Days to DO are getting FEW!

Only 149 days to DO!

Yes, only 21 weeks and 2 days and we'll be off!

Happy Christmas

A Very Merry Christmas to One and All.

Drink, Eat, Be Merry and remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Latest from Marich Pass

The following is the E-mail that was just received from Kenya................

Dear Martyn, Maureen, Imani & Tuni,

Thanks for the Christmas greetings. We'll definately be thinking of you too.

And two trips! That's just great. When is first one due?

Thanks for transfering the funds Martyn. I shall send you some pix and a summary of the expenses made so far. We have roofed the building, the windows and doors are in, one class is floored and plastered, and a blackboard painted on. So am so pleased to say that because of your support we will be able to accommodate the std 5 class on 5th Jan 09. Phew! :-)

Wishing you all a Merry Christsmas as we slaughter the ritual goat in Marich.

Warmest regards,

Paul

Christmas Eve

Not much else to say.......................... Christmas Greetings from Marich............................. Paul and Hidat (David's Son & Wife) will be spending a quiet Christmas at the Field Studies Centre. Christmas for the children at the school will consist of a slaughtered goat............. nothing more.............. nothing less!



Another song/video that really, to me, symbolizes Christmas........................ I Believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake .................... really brings back memories.

A Merry Christmas to all!

I just like this song................ always have and always will. The video is also rather poignant!



Whilst celebrating Christmas, just spare one thought for those less fortunate than you............................ and unfortunately most are!

For those who don't recognize it, the song is Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon. Lennon has been dead for more than 28 years and this song was recorded over37 years ago! Shame that little in our world has improved during that time!

The End of the Term, the End of an Era!

So, we have reached the end of term and with that, the departure of Mr Chilvers the school's Headteacher of longstanding.

I am most grateful to him for his support for the Field Trip to Kenya without which the trip would never have got off the ground.

The trip has been so well received by the students that it would look like that there will be no less than two trips to Kenya next year.

The first for Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 has 29 participants with space for a further 3................ so, if you hear of anyone or are interested yourself................. contact Mr. H on here or at the school.

The second is for Year 11's. We have reached the minimum number of 8 with 5 of those already paying the deposit of £100 and two making assurances that theirs will be paid early in January. To ensure that this trip goes ahead and to guarantee your place, please pay your deposits by Friday January 9th 2009.

Bad Joke!

Well, the end of term in nigh and Christmas will soon be upon us, then New Year.......... then we will be able to say we're off to Kenya THIS year!

So, to celebrate the Festive Season, here is a BAD (AWFUL) JOKE!

Q. What is the best Christmas present ever?

A. A broken drum..................... you just can't beat it!

Fundraising UPDATE!

Today I had a meeting with Tesco in Stalham. Due to the fact that this coming Saturday will be extremely busy and packed to the gills they feel that it would NOT be convenient for us to carry out fundraising activities on that day..................... although they could do with the help.

However, they have suggested that the bagging exercise could be conducted on the two Saturdays prior to Easter. It is therefore proposed that we do our fundraising on Saturday 28th March and Saturday 4th April 2009. As such please put these dates in your diaries, keep them free and volunteer to help on those two days.

Don't forget, all those that DO participate WILL benefit from any funds raised................... and those that DON'T, WON'T!!!

Radio Stations

The following are the two most popular radio stations in Nairobi

Capital Radio, just click on this link and then at the website click on 'LISTEN LIVE!'.

Kiss FM. This site is currently under construction............. watch this space.

A full list of the Press, Television and Radio can be found on the BBC News Website: Kenyan Profile

Financial Support

It has come to my attention that there are at least TWO organisations that will help support students in the kind of venture that we are undertaking. There would appear to be no restriction on who can apply for financial support although one requires that the applicant be resident of either the East Riding of Yorkshire or Norfolk!

The first is the Norfolk Youth Fund

The second is The Sir Philip Reckitt Educational Trust (SPRET)

More Medical Advice

I am most grateful to Will J for providing me with the following information and web links regarding immunisations. Just CLICK on the relevant photo to view it in full size. In addition, there are some useful websites listed on Page 4 of the 'Travel Advice Leaflet'.



















