In the United States each year you celebrate Thanksgiving Day at the
end of November with -- roast turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes,
pumpkin pie but, unfortunately, no matoke or ugali, and no waragi or
konyagi!  I want you to know that we here in Uganda, and undoubtedly in
Kenya, and Tanzania as well, we automatically celebrate Thanksgiving
every day, largely because of you, of what you TEA and TEEA Alumni
contributed for almost 12 years to our three nations.

We here in Uganda today are not yet where we would like to be, but we
are moving ahead, and we are making progress -- in our growing market
economy, in our educational institutions, in our battle against
HIV/AIDS, and in our slow but steady development of a democratic
framework and the rule of law.

You friends of Africa gathered here today, and your colleagues who are
not here, planted the mustard seeds in our elementary and secondary
schools, in our teachers colleges, institutes of education and
universities -- the seeds of rational thought, the spirit and process of
scientific enquiry, of free and open dialogue between teacher and
student, and of creative problem-solving activities.  Beyond all that
you demonstrated countless acts of kindness and compassion in your daily
personal relationships with our students. 

(from Senteza Kajubi's keynote address opening the TEEA reunion 
at Makerere University, June 9, 2003)

This issue is devoted to the reunion held in June of this year in the
three East African countries.  Contents of this issue (* indicates an
article can also be found in the "K03 Followup" part of this website):

THE 03 REUNION IN EAST AFRICA   by Henry Hamburger*
K03 PRE-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES by Fawn Cousens*
VISITS TO FOUR SCHOOLS AROUND KAMPALA by Emilee Hines Cantieri*
VISIT TO NKUMBA UNIVERSITY by Betsey Anderson
DISCUSSION OF SCHOOL VISITS by David Newbury*
KAKAMEGA AND THREE FORMER STUDENTS by Ed Schmidt*
KISUMU by Gene Child*
NAKURU AND NYERI by Brooks Goddard*
NAIROBI SCHOOLS AND MEETINGS by Emily Hines Cantieri*
RUNNING KENYA by Henry Hamburger*
ARUSHA AND THE FUTURE  By Pat Gill*
MORE ON SCHOOLS IN TANZANIA by  Jack Humbles
EPILOGUE by Brooks Goddard*
SOME SUMMARY THOUGHTS by Brooks Goddard*
TEEA STEERING COMMITTEE
WHAT'S NEXT by Brooks Goddard
OUR NEXT CONFERENCE -- A TANZANIA AND UK EMPHASIS?
GRANT APPLICATION TO AID EA EDUCATION
TAX EXEMPT STATUS FOR TEAA
OBITUARIES -- Phil Ogilvie and Judith Hamburger
BOOKS; MEETINGS; JOIN THE TEAA CHATROOM; TEAA T-SHIRTS
WE'VE HEARD FROM YOU -- Jerry Barr, Ted Essebaggers, Gene Ashby

Thirty strong and unfazed by warnings and canceled flights, TEAA
conducted an exciting and successful 12-day itinerant conference through
Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. We did many things:

1) met with ministers of education and with our own students  from the
1960s;

2) met principals, teachers and current students at teaching  colleges,
secondary schools and primary schools;

3) visited labs, dorms, classrooms, kitchens, gardens and a school
forest;

4) enjoyed the hospitality of the US Embassy in Uganda, Parliament in
Kenya and the Peace Corps in Tanzania;

5) and even saw leopards in trees and monkeys in our rooms.


           Through all these experiences and more, we pursued and
achieved our two principal goals, to...

1)renew old friendships and establish new ones, both among ourselves and
with our African friends; and

2) move toward some understanding of where East African education is
going and what we can do that will be  welcome and of long-term value.


There are several reports, organized chronologically.

Work within Uganda on the TEAA Kampala Conference began in October 2002
with a meeting at the home of John and Fawn Cousens.  Lee Smith was in
Uganda at the time working with the US Embassy and helped organize this
meeting.  In attendance were Mary Jeffers, Public Relations Officer, US
Embassy; Professor Senteza Kajubi,  Vice Chancellor Nkumba University;
Charles Wabwire, Department of Education, Makerere University; Lee Smith
and Fawn Cousens.  At this meeting a draft program for the Kampala
Conference was drawn up and the itinerary for the trip to Kenya and the
ensuing Nairobi and Arusha Conferences was drafted.Professor Senteza
Kajubi hosted another meeting at his residence in November at which Dr.
Masembe Sebunga, Dean of the  School of Education Makerere University,
and others involved in education in Uganda were present.  Further ideas
were gathered regarding the Kampala Conference.  A committee of Makerere
staff was formed and held meetings to plan the conference.  Fawn Cousens
met with Dean Masembe and Betty Ezati to co-ordinate the planning.
Lists of invitees to the conference and schools to visit were drawn up.
When choosing schools, one of the criteria was that the school would be
able to make use of assistance given.  Also included on the list were
schools which were well organized and doing a good job to show what
could be accomplished.  Fawn met with Ambassador Jimmy Kolker, US
Ambassador to Uganda.  At this meeting it was decided to hold a
reception at the Ambassador's residence and invite President Yoweri
Museveni.  Unfortunately President Museveni traveled to the US during
this time to visit President Bush and Ambassador Kolker was also in DC
during this period.  The Deputy Chief of Mission, Don Teitelbaum, hosted
the reception at his residence.  Also contacted during this planning
stage were Vicki Moore, USAID Director, and David Bruns, USAID Senior
Education Advisor, who participated in the conference.  USAID  funded
the opening day lunch, and the travel and lunch for the Tuesday school
visits.
 
TEAAers began arriving in Kampala in May, when Pat Gill came to do some
voluntary teacher training. Kate Parry also arrived early. The BA flight
ban introduced to Nairobi at this time resulted in a number of changed
schedules, with the Schuchards and Childs arriving on 5th  June. Next to
reach Kampala were Ed Schmidt, Betsey Anderson, Brooks Goddard, and Bill
Jones who arrived on June 6th. The final group arrived on 9th  June.
 
The Kajubis hosted a reception at their home on the 7th, and on 8th
June John and Fawn Cousens held an Open House to welcome the group and
let them meet some Kampala people.  Other than a short slight shower,
the weather was fine and all had an enjoyable afternoon.

Jim Weikart and I were assigned to visit four private schools in the
Kampala area owned by K. L. S. Mukiibi (Lawrence), an entrepreneur who
makes education pay.  His schools, collectively called St. Lawrence
Citizens High School and London College of St. Lawrence, have a total
enrollment of about 4,000 students.  The Horizon Campus is for girls
only; the other 3 are for both boys and girls.  Mr. Mukiibi, whose
students refer to him as "Daddy," moves from one attractive campus to
the other, praising and berating students and supervising his expanding
educational empire.    At each school, we observed assembly, which
included singing of the Uganda national anthem (though nearly a quarter
of the students come from Kenya, with others from Mali, Tanzania, Sudan
and Rwanda) and the school song (written by Lawrence Mukiibi), prayers
and speeches.  At one school we were given a list of the top scoring
students in each group -- and the lowest scoring.  The names and scores
were read aloud, and the bottom scoring students were chided for their
laziness.
 
While we would not dare use such methods, they seem to work for the St.
Lawrence schools.  His students, who all pay fees and wear uniforms,
score well on the national exams and Cambridge exams, most go on to
higher studies, and the schools are accredited by the Uganda Ministry of
Education.

A highlight of the TEAA week in Kampala was a visit to Nkumba
University, located about 25 Km along the Kampala-Entebbe highway.
Having enjoyed the hospitality of Professor William Senteza Kajubi at
his home a few days previously, we were prepared to be impressed by this
educational mission we had heard so much about. Wearing our "I support
Nkumba University" buttons, nine TEAAers enthusiastically boarded the NU
bus and set out on the afternoon of June 10th for an extensive tour of
the attractive, bustling campus.
 
One of the reasons for the establishment of this university in 1994 was
to provide opportunities for those many qualified students who cannot be
accommodated at Makerere in light of increased demand for higher
education in Uganda. As Professor Kajubi had mentioned, this translates
into very meaningful access to education for female students, who make
up 54% of the total Nkumba population. It is apparent that the needs and
interests of women are a high priority at Nkumba. For example, the Women
and Child's Centre was established in 2000 to provide training for women
and remove hindrances to women such as gender discrimination and
illiteracy.
 
The University is subdivided into four schools in order to offer a wide
variety of programs and courses, ranging from one-year certificate
courses such as Hotel Management and Industrial Catering to three-year
programs such as Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, International
Relations and Diplomacy. The campus features many attractive buildings,
including an art gallery in an octagonal shape which is now under
construction. Students have access to computers and the Internet in the
library, but at present the number of computers is small. We visited a
typing class which utilized manual typewriters; it is hoped that the
keyboarding skills acquired there will enable the students to do
research and communicate efficiently when more computers are obtained.

