Capacity building & Meeting at Tudor (Day 54)

Capacity building to improve awareness of discrimination 
My organization held a capacity building named “Recognizing and Tackling Oppression and Promoting Diversity”. This is a 3 hours short workshop and attendees are around 20 people that includes partner of the Ujamaa Center.

The assumption of the workshop is equity; every person should have equal opportunities and be treated equally. The famous video that treated discrimination reminds me. The video is “about an Iowa schoolteacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968, gave her third-grade students a first-hand experience in the meaning of discrimination”. She told the students, “The blue eye people are better than the brawn eye people”, made black handkerchief wrap around brawn eye students, and forbid the blue eye students playing with the brawn eye students. The results are obvious.

This video shows everyone has the willingness to take over power to other individuals or groups. In this workshop, the lecturer mentioned attitudes (e.g. assumptions and stereotypes) and power cause discrimination. Because we sometimes unaware of having the attitudes that cause discrimination, and this workshop improves awareness of my attitudes, I feel this workshop fruitful.

Joining Tudor community meeting
After the workshop finished, I went to Tudor, one of the slum area that exists Mombasa and currently we are planning fundraising to renovate the community center that is appropriate for nursery school. I joined the community meeting that held at the community center to have consensus to renovate the building if the fundraising succeed. At the meeting, the community people showed the strong necessity to renovate the building and give education especially for nursery and primary level.

The challenges of the people around the area are distance and cost. Especially they argued that nursery school costs Ksh 3,000/year and primary school costs Ksh 2,160/year for security, 6 examinations, games, tuition, and PTA, even if tuition is free in public school. They argued that 70% of the nursery level and 50% of primary level students are out of school because they can’t pay tuition.

The community center was build supporting by Mungano trust and the community is planning to start community managed school from next school year if the community center complete. Currently the building is uncompleted: they don’t have a floor and minimum number of chairs.

I made consensus with them that if we succeed fundraising that includes materials for building and facilities for schools, they will renovate the building by themselves by supporting Mungano trust support, and will keep clean the environment of the school and the playground that is now a garbage dump.

In front of the community center ― supposed to be playground 

Inside of the community center

Outside of the community center

Tudor area

Finally I went Maweni, Liconi area by crossing a ferry. This area has also a problem of land issues that government plans to expand the existed hospital and 3,000 of the households might have to evacuate. I feel deja vu of this problem.

Low Tuition Community School—Supported by a President’s Strenuous Effort (Day 46)

Today, I went to another school that exists on Shauri Yako, Mombasa. Renovating a private house, the school established last year. As same as the Matopeni School, this school is also community school.

When I contacted with her the day before the visiting, the president of the school kindly welcomed me to the school, and introduced me all the school system on the visiting day.

According to her, the school has founded last year. Separating the NGO managed school that is within 5 minutes by walk from her school and she was a president of the school, she decided to start her own school.

The school holds a baby class, Kg (Kindergarten) 1-3 classes, Grade 1-7 classes (Primary level), and the tuition is surprisingly low- Ksh 500 per term. Since the president has more than 30 years experience as a nursery teacher, this school is pretty organized. For example, the teacher makes the graphs of examinations to see the progress, applies teacher evaluation system, and providing afternoon nap for all students. She is also growing chickens and vegetables for funding.

Surprisingly this school provides lunch for all students, and the menu of the lunch differs every day (See the following picture). The president said that she realized some children didn’t bring lunch, so she started the lunch. She mentioned, “Anytime I saw the children eat lunch, I feel happy!”

Since this school is also struggling to gather tuitions from all students, because the surrounding area is also slum, and the amount of tuition is far less than the necessary cost, I wonder how does this school manage the management cost. I’m not sure that it is correct, but she replied that she managed the gap with donations. She is a very enthusiastic teacher as well as an aggressive businesswoman.

This school provides an ideal environment comparing with Matopeni School, such as lunchtime, afternoon nap, desks and chairs, and so on and this environment has been kept by the president’s strenuous effort.

The quality of education is affected by cost, but gathering tuition from all pupils is difficult in slum areas, keeping quality education in the community school system is challenging. Also, relying on donations or funding from outside organization is also high risk in terms of sustainability.

Those toys  are also donations 

Chickens for funding 

Matopeni — Community School System (Day 44)

I went to Matopeni which is near Kongowea Market— among the largest market in East  and Central Africa, again bringing with chalks. This is the second time that I went there. At Matopeni, there is a small community school (Last time’s blog post is here) that holds the baby, Kg (Kindergarten) 1-3, Grade 1. Total of the students are more than 130, and those students learn one small classroom. This school has been managed by a brave and enthusiastic teacher.

“To the inception of the school was an idea that was generated by a England woman who supported the local women to start a school which she supported for a period before she felt ill and later relocated to England. The children were then studying under a tree and when Muungano Support Trust  build a social hall for the community, the children were allowed in and the hall became the class that currently host three classes with 129 children” (Last blog post).

