The Lab's Complete, So Farewell to Nairobi For Now...

It's time to say thank you to our donors, and goodbye to Nairobi for now....

Well friends of Sud Academy's Special Projects, the time has come for me to head back home to Canada after completing the Science Lab Project at Sud. For those of you who have been watching my YouTube video updates, you know it's been a giant work in progress! I figured I'd let the images speak for themselves, and am now writing to say that the project is complete and the students will soon be able to carry on with the task of learning.

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I would like to say thank you to Susan Jacobs and the attendees at her fashion event "Sue in the City" in March-- your concern for the students of Sud helped raise over $12,000 in total! This is an amazing feat and can not be understated. Much of that money remains to be used for supplies, resources and unseen expenses related to the Form 4 students later this year. For now, they have a fully functioning lab with running water, an onslaught of lab materials, they've been registered to write their standardized national exam in November, and a teacher's salary is lined up and ready to be dispensed.

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I'll be leaving Kenya on both happy and sad notes- I'm sad to say goodbye but relieved that the project was a success and my goals were achieved! I couldn't have done it without the help of those who've donated time, energy and money, so a sincere thank you. I will try to update the blog with progress of students from time to time, so please check back when you're cruising the internet! Also, visit my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/kelleejacobs to see the construction of the lab as it happened on the ground in a series of short videos.

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On a side note update, former Form 4 boy Lino has been in Sudan since January this year working for the Government of Southern Sudan collecting data on mother's health and death during childbirth. He was recently asked to work at his local polling station during the first semi-democratic election in Sudan in over 25 years! With a bit of knowledge and a diploma in hand, I'm certain these students can make a world of difference. Good work, Lino!

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And Another....

So here is a video from today, when Dan and his men were building the foundation for the lab. By the weekend, the container will have arrived and the lab will be nearly set! Check below for more vids...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-15hltizrA

And 1 more video....

Just to add to the post below this & the 3 videos from last week, here's a new video update from today. Construction started on the lab, and things are really MOVING! So pumped!!!!!! Please look at the post below this for videos on science materials, books and the new Form 4 classroom!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsGF1KoDU0w

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Form 4 At Sud Is ON!

Over the last couple weeks, we've been really busy getting our Form 4s set up for success in learning! A week ago, I went to town with the Headmaster and a secondary teacher to collect all the books necessary for Form 4 subjects. 114 books in total, and I managed to get 30% off the standard price.... my bargaining skills continue to save money, meaning donor dollars can go much further. Gotta love business in Kenya!

UP: Here, a Form 3 student who was around during the

midterm holiday helps me unpack and sort Form 4 texts...

I know he is thinking that next year, these will be his!

For video of Form 4 student Joseph & I discussing the new books, click HERE!

 When talking with the Form 4s a couple weeks ago, they were worried about their classroom being way too hot to concentrate--- while this wasn't part of the project plan, I had to agree that studying in a classroom that's over 100 degrees in the afternoon sun was difficult! So, we reconstructed an old office and the former Grade 1 classroom into a similar sized new classroom that has a 1.5 ft wire mesh border running around the top, letting breeze flow & the sun shine in! We also re-cemented the badly beaten floor so their desks could sit still.... The total project cost was about $300, and they're very grateful to be able to focus better, and for longer!

For video of the Headmaster and I joining in the construction work, click HERE!

 UP: Reconstructing the new Form 4 classroom to make it cooler,

 brighter and better for learning!

Down: Form 4's working hard in their new classroom--

now the envy of the entire student body...

 This past week was busy with board meetings, staff meetings, visiting other schools for reference, and checking- then triple checking- material prices for the lab with engineers, logisticians and people "in the know". All have given us the go-ahead for the quotation so the foundation of the Lab will be laid TOMORROW! I am beyond excited to see the lab in progress and will be shooting videos to update you throughout the coming week!