A prime example of the University's commitment to the community is the
recently published "Nkumba University HIV/AIDS Policy," a very detailed
and thorough document including an implementation plan for managing
HIV/AIDS. As Professor Kajubi eloquently states in the Foreword, "It is
painful to observe that the HIV/AIDS scourge is continuing to rob Uganda
of its vital human resource capital. ... Despite the statistics showing
the high toll of HIV/AIDS, institutions of higher education have
remained silent about the pandemic." This led Nkumba to embark upon this
very ambitious project to study the issue and develop interventions and
strategies to fight against the pandemic.

Toward the end of a long, sunny afternoon on the campus, one TEAAer was
heard to murmur, "I could sure use a cold beer." Although our hosts did
not hear the remark, our next stop was a large, airy room full of
refreshments for our group, including the desirable Nile Specials and
other cold drinks. The best part was meeting a group of female students
from the Hospitality program, who had personally prepared spicy fried
chicken, slaw, tasty muffins and other treats for our enjoyment. During
a panel discussion among TEAAers and Nkumba officials, information and
impressions were shared which we hope will lead to close cooperation
between the two groups in the near future.

This short article cannot do justice to everything we saw and everyone
we met; those wishing to know more may visit the website at
www.nkumbauniversity.ac.ug or contact your editor.

The entire meeting took place at the beloved assembly hall of the
Faculty of Education on the Makerere campus the day after the school
visits.  This initial discussion took the form of a Quaker meeting, with
silence allowing individuals to stand up and share their impressions and
feelings, uninterrupted, and without comment by others.  School visits
had occurred throughout the previous day, with each of nine groups of
2-4 persons visiting from one to four schools.  Here is a summary of
some of the points noted.

 Pat:  They had an excellent discussion with a teacher and these issues
were raised: 1) paying salaries to trained teachers, 2) assistance with
school fees, 3) the need for good, relevant textbooks, 4) the urgent
need for science equipment, 5) assistance with buildings and
maintenance, and 6) money given to orphans often goes to the wrong
people; there needs to be tighter oversight.

 Bill (MacKay School):  This was an institution with a purpose, and had
a headmistress with passion.   Their visit to this school showed them
how much can be done with administrators who are clear-minded and
committed.

  Keith:  Was also very impressed with the personnel.  We need a
rational step by step basis (to determine how to allocate support).  But
that raises the question of whether individuals are fixed to a
particular place or do they move around:  A crucial question we need to
ask therefore is:  do we tie our assistance to individuals or to
institutions; are we investing resources in competent individuals or in
on-going institutions?

 Henry:  raised the question of how to we check on how our contributions
and resources are used, without at the same time, engaging in
micro-management?   We need to think through a policy of effective
engagement very carefully.

 Ann:  noted that she had made a tape of the students at the school in
Jinja where her daughter is now teaching; she would be glad to share it
with others, since these children just captured her heart.
 Betsey:  raised the troubling issue of the AIDS crisis, and the problem
of school fees for children of families who have been so devastated with
AIDS.

 Sharon:  spoke of the need for assistance on an ongoing basis, that is
that we need to think not of one-shot assistance but of a continuing
relationship that will see programs develop over time and grow.  She
particularly mentioned that computers need constant maintenance and
printers if they are to be functional as pedagogical devices.  `We must
commit ourselves for support on a continuing basis.'

 Lois: mentioned that every school needs library books. This is
something relatively simple to attend to but makes a huge difference.

 Emilee:  mentioned how impressed she was with the character and hope of
both teachers and students.  The students seemed to her to be
hardworking and sincere.  It was clear that poverty here is not a
product of indolence.  Another reason that we should help out where we
can.

 Ed:  was concerned with the lack of funds but also with the importance
of administrative priorities.  For example, in the school he visited
students bring mattresses from home, but there is hardly room enough for
people to sleep.  The library was not functioning.  The science labs
needed attention.  He was concerned that science was still taught by
rote in a class of 60-80 students.  Even with the right equipment it
would still need a clear pedagogical commitment and organizational
structure to get them to be able to use this equipment in shifts.

 Brooks:  reminded us that there are some things we can do, but certain
types of things we cannot do.  For example, we have all been talking of
individual schools from our individual experiences.  But it is clear
that this is a systemic issue, one that can be alleviated at individual
levels, but cannot really effectively be addressed except at the broader
governmental level, to make the educational system as a whole stronger
and more vibrant.  He asked how we might join forces to become,
collectively, an advocate at higher levels for large amount of money
(such as from the US government).

 Jeanne:  was impressed with the headmistress that she and Andrea
visited.  But she was also very concerned about the nature of foreign
aid and the question of avoiding dependence on foreign aid, which
eventually comes with some strings attached.  What donors see as
important may not be the same as what they see as important.  We need to
keep their self-defined needs as important priorities, wherever
possible.  For example, she cited the question of the age of the books
given:  were these books dated or contemporary?  She is concerned that
often outside aid exports technologies already antiquated in the west,
such as reliance on pesticides.  In other words, our aid should not tie
these countries to the past.

 Pat:  was concerned with science.  On an earlier visit to Hoima she was
ask to speak of the importance of science and maths as an important
career field for students today, including girls.  She stressed the
importance of bringing equipment for `Hands-On' science.

 Sharon:  was very impressed with the Budo Senior Secondary School.  It
was a fee-supported school that got little (or no?) aid from the state.
It started with rented rooms, and now has a campus of 12 acres and 12
buildings. She was particularly impressed with the Headmaster and the
staff who she felt were very dynamic and committed--and who had produced
a marvelous work over the years.  She emphasized the need for us to
identify specific people and institutions where any resources we provide
will be used effectively.

  Ron:  spoke on computers, and especially the need for a mix of
computers or a range of computers; not all computers here need to have
all the gadgets of the most modern game instruments.  But computers also
need support functions; he mentioned that Nkumba has a class that trains
people to repair computers.  Gayaza, on the other hand, had a satellite
but it was disconnected because of the inability to pay the fees, which
are very expensive.  Once we provide equipment, he noted, we have to
ask: can the monthly fee be afforded?   Or in giving some equipment are
we just impoverishing other aspects of the school material?

 Cathy: mentioned that she and Sharon and Pat had visited Trinity
College, Nabingo.  This was established in 1943 and had a large
infrastructure; they had recently celebrated their sixtieth
anniversary.  However, despite the established nature of the school
itself, around the school the population is very poor, so that people in
the immediate environs of the school cannot afford to pay the fees.  So
people near the school cannot send their children there.  The tuition
there was $500 the first year and $400 after that.  How can these
schools provide opportunities to the people of the neighborhood, she
asked.  She also noted that one teacher noted that for Uganda 56% of the
Uganda budget is through foreign aid; how, she queried, can the country
provide free secondary education under these conditions?  So these seem
to be contradictory challenges that are faced by the system as a whole,
and shared by the teachers at a place like Nabingo.

 Ed then summarized some of the commentaries.  How can we support
education in East Africa?  He suggested four possibilities:  1) through
contacts with donors; 2) a few of us could come back in some capacity;
3) exploring the possibility of a semester abroad program; 4) what other
ways could people suggest?

 Ann:  addressed the issue of foreign exchange programs noting that her
driver had said that he had three foreign students stay with him over
the years.  It was a terrific opportunity for the students, she noted,
and a good way to help out the host family as well.

 Lee:  noted that David Bruns from AID will join us this afternoon, and
asked that we all be here to express these thoughts to him and Vicki
Moore.  The Peace Corps Director, Elizabeth O'Malley, will also be here
and will be interested in what we had to say, as well.

 Keith:  noted that we all want to do `do-able,' practical things, but
we need to be aware that Ugandans are the ones to actually do these
tasks, and they already are:  No one is sitting around here. She was
impressed with the spirit of activity that she saw:  everyone is trying
to do something.  That is the principal means through which we need to
work.

 Betty:  noted that before the government was directing schools.   But
now the role of churches is important, especially the Church of Uganda.
She suggested that funds from churches are important and a good means of
channeling external resources.

 Betty Ezati, of the Department of Education at Makerere:   noted that
one element was the concern over sustainability and continuity.  When
TEA cannot come, who will come to teach, to train teachers and to help
the schools progress.  Is it possible, she asked, to develop a kind of
program attached to the Embassy to do like TEA did, especially as the
country faces a huge increase in the demand for school places?  The
resources may come from donors, but they need to be channeled through
national programs.  The second point she wished to raise was that of
orphans.  It is challenging to identify the `real' orphans.  What can be
done:  do collect the names of orphans and give money to the schools for
orphan tuition, not directly to the orphans themselves or their
guardians.  That way one will be sure that the resources go for the
purpose intended.

