Promises of Peace One Day

By Suzzanne Pautler

Talk of pelau, bananas, and tamarind juice must have been in the air because prior to our start time of 9:30, 45 participants were already seated and ready to begin the workshop.  In all, 85 participants, the youngest being just two years old, arrived for our final day together. The theme "Perceptions of Peace" was the focus of our four day program and on the final day it seemed fitting to have the older students reflect upon this ideal. Students were asked to write down specific actions they will undertake in order to ensure peace within their community. 

10 year old Mary promises to share what she has, like food, with others. 13 year old Erick will stop fights on the streets. 17 year old Amani promises to be honest. 11 year old Alice will love her friends. 14 year old Jackson will share story books. 13 year old Leah promises she and her friends will play together.  16 year old Emmanuel says we need to pray for all people who are in need in order to find peace in the community. 13 year old Zaiwadi suggests that we must love and be proud of our community. 9 year old Furaha wishes we could all dance together. 13 year old Johnson says that peace will come anytime we do good things for our friends. 11 year old Katana thinks we should all sing together to make peace. 11 year old Baraka will visit the sick. 11 year old Amina suggests that peace will come if we eat together.  This was also believed by 13 year old Sophia who said she will invite others to share a meal. 11 year old Neema will make peace by helping an old man. 10 year old Emma says that she will live without fighting because she loves peace. 16 year old Kadzo will bring peace to the community by working together with others. 16 year old Nuru thinks everyone must participate in games and team building activities because they enhance interaction with others which brings peace. 14 year old Sauda believes we must ensure that people participate in all community activities. 11 year old Joyce promises to forgive others. 14 year old Mariana will visit the church to find peace. 12 year old Maureen believes peace will come if we cook together. 10 year old Jamal promises if we dance, play, and chat together, then we will have peace. 11 year old Heri will love his friends and love his parents to make peace.

These are a few examples of the perceptions of peace from the perspective of the youth from the Kenyan coast.  Are these perceptions unique to this area?  Or are these common perceptions that we will hear from youth around the world as we approach the UN's Peace One Day date of September 21st

http://www.peaceoneday.org/

One Love

By Jeff Quinto

In this vlog Jeff tells us about the highlight of his day 3. Click the link for more.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdcHW0zLLEUek1ncDF2LXk1RTQ

Our Responsibility is to Take Care of One Another

By Suzzanne Pautler 

A community thrives when its members take care of one another. That sense of community prevails here in Bofa, as evidenced each day. Necessary Arts is offering four days of workshops to the children of the community this week. The participants arrive early, participate fully, and happily recite poetry and sing songs for us. During the workshops, we see older siblings taking care of younger ones without any resentment or attitude. 

Taking care of others and building community is the way of life. Throughout this journey, our dear friends Kerry and George are foremost in our minds as they have offered the beautiful grounds of Tulia for the workshops to take place. With their generosity, the peaceful setting of a garden full of papaya trees, hibiscus bushes, and coconut palms is the perfect shady spot to host 50-85 students.

A local football coach and referee, Furaha, volunteers her time to work with Necessary Arts on each of our visits. She immediately jumps in to translate or to lead an activity whenever an opportunity presents itself. It is obvious that she cares so much for the children of this community.  Zuwadi takes care of the guests staying at the cottage, and also has been instrumental helping with the children this week. No matter the work or chores in which she is involved, whenever a child needs assistance, Zuwadi appears.  She has taken numbers of children back to the toilet, has comforted the sad ones or those not feeling well, and then has walked them back home.

Our friend Answar is an instrumental member of this community. He has many talents and gifts and uses them regularly, not necessarily for his benefit, but for the benefit of the larger group. One area in which he excels is as a master chef of the delicacies of the area. He prepared biryani and beef (75 kilos of each) to feed a wedding party this weekend. And, of course, he invited us to join the party in the park outside of the church.  The next day required him to prepare a similar feast for another wedding. He saved a bit of the biryani and added mutton for us to consume for lunch. Today he prepared an octopus for us with a coconut sauce he made from coconuts cut down and hulled here in the garden this morning. Tomorrow Answar is preparing a lunch for the 80 workshop participants. The menu includes pelau and beef, coleslaw, plantains, and hibiscus juice (also picked from the garden). By no means does he have to prepare meals for us, or for the children to conclude our workshop, but he seems to enjoy taking care of us, as well as all members of the community.  This weekend, Answar took us on a number of errands he needed to accomplish so that we could see more of the community. When we visited the outdoor market, a bus pulled over to ask Answar for assistance. The bus driver needed representation to report a recent accident to the police, and knew Answar would have the poise, confidence and communication skills assist him. Answar is happy to lend a hand to help one of the members of his community.

