It has been a while since we last updated a blog but that does not mean that we had nothing to say….absolutely not! On the contrary, we at ASSETS have been busy to our eyes, running up and down ensuring that ASSETS lives up to its reputation as a sustainable development organization. The past few weeks have seen a buzz of activities that varied from tree planting, dispatching of cheques to schools and celebration of Kenya’s freedom from colonialists some forty six years ago.
For the tree planting ceremony, primary school pupils (aged between 5-14 years old) from Chipande primary school which is one of the ASSETS beneficiary schools were the baton holders. It was on Monday the 28th of May at around 3.00pm.
To pupils in other primary schools, it was that time of the day when they waited anxiously for the bell to ring marking the end of classes for the day: and as the bell rang, most of them could barely remain seated at their desks while some naughty boys already stood, shifting from one leg to the other waiting impatiently for the teacher to walk out of the class before they could dash off to the field, which they often did barely missing to knock down their teachers in their excitement. In their hands they clutched tightly their soccer ball or rather their imitation of a soccer ball which often is homemade out of old rags, dirty pieces of polythene bags and sisal ropes.
However, for Chipande primary school, the excitement was for a totally different reason: that an even indifferent ordinary onlooker couldn’t help but marvel at the extra ordinary reason. Monday was the day that the Wildlife club patron had organised the tree planting ceremony and has invited the ASSETS, who had inspired the whole idea, to participate.
Most of these children have been first hand witnesses of ASSETS at work and have seen their predecessors manage to get a high school education a prospect that had seemed to be more of a dream and a case of wishful thinking; that thanks to ASSETS, they confess, they have the audacity to dream.
The pupils were therefore excited by the idea of being able to plant a tree and nurture it to maturity, for they were expected to be the caretakers of whatever trees they planted. To most of them it was almost a calling while to some, who because of their age couldn’t understand fully though, it was out of conviction in their hearts that some way somehow this tree would gain them a high school education just like the brother, sister or neighbour before them.
So as we see these children embracing our efforts to conserve the environment, we can’t help but feel humbled and thankful that ASSETS, is planting seeds, not only on the ground but also in hearts and minds of these precious children.