Samburu Secondary School Yearbook

 As a part of our training at the Family Search Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, we were introduced to the extensive collection of genealogical materials available. The goal of the library is to help guests trace their own family history. In order to assist guests we needed to learn how to search and access the:  

3.7 million rolls of microfilmed genealogical records

190,000 microfiche

340,000 books, serials, and other formats

125,000 periodicals

3,725 electronic sources including subscriptions to the major genealogical websites

Learning how to use the on-line search engine, which made helping guests a lot easier.

During our on-line training we were asked questions to help us learn how to search.   For example we might be asked, ‘How would you help a guest who wanted to search for an ancestor in Manchester, England in 1880?’  Then we used the search engine to find all the available resources.

As I was going through the required training, I was surprised when this question came up.

“What resources does the library have on Samburu, Kenya?”

I know Samburu, Kenya. I’ve been to Samburu many times.  Very interesting question! When I searched in the on-line catalogue, this was the only resource for Samburu:

‘Samburu Secondary School, Coast Province, Kenya, Africa,Yearbook’

Now I was intrigued!  I know people who attended Samburu Secondary School.

Would any of them be included in the yearbook?

I excitedly found the book and learned that it was not a traditional yearbook in the style we think of in the US.  In 2003, volunteers from Choice Humanitarian interviewed each student and teacher at Samburu Secondary School to create a record with the names of each student, his or her parents and siblings, as well as information about each student’s life and goals for the future. 

And I did know one of the students featured in the book.

Kalimbo Mkala

I met him way back in 2012, the first time I went to Kenya.

He’s the young man in the middle.

Here is the information about Kalimbo included in the book.

Kalimbo’s dream of being a lawyer changed to a dream of being a CPA.  And he did receive a degree in accounting and is now a successful CPA with his own business.

What is most impressive about Kalimbo is that, after receiving help from Kenya Keys to achieve his educational dreams, he has started his own education-based non-profit.  The goal of this organization is to help children with disabilities get an education.

So many children who had been overlooked are now in school because of Kalimbo’s efforts.

Among all the millions of names in the books at the Family Search Library, I am glad that I found one book that highlighted the beginnings of this remarkable man.

Giving Machines Come to Boise

In 2017, our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced the 'Light the World Giving Machines'.  They are essentially reverse vending machines.  Instead of receiving a can of pop or a bag of chips, you can swipe your card to choose an item to donate and the item is distributed to a local or an international nonprofit organization.  The Church covers all operating expenses, including credit card fees, so that the nonprofits receive 100% of the donations.

I've waited and hoped for several years and  finally they came to Boise!

We loved doing our part to help 'Light the World'.

Thinking of our horse loving Scott, I decided on supporting a vulnerable youth through 

EQUINE THERAPY.

Remembering how important goats are to the families we know and love in Kenya, George purchased a GOAT!

The Giving Machines have been a worldwide phenomena, with more than 2 million people donating over $32 million since 2017.  

Among the items you can buy are school supplies, groceries, clean water, meals, immunizations, blankets, hygiene kits, toys, books, even a toilet, livestock (like George's goat)....and the list goes on and on.

These machines give people a way to bring

light and hope to others this Christmas.

I am glad we could participate this year.

In 2024 the Giving Machines will be in 107 cities in 13 countries on five continents.

And for the first time ever there is one in Africa and it's in Nairobi, Kenya.

Such a joyful and memorable experience.

Merry Christmas!

Light the World!

End of an Era

One of the many blessings of our years in Portland was meeting Rinda and Brent Hayes, the founders of Kenya Keys.  I can honestly say that meeting them changed our lives.

Never did I dream that I would fall in love with a small community in rural Kenya. Or that we would receive new names in a tribal language - I'm Mupa which means 'cheerful giver' and George is Ngao 'a protector'.  What a pleasure it has been to watch the 3 young men that we have been blessed to sponsor as they received university degrees!  Two are married with babies now.  It is a bit like having 3 bonus sons. I've been able to go to Kenya 7 times so that I have friends there, people that I have learned to love.  One of these friends is Abdalla who has taught me to respect his beloved religion of Islam.  Every single Easter he sends me a greeting to wish me a blessed Easter season.  I try to remember to send him an Eid greeting as well.  I have learned to forget myself and laugh with the adorable little children, including the special needs school children.  I've learned the joys and also the frustrations of working with people of a different culture who live on the other side of the world. I've shared my love of books and my love of soccer.  I am a different person with new skills, new friends, and new understandings.

The motto of Kenya Keys is 'Unlocking Potential'.  My association with this organization has unlocked some of my potential and I am grateful.

