There is so much to gain from giving…
Kate Sunabacka writes on her Education is Power Six Week Internship
I always wanted to go to Africa but in particular Eastern Africa. As a child, my nose was often buried in newspapers and National Geographic magazines, attempting to learn more about the world outside of my day to day experience. I was intrigued and equally fascinated by Kenya – the people and the rich culture, the landscape and environment and of course as a child, the animals. So in my thirties, I made it happen! Venturing to Kenya with an open heart and an open mind and ready to experience anything and everything!
I spent three months in Kenya, six weeks of which were working directly with Education is Power. EIP’s mission to empower and encourage youth through education was something I was equally passionate about. With a background in education and leadership, management, and community based volunteering, I was more than happy to learn from EIP’s past and ongoing initiatives and to share my experience and knowledge. My six weeks were divided between working and living in the Kimende (Kiambu County) and Laikipia North regions of Kenya.
Photo: Kate Sunabacka with EIP student Mary Narupu
In Kimende, most of my work was a combination of research, development and operations. Through my research I had the opportunity to speak and interview family members of current students and beneficiaries, and other EIP volunteers. Thank you to such a warm welcome and incredible hosting during the family visits. I was always offered many cups of chai (Kenyan tea) and a spread of traditional Kenyan food. Thanks for all the participation and feedback from the students, families and volunteers in Kimende. Your contributions were invaluable in creating plans and strategic goals for EIP’s future.
I had the opportunity to meet, laugh and work with our secondary students during the EIP empowerment week hosted in August with partner KENVO (Kijabe Environment Volunteers). This was the second empowerment week EIP held in 2014. It was a combination of: a) school tutoring sessions with dedicated EIP volunteers, b) working at KENVO’s tree nursery and c) mentorship sessions as a platform to further empower and support current students. Kimende is a beautiful and green town and I really enjoyed walking throughout the community. I made many friends and in particular neighbourhood kids who had a keen interest in taking pictures with my camera and me in general. An obvious visitor, my time was very welcoming as over the years the town of Kimende (via KENVO) has hosted many Canada World Youth students. So upon hearing my accent, people automatically thought I was Canadian which was incredible. (Just very matter of fact “You’re from Canada.”)
Photo: EIP Student Monica Wanjiku at KENVO tree nursery
Thanks so much to the team at KENVO Resource Centre for welcoming me and “Mama Simon” Margaret Chege for hosting me and to the other EIP volunteers. Very special thanks go out to both Stephen Kamau and Steve Nyutu for the laughs, guidance, trips to meet various EIP related people, interpreting and much more during my stay in Kimende.
The other half of my time with EIP was spent working in a remote Maasai community in the Laikipia North region of Kenya. During my time I stayed just outside of Timau, a town located with a picturesque view of Mount Kenya. The landscape with its hills and rolling plains took my breath away. Both Kimende and Laikipia North are VERY beautiful in their own ways. Yet living within this region really resonated with some deep parts of my soul; a connection with the people and the land that was quite extraordinary. There were many strong connections. Let me share a simple example. I was adopted as an infant, so I have only similarities in mannerisms and personality, yet no genetic link to my immediate family. I don’t look like anyone else in my family. I was told growing up that the gap in my teeth was a hereditary trait. I could not believe just how many people in Laikipia North also have a space between their front teeth! I’d smile, they’d smile. We’d motion to our mouths, both laugh, and we would feel an automatic acceptance even with language barriers. These types of interactions occurred in so many ways and were so heartwarming in their simplicity.
During my time I conducted extensive research with secondary students and their families about being part of the EIP program. This involved walking and visiting the homes of the students within the Chumvi area. Every family was so hospitable, offering tea to myself and fellow volunteer Benjamin (from Kenya). Depending on the time of day, we would also be served traditional Kenyan home cooked meals. Neither was expected, but a very welcomed treat. Along with student and family research, extensive research was done with community residents regarding how EIP could assist Chumvi Primary School students who are currently walking 6 – 11 km each way to attend school. (e.g. Would a bicycle program help minimize travel time? Would a boarding facility/dormitory be helpful and what was wanted within the community etc.)