For a new video of biology teacher Ndegwa & I at a laboratory equipment distributor, calculating and bargaining (this time for over 50% off!) the cost of outfitting Suds' lab, click HERE!

 UP: Students & I demonstrate where the new science lab will be located! YAY

Please come back later this week for more video updates as the lab begins from the ground up! I hope you'll all be proud of the work we're doing with your donor dollars.... I know the students are certainly proud of their school and its progress over the last year. Til then.... Thank you!

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The Beginning of a Lab...!

Hello from sunny Kenya! It's been just over a week since I've been here and the lab project is off to a good but cautious start. Meetings with the students, headmaster, contractor and science lab technicians have gone well and things are moving along. We hope to have the container at Sud by the weekend, but must still make some of the preliminary arrangements before taking the leap! We're working on reconstructing a classroom for the Form 4 students with more space and windows, making it easier for them to concentrate in the very hot hours of the afternoon. We will also be going through a local high school's lab tomorrow to see what kind of inventory they have and what we need for our own science lab. I'm also working on registering them for their exams, which have to be written and prepared for at an exam centre. The bargaining has begun! Books will be purchased in the next couple days and the recruiting of a qualified teacher will begin later this week! The students are anxious but patient... for now! They've been studying other subjects with the help of volunteer teachers, 2 of the Form 4 boys from last year.

Some of the Form 4 boys were asking me today who is going to build the lab for them. I

was meeting with the contractor at school and they were excited to see we're making plans!

All in all, it's been a busy week! Getting settled and setting out to start this hefty project have been fun and I'm so very looking forward to Sud finally having its own Form 4 class. Staff and students agree it's the best way forward for Sud and will give the school a sense of pride and its students a gleam of hope. Thanks to all of you who've been instrumental in donating & raising funds for the project. I assure you that as soon as a shovel hits the ground, I'll be back here with a video update!

Until then, I'm back to my meetings and bargaining.... Ciao!

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And I'm Off! ... Again.

Happy New Year 2010 everyone! I hope this year brings good things to each and every one of you.... I am also hoping it brings wonderful things to Sud Academy, especially the Form 4 students who hope to be able to graduate this year.

I've been back in Canada for about a month, visiting with friends, family and potential donors to the Science Lab project at Sud. While the fundraising this time around has been very difficult, the project is set to commence next week when I arrive in Nairobi! Fingers are crossed that more funds will come in over the next month or so, so that we can ensure the project is completed with no shortcuts. I will certainly be blogging and adding photos in about a week.... I am going to try to video-document the Lab throughout the process, but I'll need to recruit a good camera man/woman from Sud first!

On another note, Lino Madut, one of last years' Form 4 boys has returned to Sudan this month! I've spoken with him several times since he arrived, and as I type this, he is taking a bus on a 2 day journey to his home village from the capital, Juba. He will be reunited with his twin sister, whom he was separated from in 1993 when they were both captured and taken as slaves. He intends to become a teacher, and told me that he will even teach for free if it means he can share his knowledge with impoverished children "who don't know anything". I'm very proud of him for graduating and using the opportunity he was given to give back to others. He wouldn't have been able to do it without those who donated last year; you should be proud too! Please read below for an excerpt from the letter he sent to Canada with me:

To my dear great sponsors,

I am here by writing this appreciative letter to you that it is because of you that I have finished my high school through your support... I am so grateful for that support, you people really make us proud of you. Moreover, I do hope that you will do more for our next [Form 4] class but I have no word to say because I am very happy indeed for your support. We also thank Kellee for the effort she made to coordinate you to us. I do see her like my lovely twin sister who have not seen me for the last 15 years now but I still love her. One day I will see her...

 Yours Faithfully,
Lino Madut Angok

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I'd like to end my post today by acknowledging a special group of people who have, over the last 12 months, been overwhelmingly supportive in a number of ways to my efforts & projects at Sud Academy. Peter, Tulin and Lisa Sallabank, of Salon Entrenous in London, have been involved in raising & contributing over $6, 000 towards the Form 4 Boys, text books, the rain water catchment system and recently, the science lab & Form 4 classroom. I'm honoured that my cause has inspired their family to follow my journey and take their own creative initiatives to help raise money for Sud. A very big, thank you!

