ASSETS Camp: Days 2 and 3

Now that the camp has finished and the camera is back, we can give you an idea of everything that the students here were able to experience! On Saturday evening, after a day full of sessions and getting to know Mwamba, the students had a great time playing beach games. From this, you'd think that a dip in the sea would be a nice way to cool off afterwards... Now, for the majority of coastal Kenyans, there is a huge fear of the water, and especially the ocean, built into cultural traditions. These fears originate in the belief that there are evil spirits lurking in the sea that will drown you. We try to break down these fears to let people fully appreciate the Creation around them, so after a while of games Stanley mandated that "Everyone needs to get in the water!" and everyone did! It was quite amazing to be along and realize that this is the first time some of the students had ever been in the ocean this way!

To build on this, Sunday included a trip to go snorkelling and experience the amazing marine life on the coral gardens near Mwamba. Before we started, we played some beach football (or soccer for the Canadians around here...) at 7:30AM after breakfast!

After this, we had snorkelling! The students, coached by Stanley, went in one or two at a time and saw some amazing things! Even Lydia, the ASSETS graduate who is serving an internship at Mwamba, has said before that she would never go out in water so deep, and here she is!

That evening included some talks on Creation Care and healthy lifestyle choices, as well as a Bible study carried out around a campfire. There was a great discussion on the way that Jesus told us to be servant leaders, and how these students should carry that same spirit of servant leadership into whatever work they may do during and after secondary school.

Day 3 was the final day of ASSETS Camp, and included a trip to see the two ecotourism facilities that support ASSETS: The Gede Ruins Tree Platform and the Mida Creek Boardwalk. Though the students have heard of these facilities, most had never actually experienced them and had a great time. Below is a picture of some of the students descending from the Tree Platform:

Here is a photo of the students at the Mida Creek Boardwalk:

After all this excitement, it was time to eat lunch, have some final talks and go home. The students had been separated into two teams at the start of the camp, and there were prizes of school supplies awarded to those students who had scored highly in the games and quizzes that were held throughout.

Now that everyone is gone, it is quite a bit quieter around Mwamba, and we will have many cherished memories of our time with these wonderful students. It is amazing the opportunity that these students have been given to complete secondary school, given that they all come from families which could not afford to send them.

Wishing you could have been a part of this? There is a big way that you can help! There is another ASSETS Camp scheduled for August 27-29th and currently, ASSETS has not received enough funding to cover the costs for all the students to attend. It costs only $29 US for each student to be able to attend this camp and get an amazing opportunity to see, learn and do things that they wouldn’t otherwise, as most students come from very poverty-stricken families. Please consider donating today to help us give these students a great experience!

ASSETS Camp: Day 2

Hello everyone! We've been having a great time here at Mwamba with the group of 18 ASSETS beneficiaries who are camping here. Yesterday was a full day, including snorkelling, some speakers, and a visit to Bio-Ken Snake farm! Today, the group is visiting Gede Ruins and Mida Creek (where two of the ASSETS revenue-generating projects are located), and since the camera with most of yesterday's pictures on it went with them, we'll just share about the snake farm.

(The best way to travel on a hot day!)

For a bit of background, most Kenyans are deathly afraid of snakes. There are a lot of myths that all snakes are poisonous, and will kill you almost instantly with just one bite. This is not actually true... as the folks at Bio-Ken try to teach, only 34 of the 127 species of snakes found in Kenya are venomous, and many venomous snakes do not deliver venom with every bite. They try to spread awareness and offer a free snake removal service to try to encourage locals not to kill snakes on sight, as they are valuable contributors to their ecosystems. This is not information that ASSETS beneficiaries would usually receive, so the A Rocha staff thought a visit to the snake farm would be a great opportunity. Students were given the opportunity to handle non-venomous snakes, and get a chance to appreciate how beautiful some of the species are... especially when they are behind a glass wall!

At least one person in the group, Naomi (the current A Rocha Environmental Education Intern) was brave enough to hold one of the snakes!

In addition to all of the fun activities, there are many speaker sessions built into the ASSETS camp program. The students receive teaching on the importance of education, responsibility towards community, creation care, healthy lifestyle choices, and a Bible study as a part of their ASSETS Camp experience. They have a chance to discuss these topics openly with the speakers, in a way that they don't really get a chance to during their formal schooling.

We are looking forward to telling you more about the rest of this camp!

ASSETS Camp kickoff!

This morning we greeted almost twenty ASSETS beneficiaries who arrived at Mwamba Field Study Centre for a weekend of ASSETS Camps! With so many people, the Mwamba campground is looking quite full...

After a decadent tea with mandazi (donuts) and boiled eggs, the students were given an introduction to the center and shared their expectations about the weekend.

We hope everyone will have a great time this weeked, we will try to keep you posted with all the activities that will be happening!

Motivation from the community

The Mvera WA ASSETS (Parents of ASSETS Association) is becoming a winner to the community members around the Arabuko – Sokoke forest. This can be seen in a recent meeting, where three members of the community have willingly joined the program in conservation despite the fact that they do not have children benefiting from it. This means that they genuinely believe in practicing conservation. The new members acquired education on the importance of the forest and the need to conserve it from the ASSETS team (Festus & Bimbo).

Festus and Mvera members at the meeting

 There are also five other members whose children are beneficiaries that have completed their secondary school education. However, they have also decided to remain in the program because they have learned of the importance, significance and the benefits of conserving the forest.

