Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: BARACK OMONDI ANGUJO

Barack

(Mathematics and Computer Science) Says…

Undertaking the ASB trip is an opportunity for me to get to meet people of same like mindedness. I believe that it will provide a forum through which people with high concern on community development and ready to join hands in nation building are able to meet and discuss ideas. So to me it brings a sense of belonging with individuals who want to see change.

I believe that education enlightens and brings a sense of awareness. Through it people gets to know their rights, stand for what they believe in and have the courage to point out on the wrongs done to the society. By empowering people to be educated, a country invests on its own development. When the youths are educated, as tomorrow’s leaders, they are introduced to problems affecting the country. As the most active members of the society, they have ideas that if well cultivated, may thrive to make change within the society at large.

Preservation of the environment should be upheld by everyone within the world. As the pillar to human existence, it should be protected, cherished and preserved. I have been involved with activities and participated in major environmental workshops that have enlightened me on various ways through which the environment can be preserved. And with time, has seen me develop a passion in conservation of the environment.

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: LOREEN MORAA OENDO

Loreen

(Business Administration) Says…

This trip will give me the opportunity to adventure into new lands and appreciate nature, learn, and meet people of different personalities whom I believe in one way or another have something new that I don’t know.

Education is so basic to everything that any individual can want to pursue in his or her life, and as a matter of fact, the youth cannot be separated with education. What has ever motivated me think about education and the youth is my home village that I come from. I come from a village where the youth don’t value education, for them, so long as you are old enough to marry or get married, that is the end of life. This ever pains me a lot and I wish they could know how much education gives one an opportunity to think beyond just the village setting and look beyond just getting married or marring. This is because life has so much to offer and it is only that we never give it a try and this explains why poverty is still rampant in the rural areas. I believe this trip will enable me sensitize others on the need for education especially the girl child education. This education MUST have academic excellence which will also enable us understand that at the end of the day we can’t assume that just going to class is enough.

Health, which is another social issue that I am interested in is another critical issue that I feel must addressed. We all need good health to pursue all our goals. Achieving academic excellence and using the knowledge attained in class to generate income will not be generated if we don’t address issues concerning health. The kind of foods we take and the “small” issues like cleaning our hands and hygiene that in most cases are ignored go a long way in making the kind of persons we are. In this, AIDS and everything concerning it comes in, it all counts on how we are concerned about our health issues.

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: MUCHUNA EUNICE WARUGURU

Eunice

(Business Studies and Economics) Says…

I want to have experiences in a new environment, interact, and share with diverse cultures from Muhuru Bay, to meet other students from other campuses and most of all, to implement a community based project and generally to explore and adventure. The desire may sound superficial but I do believe in the power of a human mind to find lasting solutions when they are subjected to new environments where their intellect is called to reason with nature, and that is my greatest expectation. I also choose on Youth and Education because the youth in Kenya needs to be sensitized on social issues like drug and substance abuse, health, and equip them with life skills. Our society also needs to be taught on the importance of education and especially the girl child in Nyanza province. In order to achieve Kenya’s vision 2030, youth and education are some of the crucial issues that need to be considered the most. In deed I chose it because I felt the urge and desire to sensitive our community since we all want to live in a civilized society where everyone is knowledgeable, therefore it is important to educate everyone.

Spring Break Camp 2012 Participant: HERMON MUSUNGU ANAMANJIA

Hermon

(Computer Science) Says…

The alternative spring break is one of the best and one of a kind event which I won’t wish to miss to attend due to the degree of seriousness it puts in returning back the impact of education and world experiences to the rural society. To me, it is an opportunity to assist by giving out my ideas which i am sure will go a long way in building a Kenyan’s or individual’s life.

I choose to pick my social issues due to the fact of being either directly affected or involved in them. Being a Kenyan I felt the pains of starvation in the previous incidents. The youthful I also make me feel the sufferings of unemployment and drug abuse that many youths go through in addition to the risks that many youths go through especially due to the HIV/Aids scourge which has taken most of the promising youthful brains from many of our population.

