ACCES, a well-run Canadian charity of a dozen retired educators, works in
the highlands of western Kenya to give college scholarships to impoverished
young people. Two volunteer ACCES agents work in 6-month shifts in Kenya to
personally oversee the organization, thus assuring that corruption isn't
present. $300 provides a complete year's tuition and living expenses.
Because I like ACCES so much, I was asked to be on the ACCES volunteer
board of directors. I've sponsored 8 Kenyan students, most in the
sciences, technology, and education. I correspond with each student at
least once a year. They express thankfulness when I mail them articles on
education, science, etc. For example, my chemistry education student at
Kenyatta University wrote that he was thrilled to read David Hestenes' 1995
article on Modeling Instruction; he saw how it could be adapted to
chemistry education, and he tried it out last May while assisting in a
rural high school.
ACCES ran out of scholarship money for students for this fall. (They have
only enough funds each year to support one out of every 8 applicants. The
ACCES volunteers in Kenya say the hardest part of their job is having to
turn down so many worthy young people.) So I asked Beth Scott, the ACCES
president, to send me autobiographies from Kenya, from prospective science
and engineering students.
Last week Beth sent me the autobiography below, of a bright young man who
is determined to become educated; he's been accepted at Moi University to
major in Production Engineering. I hope that one of you will want to
sponsor Victor Atwa's college education, or another needy student's. Our
small support can make a HUGE positive difference in a Kenyan's life &
career.
To offer to sponsor Victor or another impoverished Kenyan, please e-mail
"ACCES (George & Beth Scott)" <acces@shaw.ca>
Classes at Moi University start in 2 or 3 weeks, so this must be done soon!
To learn more about ACCES' work in Kenya, visit www.powernetdesign.com/acces
Cheers,
Jane Jackson
------------------
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF Okello Victor Atwa, of western Kenya
(received by Jane Jackson from Beth Smith, President of ACCES, on Aug. 21,
2002.
Note: /= means "Kenyan shilling". 1/= is worth about $.015. Thus Victor is
making about $.75 per DAY picking tea. His father probably has 3 or 4
wives; that explains how he can be one of 40 children.)
My names are Okello Victor Atwa. I was born in 1982 in the Mumias District,
formerly of Kakamega but now in Butere, Mumias. I was born as a
thirty-fourth (34) kid in a family of forty children. Out of these
children, only about ten has managed to go to school but the rest are
illiterate.
I joined a local Primary school where I passed with flying colors to the
disbelief of many. I joined St. Peter's Mumias Boy's Secondary where I was
off and in due to school fees problem. The school helped me so much in
terms of bursary and donations from some teacher who knew of my problems. I
left a debt of about 5000/= in school but it was cleared by my Headmaster
when I was the first student in KCSE despite the numerous problems I faced.
After my KCSE results, I was now sure of joining university but when I
thought of the fees, tears rolled down my cheeks as I was again going to
face problems more than those I faced in Secondary School. The only
alternative was to look for any kind of job - at the moment I was employed
in a farm to pick tea in Nyamira where I stay with my drop out brothers. It
is actual tedious because after a whole day I am given 50/= of which I have
to pay our joint rental house at 300/=, purchase food and send to my mother
at least 200/= every month. At the same time I have managed to save 3000/=
for my college.
For sure the situation is so bad as my parents leased all the piece of land
to try and meet the difference in secondary fees. Now I have received a
letter to join Moi University to take a Bachelor of Technology (Production
Engineering). Please I kindly request you to offer me with the help to
meet my fees at college. Personally, I do not care about clothing and
eating but only college fees. Kindly assist me because I can be a
torchbearer to this poverty driven family and being the only one to reach
in such a high level of education. Use the above address as I am still in
Nyamia picking tea.
Thank you
Yours faithfully
Atwa Victor.
----------------------------
Explanations & notes:
-- ACCES = African - Canadian Continuing Education Society.
-- KCSE = the Kenyan national exam in high school
-- School fees: School isn't free. Almost 1/3 of the children never set
foot in a school, because they are too poor! Fewer than 10% attend high
school. Less than 1% qualify for college.
-- Picking tea: Tea is a major cash crop. The median Kenyan income is $1/day.
Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.asu.edu>
Organizations do best when they focus on direction and
vision, letting transient forms emerge and disappear.