Kenya's brilliant end.

Hello everyone.

This is Andy. Charles is at the airport right now picking up his family! They will be visiting us this week here in Johannesburg. We will be sure to give you all pictures of his family. I figure some of you are busy, so I will give you a speed-update on where we are at. If you want more details, you can read further. Here is my speed-update: We went to Kenya, the Pearson/Longman team there welcomed us, we worked VERY hard that week, the girls were amazing and strong, they learned a lot, we all cried, we said goodbye, they will get a new computer lab, and we are now in Johannesburg... WHEW! Ok, so if you want more details, keep reading.

When we first arrived to Kenya, we were amazed at how organized everything was for us. They provided a nice (somewhat too nice) hotel, transportation, all the way down to a well-planned movie night at the end of the week. Skipping to the end of the week; many of you read about some of the incredibly tough stories that some of the girls had to tell. We decided that it would be beneficial to bring in some counselors that could be with the girls long after our two-week residency. The counselors were amazing. They brought perspective and clarity to the entire process. We were all a bit worried that the movie making process had opened some wounds in the girls, so when the counselors came, it ensured that the girls had support long after the program was done.

The week ended with a brilliant film-festival, where the girls got to show their movies to a large group of friends, family, Pearson/Longman employees, and the media. We had television stations and newspapers there. Jody was even featured on the front page of a few newspapers. It was brilliant! The girls were all exited to be the stars of the show, and they all did a great job of presenting their movies. When all was said and done, the week was one of the most intense weeks for us yet, but it all paid off. We can’t wait for you all to see the final products. Stay tuned!

Isack Returns from the U.S.

Erik here. It's funny. Last year, I drove myself crazy trying to blog every night, so I decided to be not so pedantic about it this year. When you give yourself an out, you take it! We're busy and emotionally tired, so coming home to blog hasn't been a priority. That said, we're going to make a huge effort to do it more often, mainly because we want you all to know about our amazing kids. Andy will tell you about the end of our Nairobi trip, and Jody, Charles, and I will tell you about our wonderful new students in Johannesburg (where we are now). In the mean time, here is Isack, back from his trip to the U.S.!



ISACK (with Dr. Jane in the photo above).

Hello everyone,

This is Isack again. I’m back from Orlando, Florida USA. I’m very happy to have met with many people from different countries around the world. Also, we meet with Mama Jane Goodall and other JGI staff members from the USA. I was very happy to meet with Mary Lewis. Also I was very happy to meet with Adam Ray from the Pearson Foundation. Soon, I’m going to start my action plan for the community and also I will go to school. I was also very happy to meet with Dr. Julie of Berry College.

The Global Youth Summit 2008 helped join youth from different countries come together to discus how to protect our future. Now we’re friends! We talked about how to join our projects and how to work together to save our world. Thanks Dr. Jane Goodall! You’re amazing. Thanks for supporting Roots & Shoots.

Soon I will go to school to start my A Level education. I have to go to school because education is key in life. We need to have it for a better future. I will be in Arusha. I will be working with Roots & Shoots at the school. I hope that I will help students at the school to learn how to protect our environment.

I’m in Kigoma now. I had a meeting with the first Digital Art Alliance participants of 2007. I’m happy to hear that program is going well. Every Friday and Saturday they meet to discuss different projects. Now they have started Roots & Shoots NAELE. Roots & Shoots NAELE is a special group of Roots & Shoots member from secondary and primary schools who are joining together to learn how to make movies in order to educate the community about different important issues. I hope to meet with NAELE group today. NAELE is Natural Ambassadors of Environment, Life and Education. This is Amazing!!! It is going to start soon.

(This photos shows the members from the Roots & Shoots Pearson Foundation Digital Arts program in 2007. They are now meeting every week to teach others how to make movies.)

I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for visiting our blog. Please stay with us. See you next time!