Five volunteers from PA-MOJA visited Endana High School, partnered with Burnaby South Secondary School, on July 24 for a cultural exchange. The school is located within the Maasai community at Ol Pejeta.
The Endana students wrote and illustrated warm messages on posters for Burnaby students.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzzGN6LplEc]
The PA-MOJA volunteers took photographs and video footage which was combined with the existing footage from Burnaby South to produce the following video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlErhxiKVy0]
In addition, the volunteers learned that Endana had gained electricity three days prior to the visit. The electricity will enable the school to make full use of their new science laboratory, which was funded by PA-MOJA.
PA-MOJA also purchased two cows for the school in order to obtain milk for the students and provide manure to be utilized by a bio-gas project.
An ongoing concern at Endana will be how to increase enrollment of girls. According to Mr. Sanjur, head teacher, “The girl child is in danger here…from early marriages.” School leaders hope to demonstrate the value of education in the community and thus attract more students including males and females.
The school has a student population of 180 students; 140 boys and 40 girls. Among these there are 60 male and 20 female students that board at the school.
Mr. Sanjur expressed his gratitude to PA-MOJA saying, “Thank you, you are giving these students the art of living well.”
By Dawn Kane, PA-MOJA volunteer
Philadelphia, USA
