Progress Update at Akili

Our beautiful baby tomato plants growing big and strong!

As I enjoy my final days in Kisumu in the company of my beloved hubby that got here last week, I want to share with you the amazing things that are happening at Akili. First, our 3 green houses are filled with beautiful baby tomato plants that are growing really fast. Not only tomatoes but also other vegetables were planted to generate extra income for the school. The vegetables are sold in Obunga. Our land is completely fenced and a new access road leads to the gates of our future school. The land is ready for construction and the building material are being bought this week!

The next school year starts in January and Akili will grow as we have our first 3rd grade class. We needed to make sure that the girls will have everything they need. So we bought new desks, chalk boards and books! We also had a technician coming in to fix our computers and now their are just like new and ready for the girls to learn with them.

Thanks to you who donated all these amazingness was possible!

Preparing the vegetables to be sold.

Our land is big and ready to receive a school.

The land is fenced and gated!

Sara and I, and the new desks that are ready to receive our 3rd graders in January.

Computers ready to work at the Akili Library.

A Yoga Class

Erin goes headstand. The crowd goes "Yoooooo".

During the school year the girls have Physical Education classes weekly. As you know, we are on vacation but lots of girls still come to school for tutoring. Last week, we came back from our trip to Uganda with a visitor. Global Advocate Erin has been doing amazing work in Tanzania with St. Timothy's School. When not traveling the world, she lives in San Francisco and is a great yoga practitioner. On her visit to the Akili School we asked her to teach the girls a yoga class. The girls went bananas when we said they could come to school next day wearing their gym clothes. Interesting fact: so many more school girls showed up! They knew they were about to have tons of fun.

Across from Obunga there is a nice, big soccer field and it is one of my favorite places to go in Kisumu. Just like the girls I have so much fun every time we go there. The best way to do yoga with the children is to turn it into a Simon Says game. From some less complicated poses to some kicks, everyone started giving headstands and bridges a try. We found out that lots of our girls are very flexible!

I'm so happy and grateful I had the chance to enjoy this moment with the girls. I only have two more weeks in Kisumu and I will miss them so much! I am only $800 away from my $15,000 mark! Please visit stayclassy.org/julianeakilischool and consider helping us to build new classrooms for these cuties!!

Fatuma did a head stand on her own! Way to go girl!

Do you think Maya is flexible?

Resting pose.

Family Day

Our youngest student, Witney.

This past Saturday we finally had our event at Akili School, Family Day. I say finally because we’ve been preparing ourselves for this day for what feels like a loooong time.

The event and the girl’s performance started an hour and a half late… During this time I was impatiently stomping around as everyone who knows me would imagine. T.I.A. is what Kenyans say… This Is Africa. Silly me to think that everything would work according to my schedule. The thing is, things here always work out in the end. Somehow, in a way that my brain does not fully comprehend, but they do. Family Day was not different. With a little bit of faith and trust we started the event with a performance from baby class. They were even more adorable then usual, if that’s at all possible. Slowly the room was filling up and all of the girls showed up for their performance as well.

Class Final (equivalent to Kindergarden) performing a song.

Valentine, Esther, Mary and Nely performed the play Joy and the Three Lions. The story goes like this: Joy was a little girl wondering in the fields, she saw a little hut in the distance that belonged to three lions. One was a big daddy lion, one was a medium-sized mommy lion and one was a tiny little baby lion… Recognize that story? It’s my african version of Goldilocks. The girls were so good! Everyone laughed and clapped! What a hit!

Joy and the Three Lions, coming soon to a stage near you!

After singing, dancing, and saying their poems the girls left and David and Erick started a meeting with the parents. It went really well. They were able to show the parents the progress of the school during this year and tell them about the exciting future plans, including the new school building.

Last, but not least was lunch time! In the menu: rice, ugali, beef stew and greens. Sixty parents, some little siblings and seventy girls went happily back home with a full tummy!

Many families came to the event.

Lunch time.

Good job team! We did well!

A Magical Place Called Budondo

Girls at the workshop, under the jackfruit tree.

Global Advocates Sara, Erin (who is working in Tanzania), and I went to visit Ashleigh and her project in Budondo, Uganda. The Mukisas welcomed us so well and I ate so much! In one single day I had bananas, watermelon, pineapple, passionfruit, papaya and jackfruit. It's funny because I knew jackfruit from Brazil (jaca) but I had never tried it before, and let me tell you, it is delicious!! One of the best ideas I ever had in life was to grab a camera and record my first experience eating a jackfruit. The best part is when Mukisa steps in and says he lost his cow.  You can watch the video here:

While in the village we also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop for girls about reproductive health and family planning. The workshop was led by Days for Girls, and they also taught the girls how to make their own disposable pads so they don't have to miss school days! I was so impressed with the pads that I am committed to make my own kit. Not only are the pads amazing for girls with no access or money to buy regular pads, but also they are really good for the environment! I found this tutorial on Youtube and you can learn how to make them too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Qvcq_urA0.

I had such a great time in Budondo, it is so pretty and green... and delicious. I am so lucky that I had this opportunity to visit the village and the amazingness of the Suubi Health Centre. Thank you Ash and the Mukisa family! Hope to see you again soon!

Girls at the end of the workshop!

Ashleigh, Sara, Erin and I at the Suubi Heath Center.

Ash showing her bubble skills to Julie and Ana. 

With the Mukisas.