Greetings from Iten, Kenya!

Things at Simbolei are moving along. The latest information from the Kenya government is that we will be able to admit our first 80 students on July 26. Being fully prepared to provide food, housing and instruction for 80 14-year-old girls is our current race against the clock.

As you can see from the photos, the exterior of the main building is finished. This large building will house classrooms, offices, library, computer lab and temporary dormitory rooms. The kitchen and cafeteria are in a separate building and are also exterior finished.

In the interior picture you can see the newly plastered library with its spacious windows and the floor still wet from curing. Electrical wiring is also in and next will be paint and floor tile. Then we will finally be ready for bookshelves and computers.

Richard and Andrea’s new little home has a roof and is slated for window glass and interior plaster this week. Soon we will have a comfortable place to live and work and also more room for volunteers and other visitors.

On a less happy note, while Kenya was spared some of the worst effects early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it is currently contending with a third wave of infections that seems to cause worse sickness than the first two, with more hospitalizations and more deaths. So, as always, we are following instructions from health authorities and following all recommended precautions. We do not know how further developments might affect our timeline.

Stay well and stay with us as the journey continues!

Simbolei Girls’ Secondary Academy

Hello from Kenya, everyone! 

After many years of planning and many months of tying up "loose ends" we (Richard and Andrea) are both settled on the ground in Kenya. The first few weeks have been taken up with trying to get settled into an semi-efficient routine and also getting various contractors in to give estimates and plan jobs that need to be finished before the school opens.

Presently, the government of Kenya has stated that schools opening for Form One (first year high school) students will be able to accept new students in April or May. So, we are hoping to open at that time. Covid has caused the whole Kenyan school calendar to be rearranged, so we are staying flexible.

In the meantime, we are settling in to our little house here. Andrea has taken on the job of getting the laundry done. It is washed by hand in a basin. I usually heat the washing water and then rinse the soapy clothes with cold rainwater from our outside barrell.

Rodent control in a wooden structure like our house is important. Rats are prevalent and pretty aggressive about getting into houses to eat food and chew up other materials. We don't like using poison and we don't want to live with rats, so we decided to bring in a household expert.

Our friend, Simon Koech, who is a tour guide by profession and has arranged tours for many of our volunteers, located Jimmy the cat to add to our household. Jimmy keeps the rats out and also provides free entertainment as he practices his hunting skills on his toys. We have not seen or heard a rat since he moved in!

We have also planted a garden and in addition to the traditional scarecrow, we have a kite scarecrow!  The kite blows around in the wind and looks like a bird of prey, which keeps the other birds from eating the seeds and plants. We are growing wheat to sell and beets, beans, peas, onions and collard greens for us to eat.

As we negotiate with contractors for final finishing of the school building, we are also working on completion of a new house for us and for visitors. This week a crew came to complete framing and roofing for the bedrooms. Next week we hope to get the cement slab floor in and then start exterior walls. Things move fast here!

I will try to keep everyone updated as we move along toward school opening.

Such a busy exciting time!

~ Andrea

The internet is full of cultural treasures, from music to art exhibits. However, it can be hard to sort out content that is family friendly and educational. Since we are all waiting things out together, in the US and in Kenya, we’ve decided to take a virtual tour of some of the best cultural online sites. Many museums, libraries and musical organizations are offering special events and exhibits during this time. So, pack your virtual travel gear, find a comfy chair, pour a cup of tea and join us for biweekly postings of the Simbolei Virtual Cultural Field Trip 2020!

National Museum of African American History, Washington, DC. Photo credit: Alan Karchmer

We are conducting the tour mainly through our Facebook site at

https://www.facebook.com/simboleiacademy/.

However, you can also visit the sites by checking in here:

First, we kick off with a trip to the British Museum, London 
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries#virtual-galleries

Then, we travel to Washington DC in the USA to visit the National Museum of African American History.  https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/exhibitions.

There are simply more sites than we can possibly keep up with and our tour will zoom around the globe. Looking forward to seeing you on the field trip!

Posted on April 16th, 2020

Time for updates!  It’s been a busy winter for the Kaitanys. At present, we have moved out of our house in Michigan, sent the school library, microscopes and most of our possessions off in a container to Kenya, and we are now sheltering in place in different locations while waiting for the Covid 19 pandemic to subside so we can relocate ourselves to Kenya.

On the plus side, we were able to get the container off in good order. Also, we have our wonderful site manager, Felix, in charge in Kenya so we know everything there is safe and sound including the Simbolei Academy building, the cows and our small house. Richard is in Michigan with some of our neighbors, hoping to head to Kenya as soon as international flights resume. Andrea is in Iowa doing some gardening for her mother and hoping to join Richard by August.

