LINKING

Hello,

Maai-Mahiu Secondary School Rafikilink students facebook accounts: -

a)      gramoh.njeri2011@gmail.com

b)      mary.natuiyan2011@gmail.com

c)      samuel.njihia2011@gmail.com

d)      james.gathu2011@gmail.com

e)      john.njonge2011@gmail.com 

f)        peter.kagwima2011@gmail.com

g)      naomy.muthoni2011@gmail.com

h)      lucy.kamau2011@gmail.com

i)        millicent.kamau2011@gmail.com

j)        phinice.kerubo2011@gmail.com

k)      peninah.wanjiku2011@gmail.com

l)        trizah.wanjiru2011@gmail.com

m)    martin.nginyo2011@gmail.com

Let's LINK.  Hope to find you there!!!

NOT YET FOR THE NEW DAWN.

Dreams came almost crushing down,when we heard that the harambee (fund raising) was postponed.It came as shock to the students and the society as a whole, which had thought it was an opportunity to see their leaders especially the vice-president.But all was not lost as the harambee was scheduled for a later date.The school is yet to undergo the gradual splitting,this is due to the process being delayed by the postponing of the harambee.

school separaration

Sounds more interesting to be separated thus creating two centers of excellence.This makes Maai Mahiu to be a shinning star in academics.Bravo,what an expected idea to come.we are also looking forward for the  fund raising which will be held on 12/3/2011.And will be preceded by the walk for the great hearts,that will be held this coming Friday .For the dreams of two centers to come true we need all support from you guys.
We are also overjoyed that the best student in the school  from last years national exam to come from Rafiki.
She had an average grade of A-. the second and the third students were also members of the Rafiki club.
This shows that the club also nurtures the students in education.

New sunrise!

New sunrise goes with a new day,new ideas and creativity.
We have been alternating our activities whereby we not only deal with computers but we also have indoor games such as scrabble,chess,draft etc.
Do you also practice these these games?
Further more we have also signed up for the TIG site which  enables us to interract with our peers and share ideas.
We are really looking forward to have internet connected at our school because this will improve not only the relationship we have with other schools but also our studies by doing lots of research.
Way to go Rafiki!

rafiki students checking out the new TIG site

some learning going on there

 a group discussion taking place

Year-end message from Maai Mahiu

Samuel has a few words for us at the end of the year. He's been busy this year laying a strong foundation, he says, because he plans to acheive great heights "like a skyscraper".



Remember, Samuel is one of the students who hcan be sponsored - with $10,$20 or more - here.

Happy Holidays - to our friends at Bodwell, Maai Mahiu Secondary, and around the world!

Tongue twisters vidoes

Enjoy the tongue twisters videos below from Maai- Mahiu secondary students.

Enjoy.

From Rafiki Link Club members in Kenya - our introductions

We took videos of some of the head Rafiki Link at our beautiful school, Maai Mahiu Secondary... check out what we have to say:
- First, Mary - shy on camera but not in person. She is sponsored by Bodwell to attend high school
- Sammy or Njahe... a funny guy! He says he is the deputy head boy, that means he is like the assistant prime minister of the school.
- Paul Karanja, the entertainment prefect and a member of scouts!
- Can you catch the name of this guy?
- Caroline, another Bodwell-sponsored student - and her best friend :)

Intro to my school

Intro to my school

Back to school

Students are back to school and some of them feels home sick and they say that they had a very nice holiday and they wished to stay longer at home, thought they are excited to be back to Rafiki link activities. They are also very excited that Rafiki link has bought a router modem for the school and now all the computers in the computer lab will be connected to internet, this is coming as soon as possible and the students can wait to see this amazing computer lab having internet. this is a privilege to Maai- Mahiu secondary and it will now be one of the few high schools in Kenya that will have internet.
The school is very much thankful and its ready to assist Rafiki link in all the ways that they can.
Rafiki link teacher here is also very excited that rafiki link will pay for his internet lessons and he is very much thankful for this.

We will keep you posted on what is happening here.

Bodwell students In Maai- Mahiu secondary

The school was very happy to receive visitors from Bodwell High school in Canada. They have done a great job of assisting in building girls toilet which was recommended by ministry of health that it was the most needed infrastructure in the school. Bodwell High school has donated these toilets which they assisted in building. Students here in Maai- Mahiu secondary also did a great job in assisting the Canadians do this difficult job which they thought that they couldn’t be able to do.
Bodwell students also had a chance to attend some of our lessons and they said that they enjoyed being in our classes learning, though they said that our system here is a little bit difficult compared to theirs. They also had time to interact with students here where they shared on different issues and getting to know each other.
Students here also joined Bodwell students for their trip to the animal orphanage and Nairobi Safari walk; they enjoyed walking together watching wild animals which they had not seen in reality, most of them said that they had only seen them in TVs and pictures. Students enjoyed having this fun moment with Longonot and Bodwell High school students where later in the day they enjoyed having their lunch together in Nairobi Safari walk and some of them could not withhold their happiness.
On behalf of the school, students have passed their sincere thanks to Bodwell for all their efforts and sacrificing time to come and spend it with them here and also for building them a new toilet.