 Senteza-Kajubi:  noted that Tanzania Peace Corps alumni have a group of
`Friends of Tanzania.'  He wondered if one could form similar groups for
Uganda and Kenya.  Second hand computers are OK, he noted.  Finally, he
noted that some foundations have programs specifically targeted for a
given purpose--he cited a foundation for videos or a fund to take
children to the hospital when needed.  He suggested we could think of
similar ways of directing resources to a given purpose if we thought
that would be helpful.  He specifically noted the Pallemoellei
Foundation [spelling/address?] which insists on reports to donors at
regular intervals to reassure them that the resources are well spent and
to be sure that local people take good management practices in applying
these funds to the purposes targeted.

 Lee:  noted that there are `Friends of X' for every Peace Corps
country; we could adopt that model if we wanted.  Second, Africare sends
money to schools for fees for tuition, so as Betty E. suggested, there
is already a model for that procedure.  Finally, each embassy has an
ambassador's `self-help' fund and often a `self-help' coordinator.  We
might be able to channel our resources through such a mechanism if we
felt that would help.

 Kate:  noted the importance of working with locally based people.
There is a very large number of extremely competent people here.  Also
large numbers of NGOs to work with.  She noted the example of the
Reading Association of Uganda (RAU) is eager to assist in directing
books to the appropriate outlets, if we wanted to contact them.

 Makumbi:  noted that there was a wide choice of programs available for
us to channel such aid through.  The issue is how to choose a stable
program.  He noted that there is a list of NGOs (but didn't mention
where that list is to be found); but, he noted, some can deceive
people.   We will need to ask for the address of such groups and perhaps
make contact with them before continuing with them.  He added that there
were particular problems that affect the schools:  illiteracy programs;
computers cut off from the Internet; the age and dated nature of some of
the books; and the fact that people come only for one or two years.

 [An unidentified Ugandan gentleman]:  noted that the teaching of
science is a problem.  In the 1960s, when the TEAers were here, the
classes were small.  Now, however, classes have become large, and
particularly for the sciences, this presents difficulties. Also, in many
cases the libraries are obsolete and new books (or new editions) are not
forthcoming.  Also we need books beyond simply `exam-reading.'  He noted
that computers are here to stay, but that many schools, especially in
rural areas, lack electricity with which to run them.  This is an
example of the differences between rural and urban schools, where many
rural areas [and outside Buganda too] are disadvantaged.

 Betty Ezati:  Teachers have trouble implementing what they are trained
to do.  She mentioned a program at the Faculty for Education in which
teachers receive in-stream training in Political Science and English
during the summer months, and she hoped this program might be extended
to other fields as well.  She suggested that former teachers, such as
TEAers, might come back to work with summer teachers for short term
courses, and with inputs of financial and material assistance which
would serve as an excellent basis of interaction.

 Bill:  reminded us of the impressions of 1961.  Britain had
accomplished something special here, and had adapted education in many
instances to the particular circumstances faced in the schools and with
the educational goals.  For example, he cited John Bright's techniques
and book on sentence patterns, which was very helpful to teachers and
students alike, with techniques specifically attuned to teaching in `the
Empire.'  He wondered if similar `teaching kits' might not be drawn up
again.  Bill noted that he could draw up the lessons if the others would
do them.  They would learn to do the lessons themselves.  For example,
how do teachers deal with classes of 40-80?  That is a very different
circumstance, but one which seems will characterize education here for
some time to come.  He reminded us that we are asking people to do here
what never has been done before.  But that, he averred, was not new to
us:  in fact it is our specialty!  We need to--and we can--rise to the
occasion to discover ways to address totally new problems.

Four groups were then set up one each to focus on the following themes:

A) Seeking solutions to unusual problems and discussing teaching
techniques ;

B) Addressing the issues related to computers and science teaching;

C) Discussing problems particularly related to English and the Social
Sciences, including issues related to libraries and their collections;

D) Pursuing problems of schools and the local communities, including
AIDS, orphans and income levels different between the schools and the
immediately surrounding areas.  In other words ways of making the
schools fully part of the community and serving as core features of the
community.

 A summary of the subsequent group presentations:

A) Computers and Sciences.  Need to emphasize the use of computers in
schools, and that means also preparing technicians to keep computers
running.  It is worth considering whether we want to de-emphasize the
internet connections, since computer skills can also be useful without
the greater issues (and expense) of direct internet contacts.

 Science Labs have deteriorated.  We need to continue to train teachers
to get labs back into shape, and especially to re-intensify the teaching
of `hands-on science' with the appropriate equipment.  We also could do
more to stress the importance of careers in maths and sciences.  Bill
Riley then added that there was a problem of the 240 volts, while a
computer at 300 watts needs high voltage.  Is there anywhere doing
anything, he asked, with 12 volt computers?


B) AIDS and Community Relations.  This report listed several areas of
concern:  AIDS orphans; providing reliable water supplies in primary and
secondary schools; identifying the problems of handicapped children;
addressing issues of youth culture and `moral behavior,' such as lack of
respect for elders (and teachers and school authorities); and accounting
for the problem of alcoholism in the rural areas, and especially how
women and children have to accommodate to that problem; and finding ways
for schools to establish outreach or at least better community
relations, by hiring people from the community or developing projects
with local people in mind.

 It was noted for AIDS orphans, that UPE doesn't provide for everything:
things like shoes, soap, pens, binders, mattresses and blankets are
still up to the students to provide, and many, especially orphans,
cannot provide these materials and therefore cannot attend school, even
when `school fees' themselves are not an issue.  At Nabingo School, for
example--just one school-- the teachers had done a census of AIDS orphans
and found that there were 150 AIDS orphans with no aid for school fees,
and who were not attending school.

 What can be done?  Identify the AIDS orphans; make sure that financial
aid goes directly to the schools to be sure it is used for the purposes
intended; work through Africare or Pellemoelli foundations already up
and running with proven track records; provide large covered plastic
tanks for water supply, since water can go off and on; and think through
a sector of teaching ethics and especially work with younger teachers on
addressing issues of behavior in schools which lead to successful
learning.


C) Addressing Unusual Problems, which here become common.  This report
emphasized the problem of class size:  In-service training should be
focused on teacher training, and the particular demands analyzed for
teaching in such large class sizes, both training for teachers and some
kind of awareness on the part of students to how to learn in these
circumstances.  One needs to consider a program of training with some
regularity, in part for the training, and in part to provide teachers
the morale-booster of meeting together with people with shared goals,
problems, and insights.  We need to identify and support more people
like John Bright to bring a problem-solving mentality to the issues
without sacrificing pedagogical goals.

Additional issues include transportation, materials, training
facilities, accommodation, and food.


A GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE DAY'S DISCUSSION:  This is omitted here to save
space, but can be found at the "K03 Followup" part of the website:

Brooks wanted to investigate the programs of the  African Canadian
Continuing Education Society (ACCES), an NGO operating out of Kakamega,
so Sharon, Pat, Linda, Brooks, Henry, Betsey and I stayed at a hotel
adjacent to the ACCES compound rather than join the rest of the group at
the guest house in the Kakamega Forest.

ACCES has a three-fold mission: AIDS education, education for AIDS
orphans, and assistance with school fees for secondary school students.
Marie MacKay, a volunteer nurse from Canada, has been conducting
seminars for Kenyans who are in a position to offer instruction on AIDS
prevention. In addition, she recently gave a program for African
couples. During the program it came out that for several of the couples,
this program was the first time that they had gone anywhere as a couple
during their marriage-- an interesting note about the social structure
of marriage in rural Kenya.

We visited an ACCES-sponsored primary school for orphans. ACCES does
not build buildings, but had helped organize the school and train the
teachers, who were from the local area. The classrooms were of
traditional construction with dirt floors. Enrollment was about 70
children, with some teachers teaching two grade levels in the same
classroom. Some of the children were heads of household; the school
dismissed in the early afternoon so the children could attend to their
responsibilities in the home or go to work. There were no uniforms and
many of the children did not have shoes. In a Standard One class in
Swahili, twelve children shared three textbooks, and the teacher was
teaching a set of vocabulary words from the text which she had also
copied on the blackboard.

Marie described how the health of the children had improved after
ACCES had administered vitamins and a once-a-year shot against malaria.
Francis, our African guide, related how the orphans were looked down on
by the uniformed children in a government primary school adjacent to the
orphan school. It was decided to challenge the government school in
soccer.  When the orphans won the match, their level of  respect among
the government school children improved considerably.

