RADIX SENIORS ARCHIVE 2010
Excursions
We went for many excursions through out the year. The most memorable one was to the fourteen falls near Thika town in August. Thika town is 40 kilometers north east of Nairobi and home to the rolling plains of Kenya’s prime pineapple plantations. The scenery was splendid! On arrival, we found an enchanting picnic site with fourteen majestic falls. We went on a boat ride across the river and waded back to our picnic site. Wading through the river was an eerie ordeal which needed much more technique than we had anticipated. Needing to hold hands through out the crossing, we affirmed the maxim “unity is strength”
Service Brings Smiles
Every first Saturday of the month, we went to Kibagare and Kangemi slums in Nairobi. With the aid of a social worker, we visited as many families as possible taking with us food, some items of clothing and cheerful company. We have become more sensitive to the plight of those around us due to these visits.
Part of the itinerary of the readathon winners’ camp was social work at Sagana district hospital in Sagana town. The hospital is an hour’s drive from Nairobi to the north east. The campers cleaned the corridors and offices of the entire hospital.
In December 1st -4th,we had a social project in Limuru in Nyanjega Primary School.This time,we imparted our self esteem and study skills to all participants.We ended the project with a visit to Kimlea Technical school.
Study and Readathon
Every weekday except Fridays, we had intense two and a half hours of study after school. As we drew nearer to the end of term exams, we studied even more diligently and managed as much as six hours of study on Saturdays.
In the first term of school, we had a book party and a study marathon. A Book Party is a weekend of passionate study beginning Friday through to Sunday. Study marathon, which we like to call readathon, is a competition to determine who can cover the most number of study hours in a week. The readathon winners went for a camp in Sagana.
Camp Malta
Malta is the name of the camp we had in April at the savage waters campsite in Sagana. To begin with, we organized a party for the junior club members to raise money for the camp. We called it funtertainment. The party was a blast! We had a ball and we hope that our esteemed guests also did.
During the camp, when we were not doing social work at a local hospital, we were kayaking! As most of us had never kayaked before we had a demonstration from one of the trainers at the camp site. We then got into our kayaking gear and took a plunge into the savage waters of river Sagana. It was thrilling! It took some of us a while to combine skill and physical strength in order to avoid capsizing. What an adventure!
We took a leadership course, dubbed Go Getters, from February to June. The course director was Gladys Ogallo, a renowned Human Resources Practitioner in Kenya and the founder and chief executive officer of Virtual H.R. The module dealt with topics such as time management, goal setting, problem solving, decision making and team work just to mention a few. It also included a project which we did in groups of five. In a period of two months each group was to apply the skills learnt in the course to identify and meet a real social need in our immediate environment.
At the end of the course we had a graduation ceremony which took place on the 3rd of July. The guest of honor was Dr. Patrick Lumumba, the chairman of the Kenya Anti- Corruption Commission. We all received a certificate of participation. Those who exhibited outstanding leadership were declared the holders of the prestigious Faida Leadership Award. Three groups took home the Go Getters Leadership trophies. The second runners up and the first runners up did a project to sensitize their peers on addiction to facebook, a virtual social network and respect for human life respectively. The winning group ran a leadership course for the class eight students in Waruku Primary School. The school is in Waruku slums, a brisk thirty minutes walk from the club.
“Most people go through life searching, never really knowing what they are looking for let alone where to look. Most people at the age of 40 realize that they have been walking down the wrong path and yet are too afraid to turn back and start again. Most people did not, at the age of 17, get the chance to attend a leadership course like I have. I am not any better than most people but I feel that the seminar has equipped me with a lot of skills and a lifetime of experiences to make the right choices in life. I have learnt that life is not about what I achieve but about who I become in the process. I have learnt to face my fears head on and most importantly, to ALWAYS DO MY BEST!” Kathleen Siminyu (17 yrs)