Workshop

As usual, I spent a long time preparing to present something that ended up being scrapped anyway! I meant to present for at least 45 minutes on visual aids for expressive/receptive language, but we miscommunicated about where we would meet for the session and started a full half hour late. However, we did end up doing a full 2 hours anyway, and I think it went well.

Having skipped that part of the lesson, we quickly reviewed that communication is based upon expressive/receptive language, then dove right into how to use their limited material/toys to target many areas of development at all levels of difficulty. This brought on many other areas that I didn't expect to talk about or teach, such as how to contain a child who cannot stay seated, pay attention, or even keep hands down. Celeste and I demonstrated how to position ourselves and one or more children who are wild, and how to use immediate reinforcement and praise. We also talked about using the toys and a token system to increase kids' ability to work. The teachers listened, observed, asked questions, and finally paired up to practice these techniques. Then each pair took it in turns to present to the class what they practiced and learned, and we reviewed what the teachers did well and discussed areas of improvement.

It was a great time for all; the information seemed to have been well-received and it was great to see them try out what we just talked about. Definitely a very rewarding day. Tomorrow I'll follow up and see if the teachers can incorporate the lessons immediately into real time situations where kids are pulling hairs and throwing toys, rather than the laugh fest we had with teachers only pretending.

It's been a great week overall. Even though we didn't really have exact plans for my visit, I think it worked well for me to have observed each class for part of the day each day, then taken that and turned it into some valuable lessons for the teachers. It wouldn't have been as respectful or productive if I had just dropped in and tried to push my agenda without having seen what they're up against, absorbed their culture a bit, or determined their current abilities.

I hope to never get tired of being a travel therapist. And I hope to be able to give others the same rewarding experience and knowledge exchange soon, with Therapists Without Borders. This is what it's all about.

Cusco 5-day summary

March 2 - Chicago to Mexico City. 11:20pm flight to Lima, Peru, was canceled. Stuck in Mexico for 24 hrs.

March 3 - Fun sightseeing Mexico City. Caught next 11:20pm flight to Lima.

March 4 - Lima into Cusco 9:15am. Very quick tour of Camino Nuevo's campus (but no school in session yet), quick lunch with Director of Manos Unidas, who suggested I take the next couple days to adjust to the high altitude, culture, language, and jetlag. So I napped till evening's dinner party with said Director and her friends.

March 5 - Walked around San Blas area of Cusco and took a "city tour" of 5 archeological sites.

March 6 - With Director & her friends to Pisaq's Carnival festival, during which children enjoy throwing water balloons, dumping buckets of water, and squirting water guns and spraying foam on people... Loved it!

March 7 - FINALLY spent the day meeting staff and students at Camino Nuevo! First day of school back from break; Came home more fulfilled and excited than 3 days of being a tourist. This will definitely be a primary destination for professional therapist volunteers. They are receptive to outside assistance, have a vast list of needs, and have plenty of work for any therapist. I still would love to get trained Spanish interpreters for therapists involved!!!!

Today I only spent assisting in 3 classrooms. In one class, the teacher was feeding a child with severe cerebral palsy when I came in. His head was rolled to the side and he was tied to a wooden upright chair so he wouldn't fall over. She reported that he doesn't chew and drools a lot. Boy am I glad (or, boy are they lucky) that I've got a dysphagia background. I taught the teacher how to support his head and body upright (since his wheelchair is too heavy to bring from home, apparently), use a smaller spoon with a soft tip, mash/puree all food, present only a half teaspoon amount, have him help hold the spoon and watch it approach his own mouth, and activate his lips to clear the bolus rather than bite on the spoon... And lo and behold, he chewed and swallowed and minimized drool almost to none, and feeding was a happy experience now he gets to participate. I also taught the teacher how to clean his mouth after each meal (which is extremely important since all his teeth looked like cavities, his gums were 100% inflamed as well as his cheeks... You betcha I said he HAS to be seen by a dentist ASAP), and how to give him drinks (using a sippy cup instead of from an open cup)

