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The Shoes We Find Ourselves In

3/15/2015

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The East African Scholars Fund heartily endorses the “go back, give back” motto for international students in the U.S. Students from the EASF-sponsored Education and Social Empowerment Program have added a new dimension to the concept, by giving back before they leave Kenya for a U.S. education.

Their recent visit to Makindu Children’s Center in hot southeast Kenya provided them with an opportunity to use their leadership abilities and mentor children of all ages. They also had a chance to try out the new van generously donated to EaSEP by Stabex International. With a modicum of oversight from EaSEP staff, the students organized and made the trip on their own. Vivian Kiniga (headed to Cornell) and Shadrack Lilan (Penn) were key organizers.

The 11 students (nine from the current EaSEP Class) divided into groups to mentor and conduct activities for very young children, children close to their teens, and high school students. The EaSEP group also conducted informal needs assessments to better understand the many pieces which make the Makindu day center a success as it serves a large rural area which is home to foster families for 1400 orphans and children with HIV.

A sample of observations from EaSEP mentors:

Talk of resilience

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“(My group) spoke to high school students…topics ranged from careers to teen relationships. I believe we guided them how we know best. They told us of their hopes. One wants to be a cardiologist, another, an engineer. Although, I must add, the boys were severely underrepresented in the group. One of the girls had been accepted to a national school but couldn’t attend due to fees. Amazingly, she still has an almost insane drive to pursue her dreams of Electrical Engineering. Talk of resilience. I wish you were there to see her eyes beaming as she spoke.”
(David Gitau)

• “We began by talking to (the middle age-group) about education—working hard in school and being motivated… they told us about the different challenges they face such as walking long distances to schools, lack of enough textbooks in schools and not being motivated. For example when we were discussing the various high schools they intended to attend, most only aimed for nearby schools. But after the talks they promised to be more positive.

“… We were also told that AIDs is prevalent in the area because the drivers for trailers sexually abuse the girls there (the Center advocates for the victims)…

"Program directors really encourage the children to read. Many of the children were among the top five in their classes.”
(Vivian Kiniga)

Makindu is their parents

• “Makindu Children’s Center is an amazing initiative. The children are very happy and look hopeful. They play merrily oblivious of the many world challenges of poverty, disease and hunger around them. I guess this is the beauty of childhood—being happy to be and exist.

“…(Perhaps the older children) could undertake community-based activities to raise awareness about the center and also help the children develop skills. When we asked around in the community it was evident that it was not well-known (and staff acknowledged poor community support).” (Christa Sitienei)

• "To the children, Makindu is their parents, giving them their daily needs, providing security, giving them a sense of belonging, and inculcating moral values and important life skills. To them, Makindu is their mother, who wakes up in the middle of the night to soothe their cries. To them, Makindu is the medicine they take to cure an infection that threatens their lives. You would appreciate the importance of the center if you ask those children what they would be going through if they had not been at Makindu." (Samson Kipkoech)

Computer literacy

• “The internet access in the area is superb…(but the) center therefore doesn't have any computer lab with which to teach the children computer skills…A computer lab will be worthwhile. There are some students on internship at the center who I'm sure wouldn’t mind manning a lab and teaching the children some basic skills. Some children can't even turn on a computer so it will be a great learning experience for them.

“The strong internet connection has proved useful to the running of the center. The workers are able to network with their donors without any hiccups. Computers could be found in most of the offices. The center supports the children up to the end of high school. After this, they link the high school graduates with one of their staff who is working with the Higher Education Loans Board to ensure that the graduates transition to the university with ease by giving them funds to finance their higher education. This smooth transition from high school to the university can be credited in large part to the strong internet connection in the area.” (Vincent Bett)

• “Makindu has very well-maintained buildings. Because the area receives inadequate rainfall, the center has a borehole and uses the water for irrigation, providing food for the children. The program can, in future, produce more food from their irrigation farm to supply to the town. The center operators informed me that the children also use the farm to learn agricultural skills that they can use to earn a living later in their lives. (Getrude Ndungu)

Strengthening foster families, advocating for children

• “The Makindu day center is dedicated to helping the foster parents as well as the children. The administrators reasoned that it is crucial to support the foster families, which in turn will result in the kids being well taken care of at home…The center provides food to the foster families (and) has a small farm where they train the kids in efficient farming methods. The kids in turn take these acquired methods to their homes.

