A St. Mary's College of California Student Spends Summer, 2019, As A Change Agent Volunteer in Majengo, Nyeri Town, Kenya (Part 2)

I am a student at St. Mary's College of California. I first heard of the De La Salle Brothers in 2014 through a person who took me under his roof, at a very nice apartment in San Francisco, CA. Pardon me, I was a live-in care provider who according to my  first contract was only to live-in during the weekend.

As it turned out, pretty much the way life can turn about, the gentleman decided I stay until one of us departed. I was grateful for this gesture and kept on praying for his longevity.

This blog, is my testimony of how my life as a new American has been imbued with catalytic enthusiasm and focus. This is not to say that my life in Africa was any lesser as far as enthusiasm went. I guess, one can say that life anywhere brings with it challenges, necessities, battles, victories, foibles, intricacies, motivators and demotivators.

I got the opportunity to meet and study under the De La Salle Brothers finally in 2016. I was introduced to the Lasallian Core Values at St. Mary's College of California.

However, I shall be amiss if I did not start with a story about the gentleman who allowed me to become his live-in care provider and one who allowed me to look at life's twists and turns positively.

As a new American, I am so happy I got to see the parts of life that give one the glimpse into an American lifestyle that is so empowering.

To work as a live-in care provider, affords one opportunities to learn the intricacies of American life that is hard to know of unless one is set in a home. A home, where one learns to use space, time, intellect, hands and interpersonal relational skills as well as forming the emulable attitude of a survivor.

I learnt how to prepare Texan Ranch/Farmer meals, the difference between lunch and dinner and all those Texan kitchen and table chores that make foods available. The notion of food security is very central to a meaningful existence. This galvanized both of us even further.

 You guessed right, my host was a Texan. He was a retired  Berkeley Professor of Calligraphy and Art. A well traveled person, who told me he regretted why he never went to any African country at all. Yet, he had gone to all other continents, not once or twice but many times.

I re-assured him that Africa lives in everyone of us. Because, we were all the African Eve's children. This reassured him and he set about reading anything and everything on Africa. The two years I spent with him, made me rediscover myself and instilled in me a respectful fearlessness to lead a better life every minute. This man, taught me to dig deeper, strive harder, laugh heartily, venture further and always learn something new as well as courting humility. He always said: To be humble is the next breath of life.

He also introduced me to the De La Salle Brothers! They also go by two other names: The Christian Schools Brothers or The FSCs.

The Brothers taught me further, the richness of God, the bounty in form of talents before us and how as humans we can proactively love each other even if we are not known to each other. All it takes for a happier life is manners, good conduct, dignity and respect for one another. I thank the Christian School Brothers for that inertia and love.

I traveled to Kenya for the Summer. I got the chance to work with refugees, students and people living with HIV in Africa. I lost most of my luggage and with it all the pictures where I was with the refugees and Persons Living With HIV.

My sojourn, was split into two episodes.

So, I was lucky the pictures where I worked with St. Mary's Secondary School in Nyeri, Kenya were taken by a Brother. I am so grateful for his kindness!

My story will be more around my work within and around St. Mary's S.S. which is headed by Brother Peter Kombe, a very energetic, focused and benevolent mentor to all who meet him. I personally, am so happy to have met him and  the opportunity to meet and live with three other Brothers who ran the institute as a team. All the Brothers, have a long list of achievements behind them. All of them have been teachers, mentors, directors and friends to many all the time they have served as Brothers. St. Mary's S.S in Nyeri is a complex right in the middle of Nyeri Town. The school provides both liberal and Vocational Courses. When you get the chance and time, visit the Brothers or if you can take time off and spend your holidays at St. Mary's S.S., Vocational  Training And Child Rescue Center.

I know how to evaluate social development entities, I have skills in training communities to address self determination and economic issues and engage in Poverty eradication drives.This time around I was interested in linking student vocations to communities. I set out to work with a Brother who was in-charge of the Vocational Department. My goal was to contribute to organizing the Vocational Department into a catalyst stimulating quality learning. My tips ranged from how to make schedules, work plans to writing blogs.

I  hope through the pictures and more blogs you will walk with me and enjoy the experiences I share with you. More blogs are on the way. Enjoy!

Visiting Mount Kenya, wondering about many Kikuyu and Maasai who must have past around here 1000s of years back!

Visiting Mount Kenya, wondering about many Kikuyu and Maasai who must have past around here 1000s of years back!