Kakamega School visit.  Henry (3A) and I (1A) both taught at Kakamega,
and Henry assumed much of my teaching load in physics and math when I
left.  We overlapped for 3 months at the end of 1963.  In April we had
sent a letter to the school, so they were expecting our visit.  School
was not in session and the headmaster was away, so two staff members
welcomed us and led us on a tour of the school.  In the 1960s the all
male boarding school had two streams for forms 1 to 4 and a single
science stream for forms 5 and 6, 260 students in all.  The school
enrollment now stands at 1060, including a few Asian day students.  The
school continues with an all male student body.  The success of my
students from the 1960s has brought home to me the fact that the school
is one of the premier government schools in the country and the premier
boys' school in Western Province.  In our tour we were impressed that
the Kenya government has continued to provide for the school at a
reasonably good level.  The characteristic dormitory crowding and smoky
dining hall kitchens do exist, but we found that for the most part,
conditions were better than those in the Uganda schools we had visited
the previous few days.  The physics lab contained the same sturdy wooden
tables and the same storage cupboards of 40 years ago.  We encountered
some students in the lab who were preparing to leave for a science
competition in Mombasa.  Some were working on an experiment with up to
date lab equipment for electricity.  The lab preparation room also
contained a considerable amount of equipment that was reasonably well
organized and ready for use.  The school has added labs in power
mechanics and electrical circuits, courses for which national exams are
also set.  However, these courses are to be transferred to technical
schools in the near future.  There is a computer lab with a full
complement of computers.  Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by
conditions at the school.

Our group had lunch at an Anglican guest house in Butere as the guest
of Stanley Muka, my former colleague at Kakamega, who went on to serve
as a Kenya representative to UNESCO in Paris for the bulk of his
professional career.  He had written to me before the trip and had cited
the following in response to my question concerning Kenya's educational
issues today: 1) Role of ethics in education (Ethics Education); 2) Role
of philosophy in education (Ed. Philosophy); 3) Role of middle level
(non-degree) training for middle level cadre.  We seem to be putting a
lot of emphasis on university education and training, so there are
highly qualified graduates but without appropriate support.  There are
architects but few draftsmen. 4) AIDS or Health Education; 5)
Adult/Lifelong Education.  ( I understand adult education which once
flourished in the territory is almost becoming extinct); 6) Community
Education; and 7) Sanitary/Environmental Education.

Stanley is retired from his post with UNESCO, and now lives at his old
home place between Kakamega and Butere.  He is on the board of governors
for several institutions in the area, some of them related to
education.  He agreed to search out a group which might benefit from our
assistance.

After lunch we proceeded on to Kisumu via Yala.  The road from Butere
to Yala has not been improved in the past 40 years, a fact that added
its own bit of nostalgia to the day.  Butere must get quite isolated
during the rainy season.  In contrast, the main road from Kisumu to Yala
is undergoing extensive rebuilding with heavy equipment, some of which
we had to take note of when we stopped to take pictures at the equator.

Three Former Kakamega Students.  In the weeks before the trip I had
searched for information about former students on google.com, and when I
learned that we would be going through Bungoma, I began thinking about
Enock Nandokha, who I had learned through my searches was an Anglican
priest at St. Crispin's there.  We met his wife at the church and she
promised to try to reach him on his `mobile' while we were having lunch
at a local eatery.  Enock appeared all smiles when we were half through
our meal.  After the meal Enock led us on a tour of his home a few miles
outside Bungoma.  He talked about how poor he was during his years in
secondary school, how he got his first pair of shoes when he was in Form
3.  He reminded me that I had allowed him to sleep at my house during
some school breaks so he could study (I still don't remember doing
this).  With no electricity and many siblings at home, study there would
have been nearly impossible.  He told us about the lives of his four
children, and his career as a biologist with an Kenyan government agency
where he had developed a vaccine for a disease in cattle and goats,
which explained the other `hits' on my google search.  When Enock
retired from government service, friends encouraged him to study for the
ministry.  His energy is now directed to enlarging his church to
accommodate a  growing active membership.

Orren Tsuma was the one former student that I was able to locate an
email address for in the weeks before the trip.  Orren was studying A
level science at Kakamega in 1962-63.  By email I learned that he had
gone on to study physics at Makerere and earned a master's in physics
and a Ph.D. in science ed. at the University of Illinois.  Of his five
children two are U. S. citizens.  A son is a pilot in the U. S. Air
force and saw duty in Iraq -- though Orren shares some of the doubts
that many of us have about this war.  Orren attended our morning
conference at the Methodist Guest House in Nairobi.  He is currently a
professor at the University of Nairobi and expressed an interest in
returning to faculty at Kenyatta University.  It was noted during our
conversations that under the Moi regime there were many talented people
who were denied advancement due to their political leanings, and that
these people represent an untapped resource for the current
administration.

Hastings was a very talented student at Kakamega in the early 60s.
Upon completion of his O levels, he was accepted into Kenya's fledgling
Air Force and sent off to three years of training at Sandhurst in
England where he became a pilot.  A successful career was brought to a
dramatic end when he was involved as a minor player in the 1982 coup
attempt.  Several fellow officers were tried and sentenced, but Hastings
went into hiding for a time before returning to family lands where he
has spent the last 20 years as a peasant farmer, seeking refuge in
alcohol.  Talking to him brought tears to my eyes.  He describes himself
as a subsistence farmer.  Yet, he is still interested in politics and
spoke of the need for a stronger democracy in Kenya.  He keeps up with
world events and even scoffed about the 2000 election process in
Tallahassee, Florida.  Some of the old spark was still in his eyes, eyes
bloodshot and yellowed by his drinking.

Our participants in the three vans had been traveling to different
locations since Kampala but the whole entourage reunited at the Nyanza
Sports Club in Kisumu. Kisumu is no longer a small town on Lake Victoria
but is a bustling city with 8 and 10 story skyscrapers in the downtown
area. Some people even got to swim in the pool before our lecture and
dinner.

A prominent former student, Prof. Paul Cheruiot Tum, chairman of the
Department of Science and Mathematics Education at Moi University in
Eldoret, talked about developments in education in Kenya since 1970.
Prof. Tum was a student of Gene Child at Kenyatta College in 1970.

There have been commissions formed about every 10 years since ‘63 to
make recommendations about changes in the primary and secondary
education programs in Kenya. Of particular note, the MacKay report in
1985 led to a restructuring of the education cycle from a British model
of 7 yrs. primary, 4 yr - O level, 2 yr - A level, 3 yr university
system to an 8-4- 4 system. The model followed by the British of basing
success on school leaver exams at each level has continued to dominate
the style of teaching methods.
 
In spite of all these attempts to improve, enrollments have been
declining at all levels. For example, in 1998 only about 88% of the
eligible elementary age children were in school and only 45% of those
completing elementary school enrolled in secondary school. In addition
many of those completing secondary school were unable to find employment
because their classes were too academically oriented. The newly elected
Kibaki government campaigned on a platform which included a promise of
free primary education for all. The Ministry of Education recently
announced that primary school fees will be eliminated in all government
schools.

After the talk on the veranda beside the swimming pool we all retired
to the clubhouse for drinks and conversation with the family members who
had accompanied Paul Tum and his wife Florence. Phillip, the eldest son
is a bank employee and his wife Gladys is a nurse.  Chepkemoi (Caroline)
the eldest daughter is married to an air force officer. Kiptoo (Denis)
is a recent graduate of Moi University in graphic design, and Kiprop
(Wallace) is studying for a law degree at Moi University. The youngest
daughter is Chemuti (Elsie), a first year university student who plans
to become a teacher. The dinner was slow to arrive but the conversations
were interesting.  As we all witnessed, the problems facing Kenyan
education are staggering, but there is a dedicated cadre of people
working very hard to make the system work. We all observed classes of 80
or more students in some classrooms and can't imagine how these teachers
can possibly cope with the enrollment increases on the horizon.

The next morning we waited more than an hour for our vans to arrive.
Later, talking with one of the drivers, Stephen, we learned that the
delay was because they had taken the vans to the river to be washed. The
drivers had given the men washing the vans the keys so the vehicles
could be driven down near the waters edge. It turned out that the
workers wanted the keys so they could siphon most of the petrol out of
the tanks during the wash. We had to stop shortly after leaving Kisumu
to refill the tanks.

