SCHOOLS REOPEN,RESULTS AWAITED,MORE BURSARIES NEEDED.

Schools reopened after the December holidays early this month.January marks the beginning of a new academic year for primary and secondary schools. This is always characterized by promotion to the next class and announcement of results  for those who sat for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E) exams. This year,however, the results will be late as the examination time was greatly affected by the teachers' strike last year, that saw the candidates sit for their exams in December instead of January.Consequently, there will be a delay in the in take of form one students.

Back to school for ASSETS means,a rush to get the report forms of all beneficiaries and assess their performance,collection of bursaries and identification of new needy children.

A total of ksh. 2.4 million is needed for this year's bursaries. ASSETS hopes to add 66 more needy children into the scheme and more funds are needed for this to happen, therefore any donations will be of great help.

You can help a needy child get education this year by either making a donation on

https://my.give.net/arochakenya_assets  for those in UK. In Kenya is through M-pesa number 0707688999

ASSETS GRADUATE INTERNS WITH A ROCHA KENYA

Grace Rehema Kahindi , who is an ASSETS graduate just joined A Rocha as an intern in the accounts department.Grace is the second child out of eight in her family. Her parents are jobless and have a small piece of land on which they grow cassavas to feed the family and barely have surplus to sell  for cash for their children's school fees.

Thanks to the ASSETS bursary scheme,however, Rehema became the first child to get a complete secondary school education in her family. In Kenya, secondary school is the most expensive to afford  unlike university or college where there are many different organisations that give grants,scholarships and loans.

Rehema, through a loan by higher education loans board(HELB) is currently in her second year of study at Bondo university college where she is pursuing a degree in international tourism management.

She hopes to support her family upon completion of her studies and that some of her siblings will also benefit from the ASSETS scheme. It is through donations and support from local and international well wishers that this program is able to give people like Rehema, the audacity to dream of and hope for a better future.

The African Billfish Foundation And Sala Terrena Support of ASSETS

Last year was a great year for ASSETS. Ayoti joined the team as a Liaison officer for the program. This was thanks to Ms Christina Harris of Sala Terrena Creative Construction and African Billfish Foundation.

In September 2012, Ayoti joined the team after Ms. Harris,who was her line manager then approved her move from Sala Terrena to A Rocha Kenya. She herself is a conservationist and works through African Billfish Foundation, a foundation that seeks to create awareness and promote the conservation of billfish along the East African coast.

Ms. Harris, through Sala Terrena  Creative Construction, a company that she manages and is owned by Andrew Melesi  gave a donation to ASSETS. This donation was to facilitate for Ayoti to work for the program for six months, in fundraising, till end of February 2013.

It has been four months since she joined the program and we are glad to say that a lot has been accomplished in the short time she has been with ASSETS.

She has revived communication with different stakeholders, taking care of the database and other related tasks that had stalled. Ayoti has successfully organized ASSETS first ever fund raiser walk that aimed at raising funds for the 2013 bursaries. She has also represented ASSETS in different meetings and initiated communication with potential donor.

Ayoti has indeed made a major contribution to the program and we are very grateful to have her as part of our team. We do hope that we will be able to keep her way beyond the six month period.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Christina Harris and Mr. Andrew Melesi for recognizing the work that is being done by ASSETS and supporting it.

Beneficiary meetings

Over the last couple weeks,The Assets team has been going all round the forest to have beneficiary meetings.The meetings was to remind the students benefiting from the scheme of the conditions for their bursary to continue. Along with that,parents were also in the meeting to hear and also have a meeting about the CFA structure and how they will slightly change the way they do things.

All the beneficiaries had been visited after six days and on 18th the meetings, ended with Bogamachuko being the last one.

It was quite interesting to see how passionate the parents received the CFA news and how it would make a positive difference in their activities.

The meetings brought alot of debates and discussions especially about students    discipline. MrSuleman Bakari gave alot of inspiring examples of how the parents and the students can work together and how both can improve .

