TEACHING-EMPOWERING-MENTORING-BUILDING OPPORTUNITY Mission: to partner with individuals and communities in Western Kenya to support entrepreneurial activities, education and health through training programmes, scholarships, water and sanitation projects

Friday, March 5, 2010

Virtues news

Some of you may know that Richard Andabwa , a strong supporter of Virtues and our interim chairman of Tembo Kenya, has been very ill. In short, a growth was removed from his abdomen last Saturday in an eight hour operation. I was delighted yesterday to receive a call from him. His voice is strong and he is no longer hooked up to an IV. This weekend he starts a little solid food and if he continues to do well, could be home next week. We thank everyone for their prayers. Richard and his wife Bibiana are hoping to attend the Virtues Facilitators conference in Canada in May, and for a while I was not at all sure they would make it. Now I feel much more hopeful. Just the visa needed now.
Even while in hospital before the surgery Richard was working for Virtues. He read in the news of a school in Western Province where students had rioted, burned the dormitory and left the school. He phoned the Provincial Director of Education and set up an appointment for me to meet him Monday morning. The PDE immediately phoned the principal and gave us his blessing to present a workshop for the staff. The students (boys) were at home and due to return Wednesday.
On Tuesday we left Kakamega at 7.30 and drove with two of our facilitators 2-3 hours on rough roads to reach the school. The poor principal had no Idea who was being sent to him. In fact, at the end he confessed he was half expecting a team of inspectors coming to judge him.
He was very hospitable and gracious despite his misgivings and we conducted a shortened teachers presentation. We were well received and the evaluations were very positive. They all would have liked more time of course, but they said the strategies would definitely help them in dealing with the boys as they returned to school.
Many gave their email address so we may have more participants for our email list.
Needless to say, Richard's first phone call this week was to hear the details of the visit to Kolanya.

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