Thus the alternative spring break to me is the best forum to be as it will expose many people especially the youths who are greatly affected and/or involved.

Organizers of Spring Break Camp 2012

Spring Break Camp 2012 is on a mission is to advocate for the Rural Communities of Kenya to become the change they want to see. Past few months’ passion for community work experiences brought Simeon, Esther, Scevar and Dickens together with concern on how to best to link the rural communities of Kenya with the young Kenyan intellectuals with the goal of fostering rural community integration into the mainstream social and economic life of contemporary Kenya. Young people’s involvement into development initiatives will have a huge impact on the lives of many people if they are empowered to sufficiently influence community leaders on the need for community members to be educated on various issues and involved in advocating for the rights to information and access to basic services. Involvement of the four like-minded thinkers, directly and indirectly, will give Spring Break Camp 2012 the necessary visible support to the young people and communities in effecting change into our society.

Simeon

Mr. Simeon Ogonda

Simeon is the former President of SIFE Chapter in Maseno University; SIFE (Students in Free enterprise) is an organization of University students engaged in community outreach projects with an entrepreneurial approach, aimed at transforming the society through the positive power of business. Simeon is a fourth year student of Philosophy and Political Science (with IT) and the Research Coordinator and Communications Director of PARADEP (Participatory Research and Development Program), a Community Based Organization in Siaya County. He currently lives in Kisumu County.

Esther

Dr. Esther Ngumbi

Esther is a co-founder of Young Thinkers Kenya; Young Thinkers Kenya is an initiative of young Kenyan scholars and educators established with the objective of involving educators and young Kenyans in Universities, colleges, high schools and the community at large in sustainable development through innovative and creative options. Esther is a Postdoctoral research fellow at Georgia Institute of Technology and studied Entomology at Auburn University. She currently lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

Scevar

Mr. Scevar Swaro

Scevar is a co-founder of Young Thinkers Kenya; Young Thinkers Kenya is an initiative of young Kenyan scholars and educators established with the objective of involving educators and young Kenyans in Universities, colleges, high schools and the community at large in sustainable development through innovative and creative options. Scevar is a fourth year student of International Relations and Diplomacy (with IT) at Maseno University. He currently lives in Busia

 

Spring Break Camp 2012: Initiatives Changing Communities through University Students and Young Professionals

Three organizations, Young Thinkers-Kenya, Mosiko and SIFE Maseno University are collaborating to organize a one of its kind project in Muhuru Bay between 20^th May and 5^st June. This project will enable thirty students from five different universities in Kenya and young professionals to take part in a community project which is aimed at changing the perception of young people all over the world on why they should take initiative to make the world a better place. The students will spend two weeks interacting with the community of Muhuru Bay, self-reflecting and initiate various projects to help empower and support the local people.

At this first Spring Break Camp 2012 themed “Be the change you want to see”, the main areas of focus will include food security and agriculture productions, social development and capacity building, youth empowerment, technology and service provision, education and early child development. Issues to be addressed will include political promises, poor service provision, corruption, tribalism among many other challenges facing the common citizen not just in Kenya but all over African nations.

The purpose of this program is to 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; provide training to communities so that they can assist in reversing 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.

About the Organizations Involved

Young Thinkers Kenya

This is an initiative of young Kenyan Scholars, professionals and educators established with the objective of involving educators and young people in universities, colleges and secondary schools and the community at large in sustainable development through innovative and creative ideas.

wazee need attention as well

Mosiko Kenya

This is an NGO focused on food security, health, water and sanitation. Mosiko also works with village level Commercial Sex Workers to get them off the streets through engaging them in sustainable businesses. Mosiko will be hosting the Camp 2012 project in Muhuru Bay.

