Githirwa Art Club
Since Easter the Club meets every Monday and Sunday afternoons. Mr.Muchoya is directly in charge of the Club {he is also trying his hand in painting}. MASK volunteer John Githiri is visiting them on Sunday afternoon.
Just see what our kids at our Githirwa School Art Club has painted recently: Thankyou to MASK volunteer teacher Tamara Berbee to bring this in our children.
September 2009
I have been visiting their school on Sunday afternoons. They have a club of 20 students i.e. 15 boys and 5 girls. They have done very beautiful paintings and last Sunday. We did hang most of them on the walls of one of their classroom. They reported to me that they are short of some paints. The club is progressing on very well in general under a very dedicated staff who offer assistance to these kids whenever possible. John Githiri
   
Safe House
September 2009
We are progressing on very well at safe house and we normally meet on Sunday afternoons for painting sessions. The only challenge that I face at Safe House is that most of the kids keep on changing immediately they get a sponsor or whenever they get adopted. This means that I have to work with new kids every now and then for the short time they stay at the Safe House. Consistency in their work is thus a problem. It's a challenge but I have learnt to cope and one thing that makes me happy about these kids is that they really enjoy their painting sessions. They too got a lot to share through art. They still provide their art materials.
John Githiri
Street Boys Art Club
MASK volunteer John Githiri is meeting with Joseph on 26 May. Updates will be uploaded soon.
September 2009
I have not managed to reach the school this term but I will let you know the clubs progress immediately I pay them a visit. I have attached several paintings from bishop Githirwa Secondary School and Lake Naivasha High School.
John Githiri
Lake Naivasha Art Club
MASK volunteer John Githiri has estublished the MASK Art Club in Lake Naivasha High School. John became Lake Naivasha High School's Geography teacher at Easter 2009. The Lake Naivasha High School is five years old and has 100 students at present. The school had lost many pupils during the post-election violence of 2008 who flee their homes as a result of the fighting and persecutions. The MASK Art Club in Lake Naivasha High has around than 20 members and is very popular. The school promised to buy their own art materials though they have had some problem raising the money. They are looking for a sponsor and wrote a letter to Kijabe Ltd to ask for assistance with some funds for art materials.
September 2009
The Painting club has 8 very committed students who meet every Saturday after classes. So far they have done paintings concerning various subjects e.g. wildlife, environment, politics, HIV and Aids, etc. The school buys its own art materials, and so far the club has had no problems as far as the materials are concerned. About 12 members are interested in drama and choral verses and I do train them on Sundays whenever am available. Mostly they stage their plays to their fellow students during entertainment sessions on Friday afternoons. So the club has managed to hold one exhibition. It was held at the school during the parents day meeting at the end of second term.
John Githiri
Rubiri Primary School
September 2009
This is a public primary school next to Lake Naivasha High School. I introduced an art club to their school at the beginning of this term. The school is not very old and it has six classes. Their school Head Teacher is very interested in our activities and has called this morning telling me that he has already bought the art materials. We can kickoff next week.
John Githiri
Mirera Art Club
John Githiri is introducing MASK to two more schools which are next to Lake Naivasha High School: Mirera Secondary School and Mirera Primary School. Mirera Primary School has a population of more than 3000 pupils, being the second most populated primary school in Kenya. Updates will be uploaded soon.
September 2009
After introducing the art clubs at both schools, Mirera Primary and Mirera Secondary Schools, towards the end of second term, the two principals promised to me that they were going to fund the clubs. After the reopening of the schools this term, I managed to visit the two Heads and they reassured me that immediately the government releases the funds they are going to set up the clubs. This is supposed to happen within the next two to three weeks.
John Githiri
Bondeni Primary School
Makutano Primary School
Kiwanja Primary School
September 2009
We have sold the idea of establishing art clubs to: Bondeni Primary School which is headed by Mr. Njunji and Makutano Primary School headed by Mrs. Margaret Kuria (Deputy Headteacher). The two administrators have embraced our idea and have shown a lot of will to have the club introduced in their schools. They’ve promised to provide the materials once the government releases the funds to SCHOOLS. The schools are located as follows. Makutano is along Sipili - Kinamba road and Bondeni about 4 kilometers from Sipili town. We are also intending to sell the idea to Kiwanja Primary School.
Report compiled by
Kanyoko T. Kahari – Volunteer Supervisor
John Waweru – Volunteer Artist
Helen Gichuki – Volunteer Teacher
Joel Gatua - Student
Lariak Art Club
The Art Club at Lariak Secondary School has been particularly active, and the MASK's great success! Please read their monthly newsletter, on this page below.
In 2008 MASK has set up Lariak Art Club at Lariak Secondary School in the village of Sipili, West Laikipia. The Club has transformed local arts. It regularly displays the children's artwork in local villages and towns. See exhibitions. The Club has taken up drama and now stages its own plays for the people of Sipili. Recently, the Club made the film 'KOSA', (below on this page) addressing drug abuse among youth.