Peter & Tulin, Style in the City- Sud Academy Fundraiser

October 2009

Lisa & I @ Salon Entrenous, January 2010

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The Key to Graduation

Hi friends. My post today is one of asking for your help--- I usually like to bring updates and happy thoughts, but now is a crucial time at Sud Academy. Last Friday was the closing ceremony of school for the holidays. It was a great day of festivities as students were awarded for academic & leadership excellence. After the ceremony, I held a meeting with the Gr. 11 students to chat about the new school year that begins in January.

Our issue is that we do not have Gr. 12, and thus a graduating class at Sud Academy. Gr. 12 requires us to have a lab, and proper facilities to prepare the students for standardized exams at the end of the school year. In order to graduate, they must pass this exam, and it is heavily based on the sciences.

UP & DOWN: Grade 12 hopefuls & I met on closing day.

In September, I encouraged the 24 Form 4 hopefuls to work hard, despite not knowing if they'd have the chance to enter Gr. 12. I told them last Friday that the lab still isn't a reality, but that I was now very confident that by next year, it would be. They listened respectfully and when they spoke their message was clear--- we are their only hope and they will wait, as they have no choice, for our solution. They are brilliant students who know all about life struggles and challenges- they understand this is a giant hurdle. I said I didn't know when, or with what money, but that I knew it would come. But we need your help.

UP: Form 3 (Gr.11) student Akol studying outside his class, where the air is fresher!

DOWN: The Top 3 Form 3 Students: William Deng, Mayar Aketch, and Joseph Deng hope to continue their academic excellence next year.

So many of you have already shown interest, even excitement about helping these students make it through the final leg of their tumultuous, extraordinarily difficult but truly honourable quest for education. Now it's time for action, and we must help these kids succeed.

We've raised just over 25% of the total project cost. A science lab, classroom, 2 teachers, books, science materials, electricity, and the furniture for these rooms will cost in the neighbourhood of $20, 000 CAD and time is of the essence. I encourage those of you who are inspired in any way, shape or form to please act now. We can get this science lab up and running by the end of the holidays with some help from Santa and all his little elves! My email is kelleejacobs@gmail.com, and my Mom the fundraiser in Canada's is susan@personalstyleconsulting.com.

These students are beyond serious about their education, and I'm as determined as they are to help them get it. I'm grateful that we all have this magical opportunity of changing the lives of hundreds of students. I wish you all Happy Holidays and invite you to be Merry-Makers with me in Africa!

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Pictures: A Lab in the Making

UP & DOWN: This is an example of a 20ft shipping container that contractor Dan Gunda refurbished into a car parts shop. The use of these containers as buildings is very common in the developing world. It is 20ft long & 8ft wide. The science lab container will be twice as long at 40ft.

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DOWN: The inside of the container is 8 ft wide. Using plywood and plaster, we will divide the container into different sections to make a science lab, classroom, storage room and office.

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UP & DOWN: Contractor Dan & I discussing measurements, parts, and the logistics of converting the container into a Lab.

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UP & DOWN: Dan told me to step into his office, which was some seats under a lean-to in the midst of a car junkyard. We haggled over labour charges & tried to cut costs. I've been told by many Kenyans that I'm quite the bargainer. Good news for Sud students!

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SODIS at Sud Academy

Since the introduction of the water tank at Sud Academy, students have enjoyed (on most days) the free flow of water for washing & drinking. Because we want to ensure the overall health of the students, we want to make sure that the water they are drinking will not give them diseases like cholera, typhoid, or even diarrhea, the #1 killer of children in Africa.