On the “not so plus” side this is a new experience for everyone and we cannot predict how travel regulations and requirements may change in the next few months. So, we remain flexible and patient, just as all of our friends and supporters must in this environment.

We remain determined at this time to focus all of our energy on opening Simbolei Girls in January 2021. The need for high quality local secondary education has increased due to economic and social pressures of the pandemic. We have an important role to play in helping the community to cope and we remain optimistic that we will overcome whatever challenges lie ahead.

As always, we depend on the support and encouragement of our friends and donors to help us meet our goals.

We will keep you posted as we add more details to our timeline.

Posted on April 8, 2020

As we plan Simbolei Academy, American supporters sometimes ask “why a boarding school? Shouldn’t girls be living at home?” Kenyan educators, however, fully support boarding schools as the most effective means for girls to obtain a quality education.

The headteacher of Yokot Primary school, one of our cooperating elementary schools, explains why girls need the space and quiet that boarding schools provide, allowing them to focus on their studies instead of on their many family obligations.

NEED VIDEO UPLOADED TO VIMEO FOR SHARING

Posted October 12, 2018

As the weather turns to fall here in Michigan, we can look back on a busy, productive summer for Simbolei and look forward to our finishing our construction and curriculum planning. By this time next year, Richard and I expect to be on the ground working with staff and faculty to prepare for the opening of Simbolei Academy in January 2020.

In the meantime, the highlight of our summer, as always, was the Literacy Outreach workshops we conducted at six primary schools near Iten.

This year, we used a beautiful felt board created by Diane Marable to illustrate the story of Pretty Salma and Mr. Dog. The puppets we have used in previous years are beautiful but they really require a group to use effectively and this year, it was only myself, Felix Sirma and Sister Lucia Treanor, my colleague from Grand Valley State University who conducted the workshops. Felt board figures were much easier to manipulate and move with our limited personnel. The kids loved it and, needless to say, the crayons and coloring were also very popular.

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In addition to our literacy programs, Sister Lucia and I also presented a workshop on techniques for teaching academic writing to faculty at Catholic University of East Africa in Eldoret. At the end of all the teaching and learning, I was able to spend a little quality time around Kamariny with our resident cows.

And so, our last summer of long distance commuting between Michigan and Kenya comes to a close and we prepare to make the huge leap from finishing construction to organizing and opening the school. Thanks for traveling with us. We’ll keep you posted.

— Andrea

Posted September 12, 2018

Another amazing Literacy Outreach trip has come and gone but now I can relive it all by telling you some of our stories and highpoints. This year, I traveled to Kenya with Joanne W., my neighbor of many years who finally was able to fulfill a long ambition to see our project for herself.

I was thankful to be reminded, shortly after our arrival, that Joanne is also an experienced “theater mom” who was able to get our puppets shipshape before we started visiting schools. She also proved to be an excellent “puppet master,” manipulating all of the characters while I read the story to the kids.

For all but one day of the trip, Joanne, Felix and I managed to perform the story and help the kids with the art work with the help of their classroom teachers. It was, as always, lots of fun, even with the scramble to manipulate five puppets with two hands!

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Summer Literacy students

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Andrea and Joanne

Over the next few days I’ll post more details about the fun and interesting adventures of Literacy Outreach 2017.

— Andrea

posted on August 2, 2017

In planning for Summer Literacy 2017 I realized that due to the excellent English skills of our cooperating teachers and our manager, Felix, my Kiswahili has gotten pretty rusty over the years. I am now on a “crash course” to brush up my basic skills, and thus, the title of today’s post which simply reads “We are building a school” in Kiswahili.

It’s important to remember often that though long-term goals can seem distant, each practical step brings them closer to completion. In January, Richard and the crew finished putting on the second floor “deck.”

This summer I hope to move stone for the second floor walls, put in a new water tank to catch rainwater, and repaint the volunteer cottage, along with conducting our literacy outreach workshops. I will be joined by two or three volunteers this year, so we will keep busy.

I’ll be posting more about summer preparations as we move along. For today, here is a picture Felix took with his phone last winter of our crew putting on the second floor.

— Andrea

Posted May 10, 2017

Everyone has a passion and since I was a kid, mine has been books. I was lucky that as the seventh of eight children in my family, my house was already full of great books by the time I came along. Not only that, but because my community valued books and education, and because of the generosity of some people I never met, our town had a public library.