In another classroom with children with autism and down's syndrome, things were ... out of hand. Kids (about 6-7 years old) were putting blocks and toys in their mouths, one kid kept grabbing and pulling and trying to bite another kid's hair, another pulled his pants down to indicate he needed the toilet, another freaked out (tears, screaming, jumping, pulling others' hair and clothes) for no apparent reason and couldn't be calmed... There's a lot of work to be done... And finally I observed the afternoon class with the young adults, and helped a bit there too (though it was very calm in comparison hehe)

The plan now is that Tuesday I'll observe and help the rest of the classes.
Wednesday I'll actually go out into the rural villages to see how ThWB therapists can support families in the homes and communities.
Thursday afternoon I'll host a workshop for the teachers on communication and the many ways to use toys to teach different lessons (esp. regarding expressive/receptive language).
Friday I suppose I'll wrap things up in the classes, and in the evening I'll take a train up to Machu Picchu to spend the night.
Saturday Machu Picchu and then return in the evening.
Sunday all day outdoor rock climbing!
Monday fly back to Chicago via Lima and Mexico City again...
Tuesday finally arrive home.

I do have a lot of pictures, but as I am quite exhausted and slightly overwhelmed tonight, I'll post them another day. Buenas noches!

Dago welcoming their visitor: Part 1

At the end of my week at Dago Village, my host planned for me to observe the math class again till the end of the geometry lesson, and, at my request, observe Rose Achieng (Jacqueline's younger sister, with apparent developmental disability) in her class. Afterward, during their morning break, they were to gather the students in the center for me to present the donations officially.

Well, as per usual, things started much later than scheduled and it was all very informal. I gave my camera to Edwin to record for me. I told him that the microphone picks up best at 3 feet or so from the speaker and he took it to heart! He walked right up to all the speakers/performers and was almost in-their-face which made them shy away even more hahaha...

Anyway, enjoy! I captioned what I could and apologize for the gaps, probable inaccuracies, and poor color contrast. I've been using Windows Movie Maker to edit and publish these videos, then load them onto Youtube to embed onto this blog in order to save memory and make sharing the videos easier.

"The Ditch"

Similar to Greg Mortenson building a bridge to overcome his first obstacle into Korphe (See: "Three Cups of Tea"; more info on this blog later), Emmanuel Leina needs to build a bridge.

Badly.

This is the only connection between the main roads and Sirua Aulo Academy.

If it rains during the day, then all bets are off. If it rained overnight, at least he'd have to wait till it dries up a bit before trying to pass it. It is a 45 minute walk between his home and school.

It's hard to appreciate The Ditch from pictures, so I clipped together this 3 minute video for you. Among the many requests for donations I've presented in this blog, this one is just as important. Supply trucks cannot pass through this, so Emmanuel drives everything to the property himself. Right now, there are only temporary structures at the school, but the goal is for permanent buildings to be ready ASAP, including a clinic and library on the property. I will blog more about the property later, but for now suffice it to say there is currently no easily accessible clinic in the area, and no library in the entire Transmara District.

Well, except for the one massive suitcase of books I brought.

---


Again,

Village Volunteers is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

100% of your contributions will go directly to the project of your choice, and all fees associated with wiring the funds to the villages are absorbed by Village Volunteers.

To donate by check, please make checks payable to Village Volunteers and note the purpose in the memo line ("Emmanuel's Bridge"). Checks should be mailed to:

Village Volunteers
5100 S. Dawson St., Suite 202
Seattle, WA 98118
USA

You can also make a donation online. Village Volunteers uses PayPal to securely process all online donations.

Or, if you would like to wire a donation to Village Volunteers, please email Florinda Peralta at florinda@villagevolunteers.org for our account information.

Mr. Anderson of Kamiak HS: Dago Primary Class 8 Thank You!

On Friday, June 27, my host arranged for me to attend the 8th grade class at Dago Primary School so I can document the use of the particular donations made by one generous teacher in Mukilteo, WA.

At Dago, the math teacher prepared a geometry lesson so the students can use the new compasses, protractors, and graph paper. Calculators were few, so they were given to the staff to use for grading. Class 8 were the recipients of the donations because they are to take a major examination by the end of the school year, which determines their chances of getting into a good secondary school (high school).