Changes like this show that the ASSETS conservation program is bringing a very positive change to the community living around the Arabuko - Sokoke forest. It is so important to continue teaching on the importance of conservation in this area, for the hope that people will end destructive practices. When people who are not directly benefiting from ASSETS decide that conservation of the forest is important, it gives us hope that deforestation and animal poaching will come to an end someday.

Please consider supporting us in this important work!

-Bimbo (ASSETS Extension Officer)

Appeal regarding forth-coming Summer Camps

June and July are supposed to the coldest months at the coast of Kenya, equivalent to winter in temperate zones. Indeed it is quite cold at the moment, about 24° Celsius. I guess we are experiencing our share of the effects of climate change to which we have though in small ways contributed to. Climate change is one of the topics to be discussed by the ASSETS beneficiaries during the upcoming camps. On the 3rd and 4th of August 20 local children will be gathering at Mwamba Field Study Centre to participate in environmental education activities. Among the activities planned is a snorkeling trip to the Watamu Marine National Park, Bioken Snake Farm and Kipepeo butterfly project.

A similar event will hopefully be organised later in August if funding for the same is acquired. We have so far received a donation to cover the cost of the first camp. The cost per student is estimated to Ksh. 4000.00 (£29.00).

By sponsoring a student to the camp, you are giving them a life-time opportunity to interact with, explore and learn ways of  utilising the environment without destroying it.

Work Day at Mida Creek

On Thursday July 7, a crew of A Rocha staff and volunteers went to Mida to begin work on some of the restoration that is needed. The main activity for the day was repainting the entrance banda, which was looking quite dull. With so many hands, the task only took a few hours and left everyone very happy at a job well done!

The Mida Creek boardwalk is very important in both generating income and spreading awareness about the ASSETS program. In the next few weeks, some of the other jobs left to do are replacing the old boards in the boardwalk itself, and greasing of the big support chains that keep it standing. This work is made much easier with adequate funding, so please consider donating to ASSETS today!

Mangrove Restoration Event

Yesterday, Bimbo, Naomi, and Lydia from the ASSETS program were involved in a mangrove planting event. ASSETS joined Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Wildlife Service and other Community Conservation groups like the Matsangoni youth group, Mkongani Conservation, and Uyombo subcreek in mangrove planting at Uyombo bandarini. Several schools, including Chipande Primary, Marafiki Primary and Uyuombo Primary also participated in the activity.

Four thousand six hundred (4,600) mangrove seedlings were planted! This activity was meant to conserve the sea shore and create a good breeding habitat for fish and other aquatic creatures. Mangroves are often illegally harvested for building materials, and their removal causes sand erosion and greatly disrupts the marine ecosystem. Events such as this are very important for recovering areas that have been damaged.

Later in the day, community members were educated on the importance of conserving mangrove forests and the entire environment. Effects of cutting down trees were also discussed in length and members were urged to conserve the environment for future generation. We hope that the community will take this event to heart!

Sewe Vera Akello: an appeal

Today ASSETS is bringing forth an appeal for Sewe Vera Akello, a very gifted girl who has recently lost her secondary school sponsorship and desperately needs someone else to sponsor her so that she can complete secondary school. Sewe is fifteen years old, the firstborn in a family of two children. Sadly, her father passed away in 2010, and her mother is now supporting Sewe and her sister on her own. Sewe attended Mida Primary School, and was the top student of all beneficiaries selected by the ASSETS program in 2011. She has been accepted into Limuru Girl’s Secondary School, one of the best schools in Kenya. She is attending for the current term, but has no money to complete the next three years. Sewe is very interested in English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and hopes to become a doctor someday. In her spare time, she also enjoys acting. With enough donations now, Sewe can continue in school and will not have to halt school to try to raise money on her own.

It is not difficult to sponsor Sewe or another ASSETS student in need. The donation button on the right hand side of the blog takes you to A Rocha International’s donation website, from where you can select Kenya’s ASSETS bursary program and make a donation through PayPal. Every donation you can give makes a big difference in the lives of needy children in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest area. If you wish to become a regular sponsor, it costs only $30 US per month (on average) to support a child through secondary school. For the average earner in the western world, this amount is not so large, but in Kenya where incomes are much lower these costs are crippling to parents who wish to school their children. If you are interested in sponsoring a particular child, you can email [email protected] for more information.

Environmental Education, trees and volleyball

The Environmental Education team took a bigger group with them this time to Mijomboni Primary School. The group involved students on a trip organized by the Minnesota Zoo, USA. Melanie a staff at the Minnesota Zoo accompanied them to this trip. The students are interested in nature conservation and some of them study related courses at the university. The rest of them have not joined the university but have an interest in nature.

The pupils at the school received us warmly as we gathered into one of the classes. This time they bombarded us with questions concerning the sustainable use of natural resources like the forest. This could tell that they are very active in conservation efforts. They were keen to learn how they will convince their parents on sustainable use of forests and water sources like rivers.

Each of the students together with the local pupils got a chance to plant an indigenous tree in the school compound. Later on they played volleyball in the school field together with the pupils and donated some stationery to the school.

Naomi Wanjiru Gichungu- Environmental Education intern

Letter from an ASSETS Student

Yesterday the ASSETS office received a wonderful letter from Martin Baya, one of our ASSETS beneficiaries. In Kenya, as in many other places, completing secondary school can make the difference between good future opportunities and barely making enough to survive. You can support an ASSETS student through A Rocha's donation page (there is a button on the right hand of this page), and make a huge difference in the life of a Kenyan student like Martin.