Today, fifty participants arrived for the third workshop. They were eager to sing and dance "Jambo," sing "One Love" with hand motions, recite their "Let Peace Begin With Me" statements, perform their skits demonstrating peace, and play with the beach balls and skipping ropes provided by Donna Reeves from DAA back in Dubai. No matter the activity, the students all supported one another. I've never met any of their parents as the students walk over each morning and back home mid-day. The parents place great trust in us by allowing their children to participate in the workshops, an opportunity to spend the morning in an environment outside of church or school with three native speakers of English.

It is an honor to arrive as a stranger, yet feel so welcomed into the community.  We are truly blessed and full of gratitude to all members of the community who have reminded us of the importance of getting to know our neighbors and our responsibility in taking care of one another.  Thank you, Bofa.

Superstars

By William Nazareth

Today's word of the day: superstars. What I found interesting was that so many of the kids were chasing me down during the day, during breaks, after the sessions, etc. There were very many kids who wanted to show off and perform in solos or small groups. 

Two girls in particular, Gift and Alice, had appeared in their "Sunday best" outfits, and had a collection of songs and poems that they seemed to have prepared specifically to be recorded for video. While most of the songs and poems were in Swahili, I asked Faraha and Zawadi, our adult guides, what the poems were about. One poem that Gift recited was about welcoming visitors to the country of Kenya.  One of the songs that Alice sang seemed to have the same theme.

One poem in particular, performed by Gift, seemed to address the typical gender roles that were a part of their tribe, as it talked about women washing dishes and taking care of family members. I will be getting the translation for the poem soon and am excited to hear exactly what it was about!

Other than that, the kids seemed to feel comfortable in front of the camera after several days with us.  We filmed many of the songs and skits today, so tomorrow, we shall see what we have for our final day of footage!

Courage to Lead

By William Nazareth

On the second day of workshops, we started off with a rather large number of participants, perhaps about 35 by the time we got started.  During the first twenty minutes of class, a steady stream of children poured through the door, and soon we were faced with about 85 kids! Word had apparently spread that our teachers were doing something good for the community, and some of yesterday's participants brought their friends and other family members to participate today!

The presence of the camera proved to change the way that the kids behaved.  Many of the younger children continued to wave when the camera was pointed at them, and continued to ask to have their pictures taken. The older kids, especially those that seemed to light up in front of the camera yesterday, presented themselves in a way that demanded attention - silk-like fabrics, bright colors, and styled hair was their look for the day.

The footage highlighted the younger children today.  One of the best shots of the day came from the little kids hovering over Suzzi as she read a book to them.  Another memorable moment was when 2 very young girls had led the kids in a song.  Who knew that seven year olds could have the courage to be leaders!

Leaders of the Pack

By Jeff Quinto

Click on the link to access his vlog.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzdcHW0zLLEUVW85ZWpyZE43Z2c

Looking through the Lens...

By William Nazareth

To stand foot on the motherland, surrounded by the beauty of Africa was a blessing all on it's own. But then I walked into the grounds to see a range of bright eyes staring up and ready for a new experience. Being behind the camera gives you a different perspective. Through the lens I was able to see how grateful the kids were to have us there. 

In the beginning, the kids were rather shy to express themselves, but after a few drama games, they seemed to laugh and have fun. At one point, Jeff started singing to the kids, the atmosphere changed.  He first sang a simple greeting song in English, and he asked them to teach him a Swahili song. One child sang a popular Swahili song called "Jambo Bwana".  The kids all knew it, and started clapping and dancing in full voices. Then, some volunteers taught Jeff the dance that accompanies the song.This song and dance became the magical moment of the first day.

If the kids were a bit shy in terms of speaking, they were not camera shy at all. They seemed fascinated with the equipment that I have, and they were constantly waving at the camera. Many ask to take pictures; "Will, take us a photo" was a common saying of the day.  Once the camera is on them, the posing begins. It certainly makes for some interesting footage!

I look forward to a week with more songs and more footage!