The last two weeks in April are a much-needed vacation for the hardworking teachers of the Kibera School for Girls. But our students have something special up their sleeves… The Kibera School for Girls has been filled with razzle and dazzle over the past two week thanks to the extraordinary talent of the Africa Yoga Project, which has brought (drumroll please…) CIRCUS CAMP to KSG!

Circus Camp has been full of fun and adventure! The camp began with a trip to Sarakasi Dome, where we watched performances by talented acrobats demonstrating the kind of skills the girls would be learning during camp. KSG students also had a relaxing day in the Nairobi Arboretum discussing environmental conservation efforts, which was followed by a yoga lesson in the park.

Teachers from the Africa Yoga Project led classes in yoga, drumming, dance, singing, face painting, hula-hoops, jump rope, acrobatics, and sign language. Students rotated through these activities the first week and got to choose what they would like to focus on for the second. Circus Camp culminated in a colorful and energetic performance for KSG families.

Life in Kibera doesn’t provide many opportunities for exposure to the performing and creative arts, so we work hard to engage our students in diverse extracurricular and artistic activities to nurture their love for learning – and to inspire them with the possibilities of their education. Watching the students filled with excitement from these new experiences was incredible. From a pre-k student beaming as she balanced on top of the human pyramid, to a third grader realizing her natural drumming ability, it’s clear that Circus Camp will stick with these girls forever. Thank you, Africa Yoga Project, for all of your amazing efforts and positive energy in bringing the circus to Kibera!

Clapping in Sign Language

Juliet demonstrating her awesome jump rope skills

Acrobats-in-Training!

Melissa, pre-k, painting the face of one brave KSG family member

Announcing a new first for SHOFCO – we now have a playground on the roof of the Kibera School for Girls! Participants on a service trip organized by Africa Yoga Project spent five days in Kibera at Shining Hope for Communities building a playground for KSG, a community toilet, and new furniture for the school. AYP’s service trip is aptly called Seva Safari - seva means selfless service in Sanskrit, and safari means journey in Kiswahili. AYP’s Seva Safari brings individuals from the US and Canada to Kenya to practice yoga, visit AYP’s projects throughout Nairobi, and engage in a service project. 

We are lucky enough to partner with AYP, whose amazing instructors teach yoga once a week at KSG. Last year, AYP’s Seva Safari participants built Shining Hope’s new community centre. The project was such a success that AYP chose to come back to Shining Hope again this year. In order to build a playground in Kibera, AYP engaged the help of Playground Ideas, a nonprofit that assists underserved communities in building safe, beautiful playgrounds from locally sourced materials. Their focus on a child’s right to play is one that resonates deeply with Shining Hope; we see development through play as an important part of a child’s overall growth.

Shining Hope is so grateful to AYP, Seva Safari participants, and Playground Ideas for the amazing gift they have given the current and future students at KSG. The positive energy, enthusiasm, and dedication of these volunteers has been palpable – how else could they have built a beautiful playground in just five days? A big thank you to everyone involved!

One of the climbing cubbies attached to monkey bars

A view of some of the playground from one end of the roof

Wednesdays at the Kibera School for Girls are a very exciting day for all—it’s weekly clubs day! 

Since January, the teachers have been noticing that the students were getting antsy over the course of the school week—no surprise given our students are grades pre-K through 3^rd and have a tremendous amount of energy. The teachers wanted to find a way for the students to be reinvigorated and excited about their studies. The solution? Weekly clubs!

The idea behind the clubs is to give students the chance to move around, release energy, and cultivate extracurricular talents. There are currently four clubs: Drama, Kiswahili, Music and Dance, and Aerobics. The students rotate between the four clubs and all greatly enjoy this mid-week change from their classroom lessons. Even the Kiswahili club keeps their meetings active: students learn different rhymes and word games in Kiswahili, which they recite in voices bursting with excitement.

