During the course of our ten day stay in West Pokot, we visited in excess of 15 schools, ran two teacher seminars, and distributed resources to approximately 30 schools. We also carried out preparatory work for setting up Health Education seminars as part of the Mbara Maternity Unit and Clinic project.

School visits

We met with the Headteachers of each school, greeted the children and, where possible, practised English with them. We discussed any challenges that the schools were facing and considered areas where the Yellowmen might be of help. Basic needs, such as clean drinking water, desks, chairs, textbooks, pens, and pencils, are often in very short supply. Although parents are expected to contribute financially, many are subsistence farmers, with little spare funds for school fees and equipment.

I had the opportunity to deliver English examination lessons to Form 4 students at Sigor Mixed Secondary and Father Leo Staples Girls School. These students will be taking their final examinations in November. The lessons covered Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, two of their key literature texts. The students were very engaged and participated in thought-provoking discussions.

At St Paul’s Mariny Primary School in Mbara, we began organising the construction of six girls’ toilets, as well as ensuring a regular supply of clean water. We are also planning to rebuild toilets and secure the water supply further along the mountain ridge at Our Lady Queen of Peace Girls’ Secondary School. A dormitory is in the process of being completed at this very overcrowded school. We have yet to obtain much-needed iron bunkbeds for the girls, although these can be very expensive.

Seminars

Since 2010, a regular part of the education programme has been conducting teacher training seminars for the local teachers. Initially, this took the form of a one-day seminar for a mix of Primary and Early Child Development (ECD) teachers. Now we conduct three per visit, each specifically aimed at ECD, Primary, or Secondary teachers. Held at our study centre, the seminars include an excellent lunch and also cover the cost of transport for teachers. Each school receives a pack of educational resources. Teachers greatly appreciate the support of the Yellowmen.

Unfortunately, since Covid, there had been no seminars until this visit, where we organised one English seminar for ECD teachers and one for Secondary. 

For the ECD seminar, the emphasis was on phonics, oral English, and using stories for imagination, analysis, comprehension, recall and vocabulary. We had the pleasure of Father Patrick Murunga accompanying the team. We rounded off the day by demonstrating the learning potential of play parachutes, an activity always greeted with laughter and pleasure.

Teachers from nine schools attended the Secondary seminar, with one teacher travelling for over two hours from her school in the mountains. The seminar focused on a close analysis of the final scene of A Doll’s House, which led to several invigorating discussions. We followed this by modelling answers for several excerpt questions based on the text. The final session focussed on an analysis of another English examination paper, which proved to be a very beneficial learning exercise.

Eventually, we aim for teachers themselves to organise and conduct their own seminars, in order to encourage a supportive team-led approach and to allow expertise to be shared.

Resources and Rugby Shirts

Overall, we distributed 30 bags of educational resources, each containing chalk, exercise books, pens, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpeners. This is only possible through the generosity of our friends who support us.

In addition, St Richard’s Catholic College, Bexhill, kindly donated some new rugby shirts that we distributed to children requiring sports clothes.

Mbara Project and Health Education

The Yellowmen have been financing and overseeing the building of a Maternity Unit in Mbara in the Sekerr Hills. Having completed the building work, the next phase is to equip the clinic and upgrade sanitation facilities and clean water access in four local schools through the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme. With the help of local nurses and school teachers, we also aim to develop Health Education programmes that meet the needs of all children from Reception to Form 4, the last year of secondary education.

Washable Sanitary Towels Project

Period poverty is a key factor affecting the lives of girls and women in rural Kenya. For many, the cost of disposable sanitary towels is beyond their means, often equalling a day’s pay and leaving inadequate substitutes as their only resort. The impact on their education cannot be underestimated. Kenya’s Ministry of Education acknowledge the effects of period poverty. Their data indicates that during four years of secondary education, a female student can lose 156 learning days, which is nearly 24 weeks out of a total of 144 weeks of learning.

Prior to the Covid pandemic, two members of the Yellowmen team began researching and designing washable sanitary towels so that we could set up their local production in Marich and Mbara. Friends of the Yellowmen introduced links to the Pachamama project, which had a team of volunteers making washable sanitary towels for refugees across the world. The charity welcomed and supported our initiative, providing access to their patterns and templates. 

We recently set up a pilot scheme in a secondary school in Sigor, purchasing a treadle sewing machine, templates, materials, and soap. With the help of the Headteacher, two staff members, and a talented Form 2 girl, a group of schoolgirls were trained in the production of washable sanitary towels. During our visit, I met with teacher and student, Hellen and Karen, and was delighted to see the progress made.

Following this success, we have now purchased a further two treadle sewing machines and the accompanying cloth and other materials to set up two more sites (one at Our Lady Queen of Peace Secondary Girls’ School and the other at the Mbara Maternity Clinic) for producing reusable sanitary products. We have also been very fortunate to employ a professional seamstress to train the girls at the school. She is based at the clinic where washable sanitary towels will be produced for those at the facility and the wider community.

Water Filters and the Safe Water Trust

We provided two family water filters (donated by Grifaid), one to a small Health Clinic in Chepararia and another to REAC Marich Primary School. These filters are simple to use and maintain and supply safe drinking water. The Yellowmen value the support given by the Safe Water Trust and appreciate the generosity of Grifaid.

Yellowman Mike
February 2023