On July 7th Kenya Keys held its first College & Alumni Conference in Taru, Kenya. More than 160 Kenyan college students and alumni attended the day-long event, many of whom had traveled up to 12 hours to participate. All were there to celebrate the blessing education has manifest in their lives, and the role of Kenya Keys - for them and for future students.
Volunteers Melinda Robinson from the US and Robert Gordon from Australia worked alongside Kenyan dignitaries Danson Mwakuwona and Amani Katine to engage these young adults in workshops and discussions providing inspiration and guidance as they make their way in the world.
Kenya Keys founder, Rinda Hayes, reflected on the event:
"It was so moving to look out over all those faces of students, now adults, whose lives have been totally changed by the blessing of education. As first generation 'learners', as they call themselves, they are creating lives that are meaningful and productive, helping lift their families out of poverty."
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Our New Headquarters is Open!
Kenya Keys celebrated the grand opening of its new offices in Taru immediately following the Conference.
Built on land purchased by our Kenyan Board of Directors through generous donations from US donors, this beautiful
solar powered building is now the hub for all Kenya Keys activities in the region. Hundreds of students will be able to connect with local staff to obtain support, draft letters to their sponsors, receive mentoring, obtain career counseling and college application training as well as have rare access to the internet for online college applications.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony included
speeches by Kenya Keys directors, graduates and local dignitaries, and a surprise live performance by Symon Tokal of his original music rap for Kenya Keys. Click on the image to the right to view the music video which was produced by another Kenya Keys alum, Bill Otieno.
The new headquarters demonstrates Kenya Keys' commitment to being a solid presence in the Taru village community and to the students of the future. Our thanks to everyone who helped to make this dream a reality.
For more inspirational
stories about this summer's
In July, hundreds of letters and photos from sponsors were shared with students, eliciting wide smiles and heartfelt replies-- a sample of which we include below:
"You have made me who I am. I am challenged to emulate your character."
"I am happy as a butterfly to have your letter."
"My two sisters (younger) after me they all got married so I'm the eyes of the family. My parents have hope in me."
"I keep remembering what father Brent tells us when he comes to Kenya 'We are the future leaders of Kenya.' "
At the secondary school level, Kenya Keys interns met individually with each student to deliver their letters. This personal interaction provided our interns with an
incredibly meaningful opportunity to see the individual lives touched by the
generosity of our sponsors.
Asante sana!
This Summer's Special Olympics Held in Memory of Raphael Galucka
This summer the 9th annual 'Special Olympics' were held in Ndohivyo with 70 students and their parents in attendance. Featured events included the 100-meter dash, tug-of-war,
sack race, and balloon blowing contest. The day ended with a relay race between the interns and school teachers. All who participated won at least one medal, as we celebrated with each student.
The 'Special Olympics' this year were held in honor of Raphael Galucka, the beloved and devoted principal of the school, who mentored and encouraged these students for many years prior to his death last December. As students ran and jumped and danced, memories of the dearly-missed Galuka were everywhere. Jane Robinson, a student intern from Oregon, echoed the love and joy that Galuka had for this school and these special children:
"I felt such a spirit of welcoming from the special students and administrators at Ndohivyo.
While these students seemed to have every reason in the world to feel disadvantaged or lesser than, they radiated nothing but joy, gratitude and love. I will look to these sweet Kenyan special needs children as proof that everyone deserves to be loved and validated, no matter what they bring to the table."
Intern Jane Robinson dances with students during the Special Olympics.
Read more about the Special Olympics and Jane's experience
here.
Want More Inspiration?
We post stories about what is happening for Kenya Keys both in the USA and in Kenya on Facebook, Instagram, and our blog. We like to inform, inspire, and engage you with the beautiful photographs and meaningful stories.
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