JACK : AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN

Hi y'all!

So, earlier on in the year, Tofauti on the Move had the chance to host an aspiring soldier in its internship Program. 

Jack Bevan Hook is a 22 year old Law graduate from the University of Birmingham, UK. While in Kenya, he expressed his interests in sports, health and fitness, socializing, reading, films, politics and history. His favorite food was chapatti and couldn’t help but admit he loved our Tusker...

But what made him stand out were his proper British mannerisms: he was always kind and courteous, he knew how to make people feel valued and appreciated.

Not only did Jack volunteer to teach in class, he also helped organize and participate in a football tournament for children from underprivileged homes. Better still, he put his law degree into use by providing professional counsel in drafting the UNESCO Youth Forum Constitution. The entire second draft is credited to him, work which he did on pro bono basis.

Jack was awesome at the Tofauti residence, and the debates he got into with other interns  concerning language, in terms of the differences between British English and American ‘creole’, were just hilarious!!

(Im sure if he was  Kenyan, this talented guy would be aspiring for political office, but alas, the way he wants to serve his nation is as a marksman in the army… he is the real 007! )

Here is a sample of his views from his report:

……….

Jack Bevan Hook –May to July 2011

Experience in the field

I arrived in Kenya on the 21st of May 2011 very excited to be in Kenya, from the United Kingdom to do an Aiesec Development Internship with ‘Tofauti on the Move.’ 

My internship fell into two distinct parts, the first being in the education field with Magoso Primary School in Kibera and with Scream Africa/Vijito School in Embakasi.  The second part of my internship involved me working as an intern at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO. 

During the education part of my internship I taught sports, worked in social work field and helped to teach English. In Magoso Primary School I was their Sports Coach and in charge of their football team. 

(Jack with His team)
 Tofauti organised an under 14s football tournament called the ‘Vision 20/20 Blessed Football Tournament’ which brought together teams from all over Nairobi and was a great success. 

(Jack with other Tofauti members at the awards table)
 I helped run the tournament on the day as well as managing my team to runner up spot in the tournament final.  My time spent in with the schools was incredibly rewarding and I found it an absolute pleasure to be there, in particular the close relationship I enjoyed with the staff at Magoso Primary School made things very easy.

The rest of the time I spent at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO Youth Forum and again had a brilliant time. I was really involved in the running of the office and I drafted the organisation’s first constitution.  It was a nice change of direction from the education side and the way I was again able to have lots of independence within the organization made it enjoyable and the fact that they were able to utilize my strength in law was an added bonus.

What were your expectations of the Tofauti Internship Experience? Have met them?

I was expecting a very rigid internship program, however to my pleasant surprise the internship offered lots of flexibility to pursue my interests within the schools I was involved with.  I thought I would have to stay within the core curriculum for my entire time here, however I was able to help out in those subjects when required but I was allowed to focus on promoting sports in schools and the social work side of things.  The work in the schools had surpassed my expectations of what I would get to do in my internship, then the chance to work with the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO was a real added bonus. The variety of experiences that Tofauti was able to arrange was fantastic and the content of the work was varied and challenging.

What did you get from the Tofauti Internship Experience? What value did we add to your life?

The Tofauti experience enabled me to get a true picture of the life here in Kenya, we did this by eating Kenyan foods each and every day, using public transport within Nairobi and around the country and going to places that Kenyans go to rather than the pure tourist sites.  In regards to working qualities, Tofauti added enormous value as it required you to be independent, speak publicly on a daily basis, to be able to interact with lots of different people each day, have a sense of responsibility and leadership skills. 

Lessons learnt outside the internship

The experience I have enjoyed here outside the day to day work has been something very special indeed. Initially when I arrived I was the only intern so I spent a great deal of time with Ryan (the Tofauti internship Program Manager)and his Kenyan friends, this meant that I was able to get a real experience of true Kenyan life here in Nairobi and I found it very interesting. I was taken to watch the Bamburi Rugby Super Series, go and experience real nyama choma (beef barbecue) and I went to local bars and throughout I was able to experience the authentic Kenya.