For the last 18 years Rinda and Brent have had homes in both Oregon and Salt Lake, traveling between the two places regularly

Since we are a good half-way spot on the 11 hour drive, they often stop to have lunch with us.  In September they will move permanently to Salt Lake.  Today they stopped for lunch for probably the last time.  I will miss those regular lunch, catch-up times.  I know we will still get together, it will just take more effort.

Technology Hill

 Things are changing in Kenya, most for the better but unfortunately some not so positive changes directly affects the health of Kenyans.  With modern improvements, Kenyans are walking less and eating differently, more processed foods.  The results of this - more high blood pressure and more diabetes.  So to hopefully combat some of this, the local community has started a walking group.  Several Kenya Keys Alumni were instrumental in making this happen.  Future leaders of Kenya right there!

Since we were in town we decided to join almost 100 walkers bright and early in the morning.  Truthfully I thought it would be a leisurely stroll.  My experience with Kenyas is that they walk slowly.  Boy was I wrong!  Power walkers for sure!

That's 'Technology Hill' with the cell phone towers that you can see in the distance on the left.  It's about 3 miles to the top.

George and I were the two oldest walkers.  

Truthfully, the Kenyans think that 60 is OLD!

I know they worried about two 70 year old attempting it.

But we made it! We weren't fast but steady!

And made some new friends along the way.  These two women are on the board of an organization that finds special needs children and attempts to match them with sponsors who will pay for their education.  In such a poverty stricken area, with limited educational resources, handicapped children are often totally overlooked.  It is such a tragedy.  Bless them for their efforts.

Our Kenya Keys team was well represented.

Marilyn, Mwanaisha, Clemence, Heather and Betty

Another treasured Kenya memory! 

Friends in Kenya

 One of the best things about having gone to Kenya lots of times is that I have friends there.  I love seeing people that I have known for years.....as well as making new friends.  

At Mgalani Boarding school, sweet Luvuno is the accountant.  Rinda met her when she was about 6 years old, a little girl leading her class in a rousing song.  Her skills, even at that age, marked her as a leader and no one was surprised when she did qualify for a Kenya Keys sponsorship. She completed college and got a certificate in accounting. Her bright smile lights up the room.  You'd never know that she is a single mom of a child with special needs and also the sole support of her mother and sister.  Luvuno is a woman of steel and I love and admire her!

Jospeh Mbotte has been our driver on each of my 7 Kenya trips.  He has one of those Kenyan megawatt smiles.  Last year I met his sweet wife Mary.  This year it was so fun to meet his daughter, Joy.  I've heard about her since she was a 5 years old and now she is a Form 4 or what we would call a 12th grader.  Joy says that she has heard about me all of her life and was excited to meet me!

Joy is the perfect name for this young woman! She's mature and personable and just a total 'joy' to be around.

I have been praying that she did well on her all-important exam and can study either nursing or IT in college.

I've been friends with Abdallah Ruwa for many years.  Last year I met his entire family.  On this trip I was visiting a 3rd grade listening to a rousing rendition of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" as a part of a lesson on domestic animals.  The teacher who just radiated happiness was Abdallah's wife.  Lucky students to have such a joyful teacher.

When I was in Kenya in 2019, our whole team noticed a young girl at Egu Primary School.  She was a talented dancer and gave several animated dramatic performances.

She's the dancer closest to Kenya Keys staff member Clemence.  

When she danced and performed at the Girl's Conference, in front of several hundred people, she had a problem with her skirt.  The button had fallen off and she had to hold it up with her hand, not an easy task while dancing.  Two of our team members managed to find her a safety pin and saved the day.

Her expressions were priceless as she recited a story to us.

Unfortunately I couldn't remember her name but I did have a photo of her from that 2019 trip so I asked Clemence, who grew up in the same community, about her.  Turns out she is attending secondary school at Mackinnon Road, which is a school we planned to visit.

Clemence got her out of class so that I could chat with her.

She is not a Kenya Keys sponsored student.  Her illiterate father is managing to pay her school fees.  He's a man who values his bright, talented daughter.  That's not always true in Kenya!  The school principal told me that she is excelling in her studies and is the star of the drama department.  No surprises there!

Did you know there is an International Friendship Day? 

I didn't until I googled and found these perfect quotes.

 If you want to celebrate next year, it's July 30th!

Friendship is the passport to a borderless world.

In the tapestry of life, friends are the most colorful threads.

Global hearts, united by friendship's art.

Friendship knows no distance, only connection.

A true friend is a gift that transcends oceans and skies.

 

I Am A Girl From Africa

Kenya Keys founder, Rinda Hayes, sometimes refers to Kenyan young women as 'girls of steel'.  During the years that I have been associated with Kenya Keys, I have found this title to be completely applicable.  Like steel, these young women can be bent and stretched to the maximum before breaking. They face obstacles that we can hardly imagine.  Their challenges are real, like hunger, (one meal a day is the norm), lack of sanitary supplies, the possibility of being forced by parents into an early marriage, the dangers of sex trafficking,  an illness with no medical care available, and always the fear of not having resources to achieve their educational dreams, yet their tenacity and determination, what my grandmother might have called 'sheer grit', are a wonder to behold.  

