I've officially been in site almost a month straight now which is good because I was traveling a lot and will be again when my dad comes in a few weeks. It's important for me to "show face" in my community in order to integrate. I thought I was fully integrated, but then the other day I went on a walk and 3 different people asked me for money! That doesn't usually happen with people I know because they understand that I don't make anything as a Peace Corps Volunteer. So I've been working really hard to be seen in the community these last few weeks by attending church, going to the dispensary every day and just talking with local people around the village.
Here are my most recent updates:
I HAVE ELECTRICITY NOW!!!!! It's truly amazing! You never know how much you miss something until you don't have it. It's not about the actual light, because truthfully I found candle light and my lamp soothing, but just being able to charge is a miracle in itself. I use to have to walk 2 hour round trip to go charge anything and the walk was almost entirely uphill. In the rainy season it's near impossible and keeps me out of my community more than I'd like. We are only the second home in the entire village to get electricity (even the health clinic doesn't have it). It is very much a luxury here and all the credit goes to my mama for pulling it together. Hopefully in the next few years, Singorwet will have full power!
I've finished my proposal for the Singorwet Dispensary Maternity Ward Development Plan! I have one more meeting with the chief tomorrow to go over the proposal, then we will turn it into Peace Corps who will hopefully approve it and put it up on the Peace Corps website so all you back home can donate funds! I'll let you know how to once it's up, but all donations are tax deductible and 100% goes directly to my project. Watch for updates!
Another project I've began working on is starting a scholarship fund for kids in the village. Everyday I walk through the village and see tons of kids out of school! When I ask them why they aren't in school they say because of fees. Primary education (k-8) is free, but there are still PTA fees and the uniform is about 500ksh ($6.25US). Secondary education (9-12) is 8400ksh a term ($105US) and the uniform is about 1500ksh
($18.75US). It's so saddening for me to see. I've decided to sponsor one secondary student with my own money because i work with her mother at the health clinic, but even that is a lot for me when I only make
$180 a month for a living stipend here. Obviously, not everyone can be helped, but I'd really like to start a
scholarship fund here for deserving students. My plan is to have a meeting with the parents of the students that qualify. The parents must contribute at least 200ksh ($2.50) a month to a savings account that can only be used for the students education. They must provide receipts for fees paid, grade marks per term and students must provide register attendance to show that they attended 95% of classes. I'm trying to reach out to teachers in America that might want to do a fundraising for these children with their class. I think it would be a great way for kids in America to connect with children in Africa to gain mutual understanding of one another's cultures. My students in return will send thank you cards to each class, talking about what school
is like here etc and I will provide pictures. Education in a 3rd world country is so important where uneducated children remain a part of the poverty cycle. If you know of any teachers that might want to participate please let me know: aflynnschneider@gmail.com
I have received about 30 solar cookers from Peace Corps and am planning to do a nutrition day in July. I'm going to sell the cookers for 300ksh ($3.75US) each and the money will go toward the maternity ward. I'll be writing a blog update about this when the time comes!
Finally, I've been chosen to be a part of the National Peace Corps Association's Serving Volunteer Advisory Council! The NPCA (http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/) was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in DC. It's a nonprofit organization that supports Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former volunteers through their continued service back home. Over 50,000 members serve on NPCA. The Serving Volunteer Advisory Council connects NPCA to volunteers that are currently serving all over the world. My responsibilities are as follows:
Last update: My dad comes in t-minus 10 days!!!!! Hopefully I can convince him to write an update with me when he gets here!
Cheers from Kenya!
Andrea Chepkosgei
Here are my most recent updates:
I HAVE ELECTRICITY NOW!!!!! It's truly amazing! You never know how much you miss something until you don't have it. It's not about the actual light, because truthfully I found candle light and my lamp soothing, but just being able to charge is a miracle in itself. I use to have to walk 2 hour round trip to go charge anything and the walk was almost entirely uphill. In the rainy season it's near impossible and keeps me out of my community more than I'd like. We are only the second home in the entire village to get electricity (even the health clinic doesn't have it). It is very much a luxury here and all the credit goes to my mama for pulling it together. Hopefully in the next few years, Singorwet will have full power!
I've finished my proposal for the Singorwet Dispensary Maternity Ward Development Plan! I have one more meeting with the chief tomorrow to go over the proposal, then we will turn it into Peace Corps who will hopefully approve it and put it up on the Peace Corps website so all you back home can donate funds! I'll let you know how to once it's up, but all donations are tax deductible and 100% goes directly to my project. Watch for updates!
Another project I've began working on is starting a scholarship fund for kids in the village. Everyday I walk through the village and see tons of kids out of school! When I ask them why they aren't in school they say because of fees. Primary education (k-8) is free, but there are still PTA fees and the uniform is about 500ksh ($6.25US). Secondary education (9-12) is 8400ksh a term ($105US) and the uniform is about 1500ksh
($18.75US). It's so saddening for me to see. I've decided to sponsor one secondary student with my own money because i work with her mother at the health clinic, but even that is a lot for me when I only make
$180 a month for a living stipend here. Obviously, not everyone can be helped, but I'd really like to start a
scholarship fund here for deserving students. My plan is to have a meeting with the parents of the students that qualify. The parents must contribute at least 200ksh ($2.50) a month to a savings account that can only be used for the students education. They must provide receipts for fees paid, grade marks per term and students must provide register attendance to show that they attended 95% of classes. I'm trying to reach out to teachers in America that might want to do a fundraising for these children with their class. I think it would be a great way for kids in America to connect with children in Africa to gain mutual understanding of one another's cultures. My students in return will send thank you cards to each class, talking about what school
is like here etc and I will provide pictures. Education in a 3rd world country is so important where uneducated children remain a part of the poverty cycle. If you know of any teachers that might want to participate please let me know: aflynnschneider@gmail.com
I have received about 30 solar cookers from Peace Corps and am planning to do a nutrition day in July. I'm going to sell the cookers for 300ksh ($3.75US) each and the money will go toward the maternity ward. I'll be writing a blog update about this when the time comes!
Finally, I've been chosen to be a part of the National Peace Corps Association's Serving Volunteer Advisory Council! The NPCA (http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/) was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in DC. It's a nonprofit organization that supports Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community through networking and mentoring to help guide former volunteers through their continued service back home. Over 50,000 members serve on NPCA. The Serving Volunteer Advisory Council connects NPCA to volunteers that are currently serving all over the world. My responsibilities are as follows:
- Communicate with NPCA staff via Skype at least four times per year
- Suggest topics to address in WorldView magazine and provide general feedback to the NPCA about issues and concerns of currently serving Peace Corps Volunteers
- Answer questions from NPCA staff as they arise
- Share information about the NPCA with the serving Peace Corps Volunteer community
Last update: My dad comes in t-minus 10 days!!!!! Hopefully I can convince him to write an update with me when he gets here!
Cheers from Kenya!
Andrea Chepkosgei
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