Rafiki calendars

We have been able to receive copies of Rafiki link calendars from Canada which were designed using photos that students took during the Bodwell trip last year on April when Kenyan students and Canadian students spent sometime together here in Kenya.

Kenyan students were given disposable cameras where they went and took their favorite photos in their homes/ villages which appeared in our Rafiki 2010 calendar. Students who appeared in the calendars were very happy to see themselves appearing in those calendars, others who did not appear were requesting if they could appear in the 2011 calendars. The school administration was also very much appreciative and they commented that this is a very great way of motivating students.

Some of the students who appeared on the calendars have already graduated from high school and we are very sure that they would love to see those calendars, the few calendars that we had went to the students who are already in school and some to the administration.

School is very much thankful for all the efforts that Canada put towards the success of Rafiki Link.

Comfort the Children International (CTC) was also very much thankful for Maai- Mahiu secondary showing interest in what CTC is doing for the community of Maai- Mahiu, we had about forty students who attended ubuntu day which was cleaning up of town and this showed a very good example to people on how they are supposed to keep their environment clean.

CTC also awarded a certificate of participation in this great day's event.

Updates.

Maai- Mahiu secondary Rafiki Link club students have been able to send their profiles to Canada so that they can familiarize themselves with students in Canada where they are also hoping to get Canadian's students profiles. They have also been very excited to know how to send emails and we are glad that Bodwell students are responding to our blog posts. some students from Science club who have been carrying out projects research had also had a chance to do the research using google which was very helpful to them, they are continuing getting to learn about the technology that we have.

Mwaniki and the teacher who co-ordinates Rafiki link in school had a meeting and we are starting on History Essay writing competition this month which is going to involve the whole school for those who will be interested in participating.
We will keep you posted on what is going on.

Rafiki Link 2010

This year has started very well and our new resolution for this year is to have a lot of flow of information, last year we did a lot of basic computer skills.
We have already started being trained on how to send emails and it has been so interesting using internet, we will be having two meetings per every week to communicate with students in the west.
Below are some of the ideas that we hope to be communicating with students in the west:-
1. Academics
2. Hobbies
3. Interests
4. Challenges that students face around the world.
5. Games
6. Culture
7. Environment
8. Politics

and many others.
Right now we have our school email address that we will be sending emails along with and we will keep you posted on our school blog on what we are communicating about.
We are interested to start knowing how to send emails, we once had an exam where we had been told to send email but none of us knew the email format, so we just wrote it as a normal composition that we write without the correct email format, we are now very glad that we have known how it looks like and we are now putting it into real practice which very interesting.
Below is the first email that we sent to Bodwell High school students.

we as maai mahiu students of RAFIKI LINK send greetings and we hope you receive them with much appreciation.In the meantime,we hope we will get to know each other better,in terms of;culture,academics,politics,hobbies,how to develop and nurture talents and any other which you may ought to have.
We hope to hear from you soon.We will send photos very soon,not very soon,but very very very soon!Hope you will do the same.

Updates

The school has been moving well and we were lucky to receive some visitors from the USA. We had Andrew, Autumn and mum to Andrew who visited us while we were closing second term and we were also lucky to have an opportunity for Mwaniki to ask us what we had in our minds that we could have for Rafiki link.

One of the students came up with an amazing idea where she could make different items out of plastic bags that people throw away all around Maai- Mahiu. plastic bags look like flowers in our town and no one in the community ever thought of recycling them, this was great idea coming up from a student.
Students made table mats, ear rings and bracelets which were later sent to Andrew and Autumn, we hope to get an order of selling these items to the USA which will help keep our environment clean, support students who are less fortunate in the school and maybe install our school computer lab with internet that could be used for learning and making connection between our school and Bodwell or Free state High school stronger.

We have also learnt how to use computers by the help of Mwaniki who has taught us how to use computers especially on Microsoft office word, we have learnt how to type in data in computer, text formatting, inserting of photos and we will be start using online spaces next term.

We also learn how to transfer photos from digital camera to computer which was really fun.

Some students who were part of the club graduated from four and they were awarded with some certificates which has really motivated other students and there are now many students who want to join the club, there will be recruiting of new members who are going to replace those who graduated.

Before closing the school, there are 32 students from our school who went to help out for the community service work that was hosted by Comfort the Children International where we planted 100 trees in one of the biggest primary school in Maai- Mahiu called Ngeya primary school and also helped out in cleaning of their compound.

NEW INSTALLED COMPUTER LAB BY COMPUTERS FOR SCHOOLS KENYA

I am very glad that Maai-Mahiu secondary now has a new installed computer lab and has about 20 computers which Rafiki Link club members have started using though it has not been officially opened.

Initially, Rafiki Link students were crowding on one of the donated laptops by Bodwell high school but now they are comfortably using them without crowding, the only thing that the school is now looking forward to do is to get internet access for all the computers. Right now the school has one modem which was donated by Bodwell High school and its used in one computer only and this brings the students back to crowding on one computer to get the internet access.

