7/15/2008 (entry by Emily Walz) - I recently returned from an incredible adventure that took me to Kenya for 5 months through a study abroad program at the University of Minnesota. After taking classes in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, on international sustainable development, I was fortunate enough to be able to set up an internship teaching at Kambi Primary School in the small village of Naro Moru located at the base of Mt. Kenya. One of the best parts of my experience was living with a local host family, and seeing how Kambi Primary School has enriched the children’s lives.
I believe that education is the foundation for peace, justice, and development in our world and that it is the only route to self-reliance and independence. No one knows this more than the students, parents, and teachers of Kambi Primary School. I had the opportunity to see the two new classroom buildings when they were in the process of being built as well as after they were completed and there were excited students learning inside of them. I was at the opening ceremony of the classrooms where parents and community members from the whole village ate, sang, and danced in celebration. They are so proud of the new classroom buildings, and they send their deepest gratitude to all of the people who made it possible.
Grades seven and eight currently have their classes in the new buildings (something for the younger kids to look forward to) but the rest of the students are still attempting to learn in an old colonial horse stable that has been transformed into makeshift classrooms. They are dark, crowded, cold, and there is nothing blocking the noise from classroom to classroom. I can say from first hand experience that it is an extremely difficult learning environment to try to teach a lesson in. Our goal is to continue to raise funds, completing at least one new classroom each year until every student has adequate facilities.
When you help a child to become educated and develop a passion for learning, it does not only benefit the single student. The student’s success will, in turn, help their family, their community, and set an example for future generations.
