Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: MUDENYO M.K BENSON

Mudenyo

(ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE) Says….

Community service is a great passion that has inspired me to undertake relevant courses like those offered by the Red Cross chapter. This being my passion, I couldn’t wait but grab this chance offered by the organizers of spring break camp. Furthermore, the club (SIFE) is objective has geared towards relevant purposes that tally with my future interests. Since giving back to the community is what I believe to profess offer my request in order to fulfill these.

 

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: LENAH JARED

Lenah

Medicine (MBchB) Says…..

Community service gives me an opportunity to work with people, interact and give back the much I can to less privileged people. It gives me a chance to that which I may not be able to help in any other occasion. In addition, my pursuit in life is to help, especially young children and nature them to achieve that which they desire in life. I may not have all the experience but I believe that associating, working and talking to the children is one way of making them know and believe that they can achieve all their desire.

Volunteer from Pioneer Foundation for Youth Development

Executive Director, Pioneer Foundation for Youth Development-Uganda

When I join you soon, I’ll be in a better position to facilitate in particular areas that will bring together young students from different universities and cultural backgrounds to share educational and cultural experiences; motivate the interest of young people in nation-building; providing training to communities so that they can be able to reverse the poverty trends and reduce food insecurity risk facing many communities; Introducing the flow of information between the community members, local government and global; and training the communities on the modern ways of farming to enable them produce sufficient food. (The Excerpt above was retrieved from an email sent to spring Break Kenya)

News from the Co- Board Chairperson

“Young people today have more power to change the world for the better than at any time in human history” – William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

Warm greetings to all who will be participating in our first spring break event, themed “Become the Change you want to See” to be held at Muhuru Bay, May 20th to June 5th 2012. This is the first initiative of its kind in Kenya whose goal is to foster community development by developing an active approach that engages young university students and professionals, community, industry, government organizations, NGO’s and Universities in “Creating the Change they Want to See. Participating students will spend two weeks interacting with the community of Muhuru Bay, self-reflecting and initiating various projects to help empower and support the people of Muhuru Bay. Some of the planned projects students will engage in include; Seed for hunger, healthy choices, burning desire, brain pens, pioneers, kids club and community mapping. We encourage participants to: stay open to new experiences, give back and develop a critical approach to problem solving.

The unveiling of our first ever Kenyan spring break marks a very important milestone in developing university graduate students that value the concept of public and community service. This is very in line with our own Kenya’s Vision 2030; that outlines Public service as a key foundation among others. We have a long-term goal of building a Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service-A Center that will work with university students, community members, industry, NGO’s AND Universities (both Private and Public) to coordinate and promote public service in Kenya.

As a recent PhD graduate, who is committed to public service, and very engaged in several initiatives including Young Thinkers Kenya, Universities Fighting World Hunger, Clinton Global University Initiative, and ReEnvision Your Future, I totally believe in this initiative. The opportunity to bring together university students, community members, industry, government organizations, and NGO’S to share ideas and contribute creative and innovative solutions to address most of the pressing issues facing our society is what this initiative is all about.

The journey will require sacrifice, hard work, self discipline and determination. I am confident all participating entities will meet the challenges.  We value the contributions that all participants will bring in to this initiative and welcome your participation.  Your participation demonstrates your willingness to do your part to meet the challenges our communities face and work towards building a more prosperous nation and a better World.  You represent Kenya at its best, getting things done and reinforcing the fundamental values of community, public service, responsibility and compassion.

Thank you,

Esther Ngumbi, PhD

 

News from the Faculty Advisor: (Profile)

Dr. Masibo P.F. Lumala

Dr. Masibo P.F. Lumala, Faculty Adviser

Dr. Masibo P.F. Lumala holds a Ph.D and an MA from the University of Nottingham, UK and a Bachelor of Education degree from Moi University. He went to Kakamega High School for his A-Levels and sat for his O-Level examination at Mother of Apostles Seminary.

He is currently a senior lecturer at Moi University’s Department of Communication Studies specializing in research methods; communication, advocacy and campaigns; advanced communication theory; gender and communication; and health communication. Besides teaching, Dr. Masibo is actively involved in consultancy work, his latest having been a Behavior Change Communication (BCC) Needs Assessment and the development of a BCC Strategy for APHIAplus in Western and Nyanza provinces. He also writes for the Standard Newspaper’s opinion column as a social-political commentator. He is presently researching into the use of Social Media in Corporate Communications in Kenya.