Mosiko in a Community Baraza

 Student In Free Enterprise – Maseno University Chapter

SIFE is an organization of University Students that seek to change the world through the positive power of business and nurturing the business and professional leaders of tomorrow. SIFE Maseno University chapter was formed in April 2006 and has since then trained over two hundred students on the values and virtues of free enterprise and developed 19 community outreach projects with an entrepreneurial approach for the benefit of the target group and the society at large.

Clean-up in Kisumu City

Other Participants

Egerton University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Moi University are the Universities that SIFE-Maseno intends to include through its network and through cooperation with other academic clubs within these Universities.

What is Spring Break Camp 2012?

Three organizations, Young Thinkers Kenya, Mosiko and SIFE Maseno University are collaborating to organize a one of its kind project in Muhuru Bay between 20th May and 5th June. This project will see to students from five different universities in Kenya and young professionals taking part in a community project which is aimed at changing the perception of young people all over the world on why they should take initiative to make the world a better place. The students will spend two weeks interacting with the community of Muhuru Bay, self-reflecting and initiate various projects
to help empower and support the local people.

At this first Spring Break Camp 2012 themed “Be the change you want to see”, the main areas of focus will include food security and agriculture productions, social d e ve l o p m e nt a n d ca p a c i t y b u i l d i n g , yo u t h empowerment, technology and service provision, education and early child development. Issues to be addressed will include political promises, poor service
provision, corruption, tribalism among many other challenges facing the common citizen not just in Kenya but all over African nations.

SIFE students' Fun Day

The purpose of this program is to 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; provide training to communities so that they can assist in reversing 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.

Spring Break Camp 2012: Camp Activities

Seed for Hunger:

• Ensure the promotion of appropriate farming technologies for the community
• Introduce the farmers in Muhuru-bay to the institutions offering trainings to the farmers
• Form a monitoring committee who will see the implementation of various promoted farming techniques after the camp and during every planting session
• Provide the community members with enough IEC materials, seeds and few farming tools to the selected farmers

Healthy Choices:

•  Introducing the Moringa Tree project in Muhurubay for nutrition purposes
• Initiating kitchen gardening among those living with HIV & AIDS and
• Understanding most challenges facing pregnant mothers in Muhuru-Bay Kids club:
• Identify the champions who will spearhead the clubs after the camping period
• Train school teachers on how to manage the kids club
• Introduce the hand washing in schools and install the hand washing facilities in all  the schools (tip-tap)
• Provide the schools with necessary IEC materials on sanitation and hygiene as we’ll introduce talking walls in several schools within the division

Burning desire:

• Capacity build all the social groups within the division.
• Train the boda-boda groups on the safeties and empowerment
• Help the groups identify business activities which can support their funding needs
• Help the groups to form a network or a society which will serve as an umbrella body to all of the groups and solicit for the funds

Brain pens:

Will help the secondary school students with trainings on Essay writing, poetry, and public speaking skills. The program will motivate and inspire these students to love
learning and mostly help young girls overcome girl challenges in school.

The pioneers:

Will be a service provision process which will identify the needed services and products within the community and liaise with providers to bring all these to the community
as well as establish a permanent link between the community and the providers.

Proposed Outcomes of Spring Break Camp 2012

The camp 2012 (and other partners) will directly impact all community members; the young and the aged, families and clans. The camp will make a difference in their lives for years to come. The involvement of informed, concerned constituents will influence community leaders to make needed revisions in their way of approaching community projects. Conclusion of this camp will bring together all the community leaders, local Government leaders and the public in an open conclusion
forum and launch a community information bill-board at the community center.

Purpose of Spring Break Camp 2012

The purpose of camp 2012 is to:

•  Bring together young students from different universities and cultural backgrounds to share educational and cultural experiences
• Motivate the interest young people in the Nation Building
• Provide training to communities so that they can assist in reversing the poverty trend and reduce the food insecurity risk facing many communities
• Introduce the flow of information between the community members, local government and global · Inform the communities on the modern ways of farming in order for them to be able to produce enough food for daily and future use.