How
students spend summer “vacation”
in Kenya, 2006
Dear
Supporters,
This
summer a group of high school students will be traveling to
the Maasai village of Merrueshi, Kenya. This will be a once
in a lifetime experience. For over two weeks, our group, comprised
of students form the Eastside as well as Seattle, will be working
in cooperation with the local village people to construct a
much needed boys’ dormitory for the regional school. Up
until a few years ago, students were taught by a missionary
with only the shade of an acacia tree to protect them. Since
then the community has built a simple school building and a
girls’ dormitory. A boys’ dormitory is the next
logical step in the process of offering young Maasai children
the chance to receive a formal education. Students who are not
able to take advantage of a dormitory often have to walk in
excess of ten kilometers twice a day to attend the school. By
building this dormitory we hope to imbue the students with the
resources that will facilitate their academic success.
The
cost of constructing a boys’ dormitory is $8000. This
$8000 covers the cost of raw materials for the dormitory, while
labor will be donated by both our group and local villagers.
The building will be of Spartan design and will serve to house
students who are coming in from distant villages. It will be
built using handmade concrete bricks and a tin roof. To reach
our goal, we are asking friends and family to contribute as
much as they feel comfortable giving. Your donation will make
an enormous difference in the lives of these children. Education
for these children is the first step for the Maasai to become
a more globally aware society and even the smallest donation
will help take us one step closer to our goal.
The Maasai way of life is struggling to coexist with the forces
of modernization. By taking control of their education, the
Maasai are taking control of their cultural destiny. The ineffable
joy of knowing that these children are given the opportunity
to receive an education is what we can take away from this experience.
Please join us in this journey and help us attain our goal of
helping the Maasai tribe build a future for their new generation
by making a donation to our project.
This
summer a group of high school students will be traveling to
the Maasai village of Merrueshi, Kenya. This will be a once
in a lifetime experience. For over two weeks, our group, comprised
of students form the Eastside as well as Seattle, will be working
in cooperation with the local village people to construct a
much needed boys’ dormitory for the regional school. Up
until a few years ago, students were taught by a missionary
with only the shade of an acacia tree to protect them. Since
then the community has built a simple school building and a
girls’ dormitory. A boys’ dormitory is the next
logical step in the process of offering young Maasai children
the chance to receive a formal education. Students who are not
able to take advantage of a dormitory often have to walk in
excess of ten kilometers twice a day to attend the school. By
building this dormitory we hope to imbue the students with the
resources that will facilitate their academic success.