Once again, the knowledgeable and dedicated LitWorld team held a very successful program at the Red Rose School. Completing their third visit to Nairobi,
CoKF, Red Rose, and LitWorld have developed a deep and fruitful partnership, all in the name of promoting literacy. During the week of February 16th the LitWorld team shared with Red Rose students invaluable writing skills, encouraged them to use their imaginations, taught students how to produce their own books, and help seminars for teachers. To start off each day, the LitWorld team read aloud to Red Rose students. Reading aloud is an imperative skill building activity for young readers and writers. It improves reading comprehension, reading fluency, and helps to develop memory retention.
Above, "Teacher Jonathan" reads One Fish Two Fish by Dr. Seuss to class six as a warm up to inspire their ideas for writing their own children's stories. Below Teacher Joyce reads enthusiastically to her class about the life cycle of the chicken.
Teacher Annie captivating the nursery class with a story about a baby dragon. As Annie taught in the teacher's seminar later in the afternoon, books read to students should be appropriate for their age. For example, for the youngest readers, books should include large font and few words, exciting and interesting images that could tell their own stories, and should be read in a creative, attention grabbing manner. For older students, reading aloud from a chapter book every day helps them exercise their memories while they hold bits of the story in their head from day to day.
Although all classes were taught important skills to become good writers, Class Six was able to produce their own books both in print and online. Authoring books is a very empowering experience and students were able to use their imaginations to write a book designed for younger students and express their own thoughts and feelings by writing a book about their own life. These books were printed out on the scanner printer generously donated by LitWorld, and added the the LitWorld Online Library, where students all over the world can read each others work. In class, Jonathan even showed other students work all the way from Ghana and New Mexico. Eventually, Class Six will teach the younger classes how to use the book making software as one of the activities of their new book club.
Students show off the books they wrote.
Jonathan takes a look at a Class Six student's brainstorming ideas. He taught the students that brainstorming is a great first step to writing a book and helps you get your thoughts and ideas down on paper and eventually organized into a story.
Above Class Five children enjoys Strega Nona, a captivating story book.
The LitWorld team learned about CoKF's high school scholarship program when two of our new scholars came to visit. They interviewed them about what it took for them to earn the scholarship and what their aspirations and hopes for their futures were now that they will receive a secondary school education.
The LitWorld team inspired Red Rose students to think creatively. Above: Pam Allyn had students draw a heart and then write inside the people and places that mean the most to them. She explained that later on when they would write stories, these people and places could influence their characters and settings. This showed students that books can be based on real people and real things in your life. Below: Teacher Jonathan inspires students to let their imaginations run wild and to develop the stories that we make up in our heads.
Equally important as working with the students at Red Rose, was working with teachers. As educators, the LitWorld team had a great deal of knowledge and experience and were very open to sharing with the Red Rose staff. Pam and Annie led the seminars, and began their work with the teachers by asking if they had any questions about teaching reading. One question that came up in the seminar was how to make sure a child is reading for meaning and concepts rather than just going over the words. Throughout the week the seminar addressed the teachers questions and helped them to improve the way they teach.
In one teacher training session the LitWorld team taught Red Rose teachers the "Around the World Game" as a tool to develop memory. The "Around the World Game" exercises young students rapid recall skills, meaning the more they play faster they bring information to the front of their brain. The seminars also encouraged teachers to read aloud to their students every day, and not just page for page. Asking questions about what students think will happen in the story and what is going on in pictures helps our students become more critical thinkers and makes sure they are reading for meaning. Below: Red Rose teachers write down their questions.
Below: Pam Allyn and Classes Five and Six celebrate their new LitWorld T-shirts and the wonderful work of the LitWorld crew!
Teacher Annie helps the nursery class perform a song called "Open Shut Them" which helps them link actions to words, developing basic early reading skills.
LitWorld week ended with a big celebration where every class had an opportunity to sing a song or recite a poem. Representatives from each class read aloud to the whole school and Red Rose and LitWorld teachers had a chance to express their gratitude towards each other for such a successful week.
Children of Kibera Foundation's Project Coordinator Japheth Ochieng was recognized at the party for his enormous involvement with the LitWorld project and working so hard to put everything together.
For more information please visit
LitWorld.org! All the Red Rose children will participate in the World Read Aloud Day organized by LitWorld coming up on March 3rd!
The Young Kiberans For Change Club (YK4C), formerly known as the Life Skills Club, attended the "Food Security in Kenya" panel discussion and debate. YK4C is a club started by some of the students in Interns Joscelyn Truitt and Jacqueline Espana's Life Skills class at the Kibra Academy, a partnership school with CoKF. The dedicated students of this club enjoy discussing Food Security as one of their favorite topics. As a club, we meet two times per week and discuss issues that are important to the people of Kibera and how as the youth we can make a difference. Other topics we have covered include tribalism, tribal violence, poverty, corruption, gender inequality, peace, the image of Kibera and HIV/AIDS.
Ten students were able to attend the panel and were the only youth in the audience. The facilitators of the event and the panel themselves were very appreciative of Kibra's presence and continually spoke out to them as representatives of the youth of Kenya.
Wyclef, a Form 4 student looking over some of the materials provided by the FAO. The audience was provided with statistics on production and consumption of foods in Kenya along with information on human rights and various food security related projects. 
A few students were brave enough to ask the panel questions.
Panel members included: Dr. John Omiti from KIPPRA, Dr. James Nyoro from the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. John Mutunga from KENFAP, Dr. Irungu from the Minister of Agriculture, and Mr. Ibrahim Maalim from the Ministry of Special Projects. It was moderated by Professor Ratemo Michieka from Nairobi University and held at the Goethe Institute.
One of the most interesting guests was a former Parliament member and the only female who spoke. She bravely addressed corruption in her closing remarks and personally challenged panel members claiming they "have no business in business." Kibra students were enlightened and inspired by her knowledge and courage to face the facts when it comes to corruption and food security.
After the panel, Form 4 student Kevin was able to ask one of the speakers a few questions.
Students and Intern Joscelyn Truitt who took the group to the panel, along with her mother and fellow intern Jacqueline Espana, enjoyed some refreshments after the panel.
Principal Buluma, the President of the Council of Principals and Head Teachers in Kibera organized the annual meeting of the association of community schools in Kibera and Langa'ta divisions of Nairobi. The principals and head teachers from about 50 primary schools in Kibera joined together at Spurgeons Primary School to touch base for the new year. Children of Kibera Project Coordinator Japheth Ochieng and Intern Jacqueline Espana were invited to discuss CoKF secondary school scholarships and say a few words about what we do.
Japheth (above) explains how the CoKF scholarship works and what we provide for our scholars. He informed the principals and head teachers what kind of students we are looking for and what schools we send scholars to, highlighting the fact that students who cheat on their exams will not get anywhere once they are in a prestigious boarding school. Jacqueline (below) added that we depend on our partnerships with Kiberan primary schools to make strong recommendations and encourage their students to apply to our scholarship if they have the potential to get to university. Jeff and Jacqueline recognized the hardships that Kiberan students face to get through Class 8 and what an accomplishment it is for them to earn a high score on the KCPE national exam. They also explained the requirements one needs to apply for the scholarship, what the application process looks like, most notably mentioning an additional exam applicants will now have to take for CoKF, and what happens once a student received the scholarship. Japheth and Jacqueline answered many questions and listened to comments the audience had about our scholarship program. The principals and head teachers walked away with a greater understanding of what CoKF has to offer, how they can encourage students to apply with honest recommendations, and the hope that with our partnerships we can send Kiberan students to university!
Elvin looking smart in his new uniform
