Kanyagwal

What follows is the half term report I submitted to my supervisor.

Kanyagwal High School is located in Kanyagwal Location, Kisumu East District, Nyanza Province. The school is located in an open field off a dirt road next to a grove of eucalyptus trees. The school consists of 4 classrooms, arranged in a row, with offices and a walkway between Forms 2 and 3. There are currently 8 faculty, including the principal and deputy principal. Also there is a clerk, secretary, 2 cooks, 2 watchmen, and a variety of temporary workers. The school numbers 180 students with more Form 1s still expected to arrive.

The region of Kano plains, where Kanyagwal is located, is a wetland area. Nearby Lake Victoria provides an abundance of water to support rice farming, and various other forms of agriculture. I have observed sugarcane, maize, cassava, kale, mangoes, bananas, coconuts, tomatoes, and potatoes. Really, they grow just about everything. Food scarcity is not one of the primary concerns of the community, nor is water shortage under non-drought conditions. Lake Victoria also services a large fishing community, who enter the lake through small streams, normally overgrown with papyrus and hyacinth.

The students are drawn from the area surrounding the market of Riat, most from within 3 km of the school. Most students walk, but some have bicycles. Bikes are the main form of transportation here. It is between 30-45 minutes to bike to Ahero, but most teacher living there use motorcycles to commute. On Tuesdays there is market day in Ahero, and matatus run the route to Riat. From Ahero, it is about a 25 minute matatu ride to Kisumu.

My house is located about 1 km from the school, in a family compound. The house is comfortable, except for the heat and mosquitoes that are impossible to avoid. There is no electricity, but I am able to charge batteries thanks to solar panels on the roof of the compound’s main house. The choo and bathing area are both very functional. Water is no problem to access. My only gripe is that my mattress sucks, but I may splurge on a comfy one.

The region has a high prevalence of HIV. I am aware of some of my students who are infected, also that some of the girls are mothers, even a few Form 1s. The school has no explicit Life Skills curriculum, but I have attempted to incorporate some sex education into my lessons. I am not alone. Various community groups periodically visit the school, including the VCT, which provided confidential testing. People seem to know about HIV, it has affected most of their lives, but few volunteer information. I have discussed the issue a little with some of my colleagues.

Currently I am teaching well over my limit. I am scheduled for 32 lessons a week, 4 Forms of Biology, 3 Forms and Physics. I know the principal has requested the TSC provide a new teacher, but the government is slow and money’s tight. I cope by not actually attending all my lessons (indeed, 6 of them have scheduling conflicts). I make it my goal to attend each Form at least once a day, so I probably go to between 20-25 lessons. I am aware that this is not ideal, but everything is going fine. After all, it’s quality not quantity, and I feel that at least my notes are good.

The prospect for secondary projects is good, as the school needs just about everything. Currently they are digging a well so that we don’t rely on deliveries of water. After that there is need for latrines, a structure for the cooks, the construction of a lab and completion of the fifth classroom, which ran into financial difficulties. My first effort will be forming an environmental club, mainly to plant trees. The eucalyptus grows well here, as the region is a flood plain. I have made contact with a Professor Barrack Okeyo, of environmental science at Moi University in Eldoret. He will be assisting me in securing some seedlings from the Ministry of Forestry.

I find I am in good company. I like my fellow teachers, and have appreciated the support of Mr. Nandi and Mr. Omondi in particular. They cane the students, but we’ll work on that. The principal seems like an honest man, which is an improvement over the former headmaster, Mr. Oginga, who was transferred due to embezzling Ksh 2.5m, which is largely the reason for the school’s financial woes. The deputy is a good-hearted fellow. And the students are mostly polite and respectful. I get them laughing, so all is well. The rest of the community is somewhat a mystery to me, but I have made a few friends. One is particular named Clarkson has been very welcoming. And the mama of my compound, Doris, is a reliable and interesting woman. And otherwise, people are friendly. I see lots of smiles, so there is clearly some good to be had around here.