“The center pays for school fees for high school students. The primary school students are usually enrolled in public school, therefore no school fees are paid. Students who won't make it to university are placed in vocational institutes so that they can learn skills that can help them to earn a living… the percentage of students transitioning to university is around 90%.

“The center also provides healthcare services for the children and the foster families. The staff believes that if the foster family is also cared for, they will feel motivated to continue supporting the child at home.”(Shadrack Lilan)

Help from many

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“The government supports the center immensely. The center received a 5-acre land donation from the government where two iron-roofed buildings now stand. The county government allocates some relief food to be distributed to the center and area chiefs help in settling differences between families and in enhancing community awareness of the program. Government court officials represent abused children in court. It was heartbreaking to hear that the center was currently following up on four pending sexual abuse cases involving its children.


“Program director Thomas Mwanzia advocates for the center with the government. He tries to establish strong relationships with local officials, the Makindu people and NGO's which support it. The Makindu staff believe that the government is able to contribute more in alleviating childhood suffering in the area by dealing with secondary factors affecting the center which include insecurity, unsupportive locals and drought.” (Gideon Cheruiyot)

The shoes we find ourselves in

• “(The younger children) have great goals and aspirations for their future; some desire to be pilots and they could draw beautiful images of themselves flying in aeroplanes. Others want to be doctors, nurses and teachers. However, some of them (10-12 years), do not really know who they want to be after school (and need an inspirational boost) once in a while so that they can get motivated in their academic pursuits and discover their passions, interest and talents.” (Joyline Chepkorir)

• “The Makindu children were vibrant, sociable and energetic when it came to playing games, especially volleyball. (Even) though they didn't even have a volleyball net, they drew boundaries with a stick on the dusty ground and played so passionately and skillfully, we were shocked. I hope the center can get them at least a volleyball net to nurture their talent and even make a competitive team out of some of them.

“The simple 'volleyball experience' reminded me that though sometimes we do not choose the shoes we find ourselves in, we should fearlessly love the shoes we wear however worn out they are and just like those kids, continue walking in them as if they aren't worn out.” (Elsie Odero)

 

 

 

 





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Seeking Global Scholars in Tanzania

2/28/2015

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EASF is donating $200 in seed money to the Asante Africa Foundation to identify and assist potential post-secondary global scholars in Tanzania through its Leadership and Entrepreneurship Incubator. Asante Africa, a 501(c)(3) headquartered in Oakland, CA, has a range of programs and partnerships in Kenya and Tanzania, focusing on access to quality education in low-income communities, especially for girls.

High school students develop leadership skills through the Incubator program, and initiate leadership training for other students (pictured at left). With new-found confidence and new-found dreams, some will emerge as candidates for scholarships at international universities.

EASF also donates annually to the Open A Door Foundation in Rwanda which helps young women from the post-conflict country apply to US universities and colleges, and obtain the financial aid they need. Last year the Rwanda program added eight more students to its numbers in the US, with women admitted at Harvard, Muhlenberg (two), Lafayette, Arizona State, Whitman, Bucknell and Smith.

EASF, founded in 2013, plans to identify similar programs in Uganda and Burundi and support their efforts to help qualified students access a global education.