After the initial excitement of giving and receiving the items, I took a back seat in the class and quickly recognized the universal experience of student boredom. Notice when the teacher asks the class "Are we together?" or "Sawa sawa?" (which means "Okay?" in Swahili)... the class responds with a very under-enthused "yes."

(I wonder how much you can understand without my captions anyway? The other voices come from behind me, from Class 7. The classes share a roof with a mud wall between which doesn't reach the top, so it all reverberates on the tin.)

If you want to know what he's saying, consult your 8th grade geometry books. :-)

Book Delivery

Emmanuel is passing out board books to the nursery and intro/kindergarten students. It is their first time with such books (even for the teacher!) and... I'm just glad to have been able to record this. They are speaking Swahili, and the very enthusiastic boy on the left is my Brian!

I was aiming to update something to this blog each night since there's so much to share, but I've hit the ground running in Fairbanks and have been constantly busy (not all work though!). I haven't had much time to finish captioning these videos, but you can be sure they will be done and posted. By the end of the year. :-) Just kidding! Maybe over the next couple weeks? By the end of August? We'll see... It's 5 gigs of pictures & videos after all!

Sirua Aulo Academy Teacher Responses

I'm in Kericho now, at a Cyber because Emmanuel had to replace the car's brake pads and didn't want me to be bored waiting (though there's no way I would've gotten bored, with Kenyan newspapers to read, blogs to pre-write, "Into the Wild" to start reading, etc.) This one is much less annoying, though I still wouldn't call it high-speed. Anyway, onto the rambling!

I've decided to organize my blogs topically rather than chronologically because it would get tedious for writer and reader.

First on my mind is yesterday's last day with the Sirua Aulo Academy.

On Saturdays, all students and staff attend school to complete standardized testing, then gather to learn the scores. Each teacher takes turns telling who the top three scorers of their classes were, who come to the front to receive a star on their forehead and applause from the students. This weekend, after the scores were presented, a couple teachers gave speeches of thanks to me and the people who donated the items, then asked me to speak a few words. Which I promise I did NOT record on video so you won't get to hear it hahaha... Hey, you weren't there, so you don't get a say on what gets recorded or not :-) I basically thanked them for their welcoming me, the teachers for their time, reminded the students to study hard b/c a good education is the key to their future, and that when I return in October I expect to see the donated books worn down from overuse. Then I officially presented the items from the suitcase to the Headmistress, even though we had been using them all week. Teachers again gave thanks and then we gathered the whole school for a picture outside the classrooms. Then students were dismissed.

Earlier in the day, two parents brought two new kids to the school at my request. They are kids who were hidden in the homes over the years because they had nowhere to go, not being accepted by public schools or by the community. One was a 10 year old girl named Naeku Nkilasi. Mom said she had a normal birth but delayed milestones. Mom realized she was different when she was about 2. She had seizures which lasted only a few minutes at a time, but they were infrequent- she could go 4 months without it, and she hasn't had another since she was 7. Mom estimates she functions more like a 4 year old, though she only knows about 10 words in Swahili. She can do all regular chores and properly wash herself. When asked, Mom's biggest concern with her is that she has not gone to school.

Another child is named Nathaen Parningo. He is 7 years old and has a twin brother. He began nursery school with his brother but after that year was over, the Intro (e.g., kindergarten) and other subsequent teachers wouldn't let him into the class and now his brother is in Class 2 without him. He also had a normal birth and actually has had normal milestones and "understands everything" ... He just has a "heavy tongue" and doesn't talk. Or, when he does, it's inaudible. He can eat and swallow fine, for the SLPs among us. From my observation, he is normal in all aspects. Because of the time constraints, language barrier, decreased socialization, and intimidating aspect of a mzungu asking random questions, I wasn't able to diagnose much else on him. When asked, Mom said her biggest concern is that he has not attended school.

Notice a recurring theme?

I suggested we put Naeku into the Nursery class and Nathaen into the Intro that day to see how the kids themselves respond to each other. The new kids were shy at first, but since they were so warmly welcomed by the other students, they fit in well. They will both do well in school, especially Nathaen, whose story just makes me mad like hell. I expect him to excel quickly and hopefully catch up to his brother in a couple years based on the quality of Sirua Aulo's teachers compared to the public education Kenya has 'offered' where his brother is. My only concern was overloading the already overloaded Brenda who teaches this combined Nursery/Intro group (there were already 20 bouncy kids from 3-7 years old). I suggested (er... strongly recommended) to Emmanuel that he hires an assistant for Brenda if he were to accept these new kids into Sirua Aulo.