In addition, the following websites are relevant to our field trip:

NaTHNaC

NaTHNaC - Avoiding Bites

NaTHNaC - Yellow Fever

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Things to do...........

The field trip participants have, for weeks, been asked to provide a valid E-mail address so that we can communicate information and updates to parents. There are still a rather sizable majority that have still not responded to this request. This could result in vital information failing to reach those that need it!

Please can E-mail addresses of parents, if they have one, be passed to Mr. H no later than the end of term i.e. Friday 19th December.

Finally............. students have also been asked to put forward their own designs for the T-shirt which is to be sponsored by Meteor Parking. On this score there has been ZERO response. I feel it would be nice for the students to have a hand in what it says on the shirt. Come on all you budding artists............... go ahead and make Mr. Bissel's day! Again, entries before Christmas please as artwork needs to be submitted to the T-shirt company in good time before our departure.

Sorry to moan but..............................

Tesco Packing - UPDATE

Due to circumstances beyond my control, the session of packing bags in Tesco on Saturday 13th December 2008 has been cancelled!

This may be rearranged for Saturday 20th December but if not, Tesco have assured me that a bag packing session will be arranged before we travel to Kenya at the end of May.

Apologies to those who had made time in their busy schedules and to all............ watch this space for a new date.

REMEMBER................. those who DO NOT participate, DO NOT benefit! As such, please help out, it is you who will benefit. Therefore be the first to volunteer next time!

Norfolk County Council Insurance Policy Summary

The link to the insurance policy is below............ click on it.

INSURANCE POLICY

Water for West Pokot

This is a video I found on YouTube about the plight of the Pokot of West Pokot. Unlike the people of Marich and those people that live along the Moruny and WeiWei Rivers, most people

lack one of the basic needs of life - WATER!

 

GREAT NEWS - I have just read that the Waterfall Project has been completed.

The organisation concerned is HARVESTERS INTERNATIONAL.

Pokot siblings in Kenya

Pokot siblings in Kenya
Originally uploaded by martien van asseldonk

This is one of a number of photos posted by Martien Van Asseldonk on Flickr.

They can be found by typing in Pokot under a search of his photos.

I am most grateful for his kind permission to use these.

There are others who have also posted photos on the Flickr site and these can be found by searching for Pokot (1220 hits); West Pokot (160 hits), Marich (227 hits) and Marich Pass (180 hits)............ as at today's date.

And there was me thinking that nobody else had ever heard of the place!

The National Anthem of Kenya

This is the National Anthem of Kenya.

CLICK HERE.

The words are as follows:

ENGLISH WORDS -

O God of all creation, 

Bless this our land and nation.
Justice be our shield and defender,
May we dwell in unity,
Peace and liberty.
Plenty be found within our borders.

Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true.
Service be our earnest endeavour,
And our Homeland of Kenya,
Heritage of splendour,
Firm may we stand to defend.

Let all with one accord
In common bond united,
Build this our nation together,
And the glory of Kenya,
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.

KISWAHILI WORDS - 

Ee Mungu nguvu yetu 

Ilete baraka kwetu
Haki iwe ngao na mlinzi
Natukae na udugu
Amani na uhuru
Raha tupate na ustawi.

Amkeni ndugu zetu
Tufanye sote bidii
Nasi tujitoe kwa nguvu
Nchi yetu ya
Kenya tunayoipenda
Tuwe tayari kuilinda.

Natujenge taifa letu
Ee ndio wajibu wetu
Kenya istahili heshima
Tuungane mikono pamoja kazini
Kila siku tuwe nashukrani.

Only in Kenya!

Relatively Funny............ Ha! Ha!

Q: Can you spot the obvious mistake?

A: There are NO Tigers in Kenya!

A Traditional Pokot Welcome

This is what we can expect when we are in Marich...................... a traditional Pokot welcome.

This can also be found on YouTube by clicking HERE.

This video of the Pokot was shot in the Amaya Valley which is on the borders of  Baringo District in East Pokot. 

Harambee

The forthcoming Fundraising in Tesco Stalham is a way of building team spirit and it is hoped that all field trip participants will volunteer because ultimately they are the ones that will benefit from any funds raised.

