Brent Zimmerman - Dedication of The Sheri Klein School in Kenya

My name is Brent Zimmerman. I traveled to East Africa as part of the Koins for Kenya expedition in July of this year. It was a life-changing experience for me. I would like to tell you about my trip to hopefully give you an idea how special it was.

My story begins in August of 2009 when my sister passed away in childbirth. The event was traumatic to the entire family, of course, but especially to my mother. She found it particularly difficult to recover from the grief of that event. She felt that building a school in memory of my sister would help her and the rest of the family to heal. In December of 2011, she contacted Koins for Kenya and made plans to fund the building of two classrooms in the village of Miyani. My parents were the primary donors, with additional donations coming from our extended family. The groundbreaking for the school was in May of 2012.

The original plan was for my parents to attend the dedication ceremony, but they were unable to make the trip. So, my brother and I were chosen to travel to Kenya and represent the family. The two weeks we spent in Kenya were amazing. We met so many people and they all treated us so well that we started to feel like celebrities. The highlight of the trip came on the day before we departed. That was when we attended the dedication ceremony of the two new classrooms in Miyani. This is my journal entry for that day:

July 20, 2012

Today was the dedication ceremony for the Sheri Klein School. It was easily the most amazing moment of my life. Picture the joy of getting married or of seeing your child born and then add over 1,000 cheering fans. I'll try to write a description, but it won't begin to do it justice.

We took a van to the ceremony, which was in the village of Miyani. When we were a few hundred yards from the village we saw the students waiting for us. They saw us coming and all ran out to greet us. There were over 1,000 of them singing and dancing. Russ and I got out and walked through the sea of children all in uniform. They swarmed around us clapping, shaking our hands, and giving us high-fives. They sang songs in the traditional call-and-response style. From our location in the center of the crowd, the volume was almost deafening.

 We walked with them the rest of the way to the village where we were met by the ladies of the village singing and dancing another song. They escorted us to the entrance of the school yard where the girl scouts marched us to the new classrooms. The building had been painted blue and white and looked very sturdy compared to the older dirt-floored buildings surrounding it. There was a brief ribbon-cutting, followed by photos in one of the classrooms. They then took us into the center of the schoolyard where there was a program featuring more singing, brief speeches and poetry. They then had the village elder dress us in traditional clothes, give us village names and make us honorary members of the clan. They then had Russ and me speak with the help of an interpreter. Russ was in charge of thanking all the appropriate people, including donors, construction workers, the Koins Foundation, etc. I was in charge of telling a bit about Sheri and the reason the school was dedicated to her memory.



 Nearly all the members of our Koins expedition commented to us on how nice the ceremony was. I feel truly blessed that I was able to attend the dedication and represent the family. I have set a goal for myself to raise enough money to build additional classrooms for the school and for my parents to attend the dedication. The trip was something that I will never forget. I'm grateful to the Koins for Kenya organization for helping our family build the school in memory or my sister. I'm a firm believer in their mission and I plan to work with them in the future.

Skonnard's Video of July 2012 Expedition

4 members of the Skonnard family and 3 members of the Guest family participated in the July expeditions.  With the help of their Hidden Springs neighborhood in Fruit Heights, Utah, they raised funds to build the classrooms at Bofu, which were dedicated during our expedition.  The Skonnards put together this great video with photos and video of the July trip.  It is a great overview of many of the activities the expeditions participate in while in Kenya.


Asante, Skonnards, Guests and the Hidden Springs community.  It is clear the joy those efforts brought to the villagers of Bofu.

Live from Kenya

We have an expedition in Kenya.  Actually, we have two, as we have the Youth Leadership group in Vikolani, and we have the regular expedition at the KCC.  Altogether, it is a large group of Americans immersed in Kenya.  

We have had a very busy couple of weeks.  I will be adding more entries outlining our activities, and lots of photos.  

The top photo is the new Hidden Springs school at Bofu.  The opening ceremony was held last week.  There was another race hosted by Monica, the Race to Bofu, which brought out about 20 Kenyan women this year, compared to the 2 that ran last year.  

We planted trees behind the new school building, part of the opening ceremony.

We had several dances performed for us at the opening ceremony, all part of the cultural experience of an expedition.