Awaking on a lovely morning at the Nyanza Club in Kisumu we bade
goodbye to the Tum family and headed east to Nakuru. Our first stop was
a Rift Valley  lookout at Subukia where signs illustrated the length of
the Rift and curio sellers were active. Of special interest were the
carvers of birds, free standing and in mobiles. Then we drove down into
Nakuru itself and located ourselves at the Rift Valley Sports Club
(thanks indeed to another Fawn Cousens connection), very much in the
center of things. The rooms sorted out - some of us were pool-side - we
got back in the vans and went to Nakuru National Park and proceeded to
have the most lovely afternoon among the glorious fever acacia trees
(monkeys attracted to the New York ladies), along the margins of the
lake (first the white rhino and then in all their pink number the
flamingos), and later on the track around the north end of the lake
(where we had two separate leopard sightings). All joyous we returned to
the RVSC and prepared for the lovely Indian dinner that was served at
their own restaurant by the charming Gilanis. This lovely occasion did
something to drown out the city sounds of Nakuru Saturday night live.

In the morning we were off to Thomson's Falls/Nyaharuru for a look at
the falls and another attack by the curio battalion; after pulling Jim
and Jeanne out of the stalls we headed for Nyeri for lunch. For some the
White Rhino Hotel has a colonial ring, but the current version has
little of that but the sign. We did have a reasonable meal and several
discovered an efficient cybercafe. Off  we then went to the Serena
Mountain Lodge set in the Mt. Kenya National Forest. We oohed and aahed
at the stylish building and warmly settled into our rooms only to find
out that the "Do not feed the Sykes monkeys" signs had the hidden
meaning that those cheeky devils had learned how to open the louvered
windows by themselves. They got biscuits from Brooks and Henry's
vitamins - surprising that they felt the need, since they seemed perky
enough already.

Luxuriating in the surroundings we took turns viewing animals from the
balconies and were reminded that our special barbecue would be held
rooftop at 8 pm. Our numbers were augmented by the arrival of Mike and
Judy Rainy who had done so much to plan our itinerary and who would
later host a 9-day safari in Amboseli and the Mara for 9 of us. Mike was
TEA, 4B, and Judy also taught at Kagumo School. Ward Heneveld, 4B, also
joined 4Bers David Newbury and Brooks Goddard. We held a brief impromptu
TEAA meeting to say goodbye to the departing Newburys, David and
Catherine, who were on their way back to Kampala and then to Rwanda
where they have longtime associations, personal and professional, and to
arrange the next day's van composition (in the fast-becoming `pick your
own opportunity' tradition of the trip). Another visitor was MP Koigi wa
Wamwere who had contacted us to see how an association might be forged.
After a chat with Brooks, Koigi met several TEAAers and suggested that
we all might join him for lunch at Parliament when we reached Nairobi
(which we indeed did on the 18th). A few folks stayed up to watch a
buffalo stare down an elephant, to see the delicate bushbucks, and to
see the civet cat chew on a bone chained to a lit platform.
 
The next day, June 16th, two vans headed straight to Nairobi and the
Methodist Guest House (what a find that was); the third van and Mike
Rainy's Landrover went to Kagumo HS where Mike, Judy, Brooks, and Fawn
had variously taught 1962-1967. Brooks found to his surprise that a
former student at Giakanja SS was now the Kagumo headmaster. We had
chats with headmaster and staff and even taught lessons. Where Henry H
had found his former house at Kakamega being well-used, Brooks was
dismayed to find his boarded up because of disrepair. The Rainys with
Ward H departed ahead of the van which finally reached the city around
5:30 pm. Several of us that night discovered a Chinese restaurant run by
an effervescent Shanghai woman. Plans for the next day were made to
visit schools and conduct personal business, especially flight
arrangements in the face of British Airways' continuing avoidance of
Nairobi.

Most of us who'd taught near Nairobi in the '60s were shocked at what
has become of "our" city: heavy traffic, pollution from diesel-powered
cars, buses and lorries, masses of people on the
move, and slums choking the city to the north.  However, we soon noticed
that the traffic was fairly orderly, the people we encountered on the
streets were friendly, and we weren't robbed when we left For-Ex with
pocketfuls of shillings equivalent to a Kenyan's monthly wage.
 
At the Methodist Guest House we discovered that parts of Nairobi are
still green and pleasant, and that internet access is quick and
relatively inexpensive. We settled in for three nights, and many of us
sent out laundry, which was returned that afternoon.
 
Ambassador Carson.  Our first full day in Nairobi was packed with
activity, beginning with a visit to Methodist Guest House by the
American Ambassador to Kenya, Johnnie Carson. He arrived unobtrusively,
forgoing the usual showy procession an ambassador might employ.
Ambassador Carson filled us in on the Kenya economy, in decline partly
because of KANU's political stranglehold on the country for four
decades. HIV/AIDS affects 13% of the population, taking away many
workers. Tourism is 50% what it was in 1990, the coffee, sugar and
cotton industries are near bankruptcy, and only  tea is holding steady.
Flower production for the European market is burgeoning, but has been
hurt by British Airways' suspension of direct flights from Nairobi to
Europe.  The Kenyan embassy is the largest in sub-Saharan Africa,
employing 240 Americans in 16 different agencies. It is a regional hub,
serving, for example, as the disaster assistance headquarters for
countries to the South African border.
 
The challenges Mr. Carson sees for Kenya are to: get back in the good
graces of the IMF to secure further loans; make economic reforms;
conquer corruption in government; maintain the coalition cohesion of the
newly elected government; and write a new constitution.  He feels very
positive about Kenya's future. Its debt burden is less than that of many
other countries and it has made a good start in fighting terrorism and
corruption, which are related.
 
Minister Saitoti.  Our next speaker was Minister of Education, George
Saitoti, who arrived with an entourage of aides and the press. A
charismatic man, Mr. Saitoti, like Ambassador Carson, blamed a large
part of Kenya's poverty on the widespread corruption in government,
which has accelerated in the past five years. With less money spent on
education by the government and many parents unemployed and unable to
pay school fees for their burgeoning families, a generation has grown up
illiterate and thus even less able to earn a good living.
 
Mr. Saitoti credited the recently defeated government with recognizing
the importance of population control. In the early 1980s, Kenya had a
fertility rate of 8 children per woman, and a growth rate of 4% per
year. Between 1980 and 1998 the growth rate and the fertility rate fell
dramatically, to 2.1%, but there are still far more children than Kenya
can educate without outside assistance.
 
Less than half of primary school graduates go on to secondary school,
partly because of lack of
facilities and partly because of low parental income. And only 10% of
the secondary school graduates get placements at the public
universities. There are a few technical schools for those who don't go
to university, but most who leave school after secondary lack marketable
skills.
 
In 1970 there was one national university in Kenya with an enrollment
of 1,000; by 2002 there were six public universities with over 50,000
students and six private universities enrolling 8,000. Enrollment in
teacher training institutions has increased 50% since 1990, with about
20,000 prospective teachers in 29 government schools.
 
Kenya's educational challenges include providing universal free primary
education, providing assistance to AIDS orphans, increasing the number
of women in universities, mainstreaming special needs students, changing
the curriculum to focus on marketable skills, and making Kenya's
universities attractive both to employers and to foreign students.
 
Mr. Saitoti's speech and interaction with us was on Kenya TV that night
at nine, but most of us TEAAers were at a nearby Chinese restaurant
having a farewell and thank-you dinner for Fawn Wilson Cousens, who was
`our man in Africa' for our trip arrangements.

Lunch at Parliament.  Vans were waiting to take us to
Parliament where we were hosted for a chicken or steak lunch as guests
of Minister Koigi wa Wamwere. He graciously posed with us for a group
photo despite our being told not to photograph public buildings.
 
Kenyatta University.  A bus took us immediately from Parliament to
Kenyatta University north of Nairobi, built in what had been British
army barracks. Here we heard from a panel of students describing their
unsatisfactory primary schooling (which sometimes involved caning), and
from representative members of the Kenyatta faculty on problems they
face.
 
The emphasis all afternoon was on teacher training. Among the questions
discussed were these: Can a teacher be adequately trained once and not
need in-service courses? How can school inspectors help teachers in the
field? The British system of "upgrading" existing primary teachers by
sending them to a teacher training college for a term is no longer
followed. There is apparently a plentiful supply of trained teachers and
ample opportunity for them to receive a diploma after secondary school.
One problem is low pay for teachers; another is overcrowding of
classrooms as too few teachers are hired by local districts.
 
As one after another of the faculty asked us for funds, Fawn Cousens
finally stated that we are teachers, many living on pensions, and are
not fund-raisers, but are willing to offer our expertise in helping
faculty and students with specific teaching problems.
 
After a snack of samosas, biscuits and tea, we were shown the new
lecture hall equipped with TV monitors so that large university classes
can all see what is being demonstrated. The Kenyatta University bus took
us and our student escorts around the attractive, spacious campus and
then back to Methodist Guest House.

