of the three months students are off school and the high schoolers are back at Kisima sharing their experiences.

Laura Anne and Jamie arrived home recently from spending over three weeks at Kisima.  I look forward to hearing about their trip!

Under a mango tree

I like this photo of Class 8 studying under a mango tree.

Graduates heading to secondary schools

Most of the secondary school admission letters have arrived for Kisima's first graduates. The schools have always based their admissions on the national exams that Class 8 students take in November.  This year the government changed the procedure but the top 10% of students nationally score above 360; at Kisima 42% scored above 360--a testament to good leadership, hard-working kids and dedicated teachers!  So far the kids are going to 12 different schools--what a logistics challenge to get 20 kids equipped and delivered to so many different places!  The orphans had sponsors at Kisima who are continuing to sponsor them through secondary school. 

New mosquito nets and a new well

There are new mosquito nets...

 

and a new well.  Having enough water has been a problem at Kisima.  The first hand-dug well was adequate when there were only about 100 students but there are now 298 students plus the staff.  A 100-liter water catchment tank was added some time ago that helped but of course not during dry periods.  One of the next projects is to pipe water to the kitchen and showers.  Currently water has to be carried.

Celebration

 On Sunday the entire school plus some local government representatives celebrated the first Class 8 and their fine showing in the national exam.  They started off by gathering in the dining hall for prayers and a sermon by a local pastor.  Then they joyfully set out down the road joined by some community members and motorcyclists. The exam results were announced a couple of weeks ago and the secondary school selection will start January 20.  The Class 8 students must be anxiously waiting to hear where they will be going.

 

 

Alternative Gift Fair

Denise and Bonnie set up a Kisima booth at John Calvin Presbyterian Church's Alternative Gift Fair today.  They sold gifts of school supplies, food, 10% of a dairy cow, and sponsorships.  Thanks to them and the wonderful people who bought the gifts!

Alternative Gifts

When you're working on your Christmas list please consider honoring your friends and family with a gift to Kisima in their name.  You may want to give a of school supplies for one child ($20), food for a child for a month ($20), a flock of chickens ($25, textbooks for one child ($40), or 10% of a cow ($55).  A downloadable gift card will be emailed to you.  Thank you so much and Merry Christmas from the entire Kisima community.

Class 8 exam

 It's impossible to overstate the importance of the Class 8 exam.  The students have been studying hard for months and their results will determine which secondary school they qualify for.  Since police would be present to monitor the exam Martin brought in some policemen (left) to talk to the children several days beforehand. 

 Last Saturday Martin invited a guest pastor and community members to a prayer service for the students.  Prayers and words of encouragement were offered.

The exam was given Nov. 4-6 in the dining hall.  Government proctors administered the test.  Security is taken very seriously--the students were "frisked" as they entered and the desks are widely spaced.  The anxiety leading up to the exam is over but now the students have the anxiety of waiting for the results!

Exam results, new uniforms

The term two district exam results are out:
 
Class 8--#8 out of 111 schools
Class 7--#12 out of 117 schools
Class 6--#7 out of 80 schools
Class 5--#1 out of 51 schools
Class 4--#2 out of 51 schools
 
Wow!!  What great results!  Everyone, staff and students alike, are to be commended.  They are all working very hard.  Last week Martin brought in English and Swahili specialists to work with Class 7 and 8.  Some Class 8 students from other schools were invited to the sessions also.  Not only the students but also the teachers benefited.

One of the June visitors donated funds for new uniforms.  Judging from the photos, everyone was very happy to receive them!

Soccer win

A LOT of rain makes for a very messy soccer field.  Kisima won 2-1 against Brightsite.  Hurray!

You might have noticed that the school in the background is not Kisima with its neat blue-trimmed brick buildings.

A truck!

Wonderful friends bought Martin a truck!  Such a blessing!  Up until now he has had to call a motorcycle to take him to the highway where he could catch a bus into town.  Even bringing back supplies like soap and toilet paper was a problem.  Now he can pick up what the school needs from textbooks to mattresses.  And when children have an emergency in the middle of the night he'll be able to take them to the hospital.  Huge thanks to our wonderful friends!

Late rain

Unfortunately the long rains did not arrive in April as expected.  They did get a heavy rain last week.  Hopefully it will do these poor maize stalks some good.

Cow feed

It's the end of the long, dry summer in Kenya.  The normal cow feed, nappier grass, is gone and other grazing is very scarce.  Feed has to be purchased.  Fortunately the long rains are due anytime now.

Much to be thankful for

 

The Class 8 students are working hard to prepare for their exams.  A recent and much appreciated donation from Jamie and Laura Anne enabled the purchase of review materials.

 

Another wonderful donation bought Charlie (Charlene? Charlotte?).   Thanks, Signe! 

 

The boys' and girls' soccer teams and volleyball teams plus cheerleaders had a lively day of competition with a couple of other schools.  They performed very well against a strong, more experienced, and older team.  Thanks very much to Garrett and Kendrick for donating the uniforms, equipment, and coaching!  

 

 

The outstanding academic performance of Kisima students is due in large part to the teachers' commitment and to Martin's leadership.  Martin organized a seminar for the teachers where they talked about goal setting, teamwork, and professionalism.

New boys' latrine in use

The boys are so happy to have the use of their new latrine. 

Boys' latrine complete

The boys appreciate having a very fine new latrine plus urinal.  There are two sides so eight latrines.