We have introduced the idea of SODIS- purifying water by leaving it in the sun's UV rays for a full day. Easy-breezy. Since the end of the year was nearing, we thought we'd first train teachers, help them understand the science behind SODIS and demonstrate to them that the simple process works when done correctly. For the last 2 weeks of school we held many meetings and testing sessions with the teachers, and they went very smoothly! Just as we'd imagined, there were impurities in the rain water (but none of the very harmful e-Coli that one finds in most water sources here), and when we left the water in the sun for a few hours, those impurities & bacterias were killed. The teachers were very excited and most said they would practice this at home over the holidays. It's my hope that when the students come back from their holidays, the teachers & I will be able to launch SODIS with the students and get them in the routine of purifying their water and being free from bacteria.

Please see a few pictures of collecting water samples from around the school's property, testing original water sources, and the SODIS samples we eventually found to be clean- every time!

**UP & DOWN: Testing handwashing puddle- results showed it was extremely contaminated with e-coli.**

**UP & DOWN: testing water post- SODIS--- came out sparkling clean, without impurities or bacteria!**

 

**UP & Down: Collecting samples from sewage trench water flowing from apartments above**

 
Please click here for more information on SODIS and London's "The Water School", an organization we've partnered with to bring this life-saving technique to the staff and students at Sud. We appreciate their help, materials and advice!

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Sudan Photos!!

Jambo everyone....

Please follow this link to view my photo album of shots taken last month in Southern Sudan. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of where Sud Academy's students come from...

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2296307&id=81003545&l=bd41241820

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Water is Life--- Thanks London!

****Please see below for an update on the water catchment tank at Sud****

Here are some photos of students washing dishes, washing hands, and filling up cups & jugs of the surprisingly clean rain water that has been captured in their new tank!

Fundraising Efforts Working Wonders at Sud!

The past month has been a whirlwind of activity in more than a few ways! I traveled to Uganda and Sudan for 10 days at the end of October, where among many other things I caught a bug. It took me a couple weeks to recuperate, but now that I have, it's back into the full swing of things!

First, let me congratulate my mum Susan on a wonderful event that raised over $14,000 for Special Projects at Sud Academy! Her "Style in the City" event, thanks to it's sponsors and attendees, raised more than enough money to build a water catchment tank. The hefty balance remains in the bank for more Special Project initiatives, the most important of which I will discuss in just a bit... When I walk into school and see students lined up at the tap waiting for their turn to fill their cup or wash their hands, it makes me proud that the London community is responsible for making such an impact in another community, half way around the world. It's impossible to describe how appreciative the students are to have access to free flowing water--- now we must simply wait for the torrential rains to come to fill up the beast of a tank! Thank you sincerely to all those who supported the event.

As mentioned in earlier posts, we are also launching a program called SODIS (solar water disinfection)at the school to purify water. Since we are waiting for the heavy rains to fill the tank, our focus right now is educating and training the teachers and some senior students on the life-saving process. We will launch the program school-wide in January when the students return from their break.

With the water tank and SODIS taken care of, our next big leap is to build a lab and facilitate the education of our Grade 12 students. As many of you know, we lack a Gr. 12 because we do not have a lab for science lessons and practicals. Without studying this, the students have no hope at passing the standardized exams at the end of Gr. 12 which they need to graduate. We are working on a proposal, putting the figures together and working out the logistics at the moment, but what remains is that we still need adequate funding in order to move forward with the plans! The total cost is likely to be in the neighbourhood of $15,000- $20,000 when you consider that we need the building, school supplies, electricity, furniture, books, and teachers!

I cannot stress enough how important it is to implement a Gr. 12 class at this school. Students in lower grades might become discouraged from studying hard if they think they won't be able to graduate at the end of all their hard work. Even though they deal with hunger, thirst, disease, homelessness, having no parents, and war trauma to name a few, this hurdle-- graduating from high school-- is one that we can actually change for the better. They truly have no hope without us, and I have 110% confidence that we will make it happen!

