Asante Africa’s Leadership Academy Described in Wiley Publishing Newsletter

The team in country should feel sooooooooooo proud.

http://www.studentleadershipchallenge.com/Resource/resource-newsJan12-profile-AsanteAfrica.aspx

 

Are you thinking about how to give back with your time in 2012?

Volunteering? Internship? Wanting to use your skills while looking for that perfect new job? Think about interviewing for one of our cool roles. Asante Africa Foundation has several great opportunities that will be interviewed for over the next month.  We are high energy & a bit crazy but you will learn alot and have fun. If you are thinking about a few hours a month / a few hours a week / or wanting to use some of your skills full time, check out our opportunities. They are on our asanteafrica.org/getinvolved and posted on craigslist and on idealist.org.

http://www.asanteafrica.org/getinvolved/

Asante Africa Foundation’s first ESL Debate Teacher Training Seminar

Participating teachers

As Tanzanian students move out of primary school and into secondary, the medium language of instruction changes from Kiswahili to English. Most students have neither the opportunity nor the means with which to experience and utilize English effectively to ensure their academic success in an all-English classroom.

In order to better facilitate this transition, Asante Africa Foundation has been collaborating with local school officials and Takako Mino, a former Debate Outreach Associate from Claremont McKenna College to implement a district wide English language debate competition for students at our partnering schools.

An ESL debate competition would provide opportunity for meaningful application of English for students and teachers alike, empowering and motivating participants. Asante Africa Foundation’s first step toward this endeavor is to provide debate training seminars for participating schools and their teachers. These seminars were recently completed and profiled on Discover Voice, as Takako Mino reflects on the experience.

Read more about it!!

 

Escape to Zanzibar: Thank you for a successful night to remember!

Guests were greeted at the door with rich African music and dance as Asante Africa Foundation’s biggest night of the year began on Saturday, November 12^th. The sold out event boasted an evening filled with laughter, dance, music, traditional African fare and incredible generosity.

Amid the cool November evening, Asante Africa supporters were unified for one purpose: to create change and opportunity for East African children through quality education.

Orion School Students

The evening included the presentation of the first “Power of WE” award to Orion Alternative School, located in Redwood City, CA. In April 2011, the students of Orion held a Walk-A-Thon to raise funds for desks at one of our partnering schools in Kenya. Students raised $3500 during their Walk-A-Thon, enough to provide approximately 100 desks for students at Montonyak Primary School!  For their commitment and the size of their hearts, Asante Africa Foundation was proud to honor Orion School!

An authentic family-style African dinner followed as CEO/Founder, Erna Grasz led us on a journey, profiling Asante Africa’s community, achievements and the anticipation of the road ahead.

Dancers and musicians from Cheza Nami Foundation delivered energetic and festive performances that engaged and entertained.

Escape to Zanzibar was a successful and memorable event for all in attendance and more importantly for the future of East African students!

If you weren’t able to ‘Escape with us to Zanzibar,’ you can still join us in creating quality education for East African children. Click here and learn how.

Watch the exclusive video that was presented at the event here.

Don’t miss out! View the event photos here.

The science of opportunity in the blessing of a lab

Students in action!

As we prepare to celebrate and reflect on the commitment of our donors, the invested passion of our volunteers and the amazing community of our student scholars and their families, we recently received an email that put all of our hard work and YOUR dedication into perspective.

Madame Yohana Mcha, the director of one of our partnering schools wanted to update us on what it’s been like to have a science lab and its effect on her students’ outlook as they finish their Science practicals.

As many of her students enthusiastically put it, “Madam, science is so SIMPLE. You should FORCE everyone to take science subjects next year!”

The opportunity to utilize the proper equipment in science experiments and applications  has made a world of difference for these students.

“They had all of it,—the chemicals, the gas system, the water system, not to mention the right environment for proper science experiments. THANKS TO ASANTE AFRICA FOUNDATION!!!”   — Madame Mcha

 Thanks to YOU! Your support and dedication toward creating quality education for East African children is what makes this possible!

