Kenya Blog 3

Oyawre (Good morning)! Yet another eventful week has come to an end leaving us with many highs that will be cherished forever, but also challenges that we’ve had to overcome. Each day has felt long and draining, however the week has flown by and left us wondering where all the time has gone. With only one month left, we’re keen on making the most of our time here. Our spirits are still lively and motivated thanks to the warm welcomes received from every school, the positive energy radiated by each student, and the gradual sense of Mikei becoming our new home away from home.Teaching this week consisted of two very engaging lessons focused on ‘Sex and Consent’ and ‘Pregnancy and Contraceptives’. Each lesson had activities that the students were extremely fond of and prompted lots of laughter as well as great class discussions.Munyu class 7 participating in an activity on the proper use of condoms.Upon our arrival at Radienya Primary on Thursday, where we were expecting to teach a new lesson, we were invited to participate in a school-wide debate. Over 100 students were seated in a large classroom to discuss whether polygamy or monogamy is more just. The debate was structured to represent Kenyan parliament with various students taking on the roles of the speaker, Minister of Education, Minister of Health, and more. After our lesson at Radienya Secondary we ended the day by playing volleyball with some of the students. We played a mini Canada against Kenya game and we’re proud to say our volleyball skills aren’t lacking.Claire and Marika’s Radienya Primary Class 8 after the debate!Our culinary practices have also been improving owed to a little help from our friends. On Thursday, Marilyn, Derek, Elvis, and William (also known as Jakwoth!) came to our house and taught us how to make chapati, a favourite local food of ours. Chapati is round, thin, made of flour, and is served often with savoury dishes. In exchange, we made our guests spaghetti with tomato sauce, which they quickly told us they loved. On Saturday, they invited us to their home for dinner where we and the four youngsters, their younger sister baby Jill, and mother Alfa all enjoyed a spectacular home-grown chicken dinner.Eating homemade chipati with William, Elvis, Derek and Marilyn.Saturday in Migori we met up with Carissa Novak, a Master’s student studying global health from Duke. Her project looks at the prevalence of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in the Migori region and its effects on the increasing rates of cervical cancer. Current research shows that administering the HPV vaccine to young females significantly reduces their risk of cervical cancer. Carissa aims to encourage females to take the HPV vaccine while also addressing the stigma associated with it. Since Carissa enlightened us with this pressing issue, we are hoping to teach a lesson on HPV to our schools in the next coming weeks and add this topic to our curriculum!Fresh fruit and veggies at our favourite market in Migori!We are looking forward to another fun week of teaching and hope that each day is one to remember. This week our lessons will likely focus on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and begin to touch on HIV/AIDS. We hope that all is well in Canada!!Chris and Jenna dancing with their Class 7 students after their lesson at Nyandema Primary!Erokamano ahinya! (Thank you very much!)