One great way to see things on a trip is a slow run. It's faster than
walking, takes less equipment
than biking and releases endorphins. And if you get lucky, it's even
sociable.
 
In Kakamega, Betsey Anderson and I ran from the guest house to the high
school and back. In Kisumu I discovered a small game park with  impalas
at the edge of town. In Nakuru a small boy ran with me for a block and
later I fell in with three guys, the youngest a high school runner, who
were out for a 10-mile jaunt (I kept up for a mile or so and wished them
well).
 
In Nairobi I made it to Kenya HS for girls, now  with a different
demography, but where, in 1963, they tried at first to have me teach
all-white colonial girls. (I said I was going home on the next plane and
they quickly reassigned me to Kakamega.)
 
In case anyone wonders, I never felt unsafe. As a rare white face doing
an unusual activity, I got some stares, but also smiles, waves and in
Nakuru a thumbs-up!

The Rainy Homestead.  Traveling the road from Nairobi to Arusha brought
on many memories from those who taught in Tanzania. The main road was
one of the best we had to travel and a stop at Judy and Mike Rainy's
homestead for lunch was a treat.  They have about 200 acres in the hills
and have begun building a house. Mike is doing important environmental
work in the Maasai Mara. To learn more, visit Mike Rainy's website.
 
Overview by the Regional Education Officer.  The Tanzania portion of
our journey began with a visit to Ms. Helen Mhando, Regional Education
Officer in Arusha. She explained that Universal Primary Education had
just been introduced to Tanzania again and the emphasis is on reducing
dropout, especially of girls. Those that missed primary education are
being given a chance to complete basic education with special schools
for the 14-to 17-year-old students. They are also training teachers to
work with the handicapped students.
 
School Visits.  One TEAA group then visited a secondary school and the
group I was with visited a teacher training college. We received a warm
welcome from the headmaster, who explained that this college is designed
as a two year program for primary school teacher training and has
recently added special programs for the hearing impaired, mentally
retarded and visually impaired.  However, with the introduction of
Universal Primary Education the program has been reduced to one year.
Completers of this program receive 80% of standard teacher pay. They are
encouraged to attend special vacation time courses to allow individuals
to finish the program.  Since it was vacation time we did not get to
meet any students but did have the opportunity to visit some of the
faculty. The faculty asked questions of us and were reluctant to let us
leave.
 
Peace Corps.  The afternoon program began with lunch at the Peace Corps
Training Center. The Peace Corps now has about 100 individuals working
in secondary schools in the country and expects to double that number in
the next two years. The Center is designed with 8 huts set up as
classrooms to give the volunteers some practice in delivering courses.
The entire day was attended by two members of the US/AID program who
provided additional information about the country, the PC programs that
are in place and those being considered for the future. After the Peace
Corps presentation, Michael Korff, Counselor for Public Affairs at the
American Embassy, gave us a talk on global trade and its effects on
African countries.
 
Director of Secondary Education.  Buretta NV Buretta, Director of
Secondary Education for Tanzania, then described his country's education
situation. 1.6 million children are in school. Communities are
encouraged to build schools and equip them with desks and then the
government will provide teachers. He said that schools are not equal
around the country and that girls do not do well on the school leaving
exams. His further concerns were that only 21% of girls go on the
secondary school and many of them leave before completing the courses.
Large classes, poor delivery of curriculum and the need to improve the
teaching and learning environment are areas he is working on. Science
equipment and teaching of hands-on classes are needed. Mr. Buretta
stayed with us the rest of the day and participated actively in the
discussions.
 
Criteria for TEAA Grants. At the end of our 12 day trip through East
Africa, visiting schools, talking to Dept of Education people, Peace
Corps, AID and the American Embassy in all three countries, we held a
brainstorming session on what to do with the current limited resources
that TEAA has at the moment. Nineteen areas of interest were suggested
with the top 5 receiving 7 or more votes and two others receiving 4
votes. These are, in order of number of votes:  1) Well led schools, 2)
Teacher training modules. (We as a group could develop some of these,
written, computer, etc. and supply the materials to help teachers using
these ideas), 3) Books, maps, 4) Laboratory equipment. With specific
emphasis on science, and 5) Money to ACCES. This latter project is
currently funded by a Canadian non-profit that provided 34 African
teachers for primary schools built by the community, some lunches, some
health screening and currently serves over 900 students.
 
The other two items that received a large number of votes were training
in applied/practical skills and computers.  Other interests that were
mentioned but did not reach the top of the list were: Nkumba University,
computer and software maintenance, grant writing to get more money,
educational materials,  schools where TEAAers taught, number of people
who would benefit from funding, equipment to run a library efficiently,
VCR/TV equipment, school fees.
 
Volunteer. If you would be interested in developing the form for the
grants, reviewing grant requests, or helping write some grants to
business or industry, please call or write Patricia Gill,
pgill@Aug.com 904-461-3950 or 218 B Street, St. Augustine, FL 32080.

After the Arusha conference, I traveled in Tanzania until July 2 and
flew home from Dar es Salaam.  I traveled from Arusha to Moshi, where I
visited my old school, now called Umbwe Secondary School, my old cook,
and the daughter of my primary school helper, now a medical student in
Moshi.  From Moshi I went by bus to Morogoro, Songea, Masasi, Lindi, Dar
es Salaam, over 1650 miles with a bus fare of $45.  Thomas Chitanda
traveled with me, and we visited two schools in southern Tanzania.  The
first school was Mapinduzi Primary School at Peramiho,near Songea.  My
former student at Butimba Teachers Training College,  Mwalimu
Chrysogonus Makukula, teaches Standard VI English and Standard VII
sciences and  social studies.  There are 840 students with 4 male
teachers and 28 female teachers.  Mr. Makukula has 44 students per
English class but usually 92 students in the general science class with
an average of 1 book per 7 students.  It is a day school with no
electricity or running water, no library, and no computers.  All
students go home for lunch from 12:20 to 1:45.  School begins at 7:30
a.m. and ends at 4:40 p.m. The second school was Thomas Chitanda's
school, Nachingwea Day Secondary School at Nachingwea, just north of
Masasi.  It opened in 1989 but looked much older.   It has two streams
to O Level with 460 students and 14 teachers.  Some teachers have 30
periods per week.  The subjects taught include crops/livestock,
agricultural mechanics, English, Swahili, French, geography,
history/government, maths, chemistry, physics, and biology.  Students
take exams in 7 subjects.  Thomas said that few students go on to Form
VI.   One science teacher told me that he has 80 students in one
chemistry class and 80 students in his biology class.  What bothered me
was that I saw 3 microscopes, lots of glassware for chemistry, and a
cabinet with many chemicals but nothing was being cared for:  mice were
running around among the chemicals, most of the glassware was dirty and
just lying on tables, and Bunsen burners with no gas supply.  Also there
was no library.  There was electricity in the school and one computer in
the headmaster's office.    Students were on vacation and when I talked
with the chemistry teacher, I asked why he hadn't cared for the
chemicals and all the dirty glassware during the school break.  He said
that the students would do that when they returned.  Maybe with such
large classes, few textbooks, low salaries, etc., the teachers don't
care. When I got back to Flagstaff, I noticed that Goodwill was having a
book sale, 10 books for $1.  I bought about 120 books, mostly textbooks,
dictionaries, sets of Illustrated Science and Invention Encyclopedia,
National Geog. Soc. Books, Planet Earth Time-Life Books, and Early Man
Time-Life Books, and several maps by National Geog. Society.  I plan to
send about 70 pounds of books to each school by sea.  How will they be
treated?  I also suggested that both schools might want to contact Peace
Corps.  The major problem would be housing for the volunteers.

Nine of us signed on for this safari which Mike and Judy Rainy put
together for a bargain price.  They were wonderful hosts. After doing a
bit of shopping in Arusha before departing we took our bus north to
Namanga leaving the Dickinsons sole occupants of the vehicle going back
to Nairobi. Mike and Judy met us and transferred our (reduced) luggage
into their vehicles. Brooks delayed departure by buying Maasai gourds,
but off we eventually went on a new but dirt road to Amboseli. We
lunched under an acacia tree and arrived at the Rainys Ol Kanjou camp at
5 pm. Welcomed by hot towels, we were assigned tents (with adjoining
ablution facilities) and began our evening drinks-by-the-fire routine.
Buoyed by the prospects, Ron Schuchard recited D. H. Lawrence's poem
"The Elephant Is Slow to Mate." At dinner we found a sumptuous spread
and easy company.
 