Much of the group leaves for Mombasa tomorrow.  The remainder leave Saturday.  We have almost finished our work here.  There will be many blog posts to come outlining our experiences.

Asante sana,

IVL

Monkey Business - A post by Karen Timothy

A monkey on the balcony of a hotel room in Mombasa, enjoying his stolen goodies

            We arrived in Mombasa, Kenya after 2 long days of travel.  Our flight had taken us from Salt Lake to Portland then on to Amsterdam for a 12 hour layover and day in the city, then to Nairobi and finally to Mombasa.  Rather than get right back into vans and head for the village, we spent the night at a hotel on the beach and got a welcome night’s sleep in a real bed.  Our room looked out on the Indian Ocean and we had a good view of the swimming pool and dining room from our balcony.  The next morning while I was getting ready for the day, I could hear Tara laughing as she called me to come see something.  As I joined her on the balcony, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Everywhere we looked there were monkeys running around - jumping on the pool furniture, running on the beach….even sneaking into the dining room of the hotel!

Monkeys on the beach

They looked like a little gang of thugs as a group of them would congregate by the pool then suddenly one would dart into the dining room while the others watched.  A few seconds later it would come screaming back out with a roll or a sugar packet in its hand, being chased by a waiter wielding a big stick.   The monkey gang would watch the chase with great interest then when they were well away from their pursuer, they’d pounce on the victor and devour the spoils.  After they’d eaten they’d settle down for a minute but before long one more would dart into the dining room and the same scene would play out all over again.  We watched this happen over and over until we finally had to go down to breakfast.  Sure enough, as we were sitting there, in dashed a monkey who ran around the buffet, grabbed a roll, and zipped back outside with a waiter on its heels.  The waiter soon came strolling back in with the unruffled look of someone who had just finished polishing the silverware on his face so we assumed this routine was only new and amusing to us.

Monkey contemplating how to break into a hotel room

Babboon at safari restaurant, looking for opportunity

             In thinking back, I’m not sure there were any doors that could have been closed to prevent the monkeys from entering.  The dining room opened up onto a nice patio through big open arches and I can’t help but smile as I think of how differently we would handle a “monkey problem” in one of our restaurants!  Apparently it’s kind of a common thing because toward the end of our trip we had a similar problem.  We had been able to get a 24-hour pass to an animal preserve so we spent an evening and the following morning at a hotel located near an elephant water hole.  On our way to dinner that night we got a kick out of the signs posted everywhere that read,  “Do not feed the baboons.” Sure enough, the next morning at breakfast, Sue left her seat for a moment and a baboon came running the full length of the dining room, jumped up and grabbed her roll then darted off.  What is with monkeys and rolls??!!  Curt had his back to the entrance so he hadn’t even seen it coming. Sue saw the whole thing from across the room and it kinda spoiled her appetite.  It was sort of a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” moment!

Lioness on the prowl

Zebra on the plain

One of hundreds of elephants we saw while on safari

By the way…while on the preserve we saw giraffes, zebras, baboons, warthogs, vultures,  impala, lions, water bucks, kudu, one hippo, water buffalo, jackal, dik dik, ostriches, gazelles, and more elephants than you could shake a stick at.  At our first elephant sighting we were SO ecstatic, clamoring all over each other to get a good picture.  By the end it was  like…”Dang! I can’t see anything– there are too many elephants in the way!”

Karen Timothy - July expeditioner
Photos by Taylor Hoyt - July expeditioner

Abel Paulsen - Eagle Scout and Humanitarian

Abel and the children of Mnyenzeni, Kenya

I have recently been reading the blog and watching the videos on the website and felt inspired to write something. I can't put into words how much I appreciate Koins for Kenya. All they have done to change my life, the lives of others, and the lives of many Kenyan children. When I first heard about this opportunity, I liked it, but I had doubts that I would be able to do it and that I would be able to raise the money that I needed. I knew it would be fun, but I didn't know if it would be better to just do a typical paint-a-fence type of eagle project. Over the course of about two weeks, I was faced with a tough decision. I prayed and prayed on what to do and after about two and a half weeks, I knew that it was my duty to go to Kenya. I am so glad I made that decision. I have noticed a major change in my life and have seen the outstanding differences between two different worlds.  It is like opening the curtains to a bright warm sun on my face in the morning. I have noticed all of my blessings that I take for granted and think "Why Me?" What did I do to have more than these kids that are so poor? They work their butts off every day to get a small meal and a nice dirt floor to sleep on. 

