Back to Western

This week I returned to Mumias town in Western Kenya to do my second stay at Munanga School.  However, things are different this time around for a few reasons.  One, I have come back from visiting all the schools and having spent 4 months in Kenya a little wiser and more prepared to work with the particular difficulties of this rural school.  Two, I feel like I understand the project as a whole much better after staying in Joburg at the head office for a month.  And… well scratch all of that, because, three, everything is very different this time around because the teachers are all on strike.  Kenyan public school teachers struggle with low wages, unpaid wages, overfilled classes, lack of supplies and resources, and long hours.  Last year the strike lasted for three weeks, and currently one week has passed.  However, I have still been sent out to Western with little direction for what I am supposed to do.  The teachers legally cannot enter the school, and it is a sensitive issue to ask them to work on school-related projects with me while they are striking.

I do have a lot of new projects to work on while I hang out in the hotel, however.  I have been given a Raspberry Pi to experiment with as a computing device to use in classrooms, a BRCK wireless router that uses a SIM card to connect to networks and has a built-in power supply, a new laptop (courtesy of Our Lady of Peace School), and a new tablet.  These things should all come together to create a much more productive environment for the school staff.

However, they have to be actually working to use everything, so until then I am waiting, watching movies, and fiddling with the Pi.  Wish me luck!