Graduation Ceremonies -

Graduation Ceremonies

September 30, 2019

We continue with the graduation ceremonies, and this past week we graduated Njabini Girls School and Shiners Girls School. Njabini school was experiencing graduation from the Choice Club for the first time, and there was much excitement from the entire school!
The girls woke up early and started preparations for the ceremony. The food was cooked at the school by the girls with help from the kitchen staff. When the girls cook their own food, it gives them an opportunity for teamwork and a feeling of satisfaction in what they achieve. All the club members were happy to participate in the cooking, and they invited the rest of the girls (non-club members) to share in the lunch. The teachers were happy to see the girls working diligently without much supervision. They shared the duties together beautifully; the kitchen was busy as the girls talked excitedly amongst themselves. Great talent was noted as the girls picked their favorite meals to cook. The diet in most boarding schools is very limited; the students usually eat a mixture of maize and beans, substituted with cabbages and ugali (ugali is a meal made out of pounded corn flour, mixed with water and mashed together). These ingredients are eaten with beef stew and vegetables, but since most schools can’t afford to purchase meat, the students eat the other ingredients with cabbages. Below is a picture of the ugali meal.

You can imagine the joy the girls had sharing a meal comprised of rice, beef stew mixed with peas, potatoes, and green vegetables on the side. There was also chapati. Chapati is a delicacy in any home in Kenya, even for the well to do. Chapati is a mixture of wheat flour, mixed with warm water, cooked over a fire like the dough of pizza. Juice was served after the meal which the girls enjoyed very much

Chapati ready to eat

The girls enjoyed preparing their own meals and welcomed the teaching staff to join them at lunch.
The Choice Club members were looking forward to the certificates they would receive to validate that they had covered the 10 topics in the curriculum. There was also a cake to crown the day and a DJ who entertained the girls with the latest music. The day had specifically been set aside for the Graduation Ceremony; therefore, everyone was able to join in the preparations. The student numbers at the school is not large, so including 120 students to share in the meal with the whole school was not overly difficult. The rest of the girls were very happy and are excited to join the club next year when we start with a new group. The teachers were delighted to report the positive changes they have noticed in the club members. One girl said she fell pregnant when she was in Form 2 and had wanted to quit school. After joining the Choice Club, however, she realized there was still hope for her to finish school, go to college, and get a job so that she would be able to help her daughter. She confessed she had developed a bad attitude hoping that she would be sent home. All that changed when we taught about the need for one to change their attitude, so they can succeed in life. To the great credit of this young girl, she realized she had the power to change her attitude to become a better person.
At Shiners school we had a similar ceremony. The girls also cooked their own meals with the help of the school cooks, the school matron, and the deputy headmistress. We have been giving mentorship lessons at Shiners School for the last 6 years and they are always happy to have us. The school has a large population of about 350 students; as a result of the larger numbers, we only cater to the club members. Kimuka School will have its ceremony before school closes. The administration requested we wait for the exams to end then we graduate the club members, so the students will have more fun without the anxiety of pending exams. Therefore, we will hold the Graduation Ceremony for Kimuka sometime in October.
Below are a few pictures from the ceremonies.

Njabini Choice Club members preparing Chapati