Inside Issue No. 01

School safe in Kenya crisis
Fundraising assists school expansion
Kibera Fact File
Staff Profile: Josiah Munyutu

School safe in Kenya crisis

The start of 2008, for the children and teachers at Oasis Africa Primary School in Kibera, could not have been any worse as they returned from their Christmas holidays to violence and chaos.

The civil unrest which began at the end of last December, after the controversial election results, lead to extensive tribal and ethnic violence through out all of Kenya Reports have indicated that over 1000 people have been killed and over half a million people displaced. Kibera was often the centre of a lot of the initial violence with neighbouring opposing tribes within Africa's largest slum armed with machetes, bows and arrows killing each other outside their homes.

Throughout the violence, headmaster Josiah Munyutu kept in regular touch with the Australian Oasis Africa Team on the situation.

While thousands left the slum to stay with relatives and family in 'safer' communities, Josiah remained in Kibera. Apart from the violence, shops and houses where being burnt and destroyed with a fear the school building and property could be completely lost. Extra money was sent to the school to organise extra security for both the school and Josiah.

The school official re-opened on the 14th January with less than 200 children compared with 626 at the end of December 2007. By the end of January the school numbers rose to 466 children and by the middle of February school numbers we back at 620 children in attendance. Throughout these troubling times, Oasis Africa Primary School provided security and safety for these children and the morning and lunch feeding program was often the only food that the children received due to the civil unrest's impact on their own family livelihoods.

In March, wide spread violence has slowed as the political leaders work together to start the reconciliation process between tribal groups. Josiah and all the parents and children of Oasis Africa Primary School is extremely appreciative of the support that they received from their Australian friends and look forward to a successful year.

Fundraising assists school expansion

The start of 2008, for the children and teachers at Oasis Africa Primary School in Kibera, could not have been any worse as they returned from their Christmas holidays to violence and chaos.

The civil unrest which began at the end of last December, after the controversial election results, lead to extensive tribal and ethnic violence through out all of Kenya Reports have indicated that over 1000 people have been killed and over half a million people displaced. Kibera was often the centre of a lot of the initial violence with neighbouring opposing tribes within Africa's largest slum armed with machetes, bows and arrows killing each other outside their homes.

Throughout the violence, headmaster Josiah Munyutu kept in regular touch with the Australian Oasis Africa Team on the situation.

While thousands left the slum to stay with relatives and family in 'safer' communities, Josiah remained in Kibera. Apart from the violence, shops and houses where being burnt and destroyed with a fear the school building and property could be completely lost. Extra money was sent to the school to organise extra security for both the school and Josiah.

The school official re-opened on the 14th January with less than 200 children compared with 626 at the end of December 2007. By the end of January the school numbers rose to 466 children and by the middle of February school numbers we back at 620 children in attendance. Throughout these troubling times, Oasis Africa Primary School provided security and safety for these children and the morning and lunch feeding program was often the only food that the children received due to the civil unrest's impact on their own family livelihoods.

In March, wide spread violence has slowed as the political leaders work together to start the reconciliation process between tribal groups. Josiah and all the parents and children of Oasis Africa Primary School is extremely appreciative of the support that they received from their Australian friends and look forward to a successful year.

Kibera Fact File

At least 50,000 AIDS orphans and vulnerable children live in Africa's poorest slum - Kibera - located in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kibera is home to over 1 million people, where extended families, generally totalling 8 or more, live in small mud/stick shacks with corrugated roof and no electricity.

There are no government hospitals or clinics, no proper sewerage systems and one latrine (hole in the ground) is shared by up to 400 people.

Staff Profile:
Josiah Munyutu

A hero is described in the Oxford dictionary as "man of superhuman qualities, man admired for great deeds and noble qualities, chief man in poem, play or story". For people who have met Headmaster Josiah Munyutu these are the words that best describe his character. He is the chief man in Oasis Africa Primary School and has dedicated his life in one of the worlds largest slums to give hope to its children.

His story to become a teacher reflects his genuine personality and desire to have children break out of the poverty cycle through education. "I started by teaching my friends children as they could not afford to pay for uniforms, shoes and school supplies to attend government schools. There was only about 4 children when I first started" Josiah recollects. "Over the next couple of years the class slowly grew and when I first met the people at Oasis Africa and Kim Winter there was about 50 children which we taught in a...".

With Josiah providing the foundation for the development of Oasis Africa Primary School in the last 3 years it has grown to over 600 children. There would not be many days in that time that Josiah was not in the middle of the development ensuring every child was being looked after.

Josiah is more than just a dedicated teacher, working with the Oasis Africa Project Manager (Vikki Nduku) his role has him organising suppliers to assist in the building and refurbishing of the school, speaking and counselling with children and parents, liaising with the micro-enterprise mothers and managing the feeding program.