Nyeri Town's Majengo Low Cost Housing Area

Nyeri CBD

Majengo at a place called "Wetemere!" Meaning cut, slash and make your own plot!

St. Mary's S.S. in Nyeri is one of the La Sallian Schools in Africa.

 St. Mary's S.S. in Nyeri is one of the La Sallian Schools in Africa.

St. Mary's S.S. in Nyeri is one of the La Sallian Schools in Africa

Seniors about to do Exams to join Tertiary Education Institutes

Low Cost Housing

Low Cost means lawlessness and squalor

Low Cost can mean going hungry for days

Low cost can mean living in damp buildings for years on end

Low cost can mean no roads to one's home

Working with locals to lift communities out of poverty is a starting point.

Working with locals to lift communities out of poverty is a starting point. Key Informant on many matters in Nyeri Town

A go to person on many matters in Nyeri Town

The Aberdares in a distant from Ihururu Hill

St. Paul Minor Seminary  and Nyeri High Secondary School brace the plains

Kamwenja Teachers' Training College in the middle ground after the lines of coffee!

Kingongo residential area in the making

Results Oriented Management By Objectives Tools developed specifically for St. Mary's S.S., Vocational and Child Rescue center OVC Support Focal Point Office

Results Oriented Management By Objectives Tools developed specifically for St. Mary's S.S., Vocational and Child Rescue center OVC Support Focal Point Office

We were welcome to Mrs. Njonjo's home who is a treasure trove of folklore. One day, I shall come back and collect all Kikuyu and Maasai lores

Results Oriented Management By Objectives Tools developed specifically for St. Mary's S.S., Vocational and Child Rescue center OVC Support Focal Point Office

Gardening Tom!

The people grow all their food and this is right next to River Chania as it flows from Mount Kenya

Artisanry

Curious Tom!

Fresh Vegetables

A memorable view

My Garden

St. Mary's S.S, as people know it here

This school provides quality education that makes a whole person. Their Motto: "Give us a boy, and we give you a man!"

Experience the solemnity of a Kikuyu Catholic Mass

Visiting a repair garage belonging to former students of St. Mary's S.S.

Taking participants through a Results Oriented Management By Objectives Training. It is ideal for re-organizing, streamlining and mainstreaming activities. For those who embrace inclusion, diversity and dignity affirmation principles, these are the tools to prepare your staff.

Taking participants through a Results Oriented Management By Objectives Training. It is ideal for re-organizing, streamlining and mainstreaming activities. For those who embrace inclusion, diversity and dignity affirmation principles, these are the tools to prepare your staff.

Taking participants through a Results Oriented Management By Objectives Training. It is ideal for re-organizing, streamlining and mainstreaming activities. For those who embrace inclusion, diversity and dignity affirmation principles, these are the tools to prepare your staff.

Gathering For Mass

Taking participants through a Results Oriented Management By Objectives Training. It is ideal for re-organizing, streamlining and mainstreaming activities. For those who embrace inclusion, diversity and dignity affirmation principles, these are the tools to prepare your staff.

Taking participants through a Results Oriented Management By Objectives Training. It is ideal for re-organizing, streamlining and mainstreaming activities. For those who embrace inclusion, diversity and dignity affirmation principles, these are the tools to prepare your staff.

Jolly Tom

Tom says hi!

A St. Mary's College of California Student Spends Summer, 2019, As A Change Agent Volunteer in Majengo, Nyeri Town, Kenya (Part 1)

Hi there!

I set about to spend this Summer in Africa. I wanted to immerse myself among cultures that use Swahili for communication. I chose Kenya because of its cosmopolitan nature and its being the Eastern Africa hub.

You may want to visit the UN agencies, most of the embassies or just take in the diversity of nationalities? Come to Kenya. You will meet almost everyone from any corner of the world in general.

In my case, I wanted to do the more mundane. I wanted to meet refugees, asylum seekers, people living with HIV, Girls who have had children by the time they were 15 years, communities as they go about their chores.....you name it. 

Definitely, I also wanted to sample the local foods, take in the night life and most of all visit the vast Savannah areas from Marsabit, Samburu to Mountain Kenya. 

At a continental level, Africa has some very nice spots that one with a Summer bucket list should add.

At country-level, Kenya has some of the awe inspiring destinations. I went to many but Nyeri took the highest points. One, because while there I got a chance to engage in a social development consultancy on a volunteer basis.

