Mnarani Aid NEWS

Click on the Yellobric logo to see a video made by Gavin Paterson when he took out the Yellobric eReaders for the School. They are obviously a big hit. Gavin will be evaluating the use in the new year. We await the results with interest. It could change how we support the School.

Headmaster Hassan sent these photos of the new toilets being built for the infants of the Primary School. You can see the old one in the background. Hassan tells me all the building work, the wall etc is progressing, although some slowly because of the slow release of funds from the local government. But he is working on that problem. But as here in the UK, local government can be a minefield of paperwork etc.

These pictures of the new classrooms and the toilets being built at Mnarani Secondary School were sent in by John Cunningham. John is a great supporter of Mnarani Aid and has just spent another couple of weeks helping out at the Primary School. At the moment we have Georgie Street, from the UK and Kathrin Chimm, from Germany helping out at the Primary School. They are staying in Mnarani village with local girl Nancy John. A big thank you to them.

Gavin from Yellobric did really well teaching the children and staff how to use the eReaders. We hope that this is the start of a fantastic opportunity for the school. Thank you Gavin for helping Mnarani primary.

Click on the yellobric logo on the left to listen to Gavin Paterson's, from our partner charity yellobric, radio interview with UK Radio Norfolk about his upcoming trip to Mnarani when he will deliver some eReaders for the School to evaluate. We are so pleased that he has selected Mnarani to trial the project. This should be a great project and we wish everyone concerned, including the teachers and Jonathan Mativo from the Rotary Club of Kilifi, the best of luck.

More help to be given to the School. The Nation, one of the main English language newspapers in Kenya, has a programme to assist schools in their english teaching. Following a request from Headmaster Hassan The Nation has agreed to add Mnarani to the programme. This means that for eight weeks the older children get a free newspaper and a Workbook to complete. The Workbook requires them to find stories from the newspaper on various subjects and answer questions to demonstrate their reading and understanding skills. The School also gets a new sign

People have been so generous in their response to the appeal for help with the repairs to the Nursery Classroom roof that we have been able to make a start. A big thank you to all who have helped, but sadly a bit more is still needed. So if you can, please go to www.mydonate.bt.com.

A little bad news, Headmaster Hassan's son, Abdulmalik was involved in a Tuk Tuk accident and has badly broken his right leg. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Colin & Jeanette Lade sent us these two pictures when they visited the Special Needs unit. Thanks for these pictures and the items you have provided for the unit. Everything helps. Like all children, those at Mnarani love meeting new friends.

Back to having our normal GOOD news. Today at a ceremony led by the Senior Administration and Education Officers, Mnarani Primary was presented with the "Most Improved School in the Bahari District Award". A great credit to all involved with the School, especially the Headmaster Hassan and all of you who support the School. Well done to all. Also Headmaster Hassan was elected Chairman of the District Education Committee. Another accolade for the team.

Unfortunately we now have some bad news. During a routine check the roof of the nursery classroom has been found to be in a dangerous condition after an attack by termites on the rafters. Hassan says that unless we can repair it during the summer holidays he does not think he can reopen it. This would not be good for the small children who need the best start that we can give them in their schooling. Please help by donating £10 to help us to fix the roof and allow the small one's education to continue. The easiest way to donate is to go to mydonate.bt.com here  Thank you

Here we have Headmaster Hassan at the old toilet for the younger children and him helping dig the hole for the new one. Hassan like all good Headmasters can turn his hand to do anything!

At the 7th July 2011 meeting of the Trustees of Mnarani Aid, a discussion was held on the future direction of the Trust. The main point raised was the fact that after helping the children of Mnarani Primary all through their time at the School nothing was being done to continue that help with their further education. This seemed a little perverse. It was then decided by the Trustees that an application be made to the Charity Commission that the purpose of the Trust be varied to include assisting the pupils of the recently opened Mnarani Secondary School. Today an email from the Commission arrived giving permission for the purpose of the Trust to be changed to:

"To advance the education of the pupils of the Mnarani primary and secondary schools, Kilifi District, Kenya; by providing and assisting in the provision of facilities for education at the school."

In future the trustees will pay due regard to the requirements of both Schools when offering assistance. The priority will continue to be on the Primary School because it is essential that children get the best possible start to their education as we can give them. However it will be possible for a donor to specify that their assistance goes to one particular school or indeed for one specific purpose.

This is what happens when the supporters of Mnarani Aid send money to buy text books. The pupils as well as Headmaster Hassan go wild with delight. They know what a difference these books will make to their education. A big thank you to all those that have helped us provide these books.