“The girls love the clubs,” Teacher Julia said, “every day they ask how many days are left until clubs!” Observing the club meetings will show you it’s not just the students having a blast; our teachers have a great time leading the clubs and love the energy it brings to the week. One of the goals of KSG is not only to provide an excellent academic program, but also to provide opportunities for our students to explore their interests and skills. Club meetings are a great way to encourage our students’ many unique talents.

Drama club performing “The Woman and the Monkey”

Kiswahili club reciting rhymes with Headmistress Anne

Diana, Kindergarten, showing off her dance skills

Aerobics club working up a sweat!

When Shining Hope’s cofounder and COO, Jessica Posner, was in eighth grade, she received math tutoring from Marty Caplan, the principal of her middle school. Years later, when Marty read an article about Jessica and her work with Shining Hope in the Denver Post, he immediately contacted Jessica about supporting the organization. Marty, a math teacher and curriculum specialist, and his wife Arna, a dedicated pre-school and elementary school teacher, volunteered their extensive experience as educators. Both have retired from teaching and were looking for a way to contribute their knowledge and skills to a meaningful cause. Between the two of them, they have 70 years of experience!

Jessica jumped at the opportunity to have these veteran teachers assist in the effort to create an exceptional math curriculum for the Kibera School for Girls. Marty, who now works as a math program consultant for Denver schools, was the perfect solution! He arranged for the school’s purchase of the curriculum ‘Math in Focus,’ which is based on the Singapore education system. It starts with very concrete methods of learning through physical manipulatives (like blocks, scales, paper money) before advancing to abstract concepts.

For the past two weeks, Marty and Arna have been in Kibera training KSG’s teachers. Their visit has been well received by teachers and students alike; the students have been surprised at how fun math can be, and the teachers are thrilled with the new tools for their lessons! Marty and Arna have led intensive workshops for the teachers, facilitated lesson planning, and assisted with general preparation for the year.

In addition to the math curriculum, Arna is implementing a reading recovery program for those students performing below grade level. This program involves daily individual tutoring for those students. It’s based on the belief that reading and writing are inextricably linked and that the lessons should be specifically tailored to the student’s abilities—in order to avoid frustration and to effectively encourage their progress in learning. The program involves reading at exactly the student’s level, having the student create sentences of their own, and then scrambling the words in the sentence for the student to put back in the correct order. This method develops the critical thinking and engagement necessary for building a strong foundation of skill in reading and writing.

Marty and Arna hope to come back next year to implement an equally extensive reading program as well as continue the math curriculum training. The experience has been rewarding for everyone involved and Marty and Arna have been amazing. In their own words, “we have fallen in love with the Kibera community. The teachers are bright and very receptive to learning new methods. The children are so impressive. Working with them cannot help but make us smile.”

Arna presenting dolls created by women4women-knitting4peace and gifted to KSG students

The JJJ Clinic has been bustling with activity! PINCC (Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer), an organization that trains clinicians from underserved clinics in the screening and treatment of cervical cancer, has brought its services to Shining Hope. In order to provide the JJJ Clinic staff with a comprehensive training program, PINCC will be visiting Shining Hope three to four times over the next two years. During these visits, PINCC will hold workshops to train our clinicians in cervical cancer screening techniques and a variety of treatment methods. When clinicians have successfully completed the training, they will be officially certified by PINCC, and PINCC will donate screening materials and treatment equipment to the JJJ Clinic.

PINCC’s work is shedding a much-needed light on cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is the most deadly cancer for women in Africa, which is especially shocking given the fact it is the most preventable cancer in the world. Cervical cancer, caused by the sexually transmitted disease HPV, takes five to ten years to develop. With regular cervical screenings, precancerous lesions can be detected and removed. PINCC teaches a simple and cost-effective screening technique called VIA, visual inspection with acetic acid (vinegar). This technique, combined with cryotherapy or LEEP treatment methods, can save countless women’s lives.

