Partnering for Education: RC Kilifi, KESHO and KilifiKids

The second set of a series of videos shot by Erik Michielsen during the epic tour by KilifiKids Organization committee is finally out. In this video, we hear about how the partnership between these three like-minded organizations  have helped improve the lives of over 300 students to date through primary and secondary school sponsorships. 

Follow this link to the awesome video, where we get to hear first hand accounts of the details from a few of the students: RC Kilifi, KESHO & KilifiKids partnership

Background

RC Kilifi is a keen partner in the sponsorship of selected bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds within the community living in Kilifi County. The club partners with robust Rotarians from RC Amersham (USA), spearheaded by one of KilifiKids founders, Michael Olsen. Out of the 25 students (16 girls, 9 boys)  in secondary schools currently under its wing, two of them are in prestigious national schools (Nairobi School and Limuru Girls), while the rest are in provincial schools located in Kilifi county. 

With an initial target of 50 students, the program is now in its third year of running. However, the clubs are facing the challenge of drying up of funds, as fees for the various schools keep on escalating each year. The average cost of sponsoring a secondary school student at national level is almost twice that of sponsoring one at the provincial level. Due to this, no extra student was selected for sponsorship this current year, with the funds available just enough to sponsor the students currently in the program. Despite this, the partnership has achieved commendable results as can be heard in the video interviews.

Is school-based education all they get?

The students need more than just their school fees to be paid in order for them to have the opportunity to rise up to their potential and sustain the momentum. As part of Kesho's Youth Development Programme, the students are exposed to academic guidance and counselling during the holidays by Rotarians from Kilifi, Moving The Goalposts (MTG) and other partners. Some students are also involved in Kesho/Rotary/MTG peer support groups in their schools.  In addition, several open days have been held during the year 2010, including a Careers Day, a Reproductive Health Day, and a Parents Day to expose the students to pertinent issued that are of great concern to their academic development. This year RC Kilifi  hosted an open day targeting the Rotary sponsored students, to orientate them about the work of Rotary in the community and the world. The event was well attended with the Rotarians allowing the students to talk freely, get to know each other,and giving motivation speeches and the raison d'etre of Rotary Clubs worldwide.

My name is..

Open session, where motivation talks,
problems encountered in school, and what Rotary
is all about were discussed.

"A student does not live on books alone",
so to speak.

Ruth, an active Rotarian-to-be, shows us how to jig
in the warm up session.

One on one interaction with the students

Rtn Zena gives a wrap up of the day

Envisioned future plans

RC Kilifi and KilifiKids are working in earnest to see that the initial target of sponsoring 50 students is met, and that all the students perform well in their exams, despite the setbacks. The first cohort of Rotary sponsored students will graduate from their respective secondary school at the end of 2011 (12 in total). Students who gain a C+ or above in their KCSE examination are selected through the Joint Admission Board for subsidized degree-level education in the public universities. However, competition is quite tough for the spaces available in the universities for the degree of choice, thus a candidate has to perform exceptionally well. All  not lost, however, as a range of other tertiary institutions exist for diploma and certificate-level training. 

With the community's and other well-wishers support, our students will be assured of access to quality education, and an opportunity to make lemonade from the lemons we have. We also hope to mine and mould quality leaders at this young age through mentorship in the ideals of Rotary.

One big happy family of students and Rotarians.

Kilifi Kids and RC Kilifi mHealth Collaborative Project

Exciting news here.  The first of a series of videos from the Kilifi Kids (www.kilifikids.org) trip to Kenya this July has been published. The video highlights Kilifi Kids efforts on working with the team and community across Kilifi to develop the mobile health care or mHealth project.

Each one of the team members played a key role in the effort, ranging from trip preparation, to Nairobi visits, to Kilifi interviews and meetings.  On behalf of Team Kilifi Kids, Eric thanks us all.

Please pass this link along using email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. as Kilifi Kids and RC Kilifi want to build awareness of the project and position for next step institutional financing, team development, and media / publicity exposure, including journalist interviews, guest blog posts, conference presentations / panel participation, etc.

Here is the link to the video:  http://www.vimeo.com/14417388

Note that you have ability to download it on the Vimeo site if that is preferred. Additional videos are forthcoming.  These will be rolled out in the coming months. They will be available on Vimeo as well as on www.kilifikids.org and their social media channels.  If you have not yet done so already, please follow Kilifi Kids on Twitter (www.twitter.com/kilifikids) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kilifikids).

Service above self.

What is a responsible Rotarian?

Who really said "You are what you eat?". Let us stop to think about it... is it really the case? On the other hand, sociologists also say that "You are judged by the friends you keep". And still, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... then, definitely it is a duck". Honestly, we all wonder why these statements were made, if not to prove a certain spur-of-the-moment point. Alas, they are common phrases which we quote from time to time.

What are my responsibilities as a Rotarian? From a point blank perspective, the responsibilities can be broadly categorized as: attendance, service, finding and keeping members, payment of dues and leadership.

RC Kilifi members during a weekly meeting.