It has opened its art workshops to deaf orphans from Sipili School for the Deaf. These children were previously particularly isolated from the community. And now, a gate has been built between the Lariak Secondary School and the School for the Deaf to facilitate easy movement between the schools.
The Club is run by the pupils of the Lariak Secondary School, Hellen Gichuki, Joel Gatua, and Margaret Wachira and supervised by MASK volunteer John Githiri and a teacher at the Lariak Secondary, Thomas Kanyoko.
Pictured above: Hellen Gichuki, Joel Gatua, MASK UK volunteer John Kamal and John Githiri
Lariak Art Club Drama
MASK's Lariak Art Club has made film 'KOSA'. The film addressed drug abuse among the youth, insecurity, human-wildlife conflict, and poverty.
Title: KOSA (Swahili "mistake")
Story: KOSA is young boy in class 4. He comes from a poor family and attends a local school. Kosa is used by his uncle who is the borehole attendant to take drugs to the older boys from a neighbouring school. Kosa is naïve, but also glad when he paid 5 shillings for his services. It happens that a community library has been opened in the neighbourhood recently. One of the activities that takes place in the community library is story-telling. Kosa is told about the community liblary by one of his friends and decides to visit the library on Sunday afternoon. Mr. Gatuya, a village elder is the host today and he is going to tell the kids a story about two bad boys. After the story has been told, we see Kosa crying. He is touched by the events in the story and he therefore decides to confess to MR.Gatuya and to the kids.
Kosa promises to change to be better. He joins the art club, and proves to be a talented artist.
The film locations:
Lariak Day Secondary School (the School has set aside several days for shootings during the weekends)
Lariak Primary School
Sipili School for the Deaf
The community library
The government representative in the area
Private home of local residents
Filming crew:
Writer, director and editor: John Githiri, MASK's volunteer teacher.
Filming has started on 25 September, duration of filming - 3 months.
MASK's students are:
Stage manager,
asst. stage manager,
props master,
the call boy
wardrobe mistress
Thomas is doing the general management of people and time
The cast includes:
Two teachers from Lariak Day Secondary School [Thomas is one of them].
Several volunteer actors from the public
Tools and Equipments
Most of the props have been provided by the art club members. We are using a Handy cam to do our shooting.
Budget
Shooting, editing, dvds: Ksh 7,500 [£58]
Posting from John Githiri, October 2008:
"Alla, I feel that this project has helped in popularizing our activities within the community, we have used art to address the issues that face them in their day today life, something they can always relate to. Their high turnout of volunteer actors and actress stands as a prove that they embrace MASK and its activities. This project will be of some help in reaching other needy children. According to the few people that I orally interviewed they feel that MASK through art club has helped in addressing issues of great importance in the society through a positive means. In this case therefore, mask has played a major role in uniting the community by providing a means to address their highs and lows through contemporary art.
We shall be sending the film to you for your approval before it is presented to Lariak Art Club. MASK has worked closely with KIDSLIB TRUST. I usually meet kids at the library on Saturday and Sunday afternoons whereby I teach basic skills in painting and drawing. I also give drama lessons with the children who attend KIDS library. Most of this kids who visit the library comes from the neighboring schools. MASK has therefore managed to reach kids from four more primary schools through the community library. We are proud of MASK."
Lariak Club Poetry
The Club intends to made an educational film on poetry and distribute for free to the schools. Poetry is a compulsory subject in Kenyan secondary schools. It is one of the feared subjects which most students believe to be difficult to understand. In charge of this initiative, Thomas Kanyoko Kahari, (right) who himself is a poet.
"MASK's Christmas message for the families"
(Writen by MASK volunteer teacher Thomas Kanyoko together with children of our Lariak Art Club, 2008)
The Challenge
If you’re the one who bid Lord,
“Every woman should her parents leave,
And to a man attach herself,”
Then Lord,
Why have you given me a thoughtless wife,
The likeness of a babe dressed in an adult’s garb?
If you’re the one who bid Lord,
“Husbands should their wives love,
And love them as much as their own bodies”
Then Lord,
Why have you given me a hateful husband
Whose deeds parallel those of Idi Amin?
If you’re the one who bid Lord,
“Children should their parents heed,
And heed them for long life and prosperity,”
Then Lord,
Why have you given me a heedless swam of bees
Whose deeds hurt like venomous stings?
If you’re the one who bid Lord,
“Parents should never drive their children,
And inspired by the Lord should bring them up with correction,”
Then Lord,
Why have you given us unaccountable parents,
Who like the Babylonians towers builders never come to consent?
But because you’re the one who bid Lord,
“Let them who heavy burdens carry come to me,
And I will make the heavy burdens light”,
Then Lord,
From you a heavy rain of relief we’re waiting
To make us strong like firm trees by the river side.
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