I was delighted on this trip to sit down with a group of these incredible girls to discuss the book, I Am A Girl From Africa by Elizabeth Nyamayaro. Like the girls in our discussion group, Elizabeth was born into poverty but she had a dream of becoming a UN worker.  This dream was an anchor on Elizabeth's incredible journey from a mud hut in Zimbabwe to the halls of the United Nations in New York.  Her story would be inspiring to anyone but most especially to a group of young Kenyan secondary school girls who also have big dreams.

In the book, Elizabeth's grandmother talked to her of 'shinga' - an inner strength that God gave to Africans because he 'knew that life wasn't going to be easy....shinga is inner strength but so much more - shinga means courage and to 'be strong' and it also means to 'persevere' and to be 'resilient'.   Sounds like girls of steel huh? 

When I asked these girls to share their dreams, they answered immediately.  Some wanted to be doctors or lawyers or nurses or teachers. One girl dreamed of being a human right lawyer, another a cardiac surgeon; another a social worker, one even dreamed of being an air hostess. All dreamed of education past high school.  And every single one of them longed to give back to their families and communities.

We talked about the African concept of ubuntu, which means "I am because we are, and because we are, you are'.  Ubuntu means that we share the weight of work and sorrow, and the lightness of joy and abundance.  We pray for  the sick, we bless one another each time we meet; we pray for rain and celebrate together when it arrives'.  It means that your dream doesn't just belong to you, it is a dream for all of us." This group of teenaged girls live this concept each day.  Remember the longing of each girl to give back to their families and communities?  That isn't fake.   We are seeing this over and over again as formerly Kenya Keys sponsored students who have achieved their educational dreams, now support the education of others.

The discussion of ubuntu led us to think about the heroes of the book.  Obviously, Elizabeth is a heroine of her own story but when I asked the girls who else were heroes their answers came quickly.  They named Elizabeth's grandmother who sold her cows and goats to buy her granddaughter a ticket to London.  Uncle Sam and Aunt Jane who encouraged Elizabeth in her studies.  The UN doctor who took a chance on an untrained young woman with big dreams and gave Elizabeth her first UN volunteer job.  The African proverb is "It takes a village to raise a child".  I might amend that to say, "It takes a village to make dreams come true."   Sometimes the heroes leave the village to achieve their dreams and sometimes the heroes stay at home and rejoice in the fulfilled dreams of others.

Another concept we discussed was that dreams are an anchor or a foundation.  Elizabeth says, "My dream anchors me - even when I'm tired and hungry, and even when the days are long and unpleasant".  After the discussion I had prepared an activity for each girl.  

They had the chance to design their own book cover with encouraging words or things they wanted to remember about the book. Hopefully this visual aid will be another anchor to their dreams.

What could possibly be better than discussing I Am A Girl From Africa with these 'girls of steel' who dream big dream! And who understand the African proverb, "your dream is a dream for your community".

And thanks to Kenya Keys for helping so many to have their dreams come true!

Marilyn's Fun

When we were at BYU George studied Electrical Engineering and I studied Early Childhood Education.  The areas of focus we each choose in Taru definitely reflect those majors!

I spent a couple of delightful afternoons at the Taru Community Library interacting with groups of kids.

Reading Going on a Bear Hunt and then Going on a Lion Hunt to some preschoolers

I read a cute story called Dog's Colorful Day.  It tells the story of a dog with one spot who gets more and more 'spots' throughout the day from drips and stains!  Then we used watercolor to add spots to our own dog pictures.

Schools here have few, if any, art supplies so using watercolors was a real treat for them. I suspect that Mwanaisha, our librarian, will get lots of requests to paint!  I did leave her all the supplies.

Another day, I interacted with a group of 8th graders from one of the private schools.  After playing some language games, I read them Malala's Magic Pencil.  This story is based on Malala, the Afghan girl who defied the Taliban to get an education.  In this picture book, Malala talks about what she would do if she had a magic pencil and could draw the world the way she would like it to be.  Naturally, she would draw free schools for all children - boys and girls. I gave the students a paper and asked them what they would draw if they had a magic pencil.  I have done this activity before in Kenya and the things they would draw are ALWAYS things that would benefit others.  This group was no exception.

Some of their magic pencil wishes are coming true with the construction of the Community Education Center - a big library, an e-learning center and even a football pitch!

Their selfless concern for the community is one of the many things I admire and love about my Kenyan friends.

Back in September I led an activity with the 8 - 11 year old girls at our church and talked to them about what life in Kenya would be like for girls their age.