Abel playing with the village kids in front of the KCC

Anyway I'm rambling.  This adventure has changed me for the better.  I love Kenya from the bottom of my heart and wish that these kids will get the opportunities that they deserve.  I hope to help these kids as much as I can.  I pray for them everyday and hope everyone in this world can love.

Asante Sana,

Abel Paulsen              



 _________________________________________________________________

Abel and Kim in Amsterdam

Abel was the youngest (and quietest) member of our July 2011 expedition.  He came to Kenya with his aunt, Kim Raybould.  He and his scout troop raised over $1,000 with a curb address painting project, and that money went towards building desks that were donated to the new Gona classrooms built by the Tingeys.  Abel worked hard in the workshop for several days, alongside Kenyan men, to build the sturdy desks that will each seat 3-4 students.  Without the desks, students would sit on the floor.

Abel building desks at the workshop

Abel and one of the desks he built

Kim and Abel in a finished desk

A classroom full of desks built by Abel

A typical classroom, 3-4 students per desk

Abel and Patrick

Abel shadowed Patrick for a day, accompanying him to his classes at Miyani Primary school, then going home with Patrick and participating in the work associated with daily Kenyan life.

Abel and Eric, his new buddy

I observed Abel at the Sean Michels School for special needs children, interacting with the kids there, and winning over Eric, the young son of Jemimah, the matron at the SMS.  Where the other white people would want to hold Eric or get into his personal space, Abel held out a ball and enticed Eric over to him, then taught Eric how to throw and catch the ball.  Able made a lifelong friend that day.  Abel blew bubbles with Beja, who was delighted by the interaction. The rest of the children at the SMS were drawn to Abel and his kind smile.  Before we left that day, many of them posed for photos with Abel.

Abel and Eric playing with a ball

Abel blowing bubbles with Beja

Abel helping the SMS kids with an art project

Abel and one of the SMS boys

Abel came to Kenya as a typical American teen.  He left a humanitarian.

Abel headed to the Gona school celebration

Abel receives a kikoy and the Duruma name, Mshenga

Asante,

IVL

Abel having a safari adventure

Science Box Project

A post from Karen Timothy, a July 2011 expeditioner:


    One of the great things expeditioners get to do is come up with some sort of project they would like to do while in Kenya.  While most of us chose to teach in the schools as part of that, we also chose other projects that would benefit the villagers in some way.  Tara and I pooled our money with that of Tingey’s and Workman’s to make science kits for the schools. While some of the supplies were purchased at home and taken over, most of what we got was purchased in nearby Mombasa.

Karen and Sue with boxes ready to fill

    It took a little doing to get everything we needed but finally it arrived and the task of assembling began. The boxes themselves were bright blue trunks roughly 2 x 4 feet in size.  In each one we were able to put a microscope, litmus paper, beakers, test tubes, magnets, charts, batteries, and other sciency stuff.  We had just spread it all out on our dinner tables when Buffalo came in and stopped short.  Buffalo is a man, probably in his 50’s, who serves on the Koins board and has been a lifelong teacher there in the village.  He is a bright, pleasant man and a great advocate of the students there. I was so humbled as he approached the boxes laid out on the tables.  He had heard we were going to provide science boxes to each of the schools but he hadn’t thought about what that meant.  As he peered into the first box he literally caught his breath.  “Microscopes?” he asked.  “You are going to give every school their own microscope?”  When we nodded our heads, his eyes filled with tears and he spoke almost reverently.  “Not even the secondary schools can have a microscope.”  He picked up each item we had placed in the box and marveled that we could think of such a fine gift to give the 10 nearby schools, including his.  (Cindy gets full credit for thinking of this.  She really has a grasp on their needs.) He just kept shaking his head in amazement and grinned from ear to ear as we finished filling the trunks.