In Kenya, it is common to hold fundraising events and these are called HARAMBEES.  The word Harambee means 'Pulling Together All at Once' ................... so, let's All Pull Together.

On that note.................. Volunteers to see Mr. Malcolm or Ms. Hope before the day.

Turkwell HEP Scheme

Electricity may (or may NOT!) be available from the Kenya National Grid when we get to Marich although there will be a limited generator supply in the evenings by which to charge those phones, camera batteries and, Heaven forbid, iPods! During my 2 day visit to Marich at the end of July 2008 there was evidence of poles being erected and cables linking them together. All it would appear that was needed was that final hook up to the supply that is available a distance to the east of Marich. This supply is generated at the Hydo-Electric Power Scheme about 30 miles to the north west of Marich in Naselot District at the Turkwell Dam. This is an impressive dam which has formed a spectacular lake behind it where the dam stopped the flow of the Turkwell River.

We will be visiting the spectacular piece of engineering during our visit and this will incorporate an opporturinty to view the turbine house built deep underground below the dam where the electricity is actually generated.

A visit to a HEP Scheme may not be everybody's cup of tea but at least it provides some respite to the heat outside in the semi-arid area bordering Turkana District.

Access to the Dam and the HEP Scheme is made by passing through Naselot National Reserve where game (wild animals) may be seen......................... not that I've seen more than elephant droppings and heard the sound of a lion roar during a number of visits that I've made to the area. However, this time I, and the others, may be pleasantly surprised! 

This is one of two reserves in the area, the other being the South Turkana National Reserve to the northeast of Naselot.

FANTASTIC NEWS - FUNDRAISING

It has been confirmed, today, albeit verbally, that Tesco's Stalham will allow the field trip participants to carry out fundraising in the store on SATURDAY 13th DECEMBER 2008 between the 09:00 hrs and 17:00 hrs.

The idea is that the students offer to pack customer purchases and hopefully a donation is given to the student in return for the service..................... well, that's the theory anyway.

This will provide some much needed income for the trip.

All we now need is for all 30 students to volunteer to help with the bagging in 3 shifts of approx 3 hours duration. REMEMBER.............. those that don't participate, don't benefit!

We are most grateful to the store for their support and especially to the store manager Mr. T. Bunting..................... and believe me when I say.................. Every Little WILL Help!

Today....................2 MEETINGS and....................2 TRIPS

Today there were two meeting held at school.

The first was to see if there was continuing support from the Year 11's for a trip to Kenya in July. Although the numbers who originally showed interest had dropped there is still sufficient enthusiasm for a trip to go ahead.

It is proposed that this trip will depart on 18th July or thereabouts, subject to availability of flights, follow the same itinerary, as detailed below, subject to a bit of tweaking, and cost £1,499 per person exclusive of jabs and spending money. 

If there are any more students, in addition to the 9 who have signed up, who are interested, please see Mr. H.

The second meeting was held for those participants of the May/June Field Trip. It was somewhat disappointing that NOT all students attended although some had not been informed of the meeting!

The agenda was as follows:-

1 Attendance at meetings.

2 Payments and receipts

3 T-Shirt design.

4 E-mail addresses.

5 Fundraising - Tesco packing.

Meetings have been poorly attended and it was stressed that attendance was imperative as these meetings were arranged to pass on vital information.

Payments need to be up to date and receipts for payments made could be collected from Mr.H.

Students were reminded to submit designs for the front of the T-shirts to be sponsored by Meteor Parking. These should be submitted ASAP otherwise we will utilise the services of the school's Art teacher.

E-mail addresses are needed in order to convey urgent information to parents both prior to and during the field trip. However, after numerous requests, less than half the students have provided a valid E-mail address. These need to be in before Christmas.

It is proposed to ask the local Tesco Store to allow us to fundraise within the store on Saturday 13th December. The fundraising will be by means of a packing service provided for Tesco customers. As such, volunteers are needed for that day. The students were reminded that unless they participated in the fundraising events, they wouldn't benefit from the proceeds.