The JJJ Clinic staff is always excited to learn and this week has been no exception. There has been no shortage of positive feedback about PINCC’s work, teaching methods, and wonderful volunteers.

Shining Hope has enjoyed hosting PINCC and we look forward to continuing this important partnership!

PINCC volunteer Dr. Merritt Evans with JJJ Clinic staff Diana, Caroline, and Purity, learning about cervical cancer through flashcards.

Shining Hope community health worker (CHW) Zahara teaching others about cervical cancer through a wonderful flip book developed by PINCC.

Last week was quite eventful (literally!) for Shining Hope for Communities. 

The US Ambassador to Kenya, Scott Gration, and his wife Judy Gration hosted an event to honor Newman’s Own Foundation, during which Newman’s Own announced a major multi-year grant for Shining Hope. We are incredibly grateful for the Newman’s Own Foundation's tremendous ongoing support for Shining Hope’s work in Kibera! This event brought together numerous local and international organizations to learn about Shining Hope’s mission, and see a stunning performance by some of the students from Kibera School for Girls.

 The next day, Shining Hope for Communities hosted Ambassador Gration and Mrs. Gration for an event in Kibera, marking the official opening of Shining Hope’s new school and water tower. Media representatives, individual supporters, and numerous staff members of organizations and foundations based in Nairobi attended to visit Shining Hope’s programs, and to hear inspiring remarks from Shining Hope founders, Jessica Posner and Kennedy Odede, as well as Ambassador Gration, Bob Forrester, the President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation, and Margaret Patricelli, the Chair of the Shining Hope Board of Directors. The event was a wonderful success, and gave Shining Hope great exposure to local media coverage and those interested in supporting our work. In Kibera, where most children do not attend school and life expectancy is 30, Shining Hope is changing lives, thanks to our community of dedicated staff and supporters.

Preparing to cut the ribbon to the new Kibera School for Girls, from left: Margaret Patricelli, Judy Gration, Bob Forrester, Jessica Posner, Kennedy Odede, and Ambassador Scott Gration.

This week marked the graduation ceremony for the students of Kibera School for Girls! The ceremony took place in the new school and proved what a terrific venue the large multi-purpose room can be! Parents were invited and the turnout was terrific. The girls were all smiles as they were presented with their diplomas and told by Anne, the headmistress, to look their parents in the eyes and “show them with your face how you are feeling.” How did the girls appear to be feeling? Very proud and happy!

Pre-k showing off their diplomas

After the ceremony, parents were invited to the school library to see and hear about student projects. For the cultural diversity unit in social studies the girls learned about their own and their classmates’ heritages. Each class created numerous art projects on the subject.

2nd graders Natasha, Lillian, Idah, and Velma in front of their projects

Vallery and Lensa from pre-kindergarten discussing their projects

Movin, kindergarten, behind a model of a traditional Luhya village

Students also performed songs, dances, and poems they had created for their parents. Family in attendance loved the performances and frequently danced and sang along.

 It was a fantastic day enjoyed by all and we are extremely proud of all our students.

From December 10^th to the 14^th, Shining Hope’s clinic, along with numerous clinics nationwide, held a Polio Campaign. The purpose of this campaign was to raise awareness about polio, preventable diseases, and vaccinations for children through providing free polio vaccinations to children under five.

The government organized this countrywide campaign after a case of polio was found in a young child in Nyanza Province. Polio was believed to have been mostly eradicated from Kenya, with hardly any cases in the last twenty years so a potential outbreak is a serious issue to be addressed promptly. Polio is a highly contagious virus, especially in areas where hygiene and sanitation is poor, like Kibera.

The vaccination campaign occurred all over Kenya during these five days and has proved very successful. This campaign, coupled with an earlier round done in November, vaccinated 2,003 children at the JJJ Clinic! Parents bring in their young children and their clinic cards, which document vaccinations received. If children have had no vaccinations at all, they will be given the polio vaccine and appointments will be scheduled for other necessary vaccinations. The clinic’s community health workers (CHWs) follow-up with home visits to assure parents know when to bring their children back to the clinic.