I also got the opportunity to live with the Brothers of Christian Schools (Nyeri Community). They are a wonderful people. This same Community hosts St. Mary's College of California La Sallian Immersion Volunteers. So, when I got to see pictures of some students I knew from the College I was more the happier. One day, when I meet them I know we shall have so much to talk about.

The Director of the Brothers' Community, took me around the entire School complex. It is officially called: St. Mary's Secondary School, Vocational and Child Rescue Center (Nyeri, Kenya).

After the tour, I made up the decision to immerse myself in a task whose outcome was two fold:

1. To consolidate over 40 years of service into a service package that stimulates continued learning and sharing for the students who join St. Mary's S.S. (as they like to call it).

2. To work with the Brothers of St. Mary's S.S. Nyeri Community, develop memoranda through which tracking of progress at the Vocational Department of St. Mary's is possible.

This took me to different places of Nyeri because it was also a time to put in practice the saying: "Work, work, work without play makes Jack a dull person!"

Mount Kenya Summit

Nyeri Hill: A View of Aberdares Range

We would find time, every day for two hours to tend the gardens astride River Chania as if flows away from Mount Kenya

Wood Work at A Furniture Mart belonging to one of the Teachers at St. Mary's S.S., Nyeri

That day when what one planted sprouts profusely

Soccer time

Grassroots organizer, Tom!

Africa rocks!

St. Mary's College of California, Outdoor Barbecue

The sweat of thy brow

The fruits of one's hands

Public Ideas and Public Policy Crossroads Influencing Success Or Failure Of Protected Sex Practices By Women In Africa

Background:

The nature of the provider-consumer relation of HIV services further translates into claimants and elite groups who influence sexual-reproductive health policies. Three regime contexts were found to influence HIV response. A hindering context goes so much further to provide opportunities for rule of law, enforcement and empower women to report without fear of repercussions. A restrictive context goes on far enough but allows for those with power to buy themselves out of courts and police. Women are not protected from repercussions even if they can report abuses. In a supportive context, abuses go unreported and women are at the mercy of men!

Claimants mobilize, campaign and influence government authority on HIV response. 

Paternalistic, coercive and occasionally manipulative roles of the elites keep hegemonic male dominance intact. 

An examination of 4 Sub-Saharan African countries finds that the interests of claimants have marginal impact on who decides whether or not to uphold protected sex practices among spouses. 

These practices vary due to public ideas on what is deemed desirable by those wielding political and economical power. 

Public ideas are based on culture, emotions, feelings, mentality and passions that extend into non political realms and belief systems on image of the male, marriage, family life, consent, fecundity, fertility-lores, child raising and sexual practices.

Literature dating as far back as 2006-2017 on consensual sex practices, news articles, police reports, criminalization of non-consensual sex, SRH counselling needs and services in Namibia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda was gathered, analyzed and processed into this blog. 152 publications were examined but 40 met inclusion eligibility.

Results:

Protected sex practices depend on significant political backing and enforcement of legal gender equality; facilitating knowledge and skills; religious and traditional beliefs into role equity and change. Namibia and Kenya have hindering regimes addressing abuses, fostering legitimate, collective, respectful regard for females and males. State sponsored social services encourage equitable access (role equity). Although, sexual consent reflects more male dominance. 

Uganda has a restrictive context with loopholes in ensuring legal, equal gender rights exploited by both sexes/genders with financial means. 

In South Africa, the supportive context for abuses fosters political, religious and traditional factors demeaning the status of women. Women negotiate for safer sex, but this is seen as emasculating men. This is circumscribed as a threat to male dominance, giving in to women and shift of power from males (role change).

Conclusions:

Safer and protected sex breaks the HIV transmission cycle. However, public ideas on safer or protected sex are tolerant where role equity is promoted. But, repressive where males feel threatened. Role change fears are cited in restrictive and hindering countries. Fear of courts or police cases are a motivator to uphold dignity in supportive countries. Further studies are called for into how precarious hegemonic masculinity and negative stereotypes impact HIV Programming.

Source: Google

A Comparison of Western World And African Essays and Fables; Brown, Black And White People Have Common Storytelling Skills

Stories seem to have a life of their own. But what is that which is life giving? Eight aspects bring stories to life in all essays and fables written or told in the West and in Africa and these are: Situation; story piece; truthfulness; necessity; kindness; meaningfulness;  memorableness;  and moral-boundedness.

By situation is meant the fact that a story is built around context, circumstance and plot.

By story piece is meant the fact that a narrative is the emotional experience that the writer or story teller builds and animates in form of action, sensation, information, progression and insight.