On the next day we awoke with Mt. Kilimanjaro looming outside our
campsite: tea at 7 and breakfast at 8. Off game viewing and back for a
late lunch followed by a lie-down. A walk or drive in the evening and to
bed early. Such delight. Amboseli is famous for its identified elephant
herds, and we saw plenty including a copulating pair which gave a bit of
a lie to Lawrence's poem (DH may have been familiar with cattle but,
apparently, not ndovu). We cottoned onto the Rainys' suggestion that we
stop and observe rather than tick off the species. We saw plains game,
elephants, lions, hyenas, and the odd hippo. We spied black backed
jackals and bat-eared foxes. Linda Kunz turned us all into birders. The
cool evenings and mornings were invigorating. Mike took his Land Rover
into Cynthia Moss's camp, and we had a good lesson on elephant teeth.
One afternoon we went to a Maasai manyatta. And Kili was in view most
mornings and evenings. Magic.
 
On Wednesday , June 25, we flew in a Cessna Caravan to the Siani
Springs airstrip just outside Maasai Mara Game Reserve and were driven
to Nigel Aronson's camp at Olper Elongo. Unfortunately, it rained after
we arrived at the camp which was much more basic than Ol Kanjou, but our
needs were met, the vehicles were fine, the meals and packed lunches
were enormous, and there were hot showers all day. Lions were the prime
viewing pleasure, and we saw great elephants and wonderful topi herds.
We learned about multiple species assemblages (MSAs) and how these
groupings affect behavior and predation.  Mike had a meltdown/bad hair
day on Thursday after lunch, but we ultimately regrouped and put the
happening as much behind us as we could.  On Friday and Saturday we
searched out more game. The black rhino and cheetah eluded us, but we
did have a great sighting of a pride of lions. On Saturday four of us
were in camp for dinner while seven others relocated to a nearby lodge.

On Sunday, June 29th, we departed by Cessna again, this time to Nairobi.
We were met at Wilson Airport and were driven to the Muthaiga Club for
lunch, one person declining the colonial ambiance. Mike apologized for
his words of the previous Thursday, and we settled into the buffet lunch
and a very feel-good time. Ron had such a curry feast that he recited
two more poems, and folks then went either to the airport, the Methodist
Guest House, or, in my case, to the Rainys' home in the Malepo Hills
just outside of Kajiado where 15 of us had had lunch on the 19th. Mike
and Judy are building their own home, and it has pretty good shape
already.
 
Thus an end to our wonderful return to East Africa.

With the help of planners - in alphabetical order, Gene Child, Fawn
Cousens, Brooks Goddard, Mike Rainy, Dudley Sims, and Lee Smith - the
Kampala 03 Reunion and Walimu Bus Tour was a great success. Help on the
ground was essential and was provided by Fawn, Mike, and Lee. Everybody
had a grand time, the itinerary mixed business with pleasure, people were
able to do generally what they wanted to (including getting on and off
the bus), we stayed within budget, and our idealism was rekindled. We
learned that face-to-face contacts are critical; we learned interpersonal
grace is more important than any particular agenda; we learned that
educational needs in East Africa are striking; we learned that good and
enterprising people are doing good things; we learned the importance of
greetings, tea, and signing the visitors' book; we learned that TEAA is
made up of engaged people who can continue to address educational needs.
 
Everybody contributed to the mission and well-being of the group. At
one point or another, 33 TEAArs and significant others (including one
daughter) participated. We saw schools and heard from educators,
ambassadors, and ministers of state. The cooperative juices were clearly
flowing. It would be grand to have other TEAArs step forward to plan
future activities and keep momentum going. We have started something
very positive.

There have been some changes in the composition of the TEEA steering
committee.  `Asante sanas' to Mary Taras, Judith Lindfors, and Dale
Otto for their past service on the SC.  Proposed TEAA Steering
Committee, starting Fall, 2003

Projects Coordinator - Emilee Hines Cantieri, 4600 Avocet Court,
Portsmouth, VA 23703, 757-483-6822, tomem@cox.net

Chair of Grants Panel - Patricia (Pat) Gill, 218 B St, St Augustine,
FL 32080, 904-461-3950, pgill@aug.com

Treasurer, starting some time in 2004 - Jim Weikert,  WORK: Suite 201,
2109 Broadway, New York, NY 10023-2130, 212-822-8299, mysteryea@aol.com

Regional Rep / Site Visitor - Fawn Cousens, cousens@imul.com

Mail Group Honcho - Gene Child, 504 Creekside Court, Golden,
CO 80403-1903, 303-278-1008,  vgchild@attbi.com
 
Continuing, but possibly with new job descriptions:
Chair of SC - Brooks Goddard, 59 Otis St, Needham, MA 02492,
781-444-5988, goddard@rcn.com

Scribe - Ed Schmidt, 7307 Lindbergh Dr, St. Louis, MO 63117,
314-647-1608, eschmidt1@mindspring.com

Special Assignments in DC - Frank Ballance, 2009 Columbia Rd NW,
Washington, DC 20009-1310, H: 202-667-0510, W: 202-667-0500,
FBallance@aol.com

Webmaster and Acting Treasurer -Henry Hamburger, 6400 Wynkoop Blvd,
Bethesda, MD, 20817-5934, 301-320-4350, henryh@cs.gmu.edu

The bylaws state that a slate is to be presented, and, if there are no
other nominations for the positions, the nominees assume those roles.
If there are additional nominations for any of the positions, those
should be made at this time and an election will be held.  Nominations
should be sent to Henry.  The notice of an election and voting procedure
will be posted on the website by  Aug. 18 with voting completed by the
end of the month.  A reminder to vote will be sent to those with email.

When we all concluded DC 01, we pledged to keep the spirit alive in
TEAA--to quote from our website--"We parted with two major commitments:
to stay in touch and organized as a group, and to plan for the future -
a reunion in East Africa in 2003, and developing an agenda of activities
to promote education in East Africa in collaboration with former
students, friends, and institutions there. To do so is to honor our
history and to channel our youthful idealism, tempered by years of
experience, in a new venture to contribute to African development." The
time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things. I would like to
take this space to highlight a metaphor of two trains running along
parallel tracks: the domestic, USA, train and the international ,UK/East
Africa, train. Kampala 03, our reunion in East Africa this past June,
was a great success which showed us many possibilities for future action
including distribution of TEAA grants and opportunities for future
visits. For one, Ann Dickinson suggests that we start our own school in
one of the three countries. Secondly, Lee Smith is keen to get thoughts
rolling for an event in 2005 which miught start in the UK and then head
to East Africa starting perhaps in Dar es Salaam. We need now, I
believe, a similar series of opportunities for folks in the States. We
have several ideas already on the web, ideas that emerged from DC 01.
Here are two paragraphs from the "Organization/Call for Volunteers"
section of the website:

* To begin a clearing house for individual and group activities in East
Africa and the U.S. to continue our contribution to African education
and development. This would enable individuals to participate in
activities of their own choosing in a variety of programs and projects.

* To work closely with East African, American, and British institutions
to develop and carry on activities and other forms of cooperation to
promote education and renewed ties between former TEA/TEEA participants
and the citizens of the three East African countries.

I hope that you will all think of ways in which we can promote East
African education in particular and East African affairs in general
RIGHT HERE AT HOME. We need each person's involvement, with whatever
time and resources he or she can commit. The TEA history is not over.
The sequel is now beginning, DC 01 was Chapter 1, Kampala 03 was
Chapter2....   Please contact any of the steering committee with your
ideas. Asante sana.

The idea has surfaced for a Tanzania emphasis in '05, with an effort
to involve UK folks.  Lee suggests: "UK as a staging ground where most
could meet for a few days, get over the jet lag, gather up the Brits
and then fly off in a reduced group rate flight to Dar or
Kilimanjaro."
 
The K-03 group included only a few of you who served in Tanzania, and
for good reason: only one day of the reunion program was spent in
Tanzania (Arusha).  Would you be interested in a attending/helping plan
a reunion in 2005 which featured Tanzania? If so, contact Brooks to
express your initial interest: 

Brooks Goddard
59 Otis St, Needham, MA 02492
781-444-5988
goddard@rcn.com


And what about all those British TEAers who are languishing out there
without knowing that TEAA exists?  We have only 30 of you on the mailing
list.  Who among you would attend a reunion for a few days in or near
London?  Continue on with a group to East Africa? Anyone willing to help
track down other British TEAers?  Again, contact Brooks.