Then they made bookmarks for me to take to the library.

In Taru, I handed out the bookmarks and then had the Kenyan kids make bookmarks for me to take back to the girls in Idaho.  It didn't work out exactly as I had planned because there were lots of very young kids at the library that day, instead of the older girls I had envisioned.  I couldn't turn little kids away and the book marks were darling....and the cute faces adorable!

These kids rarely, if ever, get the chance to use colored paper, glue sticks, stickers, markers, or scissors.

I was impressed with their creativity.

Look at those intent faces!

Because the library is in the commercial center of Taru, children whose mothers work in the market stalls, frequently hang out at the library.  This little angel stole my heart.  She was too little to make a bookmark but she was thrilled when I gave her a pink ribbon.

These children really are the light of tomorrow.

The Community Library is helping that light to shine.

 

Safari

Our team always stays super busy when we are in Kenya.  The days are long with interviewing students, visiting schools,  teaching lessons, leading discussions, planning, checking up on friends and organizing the hundreds of pounds of supplies that we bring with us.  Luckily for us, we do get one day to play tourist as we go on safari to Tsavo East National!

Tsavo is the largest park in all of Kenya but not as famous as Masai Mara.  Two claims to fame are: first in the movie and book 'Out of Africa' it was the destination of  Denys Finch Hatton  (Robert Redford) when his plane crashed.  Second, in the late 1800's a pair of 'man eating' male lions terrorized the Indian and African workers on the railroad that was being built from the port to Uganda.  No one knows exactly how many men they ate before finally being shot by a British officer.  Reports vary from 100 - 30.  No one knows if the high number was an exaggeration or if the number is correct since only the Indian worker's deaths were actually counted.   The deaths among the Africans weren't documented.  

Back in Parliament in London, Lord Salisbury made this statement when explaining the slow down on the railroad construction.

"The whole of the works were put to stop because a pair of man eating lions appeared in the locality and conceived a most unfortunate taste for our workmen." 

How very British is that statement!  

Interestingly the male lions in Tsavo don't have the big manes that are normal for African lions.  The two man eaters of Tsavo were displayed at the Field Museum in Chicago.  One of them was 9 feet long.

We were lucky to see quite a few lions on this trip.  A bit of an x-rated sighting as we saw a couple mating.  

During breakfast there were 12 lions that we could see in the distance, all having a nice little siesta under some trees.  All of us were nervous when a lone antelope started walking right towards the lions.  They noticed him about the same time that he caught wind of them.  I thought we might have some real excitement but evidently the lions had already had their breakfast.  

I saw this lion right by the side of the road.  This photo is taken with no zoom.  When the jeep stopped she turned and walked away.  Too bad but I still love this photo!

Can you see her in this photo looking at the herd of zebra?

Her pride must have already eaten because she was content to just watch.

Later in the day we saw this group of three enjoying another rest. Lions sleep about 20 hours a day.

I think that Mom was a little irritated at her young one, who must not have wanted to take a nap just then.

Watching them, I am always amazed at how their movements are so much like house cats....well except for killing large animals! Look at her grooming herself.  Haven't you seen your house cat do the same?

Lion weren't the only animals we saw.

It's great when you can get several different types of animals in one photo.  George took this one. 

Elephant, zebra and Cape buffalo. 

The last two times I have been to Tsavo, I haven't seen any Cape Buffalo.  The drought has caused them to go farther into the park.  This year we saw a herd of literally thousands.

As they crossed the road right in front of our jeep, they would stop and stare intently.  I understand that their vision is not the best, so they must have been trying to figure out our smell to decide if we were dangerous or not.

Since we were so close we could hear their mooing sound, just like a cow.

Lions kill about 200 people in Africa each year.  Surprisingly, Cape buffalo also kill 200 a year.

There were lots of calves in this group, some only a few month old.  I am glad that the lion we saw just down the road was so intent on watching the zebra herd.

Young buffalo and very old buffalo or the sick ones do fall prey to the lions.

Saw some giraffe the first day.  As Jackson would say, 'They are TALL, TALL!"

And some zebras close to the road.

Something spooked them but we never figured out what.  

Bird lover that I am, I have to share one bird.  This is the Superb Starling.  There were lots of them and they do have superb colors.

Our Kenyan friends think that eating dik-dik is a delicacy. They are such cute little guys.  Again Mbotte, our driver reminds me that I see 'cute' and he sees 'dinner'.

At the lodge they remind us to keep our windows locked because baboons like to 'steal passports'.  This one must be the lookout!

And last, we saw some of the hilarious pumbaas.  Did you know in Swahali the work pumbaa means, 

'careless, foolish, ignorant, lazy, stupid and negligent'? Not exactly a complimentary name. They are an animal that I would describe as so ugly that they are cute.  Maybe they remind me of razorbacks!