Truth(fulness) is the crystallization of the story and how the story portrays the characters.

By necessary is meant the fact that the story is entertaining, addresses an issues and satisfies a curiosity.

By kind(ness) is meant that it contributes something to humanity.

By meaningful(ness) is meant the fact that the story has substance.

By memorable(ness) is meant the fact that the story is relatable.

By moral-bounded(ness) is meant the fact that the story has lessons it passes on.

See if you can find one or eight of the aspects in the lines below:

“I am trying to make, before I get through, a picture of the whole world-or as much of it as I have seen. Boiling it down always, rather than spreading it out thin.”

What writing is and does

By Ernest Hemingway

to Mrs. Paul Pfeiffer, 1933 Selected Letters , p.397

“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you; the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was.”

By-line: Ernest Hemingway, p.184

“In truly good writing no matter how many times you read it you do not know how it is done. That is because there is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dis-sect out. It continues and it is always valid. Each time you re-read you see or learn something new.”

What to write about

By Ernest Hemingway

to Harvey Breit, 1952

Selected Letters, p.770

“The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life-and one is as good as the other.”

What to write about

By Ernest Hemingway

to Scott Fitzgerald, 1929

Selected Letters, p. 305

“Dostoevsky was made by being sent to Siberia. Writers are forged in injustice and a sword is forged.”

What to write about

By Ernest Hemingway

Green Hills of Africa, p.71

“…civil war is the best war for a writer, the most complete. Stendhal had seen a war and Napoleon taught him to write. He was teaching everybody then; but no one else learned.”

What to write about

By Ernest Hemingway

Green Hills of Africa, p.71

“Madame, all stories, if continued far enough, end in death and he is no true-story teller who would keep that from you.”

What to write about

By Ernest Hemingway

Death in the Afternoon, p.122

In “If” the situation is  Dr. Leander Jameson Starr’s activities in colonial Africa. The story pays tribute to his courage and dignity and critiques the cowardice of the colonialist authorities.

The situation and story

Rudyard Kipling’s

“If” 

1910

A Poem

In the “Elephant’s Child,” the situation is the young African elephant and the story is about this elephant’s curiosity about other animals and things.

“ In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn’t pick up things with it. But there was one Elephant—a new Elephant—an Elephant’s Child—who was full of ‘satiable curiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in Africa, and he filled all Africa with his ‘satiable curiosities…”

The situation and story

Rudyard Kipling’s

"The Elephant’s Child”

1902

Just So Stories 

In the “The Elephant's Child (poem)” the poem captures three aspects and those are: meaningful, memorable and moral-bound.

“I Keep six honest serving-men:

(They taught me all I knew)

Their names are What and Where and When

And How and Why and Who……”

The situation and story

Rudyard Kipling’s

"The Elephant’s Child (poem)”

1902

Just So Stories 

In Aeschylus’ "Agamemnon", one gets to know about the experiences around the return of King Agamemnon. 

“So a man once raised a lion cub

in his own home. The beast 

lacked milk but craved its mother’s teat.

In early life the cub was

gentle…….

Its fiery eyes fixed on the hands

that fed it, the creature fawned,

a slave to appetite.

But with time the creature grew

and its true nature showed-

the one its parents gave it…”

Aeschylus’ Agamemnon

In "English As She Is Taught", one gets to know about the experiences which are necessary for one to understand what they read as well as being able to read it back correctly. 

“What was to bring Cato to an end?”

She said it was a knife.

“No, my dear, it was not so.”

“My aunt Polly said it was a knife.”

“Why, Aunt Polly’s knife may do, but it was a dagger, my dear.”

English As She Is Taught

The Complete Essays of 

Mark Twain

By Charles Neider

2000 

In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” the reader is introduced to the experiences of Colonial Nigeria

 “……He sprang to his feet as soon as he saw who it was. He confronted the head messenger, trembling with hate, unable to utter a word. The man was fearless and stood his ground, his four men lined up behind him…..”

Things Fall Apart

Chapter 24, paragraph 35

By Chinua Achebe, 1959 

In the “King’s Impossible Request”  a fable from Africa we meet Walukaga the iron-worker wisely indulging the King who had made an impossible request.

“I request you to make an animate being out of one of your metallic human statues,” demanded the King.

“Yes your majesty,” replied Walukaga.

“My King, I wish to make a request in return,” begged Walukaga, as the King was about to leave.