Raised as an upper middle class Canadian child, before arriving in Kenya I thought of the “miss you factor” when sending children away to school. My knowledge and experience of Canadian boarding schools is that due to high tuition costs, it’s often available for more elite demographics. This is very different from Kenya. My assumptions quickly changed especially living and visiting in the Laikipia North region. Conducting meetings with residents, students and parents, the feedback was completely in support of a boarding facility. A meeting was held with the Chumvi Primary School Committee to research the issue, generate ideas and talk about logistics around building a dormitory. It was a very constructive and positive brainstorming process and important to hear the information and feedback from educators and committee members as it was about their children, their school, and their community.
The Chumvi area has a high density of children with not many vocational facilities, and transportation is difficult due to road conditions. Primarily boda bodas (motorbikes) are used, and there is no regular access to matatus (regular Kenyan minibus transport). This leaves students with limited options, hence the long walking times. These families really value the importance of a formal education for the betterment of their children and to allow them the most options in life. After talking with the community, I understood on a deep level why a dormitory was the best option for offering and sustaining the best quality education and safety of children in the area. From a Canadian outlook sending young child away to school may be a hard thing to understand. At one point I maybe thought so too, but not anymore after my experience. This is the reality and culture for many communities and I think it’s important to honour this reality, which is different than base level education options in Canadian culture. Ultimately no matter the demographic or international location, parents want the best education for their children.
To further help ease the congestion at Chumvi Primary school, research was completed into also building a feeder school for early grade primary students in the local area. It was wonderful to visit a nearby nursery school to hear more feedback and ideas from local residents about this possibility.
I helped coordinate and plan an EIP student empowerment week held at Lokusero Primary School (1.5 hours’ drive from Chumvi Area). With this region being more isolated and students living in various locations, volunteers and students stayed at Lokusero Primary throughout the duration of the week. The week was a combination of: a) school teaching and tutoring with community educators b) working/helping in the local community c) mentorship sessions as a platform to further empower and support current students. Thanks to all the volunteers, parents and students for offering feedback, ideas and insights. You left me feeling truly inspired 🙂
I had the opportunity post tutoring week to visit and do some mentorship sessions with Form 7 and Form 8 (Grade 7 and 8) students at Chumvi Primary. In a more unconventional approach to usual presentations, students’ embraced the interactive session on “The Importance of Formal Education” with positivity, energy, creativity and their intellect. We had an immense amount of fun and I cannot wait to get a chance to go back again.
Photo: Kate Sunabacka with crew at EIP Empowerment Week in Laikipia North
A big thanks goes out to the Laikipia North EIP team. (Kip, Benjamin and Alex) My fantastic hosts: Kip, Lillian and children. The yoga and popcorn (ha ha), will never compare with what I learned from all of you! Lillian was most helpful in arranging meetings with both residents and local committees. Kip, thank you for all the laughter, brainstorming and sharing your inspiring stories. Benjamin was instrumental in acting as a communicator throughout all the home visits and community visits. We walked many kilometers, had many chats about life and drank many, many cups of chai! Alex thanks again for sharing, interpreting and for your time invested in EIP.
My favourite and most valued part of my experience working with EIP was engaging and building strong connections with students, important leaders and school administrators / educators and residents in the communities where I lived. New and unknown situations can be at times scary and intimidating. Placing yourself in new situations opens you up to so many possibilities to learn about the world, about others and in particular about yourself. Never let something unknown or scary deter you from trying something new! That feeling of uneasiness will soon pass if you have a positive outlook, are patient, dedicated, and propel forward. I travelled to Kenya with an open mind, an open heart and learned far more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for teaching and educating me, re-igniting dulled strengths and the opportunity to discover new ones! It was an amazing experience to work with EIP and I cannot wait for the next visit.
Kate Sunabacka
Photo: Kate with Stacey (Photo taken by Faith, a six year old aspiring photographer)