Well, there was no question for him, no moment of hesitation that these kids should come to Sirua Aulo or that Brenda will get an assistant if I suggested it. I said I'll try to find sponsors for these kids by October so that when I return, they can attend school and I can train the teachers on how to integrate them. Emmanuel being who he is, said he'll actually start them Monday because he's sure I'll find sponsors for them.

!!!

While the teachers were scoring the tests, the kids were free to play (many were enamoured with the jumprope and inflated ball I took from Emmanuel's home which his wife had been using as decorations on the wall and ceiling hehehe... this is what happens when volunteers bring foreign toys from the U.S. and don't explain what they are or how to use them!!) Nathaen immediatly was invited to play soccer (that is, kick the ball up and down the massive rocky hill the school is on) with the other boys. Emmanuel and I invited Naeku to play with the inflated ball and taught the 3-5 year old kids to take turns tossing it back and forth with her.

The Moms watched and were pleased beyond words. Eventually they went home because there were older students on whom we could rely to walk the two new pupils home safely.

This was a tough day for me, to have to say goodbye to the 70+ kids who have become accustomed to running up to Emmanuel's car saying "Hi Linda! Hi Linda! Hi Linda!" each morning. I spent time in each of the classrooms, with each of the teachers and all the students. My focus was on literacy, as I said, and introduced books into all the classes. The children LOVED them. Even the 3rd graders enjoyed lifting the flaps of a donated Sesame Street book. All new stuff to them.

This trip has been immensly satisfying, personally and professionally. I received the greatest compliments on Saturday during a debriefing meeting with the teachers. Mostly they said they learned to be more patient with the kids like me, because they watched the kids learning a lot from me being more patient with them and giving the ones who make mistakes at the blackboard a chance to fix and learn from their mistakes. Sorry that last sentence isn't coherent -- I was just told that we have to go soon and don't want to spend time editing now. I'll edit and add pictures, like I said, when I'm back in the States. Let me just mention that when I asked the teachers to share their thoughts and requests, they all said "bring your friends! and bring more books!"

Kenya 2008

Last year, students from Pirrar Secondary School for Girls in the Transmara District recited this poem for me among many other "dramas" and performances. These girls, whose parents pay high prices for their secondary education (i.e., equivalent to high school) sleep in the room next to the classroom. Their outpouring of enthusiasm for education in the midst of having nothing that we privileged Westerners have (like electricity, clean water, toilets, sealed windows, adequate textbooks, air conditioning) was enough to bring me to tears. They marveled not only at my camera, but also at the scent of my moisturizer, the spiral-binding of my notebook, the color of my US dollar bill, the texture of my chap stick.

I couldn't fathom how spoiled we are. I couldn't take it. I cried that night.

Their school was burned down in the post-election riots that erupted earlier this year.

Not long after my visit to Pirrar, I visited another school called Tororet Primary School which serves over 200 students. Primary education is free (up to 8th grade), but I was not prepared for what I saw. The walls of one building were wooden planks with holes wide enough for children to walk through. They don't have floors -- the dirt becomes a muddy mess when it rains, in which children sludge around barefoot. Their library consists of two walls with practically barren shelves, and the 6 teachers share one desk in their one mud-floored office.

Nevertheless, just because I came to visit -- me, a mzungu (white person) -- the whole school put on a performance [see video below] and gave speeches. For me! I did nothing that day but take pictures to be used in creating awareness and requesting donations when I got back to the States; and I haven't been too successful with that. They asked me to give a speech, and presented me with two hard boiled eggs and a cup of chai. And later, they presented a bracelet handmade by the students using tire rubber and beads 'from the city'. I will cherish that forever.

The students and faculty were inspired by my simple visit. They said (as it was translated to me from a parent's speech in Swahili) whenever a mzungu (aka, white person; to them, Chinese are also white) comes to see them, it is a good omen. We bring good fortune to them.