The pictures are of the pupils in the Haller Wildlife Park (in heavy rain). They all enjoyed themselves. Most Kenyans (and certainly the vast majority of the residents of Mnarani village)cannot afford to go to the Game Parks, so a visit like this is as close as most children will get to the fantastic animals of Kenya.

Tomorrow Benjamin from Joren Tours, a Safari and Travel Tour company based in Mnarani village is taking a group of hard working pupils and two teachers to the Haller Wildlife Park in Mombasa for a day trip as a reward for hard work. The pupils are: 1. Anderson Katana class 8 (M) 2. Irene Chivatsi class 8 (F) 3. Halite Barasa class 7 (M) 4. Sunday Karisa class 6 (M) 5. Clinton Kanguti class 5 (M) 6. Selina Tobias class 5 (F) 7. Yasin Moses class 4 (M). The teachers are: 1. William C Mwandoro Std 5 class- teacher (Male) 2. Zephy Reru Philister Std 4 class-Teacher

We hope to have photographs shortly after the visit. A big vote of thanks to Benjamin for seeking to help the local children.

After we had supplied the School with teaching aids and materials, Headmaster Hassan requested that we fund a Teachers Training Day to help the teachers get the best out of the new resources. As the teachers had not used materials like this for a long time, it seamed a good idea and we were pleased to fund it. Helping teachers teach, helps pupils learn. By all accounts it was a very successful day; with the Divisional Education Officer from Kilifi Council being very impressed with the day. So much so that he told all the other Headmasters in the District that they should follow Mnarani Primary's example. It is great to have official recognition of our and the School's work and progress.

On the 30 March the school held a day for children, from various schools in Kilifi District, who have a variety of mental disabilities. This day gave the local community a chance to learn with and from these children. The Headmaster, Hassan said that a great deal was achieved in the understanding of children with learning difficulties. Not only has it helped the teachers to understand the various needs of these children but also to show the community that they are, after all, just children.

They obviously enjoyed their lunch.

Yet again Headmaster Hassan shows that he is totally committed to the children. Always looking for ways to improve the School and the lives of the local community. How lucky the School and Mnarani is to have him.

Wendy and I have just returned from a trip out to Mnarani. While we were there we were provided with a list compiled by Headmaster Hassan and were able to go the Kilifi Bookstore and placed orders for over five hundred text books and a quantity of teaching aids. The total cost was Ksh199,000, or about £1650 plus another %15 discount! All raised by you fantastic donors both here in the UK and from further afield. The text books were mainly for classes for Standards 6-8, in all subjects. The rest were for the pre-school group and the recently opened special needs class. None of these classes are currently funded by the government. The teaching materials consisted of wall charts and posters and a large amount of coloured card for the teachers to produce their own. Now all the classes are secure they can be left up after school.

The Special Needs class has only recently started and has currently seven pupils. The teacher is trained to look after these children and now, with the supplies purchased she will be able to teach much more effectively. All the teachers were very pleased with the books. However, more are still needed. The government gives the school £2.20 for each pupil for teaching materials per year. This money has to pay for text books, exercise books, pens, paper, chalk; in fact everything for the class. So please continue with your very generous donations so we can buy more books. A great number are still needed.

Having learnt that the Big Lottery Fund will now accept proposals for projects in Africa, Mnarani Aid has teamed up with the Rotary Club of Kilifi, the School and KESHO to prepare a bid to build and staff a proper unit for the teaching of disabled children from the Mnarani area. Although deaf children are very well catered for at a nearby school there is very little provision for children with other types of disabilities, both physical and mental. We will keep you informed on the progress of the project.

While on the trip we had a very good and illuminating meeting with KESHO, the organisation in Kilifi which sponsors children's education. We were very impressed with their work. They are obviously very committed to their task and work in an extremely professional manner. It cannot be right for two differing organisations to try to carry out the same work; a waste of effort. So in future Mnarani Aid will not try to find funds for sponsoring children's education. We will be leaving that very important task to KESHO, who can be found at www.keshokenya.org. So if you wish to help in this way please go to their web site to see how you can help them.

There is still the on-going problem of a food programme at Mnarani. We still do not have either UN or government funding. However the guests at Mnarani Club have been very generous with their money to enable lunches to be provided. John Cunningham, a volunteer who helped at the School has set up a system for using any monies donated. If you wish to help him, please email him at john@mnaraniaid.co.uk

So all in all it was a very satisfactory trip. Things are progressing, final marks are up, new computers are being installed (a big thanks to the donors from the USA), and the staff's enthusiasm has increased with even better work being done.