Friday, 30 November 2012

One Year in Kenya!

4th November I will have been here a year – so much has happened, so many new experiences and so many new friends. What will the second year have in store ……………..
-          We have trebled the enrolment from 2011
-          We have reduced trainee drop out from 80% in 2011 to 50% this year. Still a long way to go but improving facilities and culture should help that trend to continue.
-          We have received a large greenhouse which will help improve the nutritional quality of the school dinners and hopefully generate additional income from surpluses.
-          We have managed to get 6 trainees sponsored by UK donors – These would have probably added to the drop-out numbers had funding not been found so the impact of what are relatively small amounts from a UK perspective make a huge difference to an individuals and a family’s life here.
-          We have a new football strip – Thank you to Tattenhoe from Milton Keynes
-          Old laptops are being donated as we speak and will allow us to start a computer course in January 2013. This will make a big impact in breaking the poverty cycle so common in this area of rural central Kenya.
-          A printer donated by some generous and kind hearted individuals in the UK
-          Funding for a new WC and shower block which will commence shortly. Again this will greatly improve the environment and replace the current pit latrines.
-          Most importantly we have a new manager who has blossomed in to the role and is gaining confidence every day. We also have improved staff morale which was at a major low a year ago.
All of this is through no small effort of the team at the Polytechnic who have made me very welcome, been very patient whilst I got used to the Kenyan pace of life and way of getting things done. We have both learnt so much from each other and are looking forward to the year ahead. 

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