The headmaster of the Bofu school receives a science box

    Again, I was reminded that because we have so much, we sometimes lose our “awe.”  As we delivered these boxes to the schools you could see Buffalo’s reaction repeated by each new headmaster or teacher who opened it up.  At one school, Cindy took it into an 8th grade class to open in front of the kids.  As the lid was lifted and they could see the picture of the microscope on its’ box, they erupted into cheers and clapping while the teacher just jumped up and down!  I wish you could have seen the joy you brought to these students.  They will now be able to learn in a whole new way and the possibilities of where it will take them are limitless.

Buffalo explains the science box contents

    To understand how valuable a microscope is you need to imagine the frustration of the people in the villages who get so little help from outside.  While the Kenyan government has medication that can cure malaria, patients can’t receive the medication until they have a confirmed diagnosis of the disease.  Never mind that they drink from the same watering hole that cows, goats and sometimes elephants do ( and they don’t just drink there, mind you…) or that they have all the symptoms of malaria.  If they have not had a blood test confirm malaria, they get no treatment.  Being painfully aware of this after 8 trips to Africa, Cindy spent last school year helping her students raise money – about $1,500.00 – to buy a microscope for the dispensary in Mnyenzeni.  The first week it was in operation, 8 patients were tested for malaria.  Six of them had confirmed cases and were able to get medication to cure it, literally saving their lives.  While the microscopes you and I provided were not strong enough to detect malaria, these students will learn how to use one and hopefully spur some of them on to a course of study that will improve the quality of their lives by providing more competent health care.

Cindy observes the microscope in action

    When my uncle, Bill Seliger, heard of the need for microscopes, he changed his mind about selling his on ebay and instead, let us take it to the village and place it in the dispensary.  I should say he let Tara take it.  He had carefully packed it in a small case,  providing photographic documentation and explicit description so that we didn’t keep getting held up in airport security.  It was a 23-pound treasure and Tara hand carried it through 5 airports along with her own 50 lb. bag making sure that it didn’t get bumped or disturbed.  We were all glad when it found its new home in the dispensary.  While they did have the microscope from Windridge, it is electric and that can be a problem.  For some reason that we never came to understand, the government randomly cuts off the power and they can go from hours to days without it.  While most villagers would never know it happened because they don’t have electricity in their homes, we experienced it for a little over a day and found it to be really irritating.  While it doesn’t affect the air conditioners – because they don’t have any - it does wreak havoc with the refrigerators, power tools, sewing machines, and the one microscope Koins has placed in the village.  With this additional one, the power outages will no longer have such an impact on the sick.  

A microscope for the clinic that doesn't need power

    Thanks to all of you for helping provide science boxes for these 10 schools.  It really was Christmas in July.

Karen Timothy
__________________________________________

During our July trip to Kenya, I spent a morning in the dispensary, working with the lab techs who use the microscope.  I had a chance to talk to them about the importance of the microscope, how it is used to detect a variety of diseases, and more importantly, gives them the ability to accurately treat patients who arrive sick at the dispensary.

Medicine at the dispensary

Antibiotics to treat malaria

I watched with great interest as the lab techs washed and disinfected slides to reuse, and talked to me of their training and work history.  They showed me in the microscope how to detect malaria in the blood.  It was fascinating to see order and procedure take place in an area of the world where so much is chaotic and rudimentary.

Villagers waiting to be seen at the dispensary

The well baby area of the dispensary

Mnyenzeni is the only dispensary in the rural southeast coastal area of Kenya that has a microscope.  It has greatly increased the traffic that flows through the dispensary.  At any time on any given day, there will be 25-50 people outside the small building, patiently waiting their turn to be seen by the nurse.  The dispensary has the ability to take blood and urine samples, test for diseases, do prenatal and postpartum checks and well baby checks, and prescribe drugs.  There is a large clinic adjacent to the dispensary being built by the Kenyan government.  We are hopeful that upon its completion, health care in the Koins service area of Kenya will rise a notch.

Clinic under construction in Mnyenzeni

Clinic being built right by the dispensary in Mnyenzeni

With the addition of the microscope at the dispensary, Koins has helped save lives.  In less than 6 months, there have been many lives saved by the detection of malaria, tuberculosis, bilharzia, cholera, and other diseases that can be found in the blood or urine.

We are hopeful that upon completion, the clinic will provide an opportunity for Koins to bring in medical doctors that can treat more complex issues.