How does one respond to that? I was floored. I had already brought donations of school supplies to another school (where they also held a ceremony by placing all my things on a table, bringing in a battery-powered megaphone, giving speeches and performances, and sharing a feast of goat meat soup), so I didn't have anything to give to Tororet.


I still don't know how to reciprocate Tororet's generosity. There are too many schools with too much need in this area; the donations I'm collecting this time are going to be split between two other schools/orphanages (Dago Dela Hera and Sirua Aulo Academy). Both these places need the school supplies as much as Tororet. I only wish all the people who have generously contributed items will be able to be there with me to see the faces of these precious children as I open the suitcase and say, "Here. These are for you." I will do my best to take pictures and videos as much as possible so you can see the good you have done for these wonderful children.

Last year, I went to the country without any idea what I would encounter. This time, I enter armed with nullified culture shock and another year's experience as a speech-language pathologist. I've had comparatively extensive contact this time with my village hosts, who have coordinated with me on how to make the best use of my time and specific skills.

Although I am going for exactly 3 weeks between June 19 and July 9, the unfortunate reality is that a whole week is used up just to get to these rural villages and back (2 days flying, 1 day bus ride over mock-roads). I will have 7 days at Dago with my host Patrick (yet to meet), and 8 days at Sirua Aulo with host Emmanuel (same from last year). Both have delineated a rough itinerary for me:

Hello,

Glad to hear your exicited about your final times before you travel.
We cant wait to be part of Dago in 2 weeks.

We have 7 days with you, short but will make the best of it when you come.
The first 2 days you will spend with a mother and her 2 disabled kids.
The 3rd day you spend with a mother a disabled widow woman who has 5
kids, they just lost there house to the wind 3 weeks ago and have
moved in at the grandmothers house.
4th and 5th day, you spend at the childrens center, helping with everything.
6th day, you spend at the disabled school, they attend classes half
day, then later taught practical work, ie farm work and shop keeping.
Last day at the center with the community and leaders.

Hope that works with you.
Any changes will be addressed, your allowed to change schedule, when
your here, coz im sure you can want more time at a certain point.

Cant wait to meet you.

Patrick

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Linda Nashipai,

I hope this message finds you well and ready preparing to come home. I know there tons of questions you may need to ask, but be sure that Lord’s hand is in your trip and all will be well. I intend to pick you up during the early hours of the 29^thJune from Keroka. Thereafter, we head for home. We will have a our first staff session in the afternoon- and I hope it will dwell around handling children with disabilities and empowering children through speech. It can be an hour session or at most 1 and half hour.

On the 30^th June, you will be handling two kids, Leeyio and Brian who have some disabilities in their speech and handling of the 20+ kids in the introductory and nursery class- this will take you 2 days.

2^nd July- class one

3^rd July- class two

4^th July- class three and a staff session in the afternoon.

5^th July- Travel to Nakuru

6^th July- Game viewing

7^th July-Travel to Nairobi.

Each evening, we’ll be going through website content until the day you head back. Kindly bring the school one ball if you still some room in your luggage. Safe Travel.

Blessings and Love,

Emmanuel

I am intimidated at the prospect of being their one resource for the special needs population and the first volunteer back to the area after it was closed off from the threat of violence earlier this year. I am at the same time thrilled out of my mind to return to a place where love, hope, and happiness are at its purest, unencumbered by materialism, gluttony, greed. I'm anxious about my health and safety, as I will be days away from medical help should anything happen. Most of all, I am concerned that I won't be effective/useful enough to them, to be able to do something to help that will last. For these things, I trust in God to carry me through and use me as He sees fit. At the same time, I ask for your prayerful support throughout the journey and thank you in advance for it, so I know you will be with us in spirit.

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[As the camera pans to the right, the adults at the table to my left are the school principal and a parent representative. On my right are the teachers, but I don't pan over to them on this clip. The students are performing a traditional Maasai chant about the moran returning home safely. At the time, many students were out at a district-wide music/dance festival and competition (which I was later able to attend! I might upload a clip of it where they do the same song in full regalia), but the remaining students did a magnificent job, don't you think?!]