by Rev. Wasike
We are in high gear preparing for our CBSM Kimilili Bake Sale and Raffle. This fund raising event is to take place tomorrow at the CBSM Education Center. Margret’s women co-op is doing the baking, the other women co-ops have been mobilising the local community to turn up in large numbers. We have involved local government representatives, women groups, and guardians of the children, friends and neighbours.
We are praying the sun will shine and many people will come and participate and make the event successful.
by Lia
Our dedicated teachers and volunteers know the importance of teaching math and languages (Kiswahili and English) to the children. We are always looking for pedagogically sound and imaginative ways to do this (see video). Therefore, we would like to build a Learning Landscape. This is a grid-based playground for elementary math education. The playground combines active movement and competition with mathematical exercises, providing an outdoor classroom framework for fun and engaged learning.
We need 360 USD in funding for building- and instructional materials.
We have reached our 100% funding at betterplace! This means that the 470 USD we asked for there is now covered and we will be receiving the funds soon. As many of you know, we have a goal of raising 1,800 USD by the end of September so that we can make a downpayment on our school land. We have reached a total of 1,175 UDS to date counting the donations given through PayPal on this website and the money from betterplace. We are very close to reaching our goal! So, for all of you who have donated so kindly so far, thank you so much.
We are happy to announce that Didem B. has donated the needed funds (150 USD) to buy a sturdy hand-loom for Mercy W. Mercy was born almost fully lame on one side of her body. The loom and starting materials will be of great assistance for her as a form of occupational therapy, as well as a way for her to have fun experimenting with colours and different types of wool.
by Rev. Wasike
Andrea Sebastian left for Kimilili this morning from Nairobi. He spent a few days with my family and me. He has called to confirm a safe journey. He went with Sarah Sitatai, one of our onsite volunteers. Sarah will introduce Andrea Sebastian to the CBSM management board and community members. I will be going to Kimilili in due course.
by Lia (introduction) and Rev. Wasike
Those of us working with the Community Breakthrough Support Mission often get asked why we are focusing so much of our efforts on helping women co-ops and youth groups to build successful small-scale businesses. Recently, Rev. Wasike wrote the following about our work in general and empowering women and youth specifically. I'd like to share with you his thoughts on the matter for the eloquently argue the matter:
The essence of all of our work is to make the community a self-reliant and independent collective. This compels us to initiate programs that may be realised by the women in the local community. Women in Kimilili and the surrounding area have not been allowed to partake in running business es because their husbands do not approve. They believe women should stay culturally apart where they can bring up their children in the homes; irrespective of whether there is food available or whether their children are attending school or not. Traditionally, women have been competing in the number of children they give birth to as a form of status since polygamy is still practiced.
For as long as I can remember, youth 's work in our community was to take care of the livestock. Tragically, this livestock no longer exist in large scale as used to be, hence make this group is left idle and hence a source of violence and crime in the community.
My understanding is that what a child needs most today in order to be self reliant tomorrow is food and a good education to unlock potential of the child. A child also needs shelter for security and health when sick.
Most men in Kenya, and this is culturally approved , believe it is okay for them to inclusively use any income increase they earn to increase the number of wives. The bigger their families are, the more respect they earn in the community. This is unlike women, whose first priority is the wellbeing of their family (parents and children).
I believe that by empowering women and youth in the community, we are doing something similar to doing an overhaul on an engine that we can always count on for the rest of our long journey. Thankfully, it is becoming more common to see women running business than it was previously. Yet, without proper knowledge on how they can best do business and without the proper capital their journey is arduous.
Hence if a chance arises for us to empower one woman who has 10 children, what we are doing in creating this opportunity is taking care of the 10 children. In fact, starting the women empowering program has already created real help. For instance, during the last school term almost all the vegetables the school cooked for the children came for free from the women co-ops we trained in our first two CBSM Gardening Vocational Training Program workshops. During the workshops, we taught them best business practices and gave them water pumps and seeds.