There is no cure for polio so preventing this potentially life-threatening disease is of the utmost importance. Shining Hope’s polio campaign raises awareness about polio, how to prevent it, as well as informs parents of other vaccinations for their children, and where those vaccinations can be completed – namely, at Shining Hope’s clinic. Shining Hope’s clinic staff is working tirelessly towards officially eradicating the threat of polio from Kibera, and from Kenya.

The theme of World AIDS Day this year, held annually on December 1^st, was “Getting to Zero” which came from UNAIDS vision of “Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.” The Kenya World AIDS Day event was held in Kisumu but the Ministry of Health also organized an event for Nairobi held in town. The event started in Uhuru Park where attendees gathered to walk together to the main venue. The aim of the event was to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, while setting a goal to bring HIV infection down to zero.

Community Health Workers from Shining Hope attended the event and were impressed by the turnout. People from all over Nairobi were present, with many large organizations in attendance. Skits were performed and poems were read, all related to how important it is to protect yourselves and your partners from HIV/AIDS. Government officials made speeches, sending an important message to all who were there: it is our responsibility to protect ourselves from HIV, to know our own and our partners’ status, and to take care not to infect other people.

It is important to continue creating awareness about HIV and to share practical information about HIV prevention. In 2010, UNAIDS reported that 1.5 million in Kenya are living with HIV with an annual infection rate of around 100,000*. Shining Hope CHWs felt strongly about attending the event, as HIV is something they frequently deal with in Kibera and want to continue educating people about. Shining Hope runs an HIV/AIDS support group, the Post-Test Club, whose members also attended the World AIDS Day event. Head CHW, Maggie, said the people in the Post-Test Club were excited about an event targeting HIV/AIDS and it was empowering for them to see how many people were there.

The event was a success and inspired the CHWs to hold their own World AIDS Day event next year in Kibera!

*http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/node/348

Following up on our significant Girl Effect Challenge win comes an interview with the leader of Shining Girls, Emily. Emily grew up in Kibera and knows firsthand the challenges that exist for adolescent girls in Kibera. When asked why Shining Girls started, Emily responded simply, “So girls here in Kibera won’t waste their lives.”

Shining Girls started two years ago as a way to keep girls in school through the provision of sanitary pads and other material goods, as well as life skills knowledge. They meet every weekend to talk about issues pertinent to their lives and to empower each other to stay in school, even when it’s difficult. “Many of these girls miss school because they don’t have sanitary pads. Some go to school for a week, then miss many days when there is no money for school fees. Here in Shining Girls, we help them,” Emily explained.

Emily knows that Shining Girls is important because the group motivates these girls to think about their future, to examine where they are coming from and where they can go. Many of them look badly upon their pasts, a feeling Emily can relate to, and are able to discuss those feelings and how to move past them. Emily smiles when she says that teaching positive thinking is both necessary and powerful for these girls.

Shining Girls helps the girls think positively because it gives them something to look forward to, and helps them discover their talents. Emily most enjoys helping the girls experiment creatively, with poems, theatre, and dance. Emily’s passion for what she does is clear, “Watching them make poetry is overwhelming, hearing them find a way to say their experiences through expressing their feelings…it’s so good. And then knowing they will share that with other girls, other people in the community; it’s a good feeling.”

Emily believes recognition is important for these girls to feel confident that, despite their impoverished upbringing, they have something significant to offer the world. When asked what she would love to do with the group, Emily responded that she dreams of making a full length documentary to teach about Kibera, about what these girls face in their lives, about the good and the bad and everyday life as it is here. She believes something like this would help with recognition, for these girls, for Kibera, and for slums in general. Emily smiles excitedly, “It would give them a chance to have their stories heard everywhere, all over the world. Imagine!”