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AN EXPERT IN THE FIELD

12/17/2014

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We are very pleased to welcome Peter Briggs to the EASF Advisory Board. Peter has just retired from 13 years as director of Michigan State University's Office for International Students and Scholars. He has returned to Eugene, OR where he worked previously for 20 years with International Recruitment at the University of Oregon, including four years as the director. His work at MSU helped inspire the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program for outstanding low-income, sub-Saharan scholars.

MSU has the largest number of MFSP students among the nine participating North American universities. Three students from the EASF-supported Education and Social Empowerment Program in Kenya—Beatrice Kemboi, Abigael Metto and Hepsiba Chepgngeno—are MSU MasterCard Scholars. (Posing below with other participants in a Michigan State community service  project are freshman Hepsiba, second from left, and sophomore Abigail, on the far right.)

Peter has 33 years experience working with international students and helped EaSEP founders Mike and Lillian Boit when Mike was a doctoral student at the University of Oregon in the early 1980s.

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THE VIEW FROM NANDI HILLS

11/16/2014

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EASF is a key sponsor of the Education and Social Empowerment Program which recently concluded nearly three months of work with ten high-achieving students at its "camp" in Nandi Hills, Kenya. The group has completed SAT and TOEFL exams and early decision applications to U.S. universities, as well as community needs assessments, passionate debates, productions of Othello and Romeo & Juliet, and twilight games of dodge ball. Student David Chege is already nostalgic:

6.30 pm in Nandi Hills


In the Nandi Hills EASEP compound stands a wooden platform. It was my favourite spot, and I’m certain it would have been yours too. The tea farms extend throughout the hills like the picturesque carpet in the Emirates Stadium (before we proceed, Long Live Arsenal!!). The jungle-green trees occasionally shoot out of this carpet. Look further and you will marvel at Lake Victoria at the edge of the horizon. But nothing beats the sunset.

It is a truly heavenly spectacle. If there exists a sight more beautiful, tag me a photo on Instagram. The orange reflection off the fluffy clouds renders an out-of-this-world experience. The setting sun is a blazing red ball that holds my gaze no matter how much I resist. One by one, my friends step out to bathe themselves in this downpour of brilliant golden light. I have lost count of the photos that we have taken of this sight.

Like two progressive waves superimposed in phase, the frequency of our hearts’ ambitions resonate with the scenic sunset. To my right are budding Computer Scientists; taking double selfies are our Entrepreneurs; the Architects are quietly designing the landscape; the Health Specialists envision a time when all children in Africa will have access to healthcare; I’m still torn between Civil Engineering and the Visual Arts. Our Mum, and Mentor, is also here. She too is enthralled by the wave of splendid beauty – and also by our completing our early applications to college. One happy family.

I suddenly sit up straight as if I have been pricked by a needle in my spine. Vigorously, I inhale the passing air. Porridge is ready! Now, will it be porridge or the sunset? Porridge – Sunset? Sunset – Porridge? I can’t help it!

I flip to page 196 of ‘Half The Sky’…

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New EaSEP Faces on Campus

9/1/2014

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Seven Kenyan students supported by the East African Scholars Fund are settling in for freshman year at Yale, Penn, Dartmouth, Cal, Harvard, Michigan State and Cornell. All were students with the Education and Social Empowerment Program last year, and many returned this year to help mentor EaSEP's current class. Here's a glimpse of new student life:
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EASF Gains Tax-Exempt Status

8/4/2014

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It's now official. The East African Scholars Fund is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. EASF's EIN number is 46-3115275.

The effective date of the exemption is June 7, 2013, covering donations made to EASF since its inception. The East African Scholars Fund is classified as a public charity.

Yale-bound Michelle Kemei (L) and Harvard's Viviana Hanley (R) are tutors for the EASF-supported Education and Social Empowerment Program in Kenya this summer.

