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One of the Bukati-Project Goals is:
Educate all AIDS orphans in Butula, Western Kenya
Another of the Bukati-Project Goals is
Sustainability:
- Develop school projects that will generate income to enable the community to support their children without
outside assistance in 6-7 years time.
The teachers and the School Council ensure that both these goals are progressing nicely.
Update: Email received on Mon. July 27, 2009 from Dr. Cate
Dewey in Kenya
We spent Saturday at the Bukati Primary School. There are now over 1,000 children at the school, 11 staff members
paid for by the government (including the principal and vice-principle) and another 5 teachers paid for by the
parents. Most of the students and staff came to school on Saturday to be with us. As we drove in, the children
were lining the driveway on both sides, singing a welcoming song. It was quite moving and wonderful to see them
again.
Randy and I met with Nick and the chair and treasurer of the school council. Pamela is still the treasurer but
there is a new chairman - Peter, who is a retired teacher. He has been assisting Nick with the land purchase. Peter
said that since we began the program, there has been a remarkable change in the children. They are healthier because
they are eating regularly and a more balanced diet. He also said the morale of the children has greatly improved
and now they are happy and cheerful. With the uniform program the children are all on an equal footing.
The academic performance continues to improve. There is a lot of competition in grade 8 to try to get one of the
two sponsorships for high school.
I thanked the committee for their attention to detail in keeping receipts and told them that the Canadian auditors
were pleased with the records last year. I reminded them that our support will end in 2012. Currently the school
is short 2 classrooms so these pupils congregate under trees. The University of Guelph students will build one
class and the second will be built with money from a Kenyan government program. For the latter, to qualify, the
parents had to donate 20 percent of the cost of the structure. They are also short 200 desks so many children are
back sitting on the floor.
There is a desperate need for latrines (out houses). They are short 6 for boys and 11 for girls. The public health
has served them with a notice saying without the latrines, the school will be closed down. The latrines will cost
$10,800 Canadian dollars.
We talked about the problem of over crowding and attracting extra students to this school with the staff. Our only
option would be to stop supporting this school and move to a neighbouring school or sharing the resources amongst
several schools. We did promise to help this school for 6 years. The staff wish for us to continue to support their
school as promised and they will deal with the high student numbers.
Cate |
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Following are photos of the teachers at Bukati Primary School.
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Above: In this photo, Cate is being updated about the school's progress over the past year.
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Above: The teachers having a meeting in their Teacher's room.
Notice the large stacks of student-books wating to be marked by the teachers.
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Above: "Mama" with Cate.
Mama is the lady who started the Bukati school as a nursery school. She said to Cate: I started it and now it is
your job to make it better.
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Above: Cate Dewey asking Violet and Pamela where to find the Bukati girls who were featured
in the Braids book. Pamela is the head teacher. Violet teaches grade 2.
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Above: "Mama", and Peter, the new chairman of the School Council, along with students.
Peter is a retired teacher. He has been assisting Nick with the land purchase. Peter said that since we began the
program, there has been a remarkable change in the children. They are healthier because they are eating regularly
and a more balanced diet. He also said the morale of the children has greatly improved and now they are happy and
cheerful. With the uniform program the children are all on an equal footing.
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Above: Mary continues to support the beading club.
Here she is giving the new bracelets to Randy, for sale in Canada.
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Above: Cate, Juliana and Nick, the Principal.
On the last day of school before the August break, the high-school students came to the primary school to see Nick
before they headed home. This shows the supportive relationship Nick develops with the students.
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Above: Christopher used to be the grade 6 teacher but now is teaching grade 1. Jeffery is
the newly hired Vice Principal. George was the grade 4 teacher but now teaches grade 6.
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Above: Violet and another teacher walk with Cate, in her Kenyan dress.
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Above: Two teachers.
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Above: Rosemary, Margaret and Violet all hosted University of Guelph students in August.
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Above: Christopher with his students.
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Above: This teacher was in her first year of teaching and was volunteering at the school.
She is saying goodbye because she got a permanent position at another school and this was the last day of the term.
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Click here
for more photos of the teachers taken in 2008, as well as the Volunteer parents in the parent-teacher council.
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