Virtues and Community Development for Kenya

Once I completed The Virtues Project Facilitator Training course, I began facilitating workshops throughout the community. Positive changes were soon noticed in schools: disciplinary referrals and actions declined and performance on exams improved.  Community members were beginning to show interest.

I contacted our local university, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST).  I made visits to the university leadership and offered virtues training.  The training was initiated for students willing to attend and the program slowly began to impact the university community.  A dinner meeting with the Vice-Chancellor and two other master facilitators led to deeper understanding of the program and its potential positive impact.  The Vice-Chancellor arranged training for the senior staff of the university.  On March 15th 2017, Virtues Connection Kakamega (VCK) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with MMUST to deliver training at the university.  The Virtues Project program is now a mandatory training program for all first-year students where we have now trained more than 1200 university students.

Virtues training and refreshers continued in the community.  I approached Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA) who also provide a community development program and gained their interest and eventual support for our virtues training to become a part of their training.  Trained virtues groups now carry out income-generating projects and have also established a chain for groups mutual support.

Before I joined politics, I attended many Nonviolent Conflict Resolution workshops offered by various agencies.  As a Volunteer Children's Officer, I offer counseling to families, children and in the community.  Now I offer the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project to those families, children and community members.

I find a lot of joy in mentoring others.  As a result, helping spread The Virtues Project in schools, organizations and the community is a perfect fit!  Our community development program brings the strength of the strategies to all those we mentor in Table Banking, Poultry Farming and all of our income-generating projects.  Virtues activities are a part of all of our training.

Bringing Virtues to my community is a joy-filled journey for me and is strengthening and positively impacting our community, our families, and our schools.  Thank you for your generosity.  Your donations help fund our community center, training costs, travel expenses, lodging, meals, handouts, translations, and more!

• MMUST Training Certificate (PDF)
  

I began my journey in 2004 when I attended a virtues training provided by the Education Secretary of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Maseno North Diocese.  The Ministry of Education was enforcing the government ban on corporal punishment and caning in schools.  Being a teacher by profession, she understood the conflict teachers would encounter in maintaining discipline in class when the cane was being withdrawn without a replacement discipline tool being provided.  She started to train virtues to teachers in ACK schools as a tool for discipline.  I participated in her training sessions where I acquired a deeper understanding of The Virtues Project program.

I live in a poor peri-urban location within Kakamega Town, Kenya.  My neighbors used to have frequent conflicts.  There was a need to embrace peacefulness.  I began using some of the skills I gained at virtues training sessions to arbitrate conflict.  Some of those conflicts were driven by poverty.  In a small way, I used some of our family resources to assist where possible.

In the year 2007, Kenya had a general election.  I decided to run for a political seat, Councilor of Shibiriri Ward in Kakamega Municipality.  During my campaign, I preached peacefulness.  Many of the virtues contained within The Virtues Project program fit very well with peacefulness when addressing a public gathering. When elections were held, I had a landslide win.  I had been preaching peacefulness and people were ready for it.  We had only one death in our ward, and it happened in a neighboring ward.  Having won the election overwhelmingly, I felt empowered, and in a very special way developed an inner vision for the electorate.  I now had political power and was virtues trained.

I felt a strong urge for mentorship.  Being a poor community, I, along with a small group of well-wishers,  started supporting them to establish small scale income-generating projects. This reduced over-reliance on me for economic support.  I had supported some children to attend school and carried out water and sanitation improvement in the past.  Once I became a Facilitator for The Virtues Project, I carried out virtues training for all in my community and this was the key to all of us living harmoniously together.  This was the beginning of Virtues and Community Development for Kenya.

Coming Soon, Part Two:  Bringing Virtues to the Community

Thank you.  We appreciate your financial support.  Your generosity helps sustain, strengthen and grow our project!

• BUDGET.docx (DOCX)