The issue of inoculations/immunizations was also raised and it cannot be overly stressed about the importance of getting these done at the earliest opportunity in order for them to be fully effective during the trip.

Watch this space for more details.

Provisional booking will be made on Monday 8th December.

Fundraising & Donations - UPDATE

Fundraising & Donations to the cause currently stand at over £1,600.

The sum includes the following:

Meteor Parking, Stanstead Airport £1000 plus T-shirts

An anonymous donation of  £200

Stalham Shopper, Stalham £300+ with a target of £900 

from their Christmas Raffle

Stalham High School Cake Sale £35+

In additon, both The Swan Inn and Lords Opticians in Stalham are continuing to promote our fundraising efforts by means of collection boxes strategically positioned in their businesses.

We, at Stalham High School, are most grateful for all their continuing support.

PERMISSION

We have finally been given permission to book the Field Trip.

UKConnection will formally be asked to book the trip on Monday 8th December 2009. As such, if there are any students wishing to participate in this adventure, please be sure to notify Mr. H by that date.

There are up to 10 places still available!

More on Inoculations/Imunisations

Further to a recent post on inoculations/immunizations the following site was recently sent to me by a parent.

NHS - Fit for Travel

As advised, if you haven't already done so, get advice from your GP or a Travel Clinic at your earliest convenience to ensure protection during the Field Trip.

WORLD AIDS DAY

Today is WORLD AIDS DAY.

The estimated number of people in Kenya in 2006 suffering from HIV was somewhere between 4 and 6 percent of the population of 36 million people. Some estimates are higher. In real terms this equates to more than 1 in 24 of the population.

If this isn't enough, the infant mortality rate in Kenya in 2006, for children under the age of 5, was 121 per 1,000. This is to say that under the age of 5, children in Kenya had less than a 90% chance of survival!

Statistics from UNICEF.

We have so much for which to be grateful.

Travelling to Marich via Wilson Airport.

If you fancy visiting this beautiful area yourself, under your own steam, without the restricitons of an itinerary then the usual travel guides (Lonely Planet, Rough Guide etc.) are a great help.

If you don't fancy traveling from Nairobi to Marich by road then flights are available from Wilson Airport in Nairobi. You can fly for just over £100, return to Kitale, with Aero Kenya. It is a short flight and once in Kitale you can, from there, organise the last stretch of your journey to Marich.

As I was looking for links for Wilson Airport I got a link to Daphne Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. This is better known as the Elephant Orphanage and the focus of the BBC documentary series entitles Elephant Diaries presented by Jonathan Scott and Michaela Strachan. It is to this little airport, on the northern edge of the Nairobi National Park and South West of the city of Nairobi, that many of the elephant orphans are flown to offer them a chance of survival.

Refugees, Famine.......................

Although Marich Pass and the immediate surrounding area has sufficient water, and food, due to the Cherangani Hills influencing the climate and the Pokot being a mostly agricultural people, you don't have to travel far north to find people living their lives on the edge. It is here that there is great human suffering when the rains fail or when there is insufficient precipitation resulting in the failure of the harvest.

We will pass through this area on our way to the Turkwell Dam HEP which is in an extremely arid area bordering Turkana. Here I have seen refugees from further north as the further north you travel the worse the situation becomes.

Food is a precious commodity, but nobody thinks twice when there is Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose or some other supermarket just round the corner with shelves filled to overflowing.

Spare just one minute to think about those less fortunate than ourselves.

A malnourished Turkana child pictured naked in a barren, desolate landscape!

There are other images that will educate you if you look on the PHOTOVALET website. Images 138813 to 138837.

See also the two links at the foot of the blog for The Tribes of Kenya and The Traditional Music & Cultures of Kenya, or just click on these links.

Flora and Fauna

More from the Mara

LIVE AID

These are some links to videos that I showed to students in school over the last year. None of them need commentary, nor shall I say enjoy........................... just watch, listen and think............................ We are extremely fortunate.

It is hoped that our students will return from the Field Trip somewhat humbled and with a better understanding of what life is like in the greater world outside that of Stalham and Norfolk, by experiencing, first hand, some of what the world has to offer.

Please click on these links....................

Live Aid 1985

Live Aid 2005