Interaction with other interns:

At the house by the end of my stay I was joined by interns from many other countries and I learnt a great deal about other countries and cultures, both similarities and differences from my own. It was always lots of fun and everybody got on really well and I hope I have made some friends for life. My fellow interns definitely have made this experience what it was and as a result a lot of fun and I would happily do the same all over again.  As interns we managed to get out of Nairobi and stay in Konza and in Mombasa, the later being an experience that I was so much more incredible than I could have ever imagine.

Opportunities discovered through the experience

The internship experience in regard to working qualities, added enormous value as it required you to be independent, speak publicly on a daily basis, to be able to interact with lots of different people each day, have a sense of responsibility and leadership skills.  

The opportunity for independent travel in Kenya was something different which I had discovered whilst here and the relative ease and cheap buses should make this something any further intern at Tofauti should consider. Experiencing the night buses to Mombasa was something I will not forget in a hurry!

What are the challenges you have faced while in Kenya?

There were a few challenges faced here in Kenya, the major one being able to get around in the city and learning to navigate our way to the various places we had to get to. After a few weeks it started to make more sense but generally it is really chaotic when it comes to walking around the city on foot and when using the public transport. It was also a daily challenge to ensure just because I was a European that I did not get ripped off by the matatus or the shop vendors.  The language was also a challenge at times, not everybody was able always understand my accent and likewise with many Kenyans I struggled to understand what exactly they were saying in the first few weeks.

•             Have your say:

My experience here in Kenya on the whole has been a very positive one. I would not hesitate to recommend any of my friends or family to come out here on this internship and I wish Tofauti all the best success in the future...

………

Jack was just awesome! We wish him all the best in his pursuit to serve his country.

(Compiled by:

George Stanley

Documentation Guy

Tofauti on the Move)

a Slice of Julia Weibe’s Internship Experience

Hi!

Hope y’all had a wonderful week. This week’s blog is derived form  Julia Webie’s Internship report. Julia hails from Germany and was in the country from the 20^th July 2011  to the 06^th September 2011. She not only had a chance to  volunteer in Nairobi but also in Kakamega, Western Kenya.

Here is a glimpse into her experience:

………………

Internship Experience Nairobi

During my time in Kenya I mostly worked at the Mary Immaculate Rehabilitation Centre in Mukuru,(Nairobi) where I assisted in teaching and counseling the former street boys and also spent a lot of their free time with them. I helped the weaker students in class and also cooperated with the regular teachers during the classes.

For me, it was very rewarding to work in the centre, because I felt that the boys and also the teachers really appreciated me being there.

When I started the regular school year was almost over, so during most of my stay the kids only had very few classes in the morning and a lot of time for themselves during the rest of the day. This made it easy for me to get to know everyone in a more relaxed atmosphere and as I got to know everyone better, the boys started to come to me, talk to me about all sorts of issues and ask me about everything. Though I did not actually teach my own classes in the centre, I could still do some “teaching” of my own, as for example more than once a question from a boy like for example “Can you show Germany on a map” ended up in me and a group of kids sitting around a world map and me telling them about all different countries they wanted to know about.

What amazed me most while working in the centre was how interested and open the boys can be, once you get to know them. It was great to see that most of them are really interested in learning something and doing well. They told me about their lives and also asked a lot of questions about education and the future, this made it easier for me to encourage them and understand their way of living and their culture. So I think both me and the kids learnt a lot during my stay there.

Internship Experience Kakamega

I spend 10 days in Nambacha in the area of Kakamega, teaching computer classes in Chebuyusi Boys High School. This was the most challenging experience I had in Kenya, as people there were completely surprised that we actually showed up and as they did not expect us, they did not have anything to do for us at first. We were the first interns ever to go to rural schools in that area, and it already took us days to make them understand what we were actually there for.

