NEWS FROM SIKINGA - Page 1
MORE NEWS ITEMS:
Letter from Milton; May 2009 - Page 2
Letter from Milton; October 2009 - Page 3
Notes from Milton: 2010 - Page 4
News of the Children!
Some Notes from Pat Spurin on Daily Life in Sikinga
Meals are very simple: mostly the staple food of maize porridge and vegetables. Unfortunately the price of maize and beans has doubled recently and all foodstuffs and petrol have become very expensive, so now headteachers are saying they cannot manage. Even in good times, schools sometimes have to close early because food supplies run out. The economic situation has a big impact in Kenya! Who wants Kenya currency? Nobody, so it goes down in value. Food prices have risen and people have no spare cash, so we hear about children being sent out to play at lunchtime so they don't notice there is no food. Bread has disappeared from the menu as it is a luxury. People eat once a day!
The children we support are orphans from Aids or from very deprived families where a parent is sick or disabled. We are now at the stage where most of the children we decided to support have finished Primary School and moved on to Secondary. This is good because many children drop out of education after Primary because fees are much higher and we are trying hard to continue to help these children so they can attempt to get qualifications which will improve their chances of further courses or jobs.
Up to now we have reckoned that £200 covers one child at Secondary for a year, but this is a rough guide. The government said it was going to bring in free Secondary education, but this has not happened. A small proportion of the fees is paid for students in some schools. Because there are not so many Secondary schools around Sikinga, some of the children have to go to Boarding School. Forget about English boarding schools!!! Kenya ones are very basic: huge dormitories with iron bedsteads and maybe a thin mattress. Students have to carry their own bedding, bowls for doing their own laundry, and of course, pay for their own uniform, books and other equipment. In addition there is Building Fund, Desk Fund etc. For those doing exams, there are fees to pay, and there has been a lot of trouble about exam papers getting into the wrong hands!
Because of the need to cover Secondary School fees, we have not been able to take on extra children at Primary level, where again fees were officially abolished, but all the extra bits and pieces add up. Also if the child is doing leaving exams, he has to go back to school in the evening to use the better lights there and pay for the privilege!
Life is still hard for people at Sikinga, because food prices have risen considerably but they have no more money to spend. One meal a day is all they can manage. School fees have gone up, and boarders only get fed if there is food available. The politicians are still struggling to work together, but it is not an easy coalition. Here in UK many are worried about the future, and grumble about our politicians but...!