Carnegie Library, Denison, Iowa

We also had a school library in each of our public school buildings. All of this was overwhelmed, however, by the sheer size of the library I found at Iowa State University when I headed off to college. And, over the past 2o years I have been able to visit the East Lansing Public Library often with my own kids.

Luna helps with cataloging and packing books for the Simbolei Library.

All my life, books have been abundantly available to me. When we visit the kids in rural primary schools in Kenya, we find that they also are enchanted and delighted by books. But, sadly, their access is limited. Books are too expensive for most parents to buy. There are no public libraries within the Iten area and school “libraries” usually consist of piles of textbooks in a corridor or storage room.

Imagine what an accessible, well supplied community library would mean to these students and their families.

That is why we have decided that an essential component of Simbolei Academy is a community library that will not only be open to the public but will promote literacy through community outreach such as storytimes and workshops.

Currently, I am in the process of cataloging the books people have donated for the library. We can use more books, especially popular science, fiction, poetry and of course, picture books.  Please contact us if you or someone you know has books to donate.

In addition, we are looking for people with a deep commitment to literacy and libraries to help us fund the completion and furnishing of the Simbolei Community Library. This is a big job and we need your help. If you would like more information about gifts to the library fund, please contact us.

I’ll keep you posted about the cataloging. It goes rather slow when my helpers and I have to stop and read every few books.

Posted February 14, 2017

Once again it’s time to look back on the year to review where where we started and where we ended up. It’s been a good year for Simbolei.

In January, the building crew poured the main staircase and the second floor deck as they wrapped up the building season.

In June and July, we had our biggest volunteer group ever, as 11 people arrived in Iten to share books, stories and a puppet show with students in seven nearby primary schools. Volunteers also toured local attractions and explored Iten, including participating in or spectating at the Iten Marathon.

Back in Michigan, Schuler Books and Music in Okemos hosted a successful fundraiser during the release party for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Schuler Books contributed 30% of sales during the release party to Simbolei, raising over $4600 for construction and literacy programs!

October also brought Riffs for the Rift, another great community event with food, music and lots of support for Simbolei.

Schuler Books employees present Simbolei donation to Andrea & Richard Kaitany

Deacon Earl and the Congregation entertain at Riffs for the Rift

Guests enjoy a Kenyan meal at Riffs for the Rift

Volunteers from East Lansing High School at Riffs for the Rift

Now, we are rolling into December once again. Richard Kaitany will leave for Kenya on December 1st to continue construction on Simbolei Academy. Progress on Simbolei Academy and our literacy outreach has been consistent and steady thanks to all of you for y0ur support. By this time next year we hope to be finishing up construction and organizing curriculum and hiring staff.

The journey to this point has been wonderful, but the best is yet to come.

— Andrea

Posted November 25, 2016

Saturday we hosted our annual benefit night, Riffs for the Rift. Deacon Earl and the Congregation, the Lo Fi Steppers, Amanda Smith and Jelimo Kaitany all provided live music that included blues, reggae and classical. We had a huge tableful of delicious Kenyan food. Most importantly, everyone gave generously to support education and we raised over $1000 for Simbolei!

We want to thank everyone who came out and donated to the cause, the musicians who volunteered their time and talents, the cook and the food servers and the East Lansing High School National Honor Society students led by their chapter president, Taylor Murray, who helped with everything from serving food to moving tables. It was a wonderful evening of food and music. Best of all, we met our winter construction budget!  So, Richard will be departing for Kenya soon to finish pouring the second floor concrete.

If you or a group you belong to would be interested in hosting a benefit activity for Simbolei, please let us know. It is a great way to get friends together for a pleasant evening and help Simbolei at the same time.

— Andrea

Posted October 24, 2016

October 21, 2016

Kenyan food, live music, pictures, stories, crafts and fun. We’re preparing for Riffs for the Rift Benefit Night, October 21 from 6-8:30 at Presbyterian Church of Okemos, 2258 Bennett Road, Okemos, Michigan. Admission is a free will donation and all the proceeds support our building project and summer literacy outreach programs. Last year we ran short of some favorite food items, but we’re making more this year, so you won’t leave hungry.

On the menu:

Curried cabbage with carrots and onions
Sukuma Wiki (Collard Greens fried with onions and tomatoes)
Coconut Chicken
Mokimo (Kenyan mashed potatoes with corn and peas)
Curried Rice
Spicy Beans
Spiced Stewed Beef
Pumpkin coconut pudding
Elgeiyo/Marakwet Peace Corp Chocolate Cake

Hope to see you all there as we prepare to send Richard Kaitany off to winter construction.