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Class of 2014: Ready to Go

7/2/2014

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PictureEaSEP's Nandi Hills camp, overlooking tea fields.
The Education and Social Empowerment Program's Class of 2014 is eager, motivated, and ready to go. The group of 10 students will gather at the Nandi Hills camp on July 5, having already done preliminary work for the Common Application and gathered the documents they'll need along the way for their college applications. Harvard senior-to-be Vivanna Hanley will greet them as their program coordinator. She'll be assisted by a number of EaSEP alums during her seven-week stay.

The East African Scholars Fund will be able to register the EaSEP students online for the first time for both the SAT 1 and 2 and the TOEFL. A recent easing of restrictions on the use of credit cards for Kenyans will make the registration process much more streamlined.

The EaSEP Class of 2013 was invaluable in helping with the selection of this year's group, as they helped recruit, contact and interview applicants. Half of the new class includes students who were ranked among the top 100 boys or girls nationally. Two of the newcomers worked as high school students with a Drexel University engineering program on biofiltration. Most have volunteered—as teachers or in hospitals, or with the St. John Ambulance movement (first aid skills). Some have started their own small-scale businesses—raising rabbits or selling home-made mandazis (a doughnut-like treat) to a local shop. Others help at home with subsistence farming. They all have a vision for improving life in Kenya.

EASF is a major sponsor of the the Education and Social Empowerment Program, a registered Kenya NGO.

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Coming to America

5/7/2014

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PictureEaSEP students will pursue their academic dreams.

One aspires to become Minister of Health in Kenya to improve health care access and quality; another wants to find efficient solutions to energy problems in rural Kenya; a third, inspired by Michigan State’s Feed the World Program, hopes to improve farming strategies at home.

The East African Scholars Fund helped those students realize their dream of a global education to provide the knowledge, perspective and experience they will need to effect change at home in Kenya.

EASF is a primary sponsor of the Education and Social Empowerment Program, a Kenyan NGO which has helped 31 students earn full-need scholarships to U.S. schools in the past five years. EaSEP’s investment of some $125,000 over that period has produced scholarship awards of close to $7.5 million.

Last year EASF funding brought Harvard’s Paige Kouba (Class of  ’16) from Eugene, Oregon, to Nandi Hills, Kenya to coordinate a seven-week program for EaSEP students. Working with EaSEP alums Johnstone Kipyator (Stanford, ’18) and Mercy Kiprotich (Cornell ’17), Paige implemented a rigorous curriculum developed by EASF board member Erik Heinonen. In addition to the traditional SAT and TOEFL exam prep, students were challenged to think critically, debate issues passionately and analyze their community through needs assessment. Seven students will be matriculating this fall, five at Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Penn and Dartmouth) and two as MasterCard Foundation Scholars, at Michigan State and Cal Berkeley.



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The Class of '18

5/7/2014

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Lending a Hand in Rwanda

5/1/2014

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PictureOpen a Door Scholar Yvonne Musiime
The East African Scholars Fund has extended its financial support to the Open A Door Foundation which helps post-conflict Rwandan women access higher education in the U.S. to prepare them for leadership roles at home. The U.S. nonprofit mentors aspiring female leaders who hope to become role models and make a difference in improving lives of Rwandan women.

The Foundation singled out Rwandan women because it sees great opportunities emerging for its graduates to become leaders and change-makers. The Foundation notes that as “the economy continues to grow, a educated middle class will emerge creating a strong need for leaders with new skills, idea and connections…female leaders who can shape the culture with both an insider understanding and an educated, fresh outsider perspective will be in demand…(and) highly influential.”

EASF Advisory Board member Jack Anderson recently visited with Susan Mbabazi, OAD’s Kigali Program director. “My wife and I were very impressed with Susan, her background with Carnegie Mellon’s campus and the Open A Door program,” Jack reported to the EASF Board. He learned that due in part to the genocide 20 years ago, more women already are filling leadership positions in Rwanda with women comprising 52% of the parliament.  Rwanda hopes to become the technology capital of Africa, he added,

The Open A Door Foundation currently has 10 students in the U.S., each with an American mentor.


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