Blog

Program Updates March 2007

As the new school year started in January, our primary school opened its doors to Grade 5. We now have pre-school through Grade 5 and plan to continue adding one new classroom each year until a full primary school up to Grade 8 has been established. The new classrooms added each year are typically funded and built by overseas volunteers. If any group is looking for a fun, exciting, worthwhile project, please contact us about helping build a Grade 6 classroom. Volunteers are welcomed to help fundraise for the classroom ($2,000 to $3,000 USD) and then help build it in Kenya with our local masons and carpenters.

This December we had several volunteers conduct a program and impact evaluation on our Empower AIDS Training Program. The Empower Program is a “training of trainers” course that aims to develop local AIDS peer educators within the very rural communities of western Kenya . Several volunteers spent their time meeting with past Empower participants to assess the impact our training had on the participants and their community. The volunteers also developed a list of action items and recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the program. We are very appreciative of the time and thought that went into this evaluation work. The report will not only be useful for internal planning purposing but will also be helpful for future Empower volunteers.

Program Updates September 2006

The summer of 2006 has been a very busy and productive one for Volunteer Kenya / ICODEI. From May to September we had 48 volunteers participate in our education, healthcare, and development programs. Our summer volunteers included people from the USA, Canada, and the UK .

The HIV/AIDS Education program was again a huge success. Our volunteers spoke to thousands of people in the rural villages and continued our EMPOWER peer education training program. At the mobile clinics, between 100 and 150 people were evaluated and treated or referred each day. Due the extremely high demand for healthcare services in the rural villages we were working in, our volunteers typically left the farm to work at 8:00AM and did not return until after dark (around 7:00-8:00PM). Our main obstacle in running the mobile clinics is obtaining medicine. Our budget from the volunteer fees was rapidly eaten up by purchasing medicine for the mobile clinics. Any upcoming volunteer medical students are encouraged to check with their schools and hospitals to see if they can get donations of medicine and medical supplies to bring to Kenya .

October 2005 Update (Letter From Reuben)

Jambo everyone,

I hope you are all doing fine out there. We are praying for all affected by the Katrina and the subsequent one. We hope our friends in Houston and Louisiana were not seriously affected. This email is for everyone who has volunteered with us in one way or another. We have those who have been here in person while others have participated in raising funds for our numerous projects.

Program Updates January 2006

As we begin the new year we are extremely excited to see the advancement of Epico Jahns Primary School to now include Grade 4. The school was started in 2001 and each year we have added an additional grade (and classroom) to accommodate the advancing students. Epico Jahns Academy now has over 300 students in pre-school through Grade 4. The classroom for Standard 4, the teachers lounge, and office was finished this January. Construction on both buildings was started this past fall by a group of volunteer teachers from Indiana University , but due to a lack of funds they had not been completed until January. The classroom for Standard 5 has been started, but does not yet have a floor or finished walls.

Our nursing school is now beginning its second year of operations. We now have over 30 nursing students and 2 full-time teachers. We hope to start having overseas volunteer medical students, doctors, and nurses come work alongside our Kenyan teachers at the nursing school. Volunteers will not only provide teaching assistance but also assist in curriculum development.

Program Updates January 2004

The HIV/AIDS Awareness Program made over 250 presentations in 2003, to schools, churches and community groups. The audience reach included thousands of men, women, and children and made use of video, live theatre and lecture-style techniques. Every school in the Bumola Division of Bungoma District has received an Volunteer Kenya visit within the past 24 months. In addition most schools in other divisions within Bungoma have been reached, as well as schools in Butere-Mumias, Mount Elgon , Tesso and a few in Busia districts.

This program utilized the organization’s 10-year old Mitsubishi Pajero and was staffed by an overseas volunteer, and local staff which included a field coordinator, a translator (for local languages other than Swahili), and a driver.

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