— Andrea

Posted October 5, 2016

As volunteers sort through photos and souvenirs, I am already making plans for our next trips to Kenya. While most of my posts focus on the work we do in Kenya, I wanted to share some images and memories from lighter moments of Literacy Outreach 2016.

One of the things I always tell potential volunteers is “In Kenya, the unexpected is expected.” Our Saturday drive down to Lake Baringo had a few rough spots such as motion sickness from the steep, curving roads and Lake Bogoria hot springs being flooded over. But, we did get to Lake Baringo for our boat tour and we did have lunch at the lovely Tamarind Restaurant. Anyone who felt chilly had a day of warm sunshine on the valley floor.

Simbolei’s 2016 Literacy Outreach volunteers on a boat tour of Lake Baringo. Weaver bird nests are visible in the upper part of the photo.

Volunteers had comfortable lodgings and wonderful meals at the Elgon Valley Hotel in Iten. Those of us staying at the cottage on the construction site found the food and company enticing too, and spent a good amount of time there. Allen, Felix the manager’s son, especially enjoyed the chips and the adoring adult attention.

Allen playing around at the volunteer’s hotel dining room.

What is life without challenges? A “moderate” two hour hike turned into something a bit more challenging when we ended up starting from the wrong trailhead. Nevertheless, we all made it to the top, even Professor K. We had lots of help and encouragement from people we met along the way.

Andrea and Ellen meet some encouragers on the forest hike.

Waterfall on the escarpment

Thanks for being Simbolei Academy’s helpers and encouragers as we work our way toward the opening of Simbolei Academy. If you are interested in coming along for either the Runner’s Winter Break/Construction trip in January or the Literacy Outreach trip in July 2017, send us a message at info@simboleiacademy.org.

— Andrea

Posted October 5, 2016

I’m going a bit out of order with my story today. I’ll post more about the volunteers and their arrival etc., later, but I’m eager to tell you about our first literacy program with the students.

The main group of volunteers joined us in Iten on Sunday and first thing Monday morning we hit the road for our literacy visits. First stop was Kiptingo Primary. I had a special surprise for these students. In the past, our supply of crayons was limited, so at each school I would collect the crayons at the end of the activity for use at the next school. At the end of the week, though, I would always go back and deliver the leftover crayons to the kids at Kiptingo Primary. As one of three very remote schools and as the one that gets the fewest outside visitors, I felt they most needed the encouragement of keeping the crayons to use for the rest of the year.

But this year, through the generosity of our volunteers and through the a grant from the Denison, Iowa Rotary Club, we were able to purchase enough crayons to leave a big bag for each school. The kids love drawing pictures based on the storybooks we share with them. Now they can continue to use the crayons for many weeks to enrich their education.

In the past, one task no one liked at the end of a fun day of literacy activities was to recollect the crayons. Volunteers disliked doing this and I disliked requiring it. But since we needed the crayons for use in the next school, we had no choice. What a joy this year to tell the kids that the crayons will stay with their teacher for use in their classroom along with the books and paper we always donate to our cooperating schools.

On behalf of myself, the students and our volunteers, I want to thank our generous donors who added another pe next year you can join us to share the crayons and the fun.

— Andrea

Posted August 4, 2016

So how does an Iowa farm girl go from reading and daydreaming of the big world to building a high school in rural Kenya? How does a young man from rural Kenya go from herding goats and sleeping in a mud hut to doing DNA extractions in a lab in the U.S.?

From my personal perspective, I can only say it seems to be the hand of the Almighty and the combination of two rather odd personalities who intertwine the tortoise and the hare in one relationship. Richard is perpetually and boldly taking on huge challenges, and I seem to be continually insisting that we finish what we’ve started.

Richard and I met in college almost 30 years ago. We quickly discovered that we shared the major priorities of education, interesting work, marriage and children. Our parents, who were geographically oceans apart, had also instilled in both of us a deep love and respect for cows, which bridged many cultural gaps!

To be honest, a cross-cultural, interracial marriage was not easily accepted in Iowa in the early 80’s. We learned early in our marriage to decide for ourselves what was possible, rather than being limited by the ideas of others.

It was Richard who first suggested we go to graduate school. But once we started, I felt we should keep going until we had “finished” with Ph.D.s in our respective fields. Other people choose to either postpone graduate school for one spouse or to postpone children. We figured, I guess, that common sense limits didn’t apply to us. Between 1986 and 1998, we attained two Ph.D.s and four children. Richard found time while completing his master’s in plant pathology to enjoy a brief career as a world-class marathon runner, setting a course record at the Houston Marathon that stood for 20 years.

— Andrea

Posted September 23, 2011