Exciting New Developments at Endana Secondary

Endana Secondary School students and their principal were happy and excited to welcome the PA-MOJA team to their school.

PA-MOJA volunteers, Erin Douglas, Pat Douglas, Maureen Jennings, and Alison Stuart were invited to participate in cultural activities in honour of their sister school in British Columbia, Canada, Burnaby South Secondary.

PA-MOJA members showed a video made by Burnaby South Secondary students. Afterwards, they made a video of the Endana students sharing in the cultural activities. It was fun for the students and they enjoyed  receiving answers to their previous questions they had asked in the Burnaby South video. The Endana students responded with more questions of their own regarding life at Burnaby South.

Endana student, Lepapa, asked, “Are the students in Burnaby South and in Canada at large caned or given any form of punishment when they make mistakes in school as is the practice in Kenya?” One of the PA-MOJA members answered the question by explaining that in Canada the teachers must not touch the students or discipline them with any form of physical punishment. When a student in Canada has a behaviour problem, the parent is informed and the issue is sorted out between the parent, the teacher and the student. If they can not resolve the issue, the principal is consulted in order to solve the problem.

Endana School is a great deal more prosperous now than it was five years ago when PA-MOJA first began supporting it. The success of the school is the result of a partnership between the community, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and PA-MOJA. Mr. Senjura encourages the community members to share the costs of maintaining the school green house. The community then shares in the sales and profits received from the sale of produce and milk.

Endana Principal Senjura was pleased to report, “We are able to get enough milk for our students’ tea and have extra for selling to the community from our two cows purchased by PA-MOJA in July, 2012; since they both have calved, this money we get from the milk that we sell is used to take care of the cows”.

The PA-MOJA team was impressed with the efforts of the principal towards the improvement of the school facilities. All the students greatly appreciate their improved meals which include potatoes, kale, tomatoes and milk.

Principal Senjura was grateful for the increased sponsorship of an additional PA-MOJA bursary student, Stephen, as not all schools get sponsored students.The newly sponsored student is from the school’s neighbouring village. He had not reported to Form One (Grade Nine) because his parents could not afford the fees.

Since most students at Endana come from poor backgrounds, keeping them in school is an ongoing and difficult challenge for the principal. Mr Senjura is now able to keep students in school instead of sending them home because of the support of a community of donors.

Emily Rosa Lerosion, Kenya