The Activation Trust’s November 2006 Workshop

I was privileged to attend the Activation Trust’s workshop at Kisumu in November. The eleven sponsored children, who all go to various schools at the moment, came together for a week in the township of Kisumu, which is one of Kenya’s largest ports on Lake Victoria. The first problem was that a few days before I was due to fly out the airport in Kisumu was closed as the runway needed urgent repairs. This meant the nearest airport was at Eldoret a two hour car journey from Kisumu along some roads the state of which left much to be desired.

The Trust had realised, at the initial stage, that the sponsored children, all who are orphans, were not only deprived of economic support when they lost their parents but had also lost a sense of identity and belonging to a group that would provided love, care and attention. It was to address these needs that the workshop programme held in every school holiday has been set up. The workshops provide a chance for the children to not only interact between themselves but also with members of the Trust. The workshops are also used to help the children understand the responsibilities of being sponsored: hard work and dedication on their part.

In this workshop the five days were spent looking at the benefits of conservation on the land and in the water, particularly as Kisumu is so reliant on the water of Lake Victoria. One day was to be spent on an island in the lake which is being managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service. This entailed a mini bus trip with the final miles being along sand/mud tracks. This would have been fine except for a tremendous thunderstorm which had flooded the watercourses and led to the road being badly affected. Twice the bus found itself in great need of muscle power to get it on its way. The island when, finally reached, did reveal Thompson’s gazelle, wild baboons and vultures in their natural environment so the effort was to proved well worth while.

The children were wonderful and soon discussions between us showed me the vast gulf there is between our two cultures in so many ways. It seems so hard to accept that, what for us, in this country, is such small financial outlay can achieve so much when put to use in Kenya. One child expressed a need for some paraffin for her lamp so she could read for longer. In the town of Kisumu poverty is readily apparent all around. The other sharp distinction is the great hunger and desire for education; as the children realise this is their one way out of poverty.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the three Kenyans who are working for the Trust in Kenya and are responsible for the welfare of the children. Maurice is employed by the Trust to select the orphans for the programme, to liaise with their schools and families and to generally monitor the children’s social and academic progress. Leah lectures at Maseno University and is responsible for the programme of work for the week. The third member of the group is Anne, Leah’s sister, who generally looks after the childrens’ welfare. All three generously open their homes to the children so they can stay for the week. I can not stress enough how dedicated I found these three, both to the work of the Trust and to the welfare of the children.

I found tremendous needs in Kenya and could see many projects which would benefit from aid both in financial and personnel terms. However I saw the Trust meeting one of these needs in a practical and sympathetic way. I was thoroughly satisfied that every penny sent to the Trust was being used to good advantage. I hope others can be persuaded to help financially in promoting the work of the Trust, both through sponsorship of the children and in achieving its long term objective of establishing a permanent school in the area..

Mike Chumbley