Economic Growth Kenya Project #26960

Virtues and Community Development for Kenya

by Virtues Project International Association

Virtues and Community Development for Kenya

Project Report | May 24, 2018
Community Development and Virtues Are Growing

By Bibiana Andabwa | Project Leader

Virtues Training at CPDA

Community Development and Virtues for Kenya is thriving. Our Virtues Groups remain committed and initiate their activities and networking among themselves. Meetings are orderly and guided by the Virtues. Interactions among group members steadily improve through Speaking the Language of Virtues. Our Community Development Center is a hub of activity, hosting many of the virtues group meetings and virtues training.

While virtues continue to spread in Kakamega County, we enthusiastically announce that The Virtues Project has now been introduced into Vihiga County, following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA), on the 7th April 2018, we held a training at their office. CPDA's vision is to share the program throughout the whole county. As a result, the executive director invited participants from each sub-county to this training, including community leaders, teachers, police officers, administrators and a member of parliament. Some university students also attended the training.

After of the training, we introduced some of the income generating projects that we will carry out with Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST). Our other trained groups are very actively involved in Table Banking and news of this project was most welcome. On display, was MMUST-MUG, porridge flour made from wimbi and mushroom. We are working diligently with MMUST on a Virtues Kenya Community Service and Training Program which is already at an advanced stage. This will see communities plant mushrooms, spirulina, beekeeping and other programs.

We want to thank the virtues community and all of our donors for supporting the Community Development for Kenya project, and ultimately our community. We see firsthand and want to share with you how thankful we are for the positive impacts that we are all experiencing. With your continued support, the help of our collaborators, and our income generating projects, Community Development and Virtues Are Growing in Kenya!

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Feb 27, 2018
Our Project is Growing and Expanding

By Bibiana Andabwa | Project Leader

I am pleased to share the following report:

Our local organization is growing stronger through collaboration. Virtues Connection Kakamega (VCK) has concluded discussions with Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) and we now have a signed agreement in place that will enable MMUST to join VCK in delivery of specific skills and products in the community that will contribute to the health, economic development and well-being of our Virtues Connection Groups and others.

VCK has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with an NGO, Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA), that will allow us to work in unity to equip communities in Virtues, Agriculture and Food Security. The goal of CPDA is to partner in development for the advancement of equitable communities in Kenya. CPDA is a non-profit, non-partisan organization, whose vision is empowered and connected communities. In our agreement, all groups that mobilize for training shall first receive training in the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project. This agreement marks the beginning of our expansion of Virtues and Community Development for Kenya training, to the larger Kenya, as CPDA intends to traverse the whole country!

School success stories continue. In an effort to curb high teen pregnancy at Lwanda Secondary School in 2016, a week of virtues training was conducted for non-teaching staff, teachers and students. At the end of the virtues training, the principal took away the canes from the classrooms and used them as firewood, thereby ending caning at their school. The school adopted the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project to help them address disciplinary issues. They are now a virtues school. They share a Virtue of the Week on parade and in the church and they handle discipline issues as Teachable Moments focusing on virtues. Every open space is decorated with a virtues starting from the gate of school to remind everyone of the presence of virtues. In 2017, the principal welcomed virtues facilitators from around the world (visiting Kenya to participate in the 2017 Global Mentorship of The Virtues Project) to their school to hear from school prefects, non-teaching staff and students about using The Virtues Project.

The principal shared the followoing rewards of adopting the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project:

he spends very little time on discipline and enjoys his role
they had only one pregnancy case in 2017 vs ten in 2016, and the student chose birth over abortion
academically, the school was the most improved having moved from position 19 to 5 in the sub-county, emerging as the top day school

We are observing a trend that, when a school adopts The Virtues Project, discipline improves as does class performance. National exam scores are outstanding in St Joseph's Shichinji Secondary, Mwiyenga Primary, Sacred Heart Mukumu Girls High School, etc.

Community virtues activities are ongoing in support of each other's well-being. I observe groups carrying themselves with integrity and peacefulness. They discuss the Five Strategies and participate in virtues acitivties through drama, music and poems. Every session starts with a Virtues Pick.

The Children Protection Unit at the police station remains outstanding in service delivery to the public.

We thank you for you continued enthusiastic support and charitable contributions that make it possible for us to continue this important community development work, strengthening communities through virtues and education, and thus creating sustainable futures for those we serve!

Links:

The Virtues Project

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Nov 30, 2017
Virtue Activities Flourishing in the Community

By Bibiana Andabwa | Project Leader

MMUST Meeting in progress

Virtues and Community Development Activities are Flourishing in Kakamega County!

Our activities are ongoing with our community groups, at our community center, and with the university.

We are pleased to report that the Police Children Protection Unit remains friendly. Parents are more comfortable with how they handle cases of their children at the station thanks to what officers learned through virtues workshops.

COMMUNITY GROUP ACTIVITIES

We went to Mwiyenga Primary School to share virtues and launch a poultry structure for the Courage group. The structure will house 100 birds. Groups are continuing to raise funds for the build to be completed.

COMMUNITY CENTER ACTIVITIES

We continue to carry out our unique guiding and counseling services to the community using the Five Strategies of The Virtues Project. There is a lot of strength found in the Virtues Cards as we do Virtues Picks and use the cards at different stages of the sessions.
In October, we held a virtues workshop for small scale business people from Kakamega town.
In November, we held a refresher, attended by 20 representatives from our Virtues trained groups. The session was full of joyfulness and unity. Group members resolved to support group members when challenged with joys, sorrow and other social circumstances. They carried out social passionate game and raised some money to help Uwezo Service Group for an income generating project.
We have paid three months rent for the center

MASINDE MULIRO UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (MMUST) ACTIVITY

In October, we met with several key MMUST staff to advance a community development project with them. In attendance were the Community Liaison Officer, Principal Researcher for Mushroom & Spirulina Research, a volunteer student from Department of Nutrition Science, and a Community Resource Centre staff. Along with virtues, discussion topics included: Nutrition Education in the community for better health, livelihoods, and peaceful life; with a goal to train at least 25 community members. These activities may be held at their Centre for African Medicine and Nutritional Flora and Fauna (CAMNFF), adding more value and commitment to our Virtues groups.

Thanks to your generosity we have been able to accomplish many activities. We greatly appreciate your continued support to keep our community center open and fund our group activities in Kakamega County. Your support is strengthening our community on all levels and the virtues are now spreading to nearby counties!

MMUST Staff and Project Leader

Links:

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