This school is operated as a community school that the community manages the school operation. The system is similar to the charter school system in the US in terms community or individuals manages school, but the differences between the charter school and Kenyan community school is government subsidiary. The charter schools get government subsidiary as a public school but the Kenyan community schools don’t.

Community School System

One benefit of this school system is that the children can go to the school with low tuition comparing with private schools in primary level and public and private school in nursery level. Since private school has to pay Ksh 100,000 ($1,140) per year to its government in Kenya, the cost returns to children’s tuition.

Public schools in primary level Kenya is free, but a lot of school past its capacity, so sometimes they reject entering new students. Because of this reason, some students have to go to private schools even if its tuition seriously affects one’s household finances.

Also, the nursery level in Kenya is not free even in public school. Currently government plans free nursery education but it might still need time. Even in public nursery school, it costs Ksh 2,400/year and Ksh 200 for admission. This cost still burdens for the people who live in slum areas, even if education is the way that changes their lives.

In Matopeni, each child pays Ksh 100 per month, but half of the children aren’t afforded to pay because they are orphans— this area is still affected by HIV.

This school has a lot of challenges such as capacity (130 pupils for one class), facilities (no toilet, no water supply), lack of teachers, lack of school materials such as chairs, tables, textbooks, and pens. Under this condition, keeping the quality of education is difficult, but providing chance of education for children who don’t affordable for the current educational system is important.

One reason is that the children learn basic literature and calculation at the nursery level, so lacking those knowledge causes trouble to follow primary level.

The take away by visiting the community school is the system of the community school and knowing minimum operating cost and passion of the teacher.

Toilet area of the school on the playground

Mid Term Retreat & Starry Heavens (Day27)

During last Friday to Sunday, I spend at Diani Beach, 30km south of Mombasa, with other three interns and FSD site team as a midterm retreat of our internship.

I can’t believe that almost one month has passed in Mombasa and I have spent three weeks in my organization. I have met many people who have a passion to solve some issues so far. I also love the culture of Mombasa that people value the relationship with others through talking directly and respect seniors. For me, this culture is similar in part with Japanese that I used to do.

Diani Beach is a beach resort area and the beach is covered beautiful white sand. People can enjoy with snorkeling, a coral watching, fishing, and dolphin watching in the area.

Unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday are raining, so we couldn’t do those marine activities. We’re cooking, sipping on tea, and playing games, reading books; that was a pleasant time. It was relaxing and precious time.

The night of the second day was the most impressive day for me. After enjoying very nice seafood barbeque that “Dr. Fish” took those seafood for us, we watched world cup that was the last half much of Germany vs. Ghana on TV. The place that we watched the much was a small bar that took within 5 minutes by walk from our cottage.

One of the interns said that “look up the sky!”. I watched the beautiful starry heavens when I looked up the sky and a lot of stars are shining in the sky.  Some stars were shining strongly and some were weekly, but those were part of the infinite starry heavens.

I think this impression could apply human nature. Some people are shining strongly and some are weekly like stars, but those are part of infinite human life. Sometimes I am apt to compare what I have done, achieved, and got so far with others, and I disappoint realizing that I have done, achieved and got only a little or nothing.

However, imaging I am a part of infinite human life has changed my mind. Comparing other people has no sense of this infinite human life. I would like to shine by myself to do what I should do.

Conference for Peace & Security (Day 21)

Today, there was sad news at Mpeketoni, Kenyan coastal town. According to this news and this news, at least 48 people were killed by terrorist. The theme of the forum that I participated today was related to this incident. The name of the forum is that “Annual National Peace & Security Conference”. This forum addresses the issue of radicalization in the view on Muslim and Christian perspective, legal policy, police, and youth development.

Since I haven’t so much talk about religious issues in Japan and the US, the comparative talk about Muslim and Christian perspective intrigues my interest. To understand the today’s incident and Kenyan coastal area’s community issues, understanding the religious issue is the key. One thing that I was impressed is that the lecturer said that understanding each religion is important to resolve conflict. For example, a Christian university provides a class that students can learn Arabic & Islamic.

The last presenter covered a wide range of Kenyan costal region problems. The problems of the youth who live in the Kenya’s costal region include unemployment, radicalization such as carrying out “physical jihad”, gang culture and crime. He mentioned that problems in those areas are multiple, so the multiple approaches are necessary.

To work in the area of advocacy and human rights in our organization, understanding of the demand of the Kenya’s costal region is key. This forum helps me to understand what the problem is in the region.

The below link is the article that is related to Islamic culture (Japanese) 

イスラム原理主義からアルカイダへ

ソマリアのイスラム武装組織シャバブ、アル・シャバーブ、アッシャバーブに関するツイート 20120224まで 6822字

シリアの現状と国際社会（国際連合）の無力

Women entrepreneurs (Day 18)

Yesterday, I went to the other slum that 7 women entrepreneurs help children go to secondary school. The slum seems better off than other two slums; their houses have stronger walls than that of other two areas and road isn’t muddy. Also, I saw a private school between the houses.