PWEE FOUNDATION donates to ASSETS fund raising walk

<Hoi Wen Au Yong> from Singapore has been a great supporter of the ASSETS program and represented THE PWEE FOUNDATION in this ASSETS fundraiser walk where the foundation donated to this cause. Hoi Wen herself is personally supporting two students who through the ASSETS program was able to make it through high school. She is now helping them pay for their university education at Pwani university in environmental science and the other in nursing.

We would like to express our gratitude to the PWEE foundation in Singapore and Hoiwen for your constant support.

THE WALK FOR NATURE AND CHILDREN HAPPENS

Finally!!!!!!!! the long awaited walk happened. The ASSETS fundraising walk took place last Saturday the 8th of December. The main aim of the walk was not only to raise funds for local needy children's high school bursaries but also to promote conservation of Arabuko Sokoke forest and Mida creek through creating of awareness on the importance of the two Eco systems to the local community and tourists. It started at exactly 6.05 am with a team of 16 and a brief introductory session by Stanley Baya, who is the ASSETS adviser and the environmental education officer in A Rocha Kenya.Then a prayer for safety by Andrew Kinzer.

The walk started from A Rocha Kenya head quarters to Turtle bay where the walkers took the junction from the main road to Dabaso road.Being 6am the sun had not gone up yet so the temperatures  were still low and pleasant though slightly humid.T he first half of the walk was to be done by the sixteen walkers before joining later with a group that was waiting for them 15km ahead.

For participants who were visiting from abroad for the first time,it was just amazing since they got the real feel of Africa  and experience nature one on one as opposed to when they have to use tourist buses to do the tours.

After three hours of walking, chatting , jumping over muddy water and snails, they finally made it to Arabuko Sokoke forest's Mida gate where a group of twenty one more people was waiting.

This was followed by a brief wait for clearance with the forest station as it was important that we have security with them because of elephant and buffalo. The participants did not hesitate to in taking advantage of the delay to show off their different talents that varied from balancing a bottle on the head to imitating the monkeys though the walk was definitely NO MONKEY BUSINESS.

After a while the now large team was ready to do the rest of the walk.Andrew and Benjo opted to run the rest of the way instead.

After another brief talk by Stanley, the team crossed over into the forest and embarked on the remaining 15km. They went past the three different forest vegetation.

It was amazing how the different vegetation was noticeable with brachystegia  being characterized by tall trees  and more open as opposed to the other vegetation. Soil color change was also conspicuous with the changes in vegetation as different parts had red soil while others had white.

It was a pleasant walk with colorful butterflies flying off fresh elephant dung and a bit fearful as the walkers encountered fresh buffalo tracks.

Three hours later, all the walkers made it to Nyari viewpoint which was the intended destination.After a shared lunch, the team was ready to head back.Having accomplished their mission.

ASSETS Plot Beginning to Develop!

The Gede ASSETS plot has been full of activity as we near the end of the year. In addition to building materials being dropped off for the new ASSETS offices, and eventually a conference center, we have also hired a permanent team member, Jimmy, to live on the plot and help manage the land, as well as look after our conservation agriculture demonstration fields.  Last week a team from Mwamba spent the better part of the morning marking out the permanent fiels for our demonstration fields. Jimmy had done  a wonderful job of clearing a massive mango tree stump which was in the middle of one of our fields, as well as leveling the terrain. For the first time, we have six 6x6 meter fields marked out, side by side, ready to be prepared for planting when the long rains come in April/May. In addition to marking out the fields, a permanent composting station was also measure and marked out for construction, hopefully to be completely set up this week. If all goes according to plan, we should have enough compost to plant a whole acre of maize, which is more what we will need in one season of planting. We will have plenty of excess to store for future planting seasons. Plans are also in place to put a rainwater harvesting tank on the house Jimmy is living in to provide water for irrigation, enabeling us to maintain our demostration shamba's year round.

We are hoping to grow a number of different local and more traditional crops this year, in addition to maize to introduce crop rotations as well as cover crops and fodder crops. It is a huge blessing to have Jimmy living on-site to watch after the place, and hopefully this year we will have a plentiful harvest. 

Great News!!!...Generous Donor To Match Donations For Sponsored Walking.