Asante Africa Foundation teams up with Cheza Nami Foundation to create an unforgettable experience!

Last week, Asante Africa Foundation and Cheza Nami Foundation created an enriching experience around numerous cultures and parts of the world. Through our collaborative efforts with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, along with other employees and organizations, we sang, danced and “drummed” our way into discovering our cultural diversity. Erna Grasz, our very own CEO, was asked to emcee the event. She did not disappoint! She taught the audience how to say “thank you” in nine different languages and challenged the audience to learn a few Arabic dance moves with one of the dance performers.
The purpose behind this event was beautifully summed up in Erna’s own words:

“We each bring talents and gifts to an organization. They come from our cultures, our formal training, our life’s learning and our values. We as a team are stronger when we acknowledge and appreciate those unique attributes and take advantage of each others’ strengths.” – Erna Grasz, CEO/Founder, Asante Africa Foundation

Check out the full range of photos on FLICKR site.

http://flickr.com/gp/doe_jgi/874Y6J/

It’s Back to School Time – Help us TODAY to send 26 students into the classroom this school year!

IMAGINE what $63 a month can do for an East African Child this School Year and see how far your dollar will go.

This monthly amount puts a deserving child in school for one year.  More importantly, it provides a child the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

In 2010-2011 Asante Africa Foundation funded over 153 scholarships in Kenya and Tanzania. Asante Africa Foundation’s merit-based scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence as well as financial need. This means that the best and the brightest students who would otherwise miss the opportunity to nurture their dreams in the classroom, will be given the chance to realize their potential.

Of our existing student population, 60% of students are girls who need a chance at education, not an early marriage. At least 67% of our students are orphaned with teenage siblings or grandparents as their guardians. 100% of these children have brothers, sisters and other family members depending on them to succeed.

As we move into a new school year, we are asking for your support to provide a scholarship. A scholarship will guarantee that a deserving student begins the new school year in January 2012 with the support and resources they need to succeed.

The 2011-2012 cost of an annual scholarship is $750 ($63 a month):
A scholarship covers the expense of textbooks, exam fees, tuition, boarding with meals, and personal items such as uniforms, shoes, and study aids.

As Asante Africa Foundation continue to meet our goals and set the bar for growth, our student scholarships play a significant role in creating a positive avenue for change and opportunity.  That is why nearly half of our general donations go toward scholarship funding.

For $63 a month, YOU can help US give CHILDREN the opportunity to create a brighter future for themselves, their families and their communities. Fuel the potential that will resonate beyond the walls of the classroom.

DONATE TODAY!

Asante SANA (Much Gratitude and Thank You) Corpus Christi!!!!

August 30^th and 31^st Asante Africa Foundation CEO & Founder, Erna Grasz, traveled to her home state of Texas and visited Corpus Christi for speaking engagements and events resulting in generous gifts  totally $8,600. These gifts will start to fund the construction of a girls’ dormitory at Nyahururu Primary School in Kenya!

Elizabeth Reese hosted two events at her lovely home complete with authentic African meals prepared by Sadia Nuhu, South African wine tasting courtesy of Eddie Buhidar and the guys at Liquid Town, African dancing, and a presentation by Erna that opened the hearts and minds of guests.

Erna also spoke to students’ at Corpus Christi Montessori and Windsor Park Elementary Schools and engaged the Northwest Rotary Club during their weekly meeting at The Chicken Shack.

In just two days Corpus Christi gave $8,600 going toward the construction of a girls’ dormitory at Nyahuru Primary School in Kenya, where nearly half of the student body is made up of children whose education was derailed when their families fled the political conflict and ethnic violence of December 2007.

Thank you to the life long family of friends and supporters we made in Corpus Christi, August 2011!  For more information on how your city can get involved in supporting QUALITY education for East African children through the Asante Africa Foundation, please contact us at info@asanteafrica.org, 925.292.0245.

Asante Sana Corpus Christi!

Julius – Grade 1 is on a Roll

JULIUS - Grade 1, Tanzania

Julius is a 6 year old boy in Tanzania. Like most 6 old boys, he enjoys playing with his friends, playing soccer, and getting dirty as he build forts out of stones and sticks.

Julius has had his share of struggles in his short life thus far. We first met Julius as a 3 year old attending the nursery school we helped build in Tanzania. At the time he was a street child, with only a mentally ill mother who frequent abused him with hot sticks from the fire. That has all changed for the better.

Due to the proactive involvement of the Principal at the Nursery School, partnering with Asante Africa, he was placed into a full time boarding school that accepted boarders in grade 1 ( very unusual). As he entered Class 1, he faced a different challenge. He was one student amongst 147 students with a single teacher with minimal teaching aids and materials.

We were excited to check in with Julius this past week to see how he was adjusting to his new school and how he was faring in such a big class.  When he heard that Albert, Asante Africa’s scholarship coordinator, was at the school office he came running. He had news to share. He stood very tall and he announced that he had scored very high on all his tests and he was ranked #5 out of 147 students. When he was teased about how could this be true, he loudly responded, “Truly, it is all True” with highly  animated body language as well as confident voice. He, naturally has to do a few photo poses with Albert and take a few photos himself to celebrate.

Julius is excited to see Albert- to share his good news

And then, Julius, as a happy boy went back to playing soccer and getting dirty with his friends after school.

Because of well intentioned global minded citizens,teachers, advocates, and donors who sponsor children like Julius, all of these children have a better chance with a stronger start and potentially a better life longer term. Asante Sana ( Many thanks to all of you).

Julius looks at the photos he just took

Kenya’s Feeding Program – In Action at 2 of our schools

Two young girls are very happy for their lunch time meal

We are all reading about the severe drought and food shortages  in Sub-Sahara Africa, but our team personally witnessed this horrible  struggle the local people are dealing with on a daily basis.

Hundreds of Children come for a meal

It is about  1pm in the afternoon and  hundreds of children are making their way  from the many distant hills, traveling up to 10km, moving toward the school grounds. It is school break and no classes are being taught, but that is irrelevant.  Every child was carrying some type of cup, bowl or container to hold a bit of food and many children were carrying another baby or smaller child on their backs.

The “Kenyans Help Kenya” program was providing food for all
the school age children during this time. An old classroom had been converted into a makeshift kitchen and the food that was being served consisted of a combination of maize, beans, and a bit of soy product. This will be the only meal for these children of the day. There was order amongst the chaos with all the children excitedly lined up in front of the makeshift kitchen for one of
the local mamas to spoon food into their containers.

Children are lined up holding bowls in hand

As each child received their  bowl full of food,  they quickly
began to group together to find a place to sit – the older girls together, the smaller toddlers, the  mid primary aged boys. They eagerly searched for stones to sit on, trees that might have a bit of
shade, or in one case even sitting under a tarp (in a  makeshift “fort” who only allowed certain friends into).

Not everyone is welcome "into the secret fort"

We- Asante Africa Foundation – happen to be at the school on  this particular day to celebrate with the parents ( mamas and babas and community leaders) as we signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin building 4 new teachers houses in this tough, harsh teaching environment. (currently 4 men live in one small hut sharing the space- no families allowed because no private quarters).

As we mingled with the children before the meeting began, we realized how critical this “Kenyans help Kenya” program really is.  Several of these children were so emaciated and on the edge of survival. Without food in the stomachs, education cannot be realized.In spite of their hunger and their hardships, they behaved as all children do. They wanted to be photographed with their friends, they wanted to sing for us, and they teased  each other playfully. Children are children worldwide with the same hearts, with the same desires and same dreams, but these children just have the additional hardships of survival day to day.

All children have the same heart, smile and dreams

As you read this, pause and be grateful for all that you have in your life, and know that as long as each of us does the small bit that we can, we are “THE POWER OF WE” –  because everyone is working together and having a big impact together.

 

“Kenyans Help Kenya” – A New Culture is Emerging

Historically, the concept of donating money to help strangers has not been something readily thought about in East Africa. For the first time in Kenyan History, there is a current campaign underway called “Kenyans Help Kenya”.  This cause is focused on helping fellow country men, women and children who are starving and dying of thirst in drought ridden areas of the country.

Everyone is getting involved; the taxi drivers, the day to day mothers, students and business men and everyone is donating, via the mobile phone texting system, shillings in all amounts. Every person that you talk to will share with you that they have donated, maybe only 10 shillings, but they are a part of this cause. They will also share with you that they are now learning that it is not required that you be rich to be able to help your fellow Kenyan and to make a difference.

They are not looking to the outside world for assistance because they can do it themselves. And everyone wants to be a part of it. In
over 2 weeks, this cause has raised over 500million shilling to provide desperately needed corn, beans and water to drought and food deprived areas of Kenya. And they are not stopping there. Their newest target is 1 Billion shilling in the next 4 weeks.

The corporations are getting involved as well. Kenyan Airways if providing free jets to deliver the food, the Petrol companies are
donating the fuel,  Phone providers are managing the banking logistics and many companies are matching their employees contributions ( another first in Kenya history). Kenya Red Cross is managing the whole food and water distribution process. All parties are holding each other accountable and all parties are making sure the public is kept apprised of the progress. Trust is building day by day.

For the first time, the people in the streets are feeling the “power of WE”. My favorite quote was when my taxi driver said, “ I am not a rich man and I have many problems of my own but I now know that my small contribution is a part of something much bigger than me”. 

A new era is dawning! I am excited to be able to witness a small step toward the new future. Erna, posted in Kenya

http://mnnonline.org/article/16040

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108220214.html

Performance Competitions Raise the Game

In Kenya, success on National exams is integral to a student’s secondary school placement. Providing students with the opportunity to write mock exams allows them to better understand the process and the stressors of writing standardized tests. This mock exam process does well to alleviate test anxiety as students learn strategies for coping with the stress of both studying for and then sitting these exams.

In July 2011 the Asante Africa Foundation assisted with the administering of mock performance exams held at the Enkare Ngiro Primary School and the Ole Sankale Primary School in Kenya. This year, not only did Asante Africa fund 16 schools to come together to compete in the Enkare Ngiro Mock Exam Competition, but it also added 16 more schools  in a second zone, Ole Sankale zone. In total 32 schools were involved this year with 944 students.

First Zone Group hosted at Enkare N’giro

The students at Enkare Ng’iro reported to the school and they were paired with their student host’s and billeted in the Enkare Ngiro region. The young Kenyans were so excited that they had an opportunity to meet new friends. The host students provided their visitors with an orientation of the area, and by the end of the day it was clear that new friendships were blossoming amidst the group.

Much thanks needs to be given to the entire community, teachers, students, and parents included, all of whom pitched in to prepare food and ensure that the visiting students were comfortable. The preparations of the host school, its Head teacher, and the various committees helped to make everything run smoothly: food was purchased ahead of time and accommodations were arranged for the visiting teachers.

Second Zone Group hosted at Ole Sankale School
At the Enkare Ng’iro primary school, the process of administering the mock exam was a repeat of what they did last year, but for the Ole Sankale primary school it was a new experience. Ole Sankale benefitted a great deal from the lessons learned the previous year at Enkare Ng’iro. The planning was precise with the assistance of representatives from the Ministry of Education Office. The planning committee included the Head teachers of all the schools involved in writing the exams.

The Ole Sankale exam followed the standard procedures that are involved in the writing of National exams. This attracted a visit from the district education office, representatives of which were impressed by the organization of the exam. The duty to coordinate the exam was delegated to the exam committee, which did not let the schools down. Ole Sankale Primary Boarding school provided its school bus to ferry students and teachers from J.S Ole Naeku centre to Masikonde centre for the awards ceremony on the final day. All the details of the National exam were adhered to including printing the exam scripts in colors similar to those used on the National exams.

At the end of the exams, teachers went away excited and eager to “beat the competition” next time. As well, the students left less wary of the exam writing process and were eager to get back to improving their scores for next year. More importantly, new friendships were forged between the teachers, parents, and students who participated in this invaluable process. Asante Africa is honored to be a part of this process that is showing improved results across the districts.

80 of our students still need sponsorships to attend Leadership Academy 2011.

Help us give them the opportunity to realize their dreams and make a donation today: http://www.asanteafrica.org/docs/AAFLeadershipAcademy2011.pdf.

Time is running out!  We want all of our students to have the opportunity to partake in this wonderful opportunity to gain the confidence and skill set to be the leaders they were meant to be.  We greatly appreciate your support!

UPDATE from Kenya on our University-Bound Scholars: ANN MUENI leaves for University this week!

Few students in Kenya have what it takes to make it to university without obstacles threatening to obscure their focus. Scholarships to university are equally difficult to attain given the arduous nature of the exams and the scores needed to even be considered a qualifying candidate. But three Asante Africa Foundation scholars have proven it’s possible through their talent, motivation and resolve.

This week, one of them is headed to university!

You may remember Ann Mueni, an Asante Africa Foundation scholar when she was profiled in our 2010 Annual Report.

ANN has been working in a mobile electronics shop, earning money to help fund her sister’s high school education and to help herself prepare for university. After waiting eagerly for 18 months, a seat has finally opened up at her prospective university. Ann is finally on her way!

Asante Africa’s Erna Grasz, CEO/Founder and Gathii Kanyi, Program Manager were invited to a celebratory dinner with Ann and her family last Sunday evening as she discussed her fears and excitement about her trip to university. Ann will be the first in her family to attend university and realizes the monumental significance of this role. She will make her family proud as she expects to study Materials and Inventory Systems for Larger Logistics Corporations. GO ANN!!

Ann Mueni and Erna Grasz

Meanwhile:

Samson in his teacher uniform

SAMSON recently began teaching at an adult education center and admits that the experience can be intimidating as many of his students are older. But when he runs into a student outside of class, they often address him with respect. This display of respect for him has made Samson realize, “…now I know I am of value and can do well for this community. I feel worthy and good” Samson will start taking business courses at University this winter to pursue his law degree.

Siemeto talking to high school students

SIEMETO has had to learn that patience and hard work are part of the path towards a brighter future. He has decided to farm and sell potatoes to earn more money that will be invested into his university education. In his spare time, he tutors high school students in math and physics and advises secondary students on how to command their fear of subjects. Siemeto hopes to begin his studies at University next spring where he will major in mechanical engineering.

Congratulations again to our awesome scholars!

Leadership Academy: Fostering the Next Generation of Leaders

 http://asanteafrica.org/articl​es/scholarships/2011-leadershi​p-academy.php

For many youth in East Africa, looking beyond every day survival is not a reality. Help Asante Africa turn their dreams into a reality by sponsoring a student to attend Leadership Academy in December 2011.

We strive to help our students realize their potential to be leaders, to build strong communities, to take their future into their own hands. At the Academy, the students will develop new skills that they can use to empower themselves and pay it forward. They will participate in a series of educational workshops that cover topics such as time management and study skills, financial literacy, gender roles, and communication skills. And just as importantly, the students will build friendships with each other, crossing boundaries between Kenya and Tanzania.

We are looking to send 84 students to Leadership Academy 2011. Would you like to help these students reach their potential?

To learn more about the Academy and how you can help, please click here: http://asanteafrica.org/docs/A​AFLeadershipAcademy2011.pdf

Thank you!