Ringroad Update: July 2010

From Ringroad Kisumu,

Receive greetings from this lakeside city that is warm at this hour of the early morning. On such days the sun grows hot by ten a.m and mid-day most folks have peeled off their jackets. We have had a beautiful July after an equally productive June.

June was fantastic when we hosted the greatest National ladies convention yet, we also had Coach Tony visit with us for a whole week. Over 400 hundred ladies from all over the country spent 3days at the Ringroad facility and according to their testimony thereafter, it was the best three-day fellowship since they started several years ago. They had their best fellowship yet, the number that turned-up was unexpected and got some of our organizers worried at first but it all worked better than anticipated. The church men were commended for their catering services, the youth choir was always on standby for entertainment. The roles according to African culture were reversed for 3days with us the men doing all the cooking and serving the ladies.

The second school term or this year is almost over now, we have just finished our end of term examinations and teachers are busy marking or grading. I as the class-master for the grade 8 am praying for these 31 candidates we have registered this year. I hope they perform better than ever before. I have been with them since class 6 and have noticed they have great potential to go better than their predecessors. Last year, I had 28 candidates. Dickens Andanjo emerged the best and joined Alliance National school. Rita, Protus, John, Philip, Eunice Amayo, Eunice Achieng, Ben, Clement, Lilian, Derrick, Winnie and Jacob have all joined top provincial schools. The rest are in district schools. Only one boy, Johannes Akuku is going for vocational training. We hope this year will be better with maybe 2 or 3 entries into the national schools. For any of these orphans to make it even to the provincial school is an achievement since most of them depend on the school for everything from meals to clothing and only go home to sleep. Most have to help with house chores e.g. a good number must take care of younger siblings or take over the food and vegetable stalls in the evening from the guardians. Electricity is a luxury to some so they are forced to do all the academic work at school. The school does its best to make their lives as normal as possible.

At the same time, Dino, the sports and activities master has extra-curricular activities scheduled for these young ones to unearth and exploit their talents and have fun during it all. We have very successful boys and girl scout troupes( both are the reigning national champions); a children’s choir, a drama & singing group, two boys soccer teams, and one girls soccer team among other clubs and societies at school level.

Our youth choir is doing very well, we have grown very strong this year, and our next mission is in Ugunja Church of Christ for the Nyanza churches fellowship. We always meet on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday afternoons for practice, we are still open for new members, all the youth and the young at heart are welcome to join. This is one of our best years with over 16 fully dedicated members. This group gets to attend the youth meetings too and this also encourages the young people to fellowship and have fun together every weekend. One of our aims for the second part of the year is to compile several of our songs into a CD and sell it to church members to enable us purchase some uniforms. We are equipping this young people with knowledge and skills as we feed their spirits with the word of Christ so that one day they may come back and help another. Thru the children, we reach out to the guardians. e.g. Last month I spoke with Alice Akoth’s mom, she is a single mother trying to raise her children the best way possible; what started as an academic check-up and update ended up as a bible study and a few days later a baptism with the help of Bro George Obonyo.

We have a success story in young Elvis; an orphan, he just graduated from high school with flying colors. He was 35th in the whole province and among the top 100 in the country with straight A’s; he is now helping to teach others at the Oasis of Hope Secondary school as he awaits his university call-up letter. The school has been his parent all this years and still is. Oasis is a partner project that helps absorb the less fortunate and gives a chance at having high school education.

Thank you Coach Tony for your time here, the effects of your teaching; insight, your company, care, support and input have reached wamama, wazee and mostly youth and watoto of Kisumu and Kenya. We always thank God for you.

Our meetings and deliberations in Nairobi and Kisumu were both productive and have a great potential of further empowering and building our young people thus guaranteeing a better future for Kenya . As now we are looking at establishing a college where this young folk may enroll in and learn more life skills and art in order to be more efficient and self-reliant in life. Coach Tony and I met with the Ringroad management team about this college and we all agreed of the great need there is here for such, since over a third of the high school graduates in our country are left to find there own way. Only a quarter can join public universities and colleges and it all depends on your financial capabilities plus the fact that private ones are well beyond the capabilities of the majority.

Ahsanteni sana for your care and support. Mungu awalinde.

Peace and Joy,
Dino.