Third Chapter Kenya

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Many hopes

By sbl - June 11, 2017

Hello friends and family, It is hard to explain why living here has been so powerful for Susie and me. One has to experience this culture to begin to understand how it affects you and broadens your perspective. Here's a vignette There is a 24 yr old who washes our car. His name is Kevin and he is earnest and has a work ethic rarely seen to be honest. He zealously washes our car with gusto and spends hours cleaning the inside and outside After I returned from my recent trip to USA., I gave him a ride home from the car wash area.He lives in an abandoned steel drum (yes, an abandoned steel drum) He said recently that people had noticed his work ethic and told him if he had a drivers license, they could employ him as a driver which would be a huge step up for him economically. Currently he is at the whim of the weather and the desire for people to have their car washed. The average pay for a big 4 wheel car like mine is 2 dollars. Needless to say, I pay him more! I took

Marketing - Kenyan Style

By sbl - April 05, 2017

Mudzini School is slated to open in September. We will be bringing in sponsored students from the Kikambala area, and of course, the Mudzini girls and fee paying students from the Mombasa area. When we open we will have one class at each grade level from 3 yr. olds up through 8th grade. September is the beginning of the third term of the Kenyan academic calendar. Given this reality, we aren’t sure how many fee paying families will commit to leaving their current school at this point in the year. January marks the beginning of the new academic year, which is a more natural point for intake. Since we will be accepting students from diverse economic backgrounds, and therefore prior academic experience, we are being very intentional about the composition of each class so we can serve each student well. As we know, creating a truly inclusive environment requires a great deal of reflection and intention. We are sincere about this effort and committed to making it work. www.mudzinisch

Majestic Masai Mara

By sbl - February 16, 2017

The majestic Masai Mara It hasn't been all work since the holidays. While Susie's daughters were visiting in January we spent three days on safari. The Masai Mara game reserve covers 1,500 square kilometers in south western Kenya and is home to the Big Five (lions, rhinos, leopard, buffalo, elephants) and hippos and crocodiles and zebras, and hyenas, and giraffes, and on and on.

Progress

By sbl - February 04, 2017

Making Progress In the past several weeks there has been noticeable progress at the building site. And, while the various crews are mixing concrete, sealing the water tanks, painting, and landscaping . . . We've been working on the nuts and bolts of the school program - admissions process, marketing, student handbook, employee policies, purchasing, uniforms, lunch menu, transportation, budgets and about 100 other tasks!! At times it seems like a formidable endeavor. Jus as we compile a "comprehensive" list of tasks to accomplish, numerous others crop up. However, our tenacity is fueled by the grave state of the majority of Kenya's private and government schools. A recent article in the Daily Nation describes the state of many public schools, "The sorry state of public schools across the country can be revealed today. A survey conducted by the Saturday Nation presents a picture of decay, disuse and neglect in the schools. . . Open sewers, dumpsite

Always An Adventure

By sbl - November 26, 2016

While we were sleeping . . . . Then we woke up. Susie reached for her phone to check the time. The phone wasn’t on the bedside table. She thought perhaps she left it in the kitchen the night before – which she has never done. Susie ventured out into the living area and noticed that a few things had been rearranged – most notably the cigar box in which she keeps her jewelry was on the floor and the contents of Randy’s brief case were stacked in precise piles. Her first thought (a ridiculous one) was that the puppy was responsible. But it wasn’t the puppy – both laptops and two phones and a kindle and Randy’s wallet and Susie’s passport and a camera were missing. Clearly we had been robbed. We reported the robbery to the security guards who purportedly keep us safe, but do have a habit of snoozing all night long. They made a cursory inspection and then contacted the police. Shortly a crew of plain clothed officers slinging machine guns arrived. They asked no questions- not at all

It's been awhile

By sbl - November 03, 2016

Low tide It has been a while since our last blog post. We were back in the U.S. for a while, but now we’re back in our home, by the beach on the Indian ocean. No matter what trials living in a developing country present, we take time nearly every day to enjoy the stunning beachscape. Two of Tucker's favorites - the orange ball and the beach One of the biggest concerns for us as we work toward opening Mudzini International School is finding the right staff. Aside from Randy and Susie, all of the school’s faculty and staff will be Kenyan. The School Manager position (an expanded Business Manager role) is critical in Kenyan schools. Fortunately, we think we’ve found the perfect person. You may remember, as shared in a previous blog, Randy spent the day traveling with a high ranking official from the Education Ministry, Zack Kabiru, assessing schools in the bush. Zack, Susie and Randy have had many opportunities to wax philosophically about education in g

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