Asante,

IVL

Michel's Family Dental Trip to Kenya

After the Koins July expedition departed Kenya, there was a group that came in, organized by Lisa Michels, the mother of Sean Michels, and the one responsible for the idea and the funding of the Sean Michels School for Special Needs Children.

Lisa and her family have made several trips to Kenya, but this trip had an entirely different focus.  They brought dentists with them, with a plan to set up a dental clinic on the porch of the KCC and take care of as many dental patients as possible in the time allotted.

It was a stunning success.  There were many, many Kenyans who had fillings done, teeth repaired and pulled.  Most of those had never been to a dentist.  Many came to the KCC in desperation, having dealt with tooth pain for months, and sometimes years.  With no access to a dentist, the villagers have no option but to deal with the pain and sometimes even resort to pulling out their own teeth.  We hope this is the first of many dental trips.



Click here to read about their trip and to watch slideshows of their experience.

Asante, Lisa.  Your organization and planning paid off in a big way for our villagers.  Many are sleeping better, feeling better and looking better, thanks to your dental group!

IVL

Bombolulu

Karen shares her thoughts on Bombolulu. 

A building in the community of Bombolulu

After spending our first night in Africa in a hotel in Mombasa, it was time to head out to the village.  Just prior to doing so, however, we were taken to a place called Bombolulu.  Bombolulu is a community within a community where people with disabilities live and have been trained in various skills which help them “…overcome their physical limitations and empower them economically and socially to become fully integrated members of their communities…” (You can learn more by Googling “Bombolulu.”)

Jewelry maker at Bombolulu

Finished items ready to sell in the shop

            This was an amazing facility.  The buildings were by far the nicest we saw in Kenya and the people were so well organized, skilled, and productive.  We took a tour of the center and saw each area of production which included jewelry making, wood and leather working, textiles, agriculture, and wheelchair production, to name a few.  People were placed in jobs that best suited them according to their various disabilities.  Those who were deaf worked in the shop with power equipment that was too loud for others to work in.  Those who were immobile made jewelry from their wheelchairs or sat at sewing machines and made beautiful clothing. There was also a section where they had recreated the homes of the various tribes of Kenya.  Little did we know that these “ancient dwellings” of mud and sticks were still all the rage in the villages we were about to spend 2 weeks in! 

People waiting to receive the gift of a wheelchair

Tara and her wheelchair recipient

            The thing that left the greatest impression on me was the wheelchair production shop.  The workers here were deaf so they flicked the lights when we entered and everyone stopped working so we could hear.  As they were explaining how the wheelchairs made here cost about $190 for someone to purchase, they turned our attention to a bulletin board covered with photos of people who were hoping to get one.  It was explained that these people were unable to afford a wheelchair so they sent in their pictures to be placed here in hopes that someone with the means would buy one for them thus enabling them to get around and vastly improve the quality of their lives.  Some of the pictures, they said, had been there for years.  It was so touching to see the light dawn on the faces of the members of our group as individuals and small clusters of people silently perused the board and one by one, took a picture down and handed it to the man along with $190.  How little it took to make such a difference that day. 

Morgan and the man who received a wheelchair from her father

            Just as we were leaving the shop, a young man came into the room and it was impossible not to notice him.  He was only a couple of feet tall because while his upper body was in perfect condition, his lower legs were undeveloped and useless and he walked in on his knees, lower legs swishing behind him.  Trying to be polite and not stare, we nodded a greeting and left the shop.  My thoughts were that this community was such a blessing to people with disabilities who could find meaningful ways to make a living and raise their families.  (We had been by a little school-ground filled with children playing on a swing set in the yard.  It was the only swing set I would see, except at the Sean Michels School for Special Needs Children built by Koins for Kenya in the village of Miyani.)  I later learned however, that this man was not a member of the community after all.  He had taken a bus to Mombasa and “walked” some distance to Bombolulu hoping to find some way to get a wheelchair so that he would no longer have to navigate the streets on his huge, calloused knees.  Our friend, Burt, was not so shy and asked about the man and his circumstances.  When he learned the man’s story, Burt took another $190 out of his pocket and bought him a wheelchair then and there.  I can only imagine how grateful that man is that he made the difficult trip to Bombolulu that day and found such kindness and compassion at the hands of this giant stranger. I couldn’t help but think of the phrase, “When ye have done it unto one of the least of these……”