This term we have avoided the cost of cooks, as four women who had applied to be enlisted for workshops and our facility was not able to accommodate them, offered to do the cooking at CBSM school for free for children this term . They did this on the condition that they would be able to attand the next series of workshops. They have done wonderful work this term, reduced the cost of running the school as salary for cooks is recurring cost and recurring costs are very painful always come when one one is not ready. Fortunately, we are happy to be giving our next workshops in August, which they will be able to attend.
It is our belief that through collective will and work we will offer our children a safe and happy environment to grow in.
Amen
Rev. Wasike
by Rev. Wasike
Kenya is going to vote on a referendum for the new proposed constitution on 4th Agust. This is the second attempt,the first one in 2005 did not go through and so they are having to try again. As a result, families are rearranging their schedules and locations in fear of possible violence and security issues like those that occured after the 2007 elections. Hence, many schools have closed by down and the teachers have sent the children home to their parents.
This was good idea to plan for schools and colleges to close early in preparations for the election on 4.08.10. CBSM Education Center's exam process was delayed a bit because we could not afford to pay for the printed exams and had to hold oral exams that were time consuming. Yet, we thank God the exams are now done and the school is closing tomorrow.
We are praying that the elections on 4th shall be peaceful. We thank God for the government that has put in security measures to ensure good security for all Kenyans during this moment of vigorous election compaigning for and against the proposed constitution by various groups.
We've just received a great answer from one of our sponsors, Helmores Estate Agents in the UK about the questions, "Why did you sponsor the children of CBSM?" This is what George Clover, senior Negotiator, wrote,
'"We read the proposal about the football tournament and it looked like a great cause. We already sponsor a local football team here in the UK and so it seemed perfect to also sponsor one in Kenya. Also, most of us here at Helmores have young children, and so this seemed a small way to help some children less fortunate. Well done CBSM for arranging such a brilliant event!"
Rev. Wasike and the women co-ops of the CBSM Gardening Vocational Training Program have decided to organise two further fundraising events in August, Tea Parties for Kimilili. These tea parties will be a combination of tea party, bake sale and raffle. The funds raised through the sale of cakes and raffle tickets will go towards the down payment on the school land.
We ask everyone to look into their cupboards or ask their friends to look in their cupboards and see if you/they might have some light weight objects (e.g. pens, baseball caps, stickers, sun glasses, skipping ropes, sewing kits, old stamps) that you/they can send to Rev. Wasike to use for raffle prizes.
The goods can be sent to:
Rev. Wasike Wilberforce Walubengo
P.O. Box 2099-00200
Nairobi ,Kenya
Please make sure that you mention that the contents are gifts, second-hand goods, and of no monetary value, so that Rev. Wasike does not have to pay duty on the goods.
We want to invite all the schools and government officials and community elders who came to our Kimilili Football Tournament a few weeks ago to attend the tea parties and help contribute to our cause.
The women of CBSM have made a goal to try and raise 10-20% of the money needed for the down payment on the school land. You can help them indirectly reach their goal by contributing in this manner.
Sebastian M. is coming to volunteer at CBSM in a few weeks time. Sebastian is studying geography at the University of Marburg in Germany. He is especially interested in the topics of education and sustainable agriculture. We are thrilled that he is coming to Kimilili and work together with the CBSM Gardening Vocational Training Program.
Chris (Australia) and Arthi (USA) have been working hard to make up learning modules for the women gardening co-ops. Sebastain will use these learning modules to hold a series of agriculture workshops for these groups during his visit in August: Composting, Maize pest prevention, Seed identification, handling and storage. These are all subjects of great interests to the women and youths of CBSM. Sebastian and Wilfred (or Kimilili supervisor) will also be working together with the youth group to build “zero emission fridges” for the storage of seeds, maize, and beans. These silos were originally made in Mozambique, but are easily reproducible in other rural areas. We are all very interested to see whether or not they will help reduce loss of seeds through various diseases (e.g. weevils). If they do work, this will mean that the women co-ops can store maize in bulk and then sell the seeds at times when the prices are higher and the demand is greater.
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