The problem in the area is that all primary level age children of the community can go to primary school, but secondary school is expensive for some of them. Although government subsidizes the secondary school, the tuition still cost ksh 7,000/term (ksh 21,000/year) at a day secondary school and ksh 35,000/year at boarding school. In addition to the tuition, parents have to pay ksh 200 a day as transportation cost.
*$1=ksh 88 (6/12)

What the women entrepreneurs do at the area is they gather funds in the community and use the funding money to support 25 students who are the most poor in the community to go to primary school. They gather ksh 300,000 / a term to cover full tuition of the students.

The 7 women entrepreneurs own individual business and use some part of the income for the fund. For example, one sells secondary clothes, and the other sells maize (corn powder). They mentioned that because of traveler advisory, businesses have become declined, so they feel difficult to do fundraising.

This fundraising activity started three years ago, and those 7 women entrepreneurs still have continued the activity to support poor children, even though their business have been damaged. On the bright side, some organizations have conducted interventions in this area, so their basic level of life is better than that of other two slums. I saw a water tank founded by the NGO. Before the water tank is founded, the community people buy 20 litters of water for ksh 40, but now they can buy ksh 2 for the same amount.

Matopeni — Over Crowded School (Day 17)

Today I went to another slum the name is Matopeni that means mud. As soon as I arrived the area, I understand the reason of the name. After I went through the Kongowea Market — among the largest market in East  and Central Africa — muddy road connects to the Matopeni area. There aren’t drainage systems in the area, so the road continues muddy, especially rainy season, and there are a lot of small houses made of mud as same as Tudor.

Just like any other informal settlement, Matopeni is no exception from the problem that range from poor hygiene, poor housing and lack of schooling facilities. The problems around the area are serious. The land was a government land and it was unproceduraly leased to an investor who is currently threatening to evict the community from the land without an alternative  resettlement. Being he runs a giant confectionery company, the individual is likely presumed to have  more influential power  according to the community member whom spoke to.

When he presented the eviction notice, the said person only offered the affected ksh 20,000 which could hardly sustain the cost of relocation. He did not put the cost of construction and other expenses that could help the families start a new life.  The community are organized with over 80 members and  structure of leadership while they also work with different stakeholders who provide different services especially  the once relatated to land advocacy which seem more contentious.
*$1=ksh 88 (6/11)

Contrary to what is in the record, the community suffer from low level of education because the only school that neighbor the community Kengeleni primary school is past its capacity and cannot accommodate any more pupils to the extend of standard one holding over one hundred pupils according to the community volunteer who teaches at the locally improvised school. The improvised school is also full beyond its capacity is illustrated in the picture below

The school age children would be more than 1,000 because there are around 2,000 houses and regiment in here is around 6,000 people, and each household with children holds more than 4 children. To support those children, a small building for the school was established. Currently this school holds 129 children that include Baby, Kindergarten (kg) 1, kg 2, kg 3, class 1 and these four grade students have studied in the same room with only three blackboards. Since the room is overcrowded with students, and the teacher works as a volunteer, this school isn’t sustainable.

To the inception of the school was an idea that was generated by an England woman who supported the local women to start a school which she supported for a period before she felt ill and later relocated to England. The children were then studying under a tree and when Muungano Support Trust  build a social hall for the community, the children were allowed in and the hall became the class that currently host three classes with 129 children.

The teacher showed us how to pupils learn before the improvised school established.

The teacher emphasized that to improve the quality of education is a high priority in here. To improve the quality of education, the school needs more teachers, textbooks, facilities that include spacious classrooms, blackboards, toilets, desks and chairs and so on. In terms of hygiene, since the room is overcrowded with children, diseases easily infect to those children, and they lack the toilet facilities. The teacher also needs salary to keep her job at the school.

The problem in here is the government increases the number of school facilities; however, those school facilities haven’t filled the demand.  For example, this paper introduces that “the number of public and private primary schools increased from 6,058 in 1963 to 27,487 in 2010, while secondary schools increased from 151 to 7308 over the same period” (P.12), but still the number of the students in one classroom is very high (the pupil/teacher ratio at primary school level is 1:45 in 2009), and some slum children haven't joined the primary school because it is full. One reason of the lack of school facilities would be the rapid growth of population. This article predicts that Kenyan population  will increase by 33.62% from 2010 to 2020.

The other problem in here is slum itself. Urban slum is a serious problem in Kenya. I can’t find the information about slum population in Mombasa, but this report shows that more than 60% of the people who live in Nairobi live in slums. Slums include problems such as drug abuse, education, and hygiene. In terms of hygiene, the school road of the Matopeni area is muddy (left picture), and playground of the school is also bad condition.

Although primary education is free in Kenya, still number of school facilities doesn’t cover the number of Kenyan children, and some children especially who live in vulnerable areas are out of school.