Mums Light Up in Bungoma, Kenya!

This entry was submitted by Rose, our Girls LitClub facilitator in Bungoma, Kenya:

Here are photos of a few happy LitClub mums after receiving solar lamps for their girls. Indeed Christmas came early for these mums! They were all smiles as they each received a solar lantern with her litclub daughter!

 

Light finally came at the end of the turnel! The girls expressed their joy through song and dance. The smoky kerosene lamps that made them suffer are going to end up in dustbins. The lamps that were donated by Litworld came in handy as some of the girls were preparing for exams and one of them studied hard to emerge top at the school after scoring 350 marks out of 500!

To them, these lamps are magical, a savior, a precious jewel!

Thank you Litworld.

Thank YOU, Rose!!

Girls Club in Bungoma, Kenya Trace Their Roots

Last Thursday I took my girls to Nabongo Cultural Centre in Mumias to study about the Luhya culture. I wanted to encourage them to trace their roots because we have been covering the theme "Who Am I?".

The girls are learning. The kingdom first existed in Egypt, moved across Sahara to what presently is Cameroun, traversed Sahel to Ethiopia, and from there moved to present Kenya and Uganda.

Nabongo Kingom existed right before being annexed under colonial British rule, the area in East African Rift Valley from River Nile and Lake Victoria, along the border of Ethiopian Empire, and in South along the Northern Masailand to Naivasha and Aberdares. The kingdom ruled through monarchy, councils of elders in the subjugated tribes and provinces, and a supreme court which settled all matters.

We are seated in a traditional hut. It has clay walls, and a grass-thatched roof supported with wooden poles. It is a chief's or a nobleman's hut, where traditionally receptions take place.

The girls eating their picnic lunch

Going on this trip allowed the girls to have some time away from the normal routines of school and work, and breathe a different kind of air. Some of these girls have never been anywhere else but their homes and school. It was an amazing experience.

Written by Rose Mureka, Girls Club Facilitator in Bungoma, Kenya

World Read Aloud Day is Celebrated in Kenya!

The enthusiasm to read is clear on these girls' faces.
They agree that illiteracy is inability. They join the world in celebrating WRAD!
Their answer to this day's question is; 'no education no life.' They appreciate the power of words.

They happily read the book 'Brave Girls' to Litworld Girls Club Kibera on phone. They have the confidence to read. Though they have never met, they have one bond, LitWorld.

From Rose Mureka, Girls Club in Bungoma, Kenya.

The Birth of Another Litworld Girls Club in Bungoma, Kenya!

A Message from Rose Mureka, Girls Club Facilitator at Bungoma Kenya:

This came as a surprise and a blessing to these girls in a small village school. Lubunda Primary School, in Bungoma, Kenya is where our new LitWorld girls club was born, a club embraced by teachers and pupils of the school. It was all cheers, laughter, and smiles during the opening ceremony as we launched the club in the school early this year. We began our sessions last year on a slow note, but we are up to go this year!

This is a reserved community where girls suffer in silence. They have a lot of responsibilities on their shoulders by the time they step in school, thus regarding themselves mature and ready to be parents even as early as 12 years old. They sighed to know that they have someone to give them an ear, no dying in silence anymore!

They have been using torn pieces of rags during their monthly periods and to them, it's embarrassing to talk about it. They are all receiving sanitary pads every month from LitWorld girls club sponsors now! They think Pam Allyn is heaven sent. Some of these girls are not able to communicate in English in Sixth and Seventh grades! They don't have story books in the school, let alone a library!

We hold short sessions twice a week and am greatly impressed by the progress. They are slowly learning to appreciate the power of words and are looking forward to joining the world in celebrating the read aloud day by reading a short story I borrowed from a friend!

*****

Thank you so much Rose, for all your great work. We look forward to hearing more from the girls in Bungoma, Kenya!