So during the first couple of days we only taught few lessons, but it was not enough to really teach the students all the basics. The problem was that they did not have any free spaces in their timetables and other teachers had to give up their lessons for us…

During the last three days we also started to teach basic computer skills to those teachers who were interested. This made more sense, as then we had smaller groups, the teachers could come to us whenever they were free and they were really interested in the possibilities computer can provide for their teaching. The business teacher for example thought the monitor was a television when we started. After two days he was already able to create spreadsheets with blank T-accounts for his business class students, which they always did by hand before. For people like him, knowing computer basics can really change their everyday work life. By the time we were about to leave, most of the staff had realized that they actually have use for us and would like us to extend our stay..The time in Kakamega was very impressive and though it was quite hard at the time I am really happy I went there, because I feel like there I got to know “the real Kenya”. Of course Nairobi is impressing, but  it is  just not how the majority of the population in Kenya lives. So I think it would be a great and challenging experience for interns in the future.          

Things I learnt

Apart from getting to know the culture one of the most important things I learnt in Kenya is to really appreciate things more that seem normal to everyone in Germany, like access to education. In Europe the education is generally free up until high school, while in Kenya I experienced that a lot of people have to struggle to provide their kids with the basic education. And also smaller things like having electricity at all times were not an issue that I ever thought about before I came to Kenya. Now I am more aware of issues like that and I think it is important not to take all this for granted.

Challenges

One of the challenges I faced while in Kenya was “speaking the same language” as the Kenyans. Though everybody was speaking English it was sometimes still difficult to really understand each other. I often experienced misunderstandings due to cultural differences, which I had to get used to first to avoid them.  For example while I think something is a simple thing to ask, my opposite could even feel offended and refuse to understand my point. However, this was happening less often later during my stay.

THANK YOU!

Finally, I would like to thank TOFAUTI for organizing this internship, I really had a great time in Kenya and met people and gained experiences I will never forget! Keep up the good work!

……

Thank you, Julia, for sharing the warmth of your personality to all you met. In today’s world, such is priceless.

Cheers.

(Compiled by)

George Stanley

Documentation guy

Tofauti on The Move.

Bettina’s Heart of Gold

Tofauti has recently been taking its interns to visit various Children’s homes in the Nairobi Metropolitan area.

During one of these visits, one of the interns, Bettina, of her own volition, donated 300 euros to a children’s home.

Bettina is a young lady with an extraordinary heart. Moved by  the day to day plight of the children in these homes, she chose to make a difference—she not only volunteered herself to serve but also chose to make a financial contribution that will go directly to the feeding the children there.

(Bettina with some of the other Interns donating books and foodstuff at Faith School)

Wow!

May her generosity open great doors for her!

Here’s a summary of her story:

……………………………………………..

Kindly give us a short bio of yourself

Name:                                                  Bettina Katharina Kriegl

Country of origin:                             Germany, Bavaria

What were your expectations of the Tofauti Internship Experience? Have met them?

When I decided to come to Kenya I had no particular expectations of the organization but of the internship in general.

As I have never been in Africa before, I wanted to get to know the African way of life. I am very thankful that I met so many friendly Kenyans who gave me an understanding of their culture.

Furthermore, I made up my mind to do a development internship in order to help needy people. Tofauti gave me the possibility to teach Maths at Vijito School, to visit Kibera Slum and to work for the Mukuru Promotion Centre. The organization also supports my intention to buy food for malnourished kids at Faith School and made a car available to me.

Last but not least I thank Tofauti for giving us the chance to travel during our internship. Massai Mara and Mombasa were a great adventure for me.

What did you get from the Tofauti Internship Experience? What value did we add to your life?

I am sure that the development internship in Nairobi will have a big impact on my life.

Living together with so many people of different countries broadened my mind and I could improve my language skills in English.

Furthermore, as I assumed not only responsibility for myself but also for kids of different schools I became more self-assured and self-dependent.

During my stay here in Kenya I also learned how to accomplish difficult challenges.

Have your say:

Going back to Germany is more difficult for me than I thought. This improves that I had a really great time here in Kenya.

I have met so many friendly people from so many different countries. I took some of them in my heart and I hope that we will keep in touch.

…………………………..

She went the extra mile to make the difference. It now your turn….

All the best Bettina!

George Stanley

Documentation Guy

Tofauti on the Move.