Life at Kamulu with Street Kids

This report was recently written by Moses Okoth, who instructs skills students in computers and maintains our network and internet access.

"We are well, and the students are doing great, always with a lot of enthusiasm to learn something new in class and also out of class. The 4.30 classes are going on great. We have started a new unit 102 in the Business, Bible and Computer offerings. Irene alternates with Francis in the Bible course, and Joel still co-ordinates with Victor in the Business course. My classes in Computers are still a great challenge to both me and the kids. I still need some pointers on the curriculum for accounting on the business side. (note: anyone want to write some “computer business accounting for teens”? Just 20 forty-five minute lessons)

The electricity rationing is not all that bad. I have stuff to do with the skills students on these days...Monday. Wednesday and Friday. Mostly we go through the theory part, or just chat about successful people in the computer industry and make wishful stories of upcoming days. I have to say this group that are in computer skills training were really meant to be here. Imagine thay even want to know how animations are done, like in the movies Transformers and Ice Age. This makes me have to do more research and have something to tell them when they ask such questions. But all in all I am always enjoying it. As long as it’s computer related, that is me...

We used Coulston's little generator some during VBS, when there was no electricity. I must say that is one economical generator. We put in petrol on a Monday and it served us the whole week. If I could get something like that for the computers it really would be nice. So should I go ahead and enquire how much a generator costs? (note: anyone want to help with this, to serve the computer kids?)

We had a break-in at the café, losing plates and cups and utensils and sufurias (big cooking pots). It really make me feel like getting hold of the guys ad plucking their toe nails one at a time to represent the pain in all our hearts here at MITS. But better to suffer loss than to harm another.

I had a chance to visit Joseph Mburu at his place of work yesterday. I was in town with Hollye trying to network and get placements for our kids at different areas. Mburu is doing great; he now has a passion of going for further computer studies and wants to be doing that from next month. Joel and Francis will organise and maybe we can come up with something? What do you think about this? Now that he is earning, he can also take some responsibility in paying for things like his transport as he works and goes to school. Joel says he can start finding an apartment next year as funds are available. (note: does anyone want to help Joseph into further studies in computers? His job doesn’t provide enough to cover his expenses at this point, so his sponsor continues to care for his housing and food and transport needs, but he will need about $30 a month to go to school).

We have a volunteer called Victorine. She will be with us on the weekdays till Friday, then attends college in social work on Saturdays. After her classes she will head back here for the weekend with the girls. (note: since Moses wrote this, Victorine has become a regular with MITS at Kamulu, while continuing school in social work. She is with the girls and is teaching a literacy class on days she is available. Would anyone like to cover her salary while she is on probation with us, and afterwards assuming she stays? Cost is $100 a month)

Three of the single mothers are here at Kamulu now. We have tested them and put them in classes, after which they will do skills training. In the meantime Irene Mbithe and Victorine have been looking after the babies when they are not teaching. Jane Njeri, supervisor at Eastleigh, tells me she got another single mother.

Our boys’ dorm has been painted, for which we are grateful; now it looks nice. The gate has been expanded so the bus can pass through easily. We are planting more trees at the boys. We want it to look nice and be cool."

MITS NEEDS YOUR HELP WITH PRACTICAL CURRICULA

  Yes, we need your help.  Unlike more formal schools, Made in the Streets from time to time changes its schedule, curricula and focus in order to best meet the needs of our students from the streets.  Since most of them were denied the opportunity to attend primary school, we have to help them have motivation to catch up fast, since they are usually in our literacy program no more than two years.  Then we have to focus on skills training for two years in order to get them ready for the job market, which is more difficult than ever in Kenya.  And this month we have 6 students turning 16, the age at which we start skills training.  This means that we now have most of our students in skills training (38) rather than literacy (14).  In this pic are the students who need business, ethics, counseling and accounting skills to prepare them for the future.

  So we have revamped our schedule, and we have added a 4:30 PM class daily that lasts 45 minutes.  We want to teach the students in 3 major areas that will help them be ready for whatever job they seek when they leave us.  The 3 areas are Business, Bible and Computers.  Bible will have 5 units, Business 4 units and Computers 4 units.  Each of the units will have 20 lessons and will last exactly one month.  WE WANT YOU TO WRITE CURRICULA FOR US -- simple lesson plans, each one focusing on a specific learning task, each one with suggested teaching methods, each one with an objective, each one with specific assignments that can be done overnight...if you teach, you know the routine.  And if you don't teach, but you know the material, give us all you can and let us fill in.  Here are the Units and our desired objectives.

Bible

Unit One:  Work ethics, morality in the marketplace, general morality -- in these 20 lesson plans we want a Scripture, an objective, and all the rest.  We want to begin with Scripture.

Unit Two:  Conflict resolution and relationships (good to have a basic Scripture here also)

Unit Three:  Using your job to serve -- all the elements from Ephesians 6, the service mentality in the workplace, practical lessons for different job types.

Unit Four:  Dating and Marriage -- the kids will meet people at work, near where they live, where they eat, etc.  They need Biblical guidance for finding the love of one's life, courting, preparing the heart, staying pure...

Unit Five:  Personal counseling -- how to take care of their own hearts, how to overcome struggle and past pain, Biblical guidance, how to seek out someone who can help...

Business

Unit One:  Resume writing, preparing documents that show what you can do, interviewing -- classes with role playing, writing exercises, 

Unit Two:  Job descriptions and how to fulfill what is required, including the attitude and motivation required, how to get and keep a job, dealing with conflict on the job...

Unit Three:  Accounting and budgeting -- this 20 lesson course should be done on paper -- learning double-entry and ledger work, keeping a cash book, setting up personal and business budget, cash transfer...

Unit Four:  Marketing, setting up a business, promoting products and services

Computers

Unit One:  Accounting for personal use using computer programs

Unit Two:  Accounting for a business on specific computer programs (or how to use Excel or OpenOffice Spreadsheet for this)

Unit Three:  Appropriate and effective, efficient use of Email, Facebook, how to find what you want to know, etc.

Unit Four:  English studied -- computer learning in more advanced English studies beyond grade 4 or 5.  

Please use our expertise and develop what you think is good without worrying about culture or what we will think of it or anything else -- just pitch in and send me whatever you come up with.  Please don't send high-level space-eating graphics, since our email is slow.  Send me what you can at  charles.coulston@made-in-the-streets.org   

And thanks -- we need all the help we can get -- we are not experts at anything, we just have a job to do on behalf of street kids.  and be blessed in your preparation - peace, charles