As we get closer to the day of the sponsored walk, (read more about the walk)More and more well wishers are getting on board to support this cause. A generous donor has offered to match every donation of above $50 that will be made towards the fundraising walk.This means that if one gives $50,the walk will receive $100. Isn't that just great? so let's donate guys.Take advantage of this offer and help as many needy children get a high school education as possible.With only three days to go...EVERY SECOND COUNTS!!!time to give nature and children a special Christmas gift!

ARABUKO-SOKOKE FOREST DOUBLE TREAT!!

A while ago, A Rocha Kenya team of Katana, Andrew, Stanley, Ayoti and Silas, Nick (a volunteer from England) and two guests at Mwamba went to Arabuko-Sokoke Forest with the hope of catching a glimpse of the very elusive,endemic and endangered Sokoke Scops Owl. This was under the brilliant guidance of Mzee David Ngala. David Ngala, also often referred to as ''professor'' Ngala due to his uncanny knowledge of and passion for the forest met the team at the entrance to the forest before hoping onto Kiboko (A Rocha Kenya's pickup truck). He kept the team entertained on the way by telling hilarious tales of the origin of his native tribe and his encounters in the forest.

After the drive that took about forty minutes under the "turn right" turn left" keep going straight" instructions by David Ngala,the driver, Andrew, was finally asked to stop.The team got off the truck and the cool air around them was palpable with excitement as the anticipation to catch a glimpse of the owl mounted.

Then the search for the owl began! Of course David Ngala already knew of its whereabouts and their hope therefore was that it would still be where it had been spotted. Using their hands as shields against the low hanging branches; on and on they went, deeper into the forest.

After about twenty minutes of bowing, hoping and walking, Ngala suddenly signaled everyone to stop and be as quiet and still as possible. He shone his flashlight in the branches high above them and VOILA!! there it was-the Sokoke Scops Owl!!!. What an incredible sight!it was the cutest animal to behold and gave one a sudden urge to cuddle it. Its big yellow eyes stared back unblinkingly at the camera and its talons could be seen clinging onto a branch. The sight was priceless! especially for Stanley who despite the fact that he had grown up around the forest,it was his first time to see a Sokoke Scops Owl. It was high up among tree branches so getting a perfect shot was a challenge.

Sokoke Scops Owl on the night - by Nick Gardner

The walk back to the main track started a while later. This time it was in search of  of the Golden-rumped Elephant-shrew. Unfortunately, after a long while none was spotted and everyone had to admit defeat. Ngala couldn't hide his disappointment though.

He said that none could be spotted because their population had rapidly depleted over the past few years as a result of poaching. Otherwise, given the period within which they had been searching, they would have seen at least four!!!!

Later, the team was ready to head back to Mwamba. Little did they know that the forest had a second treat in store for them that was as elusive as the Sokoke Scops Owls - elephants. Though the forest has elephants, they are very difficult to find and one has  to rise up very early with the hopes of catching a glimpse of them as they go to drink water in swamps. Which unfortunately hardly ever happens. So for the team to spot not one but two of them was just priceless.

It was indeed a double treat....Arabuko-Sokoke Forest style!!!

Age is no limit; Environmental Education at Kindergaten

Most environmental education programmes target students at upper primary level of education. To many of us this is because membership of the environmental clubs (the main focus of most environmental education programmes) often comprises of students of this age. This tendency locks out the smaller children from any involvement whatsoever in environmental programmes. Today we went against all odds to engage 53 students from Edna Peter's Academy in environmental awareness activities for the afternoon. With ages ranging from Baby Class (play group) to class Four, (11 years old) it was definitely a challenge to put to order a class of 53 students. However it was a lot of fun.

After their packed lunch, the students were led on a discovery tour through the Mwamba Field Study Centre Nature Trail where they enjoyed seeing ants, monkeys and butterflies among other creatures. I couldn't stop them from singing an old butterfly song;

Butterfly butterfly

Where do you stay?

I don't know, I never had a home,

So can you take me eh eh, can you take me.

Later they had a really good time building sand castles on the beach.

It was fun! As Mark Twain wrote, "Age is an issue of mind over matter; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter"