Keela Dates, From Reason2Smile and the Jambo Jipya School in Kenya, Visits Driver Middle School Fifth Grade Class.

For the past several years Keela Dates, Executive Director of Reason2Smile, has visited schools throughout New York State sharing her vision and her mission in support of the Jambo Jipya School in Kenya, Africa. Reason2Smile is an organization dedicated to providing immediate and long term financial support to the Jambo Jipya School. The Jambo Jipya School is located in the center of Mtwapa, Kenya. The school was founded and is directed by Christine Mwende, who “recognized that many children in Mtwapa and the surrounding areas did not have the opportunity to attend school due to family financial constraints.” Mwende began the school in 2004 with one mud hut and 20 students in attendance. Today, thanks to support from organizations like Reason2Smile, and the dedication of Mwende and Dates, the school has over 300 students and 12 concrete classrooms. Dates visited Katrina Ercole’s 5th grade class at Driver Middle School on Tuesday, November 23rd and made two presentations. Students from Sandy Carey’s 5th grade class along with Ercole’s students were presented with an overview of the Jambo Jipya School during Dates’ first session. Using a power point presentation format Dates shared what daily life is like for students at the Jambo Jipya School in Kenya. She spoke to the geography of the region, the Swahili language, the weather, and the culture of the people. Dates talked about the progress that has been demonstrated by students and also spoke to the improvements that have been made during the past three years. The class also discussed why the school only employs Kenyan teachers, as they talked about the common language, cultural literacy, proximity, and most importantly “the Kenyan teachers provide a role model to each student that says you can achieve anything that you want.” Dates also shared what a typical day for a Jambo Jipya student would look like, “students leave for school about 5:45 AM often walking 2 hours to get to class.” The daily schedule involves instruction in math, science, English, Swahili, physical education, art, music and library. Students receive snack and lunch and also participate in a variety of after school activities before beginning the trek home around 5:00 PM. Dates, who has visited Ercole’s class several times over the past few years, held a second session that was targeted to students who are currently in 7th and 8th grade. The second session focused on the changes that had occurred at the Jambo Jipya School since she had last spoken with these students when they were in 5th grade. Dates closed out her presentations by highlighting “our likeness and differences” and sharing a special song written by one of the Jambo Jipya students and performed by that student and her brother C. J. Dates:
Where ever you may go
Life is good
You can shine like the sun
Run like the rain
Sail like the stars
Despite all your pain.
Ercole’s class will be holding a “Spell-a-thon” in the spring to raise money for the Jambo Jipya School. For more information on the Jambo Jipya School go to www.reason2smile.org.