Service Learning Project-Collecting School Supplies

The  students from theSIGHT and SOUND program are currently participating in a service-learning project- collecting school supplies for the children at the Mahenzo Mission School in Kenya, Africa.

This service learning project was developed in order for the SIGHT and SOUND students to be a part of making a difference as well as teaching students the value of giving to others who are less fortunate.

The SIGHT and SOUND students have already created boxes to be placed in the halls of El Centro Community College. However, there is more that you  can do to help collect supplies- create a collection box and find a location for it to be placed (i.e. church, job, school.) We will be having a donation drive during the National Art and Humanities Month in October.  During this time, Preservation Link will be showcasing the photographs of students from the Mahenzo Mission School as well as collecting school supplies.  Please check out the website http://www.preservationlink.org/ for more information. We believe that every person is able to serve and help others during their lifetime.

Thank you,

Karen A. Colbert

Resident Scholar, Preservation Link, Inc.

Joel, one of the students from the SIGHT and SOUND program created a video, ENJOY!

Introducing the Students at the Mahenzo Mission School

Habari Za Asubuhi (Good Morning)!

I want to introduce to you some of the students at the Mahenzo Mission School that I had the opportunity to teach. The students were very respectful, sweet, and gentle. They are very bright and vibrant individuals as well. I had the opportunity to record and ask them their name, ages and what they wanted to do when they grow up. Many of them wanted to grow up to help their family and their people. To have so little but have the biggest hearts allowed me to be in the presence of the Lord. I remember when I was teaching one of the afternoon classes and I walk into the classroom, the students were sitting and waiting patiently for instructions. I said to them, "Good afternoon class" and they all stood up and in unison said, "Good afternoon teacha." Wow! Amazing! that was the epitamy of my teaching experience.  I believe every person is valuable and deserves to be recognize. That's why it was so important for me to capture the students on video. I wanted people to see their heart, their soul, to see them as humans with a purpose. Although these students are far , technology as allotted them to be near in soul and spirt. All of the videos are recordings of some of the young girls at the school. The first video is Anna, 14 years old. I see leader written all over her. She won my heart and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to meet Anna. Enjoy the videos!

All about Kenya

Before I began sharing my personal experience, I wanted to share with you a brief history about Kenya. I found various websites that provides more  facts than I could possible know since I only spent a short amount of time there. Furahia (Enjoy)!

Introducation to Kenya:

Kenya Flag:

Coat of Arms:

Official Name : Republic of Kenya
Motto: "Harambee" (Swahili): "Let us all pull together"
National Anthem: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu ( "Oh God of All Creation")
Capital: Nairobi
Largest City: Nairobi
Official Languages: Swahili, English
Government: Republic
Independence from the United Kingdom ( December 12, 1963)
Republic declared December 12, 1964
Area: 224 080 sq mi
Population: 34 707 817 (According to July 2005 estimates)
Population in Malindi: The population of Malindi is 117,735 (in 1999 census). ^ "Population of Local Authorities" (with towns), Government of Kenya, 1999:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_authorities_of_Kenya
Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KES)

http://www.dongo.org/pictures/kenyan_money.jpg

Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying on both sides of the equator, Kenya is bordered by Sudan and Ethiopia to the North, Somalia to the East, Tanzania to the south, and Uganda to the west. Indian Ocean is on the south east of Kenya and Lake Victoria on the west. Earlier Kenya was a colony of British. Kenya gained independence form British rule in 1963, and became a republic in 1964. Nairobi is the Capital of Kenya and the largest city. A large part of Kenyan population is of Black Africans divided into 40 ethnic groups. These ethnic belongs to three-linguigistic families- the Bantu, the Cushitic, and the Nilotic. English and Swahili are languages used for communication both officially and in domestic use. Many Kenyans have their own languages inherited from ethnic group, thus Kenyan speak three languages, English, Swahili and a local language.  For more info, www.http://kenyaeducation.info/.

Photos taken on my trip:

Airport in Nairobi                                 At one of the hotels in Nairobi

  

   

                                        On the streets of Nairobi

                                      On our way to Malindi

                                       Airport in Malindi

                                       In the town of Malindi

Preservation Link goes to Africa

Jumbo, Jumbo! Karibuni! Jina lako nii Karen. (Hello, Welcome, my name is Karen)

I want to first say Asante Sana (thank you very much) to Dave and Shaun for giving me the opportunity to take part in this wonderful experience of working with Preservation Link this summer. I have had the fortunate opportunity of working with them in the past and I think it's wonderful that we have found new and creative ways to continue our working relationhsip. As part of my working with Preservation Link, I will be blogging about my trip to Kenya, Africa this past July and how the students from the Mahenzo Mission School was given the opportunity to take part in Preservation Link's, Point of View, workshop.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing with you my insight along with other resources my perspective on the Point of View workshop, the students who participated, the teachers, the school, and Malindi, Kenya.

When the opportunity for me to go to Malindi, Kenya presented itself, I was so excited. I didn't really know what to expect, except from what we had been learning, from a gentlemen Mr. Samson (Kenyan-born), who had been teaching us Swahili and giving us insight into Africa. However, you can never be truly ready for a trip like this until you are there. I remember having a dream months before the trip about my being there with the children and from that moment, I felt peace come over me. Going there was a dream come true. I enjoyed every minute I spent with the teachers and students. It was definitely a life-changing experience that I could never fully describe but only feel in my heart. My heart glows brightly whenever I remininsce about my being in Africa. I have many moments that I wished I could bottle up and share with everyone, however,
I will do my best to capture these moment through photos and videos.

This experience as widen my perspective on life, my relationships with others, and who I want to become when I grow up,lol.

Asante (Thank you)!