Upon his return from the UK, he so much wanted to give back to the society, having himself awarded an educational grant by All Saints Educational Trust to pursue his post-graduate studies. Together with his wife, they established Upendo Junior School, initially to provide a home and education to children who had been displaced from the Mt. Elgon area and were camping in local churches in Kiminini at the height of the Post-Election Violence in Kenya. Today, the school supports over 120 needy children and is linked to Wadsworth Fields Primary School under the DFiD sponsored Global Schools Partnerships. Dr Masibo is presently in the process of registering Upendo Educational Foundation (a charitable trust) that seeks to enhance access by orphaned and vulnerable children in Trans-Nzoia County.

Married and with three children, Dr. Masibo believes that education is the only ladder out of economic poverty and to political freedom. He also advocates for education that offers learners’ transferable skills that can help solve real life problems. He loves playing scrabble, chess and watching AFC Leopards win during his spare time!

 

 

 

 

News from the Director

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Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: HANNINGTON ODIDO OCHIENG’

Hannington

This is an opportunity to learn and get an opportunity to interact and share ideas with other fellows/ youths. It will also give me a chance to volunteer, gain new experiences, Develop a critical approach to problem solving, work with other teammates to fulfill the goals, learn more about personal leadership, make friends, have fun, give back to society and other participants.

Youth and Education; -when the teens and youths are educated – on implementation of the knowledge, skills and experience will help reach solution to various societal issues e.g. health, hunger, environmental conservation and human rights. Environmental conservation; leads to comfortable living in the society reaching to solutions of health and hunger issues and providing a conducive environment for education.

This is an opportunity to learn and get an opportunity to interact and share ideas with other fellows/ youths. It will also give me a chance to volunteer, gain new experiences, Develop a critical approach to problem solving, work with other teammates to fulfill the goals, learn more about personal leadership, make friends, have fun, give back to society and other participants.

Youth and Education; -when the teens and youths are educated – on implementation of the knowledge, skills and experience will help reach solution to various societal issues e.g. health, hunger, environmental conservation and human rights. Environmental conservation; leads to comfortable living in the society reaching to solutions of health and hunger issues and providing a conducive environment for education.

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: BERNARD OKWATTA OMONDI

Bernard

(Purchases and Supplies Management) Says…

I want to go on the trip for a multitude of reasons. Chief among them has to do social interaction. When this opportunity arose I recognized that it was an opportune moment to interact with individuals who share the belief that there has to be a better way to handle social issues.

Not only am I being offered an opportunity to interact with people who are bound to offer innovative ideas towards the common issues impacting the various societies we hail from, but also I believe that inserting myself into a new community I can develop a new perspective and hopefully a way of thinking as I embark on a new journey (post university).

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: JOSEPH KARANJA MAKERE

Joseph

(Mathematics and Computer Science) Says…

Community development and empowerment is a field I have always envied. I have always joined hands with like-minded individuals to help come up with ideas that would impact positively to the communities concerned when implemented. A case in point, as a member of Rotaract club of JKUAT, I have participated in number of community projects to raise awareness to community members about issues affecting the society. Thus such a trip would offer me an ideal chance to learn more on community issues, better methods of project implementation and understand the different approaches used by different groups in given environs.

Understanding and learning group norms is a key point to working as team. Group cohesion, individual preferences and general rules of team work are key ingredients of a group success. A camping trip would act as a catalyst to understanding such group norms through exchange of ideas, brainstorming and bonding sessions.

Self-improvement is a continuous process which changes with changing environments. By meeting like-minded individuals who have passion for community empowerment, such a trip would act as opportunity to share experiences, learn about other community cultures and norms and most importantly network with society members who can offer useful advice on various issues affecting life today.

Lastly, such a trip would be prime chance to reflect on life, and a chance to enjoy the beautiful and serene scenes of our great country. Such would involve understanding other community’s economic activities, their take on development issues and their contribution to building a better nation.

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: HANNINGTON ODIDO OCHIENG’

(Bsc. Applied Mathematics and Computer Science) Says…

This is an opportunity to learn and get an opportunity to interact and share ideas with other fellows/ youths. It will also give me a chance to volunteer, gain new experiences, Develop a critical approach to problem solving, work with other teammates to fulfill the goals, learn more about personal leadership, make friends, have fun, give back to society and other participants.

Youth and Education; -when the teens and youths are educated – on implementation of the knowledge, skills and experience will help reach solution to various societal issues e.g. health, hunger, environmental conservation and human rights. Environmental conservation; leads to comfortable living in the society reaching to solutions of health and hunger issues and providing a conducive environment for education.