As a Rotarian, my biggest responsibility is attending the scheduled weekly club meetings and actively participating in its activities. The beauty of attending the meetings is having fellowship with other members, enriching our professional and personal knowledge through the contacts we make, and meeting other business leaders in our community. Even during the formative years, club meetings, assemblies, training seminars and conferences have always been an opportunity to make new acquaintances and spread peace and goodwill throughout the world. In the spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood, guests are encouraged to visit other Rotary Clubs to get a chance to make up for lost meetings in their parent club, and also to see how things are done in host clubs. Ideas are never copied; they are just adopted and adapted to suit local conditions.

Food chain during the successful food drive for Kilifi
District residents in early 2009.

Serving the community through Rotary stems out from the motto: Service above self. Rotary gives all members a chance to participate in local and international service projects by volunteering their time and talents whenever possible. Through its flexible structure, members serve the community (and club) through the five avenues of service: Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service, and New Generations Service. All these five pillars are run by dedicated members who always rise up to the occasion at hand and deliver without fail. Decisions are made after lengthy discussions based on strategic goals, and duties performed to high ethical standards in order to improve the quality of life in the local and global community. The youth and young adults are greatly encouraged to join in and participate in Rotary activities due to the foreseen positive changes that will be instilled in them through leadership development activities, service projects, and exchange programs.

Rotarian Kate (current Club Treasurer) during her induction.

"Reach one, Keep one" is a simple but powerful phrase. Every Rotarian is encouraged to bring new and like-minded people into the club for meetings, or to participate in a service project.  The best way to motivate a potential member to join Rotary after the initial invitation is to encourage them to utilize their talents and expertise in service beyond their normal professional activities. But then, how do we keep membership attrition rates low?  Sustaining membership is a challenge in this dynamic world that all clubs face, but solutions can be generated to suit particular situations.

Annual dues are an obligation to each registered member. The dues go to sustain the Rotary clubs, districts and Rotary International, as well as the subscription fee to the appropriate Rotary magazine. A simple solution to mitigate the seemingly high dues would be to stagger the payment over the Rotary year period. Regular reminders to contributing members also serve as an impetus for them to contribute to the worthy cause of humanitarian aid. Apart from these dues, other contribution schemes exist, including the Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY), Friends of Rotary, and the Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF). While these other schemes are not obligatory, members are highly encouraged to contribute towards sustaining The Rotary Foundation.

Some people are born leaders, some leaders are created through cultivation. There is virtually a position for every Rotarian in the club, and members are always encouraged to volunteer for leadership roles at club level and beyond. No leader works in isolation, and all members are available to support the leader of the team as the club makes its way through service projects. The greatest joy in the team is when a daunting task is surmounted, and smiles are seen on the faces of the community that has been touched by a Rotary-sponsored project.

Donation of a laptop to Charo, member of the
Kilifi visually impaired group.

August Rotary Tidbits

August is Membership and Extension month for Rotarians worldwide. Our targets for not only enlisting new members, but sustaining them also, were raised when DG Stephen Mwanje paid us a courtesy call mid this year. We need to explore the missing classifications we have in our Club, and extend invitations to potential members after a thorough classification survey. Only then will we be able to effectively serve our community, by reaching out to the expertise found in those resource people we are missing in our team.

Rtn Kelly during her induction early this year.
She doubles up as the Young Generation Chair.

This month, and the others to follow, poses the challenge to focus our dedication towards Rotary's continuing need for growth, to seek new members, and to form new clubs (Rotaract, Interact). Let us retrospectively embrace the annual theme for 1957-58, under the guidance of President Charles G. Tennent: "Enlist-Extend-Explore-Serve".

5 minute analogy of a Rotarian

A classification survey for Rotarians was recently conducted, and interesting results were generated for the different categories…on a lighter note. 

The RHINO is always prompt in paying dues; it does not need constant reminders from the Treasurer to diligently make weekly, monthly or even yearly payments as club dues. Better yet, it has a standing order at the end of the month to cater for this, stress free.

The BALLOON, one of the greatest inventions of man, is always full (of air!). Light and convenient as it is, all it takes is one prick to release the air in a huff!

The KITE is an interesting toy, rising high in the sky as the string length is unfolded. But it takes great skill and mastery to manoeuvre the kite in the air, otherwise the string holding it gets entangled with other pieces nearby.

The CANOE follows the motion in the ocean. Rudderless, it veers off course and is left at the mercy of the waves. It requires a lot of patient paddling to tame it and steer it on the right path.

The TRAILLER is always behind the scenes, hauling most of the weight and being dragged along. A handy piece of invention this is

SUBMARINES, on the other hand, deliver the killer punch. They are always submerged under water, only rising to the surface to deliver the final blow. However, once the action is over, they disappear as quickly as they had appeared – lightning speed.

Lastly, we have the HI-FIs. Oh, these are the greatest! Highly priced, they swoop in like a marching band and make the greatest impact in the shortest time possible.

As we look into ourselves and our position as one of the cogs that make the wheel of Rotary, ask yourself: which kind of Rotarian am I?

Welcome!

Rotarians in action!

Dear Rotarians and friends,

After much discussion, our blog is finally live! This is just a first step in increasing out presence in the media, specifically the internet. This is perceived as one of  the easiest way to publish what we do online, and reach a wider audience worldwide. Remember our theme for the year: Building communities - Bridging Continents. Let us use this forum to advance the ideals of Rotary, and also showcase what we as Rotarians from Kilifi are doing to make our community a better place to live in.