I am elated to hear that high schools, businesses and various groups in Canada are interested in helping Sud Academy become a destination school for Sudanese refugees... John Wise and Arthur Voden schools in St. Thomas have committed to helping their fellow students across the globe get a fair shot at life, just as they are lucky enough to have because they were born in a peaceful country like Canada. That students & kids are becoming more socially aware is inspiring to me- you get what you give, and I'm glad our Canadian students are seizing the opportunity to help others, and as such, themselves. Good work, St. Thomas!

Let's see what other sources of funding we can find for Sud and a lab... I welcome anyone to contact me (kelleejacobs@gmail.com) if you need any information about things related to Sud, Sudan, labs, education, fundraising, etc.... I look forward to working with all of you!

Stay tuned for photos and a story on my trek into Southern Sudan-- understanding where these students come from is a must for anyone interested in helping. The stories, situation and challenges in Sudan are both heartbreaking and inspiring. When I see need, I am immediately inspired to act. I hope you'll join me in this venture to make change, one community at a time.

Until then,
A giant Asante Sana!! (Swahili for thank you)

Water Project--- Video Update!

Hey All,

Check out my new video on the progress of the water system we are building at Sud (it's short!). This video was made for a fundraising event that is happening in London, Ontario this Thursday evening--- tickets are sold out, so it's sure to be a success! (That's why there is mention of sponsors, etc...)

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFiFSLvxQEU

I'm off to Uganda and Southern Sudan this Thursday to check out some water projects that The Water School and Canadian Aid for Southern Sudan have brought to those regions..... Will be back online as of October 24th, so please check back soon after for the deets and pics from my trip!

Ta-ta.

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While You Were Sleeping

Here are just a few pics from my day today! Enjoy!

UP: Students goofing around while they wait for their lunch.

UP: Someone is VERY happy that she has a Popsicle to tide her over until lunch is ready!

UP: .... And someone is a bit upset that I've not yet taken her photo.

UP: A couple of my buddies in the Secondary section- Peter in red sometimes escorts me home on the mini-buses to make sure I'm safe. :)

UP: Mary the cook prepares a yummy lunch of rice, beans and some onions for flavour! I really love it, even though it's designed to make me FAT.

UP: And of course, another photo of the miniature student. Today was cool so he had a mini sweater-hood under another sweater. I've learned his name is Sangulololo. Seriously! After a famous Kenyan song. I tried to tell him my name is Kellee, but he replied in Swahili (which some senior students translated) that he already knew "she's Kellee". HA. What a doll!

UP: I spent 3 hours this afternoon at the airport with these empty water bottles. We were trying to get them on a plane to Loki in Northern Kenya, where we'll pick them up next week en route to Sudan. Oddly enough, the jet had too much cargo and we only managed to get some of the bottles on! The logistician will try again on Friday--- this was nearly an exercise in futility. But--- TIA. This is Africa!

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Busy-Busy Thursday at Sud!

Here are just a few photos from last Thursday at Sud. Have a look & check back for more later this week!

UP: Passing out exercise books in Class 8! I got a round of applause when I announced I was coming to give everyone a small 50 page notebook. Ha!

UP: Discussing our new notebooks while waiting for our cameraman to sort himself out.

UP: Contractor Dan, me & Headmaster Bosco discussing the rain water gutters for our catchment system. We were making sure the super-tall Sudanese won't hit their heads on the overhanging pipes!

UP & DOWN: At the end of each week, students remove class furniture to clean out their classrooms. Here, keen students whose studies were interrupted by the cleaning routine continue working outside their classroom, amidst the piled up furniture.


DOWN: This little munchkin is the tiniest of Sud students. I'm told he is 6 but it's hard to imagine he's actually that old. He carries his belongings in a tied up grocery bag, is very sharp and often stands guard at the school's gate to notify the headmaster of approaching visitors. He is super shy with me but stopped briefly for this photo!

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