RAFIKI LINK CLUB

OUR DIVERSITY, OUR STRENGTH

Where are we? Where are we heading to?
How do you feel when you close school, visit your aunt, HIV- AIDs victims only to find that the only thing in that house is your foot step you left when you visited during your mid- term break? And how do you feel when she asks you how is your mum? Only to find out that even her own sister no longer cares.
Kenyans, the world where are we heading to?

How do you feel when your neighbour you trust and loved one day wakes up and tend to destroy your family. Instead of morning? He chops your brother, instead of how was your night, he burns your house. Really tell me where we are heading?

Kikuyu known for your hard work in cultivation, Maasai known for grazing and Luo known for your fishing habits. When we combine this, a successful Nation. But why is it that tribalism is in you? No kikuyu in Kisumu no Luo in central province, no Maasai in western province yet we all Kenyans and one Nation.
Our diversity, our strength. Combine all your hard work and excel as a Nation

Public administration, parasite in the country, members of parliament, empty promises are over known, when did you ever sit down and think of others? Only how to get rich. Ministers, you have really reached the sky for it was your destiny. When did you ever think of those you displaced because of your own greediness? In parliament, I’ m a Kalenjin, so seats are preserved for one tribe to the other yet we sing peace, love and unity why don’t we bring it into real? Our diversity, our strength.

Students in school, leaders of today tribalism is bleeding in you, my desk mate is a Kalenjin, I will change my sitting position just because no common language yet you sing love and Unity calling yourself leaders, then when will corruption end? P.L.O Lumumba, where are you to stop the bleeding of tribalism? Our strength, our diversity.

Our society ranks of richness is the rhythm, my daughter is a Kikuyu getting married to a Kamba not in my presence then what are we learning from you? Our diversity, our strength

By Grace Njeri

THE ORIGIN OF LUO

They believe that they came from the Bahr- el- fihaza region of southern Sudan. This was original homeland from where they migrated to a place known as Pubungu Pakwach in Uganda where they settled and later they moved to Kenya.
First, the Luos were nomadic pastoralists and probably migrated to Kenya in search of green pastures and water for their cattle
Second, draught and famine might have forced them to move in search of food for their own
Third, threats from other communities were another reason for their migration.
Fourth reason that made them to migrate was diseases and also epidemic affliction to both plants and animals and the other one was that they were searching for adventures.
They also moved in search of better fishing grounds
When they came to Kenya, they moved into four groups and they occupied a common area called Ramogi, the four groups were; Joka jok, joka owing, joka omollo and Abasuda.
Joka jok were the first group to move to Uganda eastward and settled on Ramogi hill in Kadimo in Siaya district.
Joka owing moved from Uganda and settled in Sogomo in Alego and another group known as Jaka Ruath settled in Kisumu, Nyakach and South Nyanza and Joka omollo came from Northern Bunyoro and settled in Ibanda and Bukoli before moving on to Igenya and hem, they encountered the Abagusii and Abaluya whom they pushed out of timbo and they spread to Alego in Hem, some of Jaka family groups started moving across the Winum Gulf in Southern Nyanza and Abasuba was the last group to arrive in Kenya.
Abasuba are Bantu refugees from Uganda who intermarried with the Luos. They moved from Uganda up to Kenya and they settled on lake Victoria islands mfangano and Lusinga.
Most of them adopted Luo culture upto now.

THE AGIKUYU

It is believed that they came from Mt. Kirinyaga which is currently named Mt. Kenya
According to their mythical way of creation, God who is referred as ‘Ngai’ took a man ‘Gikuyu’ (from which the tribe got its name) on to the top of Mt. Kenya and showed him all land around, and promised to give him the land if only he could live there. Ngai told then told Gikuyu that whenever he would need something, he should make a sacrifice and God would adhere to his troubles.
He was then given a wife called ‘Mumbi’ (referring to God as the creator) of whom they had nine beautiful daughters (where the naming of the nine clans is derived)
They had no sons and so God provided nine handsome men to be husbands of the nine daughters and it’s from there that the tribe of gikuyu developed and they mainly live around Mt. Kenya.

Social activities of the Agikuyu
Men usually ask for hand in marriage and Dowry is paid.
Boys are circumcised to attain adulthood
Once a boy got circumcised, he was allowed to take part in the community activities
Political organisation
They were nine clans, each with an elder
The elders formed the council of elders from which a paramount chief was chosen
The council of elders decided on matters affecting the community

Economic activities
They were cultivators
They traded with neighbouring communities
They kept livestock (a tradition borrowed from the nilotes)
Women used to make ‘shiondos’ baskets

BODWELL DONATIONS IN SCHOOL

We would like to take this chace to thank Bodwell for the donations, we greatly appreciate for the willing heart that Bodwell has towards our school.

These donations will be of great importance to the students during their studies.

Thank you Bodwell High school.