The grants panel is seeking suggestions for projects to aid East
African education.  To receive a grant application form, contact

Pat Gill
218 B St
St Augustine, FL 32080
904-461-3950
pgill@aug.com

or

Sharon Hartmann
2236 W 20th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018,
(323)-735-2451 
Lybeck@aol.com

We have become incorporated in the State of Maryland, and we have our
Articles of Incorporation on file. We have a Board of Directors, and
our Bylaws approved. We have the required data to begin the request
for federal tax exempt status.  ...(W)e cannot yet say that the
application for tax exempt status has been submitted. But it will be
submitted by the end of the month of August (mid-September at the
latest), and that we can expect approval within two months. The bottom
line is that donations to the TEAA can be counted as charitable
donations for income tax purposes, because we will have tax exempt
status before the end of the calendar year.

So, contributors should be advised to keep track of their
contributions, and the TEAA staff should send a receipt to contributors
as evidence of the donation.

Phil Ogilvie (from: Lucie A. Ogilvie, Phil's widow laogilvie1@rcn.com). 

You found the right guy, but unfortunately a little late.  Phil died this
past Sept. 4th after a fascinating life as zoo director and teacher. He
never got over his African years...but I find that quite common among
people fortunate enough to have ever lived there.  He always wanted to go
back.  Hope you have a good reunion and remember Phil who loved nature and
left this world caring deeply about the environment and the generations
who'll inherit it.


Judith Hamburger, on March 9, 2003, after an 18 month battle with lung
cancer.  Judith was involved in the planning for the 2001 reunion, and
attendees will remember her as an active participant in that event.
 
Judith and Henry (3A) were married a week before they began their
orientation with TEA at Teachers College in the summer of 1963, and they
viewed their two years in East Africa as an extended honeymoon.  Judith
had earned a master's degree in government with a specialization in
African Studies from Boston University and intended to do research in
Africa.  However the papers she hoped to research were no longer
available.  Instead of doing research, she taught art and English under
local contract at Mukumu Girls School, Kakamega, Kenya.

On returning to the US, Judith earned a masters in planning at USC and
embarked on a career in planning and housing.  While in California, she
served on the Laguna Beach Board of Adjustment and was active in the
Orange County League of Women Voters.  After the Hamburgers moved to the
East Coast, Judith held several positions in housing in the DC area.
Eventually, she started her own business, Affordable Housing Consultant,
developing low-cost housing projects for formerly homeless and ill
persons in Baltimore.

In addition to Henry, Judith is survived by two children, Benjamin and
Jessica, and one grandchild.

 
I've started reading Paul Theroux' new book, DARK STAR SAFARI.  It's a
fine travelogue, and his Cairo to Cape Town adventure takes him through
E. Africa.  If you  haven't had a chance to look at it, it's well worth
the time.  His observations and thoughts are current, and it's
especially interesting to think about his bits of writing about his
earlier PC experience in Malawi (1963-5, I think) in the context of what
he finds now. - Dale Otto
 
I REFUSE TO DIE: MY JOURNEY TO FREEDOM  begins with Koigi wa Wamwere's
personal account of growing up in Kenya's Central and Rift Valley
provinces under British rule in the 50s. He goes on to describe his
activities in the post-colonial period, activities which eventually led
to his flight to Norway during the Moi regime.  Wamwere is a current MP
in Kenya, and he was our host for lunch at Parliament during the
reunion.  He has a new book entitled,  `Negative Ethnicity: From Bias To
Genocide.'  - Ed

 
The Preliminary Program for the African Studies Association
2003 Annual Meeting, Youthful Africa in the 21st Century, Sheraton
Boston Hotel, October 30-November 2, 2003, is available on the ASA web
site. The Preliminary Program contains all accepted panels, papers, and
roundtables. Please direct all inquiries to callasa@rci.rutgers.edu.
(from Brooks Goddard, who states that he will attend.)

Gene Child created a TEAA chatroom this year for reunion planning.
The chatroom is now devoted to more general TEAA matters.  Directions
to enroll are given below.  At present there are only a few messages
each week, so joining will not excessively clutter your email inbox.
 
Go to the Yahoo web site www.yahoo.com/.  Highlight "groups" on the
connect line near the top of the web site.  Click on "register" in the
upper right hand corner of the screen.  Follow the directions by
choosing a name and password.  If you can provide a short message about
your reason for being interested in the TEA_2003 group that will save
some time.  Gene Child will receive a message from Yahoo to either
accept or deny access to the site.  Access to the site is limited to
only those approved.  I have had several requests to join from people
who drink a hot beverage.

Several people have shown an interest in the DC01 T-shirt. I have been
thinking that we might make a few changes to create a generic TEAA
T-shirt with the original designs on front and back. I would be willing
to do the work for it. If you are interested, please send me your name,
number of shirts desired, and size (M or XL). I anticipate the cost at
around $25, including shipping. Send your note of interest to: 

Brooks Goddard 
59 Otis St. 
Needham, MA 02492
781-444-5988,
goddard@rcn.com

Jerry Barr.  I was in the 1st group and taught math at Sir Samuel Baker
Senior Secondary School in Gulu, Uganda.  Gulu is very near the Sudan
border, very remote, so as an Eagle Scout and camper, I spent many days
in the bush on my time off fishing, hunting and camping.  I taught all
levels of maths up to and including differential equations and calculus
at school besides being scout master and as a former all-state first team
high school basket ball player from California, I built a nice basket
ball court and taught that sport there.  Idi was not one of my
students!!!
 
When I finished two years there, I was ordered  to return to the USA to
report for active duty in the U. S. Army (I was a commissioned
officer--ROTC Ripon College, Ripon, Wisc), but before I had to report
for active duty, a friend teaching in Tanganyika and I arranged to
return to the US via Land Rover--Don Adams and I bought a long wheel
base Land Rover and fixed it up for sleeping and cooking (today's RV),
and drove to Katmandu, Nepal.  It took us 6 months and 25,000 miles
before we arrived, but we did it.  When we arrived in Katmandu, I
unfortunately was directly ordered to return for active duty so I flew
directly back to Chicago, but Don was able to continue around the world
and took his time to California.
 
I have lost track of Don Adams--He was also in the 1st group and taught
in Tanganyika--I do not remember the name of the school.   Do you have
any information concerning his  e-mail or phone number?


Ted Essebaggers (3B).  Dip Ed, Makerere (1964); practice teaching at
Kapsabet SS, Nandi, Kenya while John Allen and Harry Stein were there;
Mawenzi SS, Moshi, Tanzania (64-67).  Dear Ed,
 
Got letter # 8 by post this wk.  Thanks.  Lots of good reading. Ward
Heneveld's article on the challenge of Quality Education for All was
esp. relevant to what I am presently doing as a project manager. The
Ondao Mobile School Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Basic
Ed., Sport & Culture is not establishing any new community primary
schools this year; extending some, yes, but not adding teachers.
     
Starting in 1998, Ondao has succeeded in providing access to 2,500
Himba and Zemba children (age 6 - 15) in northwest Namibia.  We now have
30 schools and are concentrating mainly on quality.  And what does that
mean---because it is quite a slow process?  First of all, we are
strengthening the in-service training of our (formally) 72 unqualified
teachers. Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, UNAM, Hedmark U College,
Norway are running 3 x 1 week workshops in 2003 and 2 in 2004 here in
Opuwo.  Then we have started producing a few culturally appropriate
teaching materials.  We also appeal to our teachers to remain dedicated
and committed to their pupils and to use a learner-centered approach.
Teachers play an active role in the community, esp. in helping parents
become aware of their role.
     
My wife, Maja, and I are here from Norway where I have lived since
1970.  This is our third and final year.  Anyone traveling to Namibia
should try to get to Kaokoland.  It's a scenic area.  The Kunene River
is a gem ecologically. With best regards, Ted

(Presently Coordinator of Ondao Mobile School Project, Box 51 - Opuwo,
Namibia (+264 65 273386)

ondao@iafrica.com.na or namasop@mweb.com.na and working for the Namibia
Assoc. of Norway )


Gene Ashby, by Emilee Hines Cantieri.  There had been a rumor that Gene
was dead.  He isn't.  I called him tonight.  It's mid-day tomorrow in
Micronesia and I caught him between classes.  He's  still teaching, has
published 4 books on Micronesia that he gets royalty on, quit smoking in
1980.  We had a good chatty phone call.  He doesn't have e-mail or a
cellphone.  Said he was envious of us going back to Africa and asked me
to write him about it when I get back.

It is time to dig into your pockets to begin a second round of
contributions for the newsletter.  The newsletter has survived the first
four years, 8 issues, on your initial contributions.  Thanks to all who
have contributed.  Despite several contributions after the last issue, we
are currently slightly `in the red.'  It costs about $250 to print and
mail each issue.  Checks should be made out to Ed Schmidt and sent to:
7307 Lindbergh Dr, St. Louis, MO 63117.