“What..”? Asked the King.

“In order for me to make a living metal statue, the oracles demand that the requester collects 100,000 gourds of tears, 100,000 bales of eye-lashes and 100,000 gourds of milk,” demanded Walukaga……

Walukaga the Iron-Worker

Fables From Africa

From the above, one finds that all the eight aspects feature in all essays and fables written or told in the West and in Africa. 

In the excerpts one is captivated by all or one of the following: 
Situation; story piece; truthfulness; necessity; kindness; meaningfulness;  memorableness;  and moral-boundedness. This is what makes a story have a life of its own!

Source:Google

Rolling Back On Birth Control Discriminates Against Women And The Institution Of Child-bearing; Lessons From USA

When it comes to birth control, women who are the primary beneficiaries and when it is rolled back, they suffer most. The Trump administration’s Health and Human Services (HHS) Division has expanded exemptions to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that employers’ health care plans provide no coverage for no-cost birth control. In doing this, they have singled out a women’s health benefit. The administration stated that requiring insurance plans to cover birth control imposes a substantial burden to the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, and could promote risky sexual behavior among adolescents.

The list of no-cost birth control contains such options like: combined pill; contraception implant; contraception after having baby; contraception injection; contraception patch; contraception vaginal ring; diaphragm and caps; Long acting reversible contraception; Progestogen-only pill; sterilization; and Natural family planning. According to the list about three options can be used by men but the rest are used by women. Rolling back the birth control coverage is an attack on women, their families and an affront to working couples. The Obama-era Affordable Care Act made contraception an essential standard of care under women’s preventive health care. It was covered under most insurance plans, along with prenatal care, breast exams and well-woman visits. The birth control mandate compelled for-profit employers to cover the full range of contraceptives, including the pill, the intrauterine device and the Plan B morning-after pill, at no out-of-pocket cost to women. Exemptions for churches and nonprofit religious organizations were made. Now, the Trump Administration is making it much broader to allow any boss to object to the coverage. 

It is a set back on the quality sexual and reproductive health and leaves women without access to contraception. The demographics show that this will affect many homes. More than 55 million women currently have access to free birth control according to data compiled under the Obama administration. The new rules would also affect hundreds of thousands of women.  According to the National Health Statistics reports there are more numbers of women of childbearing age 15-44 years living under marital or cohabiting status. Many of these opted for contraceptions but also have a strong desire to have children. This reflects the needs of women embedded in a milieu promising better and quality life. During the Obama-era Birth control options, enabled employers to offer women health care coverage that met their medical needs. There are several advantages society benefits from having women have Birth control and these are:

Birth control creates an opportunity to have a child when parents are ready. Both the mother  and father are able to engage in all necessary preparations culminating in child-bearing. Through counselling and assessment the following services can be made available: birth control; abortion; men’s sexual health; early pregnancy services; and gynecologic services including routine well woman care, breast exam, pap smear, health screening, colposcopy, screening, HPV vaccination, treatment of sexually transmitted, vaginal, and urinary tract infections.

Birth control is a knowledge platform where information and support on sexual reproductive health for both females and males men is exchanged. It enables sexually active persons to receive tailored, planned  information, communication, education and other necessary interventions from trained or specialized health providers.

Birth control unlocks possibilities for beneficiaries to participate in planned births, antenatal and post natal care. This may include all birth control options and attendant medical services for adults as well as teens.

Birth control ensures both parents have access to services promoting family based sexual health. Parents are able to receive services which impact positively on how they look after themselves and their children. The health knowledge of both parents is increased since they can access health improving information.

Birth control increases the number of opportunities sexual reproductive health as an issues is brought up at work and at households. This improves decision making and forms positive attitude toward paternal, maternal and child health outcomes. The decisions may range from proper use of paternity and maternity leaves, planned recreation, bonding, nutritional health to overall safety of the home.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Obamacare contraception mandate of August 2012 made contraception free to many American women, with the share of women spending any out-of-pocket costs on oral contraception plunging from 20.9% in 2012 to 3% in 2015. The out-of-pocket money was then made available to purchase other commodities in the market that promoted quality life. 

Birth control is a benefit that gave working women an opportunity to lead more thriving quality live needs challenging. Erasing it out deprives them of that one crucial key to quality well-being. Birth control in the hands of women improves on the quality of households which in turn improves the quality of a nation. Men should not assault women. That is worse enough. But, using law to attack the dignity of womanhood is the worst they face now.

Source; UNAIDS & Google