November 2009 Newsletter

Kenya Certificate of Primary Education 2009 (KCPE) This will be the third year for Rohi Primary to take the Grade 8 National Exams. The national exams are given once every year countrywide in November.  They are used to grade and evaluate the placement of students who hope to go on to high school and the kind of high school they are able to enroll in.

Rohi Primary School has 23 students in Grade 8 out of a total of 200 in the entire school.  Since the beginning of the year, teachers have been working tirelessly to prepare the students for the national exams.  Every week the students sit for internal exams.  The exams are used to sharpen their experience on exam answering techniques.

“Compared to the past two classes in 2007 and 2008, this class has shown a great improvement.  In the beginning of the year we used to wonder if the students would make it.  Their marks were too low.  However, they have proved they are able.  Everyday when they do an exam they show great improvement.   Five students have given their lives to Jesus and others have shown a remarkable change in their behaviors.

We acknowledge the effort of all the teachers and other staff who have been praying for us.   Other teachers have been working together with me around the clock to ensure that the students get the best grades.  You can support us with prayers and encouragement.” Eliza Kahura, Class 8 Teacher.

Prayer for Class 8 Students
Eric and Mary Walker will be holding a time of prayer for anyone who would like to pray for the Class 8 students taking their KCPE exams.  It will be Friday, November 6th at 7pm in their home.  Their address is 1284 Deep Creek Rd, Livermore, 94550.  If you need more information please contact Mary at ericmarywalker@yahoo.com

Curio Shop
October 20 in Kenya is a Hero’s Day.  Kenyans gather in the stadiums and other places to listen to the President’s speech.  Others stay at home to relax, while for others, it’s business as usual.  For Tabitha Nderitu, Daniel Wambugu, Daniel Kamotho and six students from both schools, the day was not a typical day. The group started their journey early to Kisumu, a city next to Lake Victoria.

The aim of the journey was to visit TEMAK (Teenage Mothers and Girls Association of Kenya).  The organization is well known for their curio and tailoring lessons for teenage mothers and girls.  The group wanted to know how they are able to raise money through the sale of crafts as a form of sustainability.  The director, Joab Othatcher, his wife Philemona and Jacob Ocholla were grateful to have our team visit.  We thanked them for hosting the group and sharing the following information:  “Curio items are easy to make and easy to sell.  It is also easy to give as a skill to students.  It forms 70% of the total sponsorship in our program.  You too can make it; look for a space in a store in Nakuru and sell from this point. You can also look for markets in the USA and Europe,” says Joab.

In the beginning of the year, Rohi opened a craft shop in the Primary School.  The aim of the shop was not only to sustain the organization but also to teach skills to the talented students.  Missionaries who have visited the country have bought some curios from the shop.  The shop offers a wide variety of curio items such as bags, necklaces, baskets etc.  You can help a destitute child by buying from us.

Sewing Team
If you are interested in going with the Sewing Team to Rohi in April 2010 and would like more information, please come to our informational meeting on December 6th at 12:30 pm in room C215.  Meet the leaders and get all of your questions answered.  If you cannot attend but need additional information contact Linda Mahoney at (925)579-5428 orlmahoney@cornerstoneweb.org.

Optometry Trip Report from Evan Rosa
Think about your ability to see. The complexity of the eye. How cool you look in your specs. Sight is a truly wonderful faculty, enriching our experience of the world. With an optometrist for a dad, vision has always meant something special to me, and so I truly enjoyed the opportunity to serve Rohi and the local Nakuru community with eye care this past Spring. The team was comprised of my parents (Rob and Sharon Rosa), Dr. Bev Smith (of Cornerstone Fellowship), several optometry students, and members of Regeneration Church (led by Albert Lee). We were humbled by the love and kindness of the Muthua’s, who graciously took us in and treated us as family; we were awestruck by the dedication and faith of the Rohi students. Westerners commonly take eye care for granted, but it’s so valuable to Kenyans. Seeing approximately 900 people in seven days of clinic, we saw everything from severely itchy eyes (“kujikuna macho” in Swahili) to blindness caused by cataracts. Some people had excellent vision (comparable to a eagle-eyed safari driver), but hundreds required corrective lenses. And to protect their eyes from the sun, all of the Rohi students received UV-blocking sunglasses (some were quite stylish!). But with all the care and effort we gave toward correcting physical sight, I was moved to reflect on the human ability to see spiritually. God gave every member of the team an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Him in those we were serving, and I learned a little more about what it means to “open the eyes of our understanding” as St. Paul puts it in Ephesians. Please continue to pray that God would grant clarity of vision – in the physical and spiritual senses – to the people of Nakuru, Kenya, Africa and the world, especially through those bright and faithful kids at Rohi.

Rohi Updates
The organization held a baptism service on September 25th.  Students, staff members and their families came together to celebrate the baptism of 11 students who wanted to be baptized.

Members of staff and the students joined together in the Standard Charted Nairobi Marathon. The marathon was prepared to raise money for eye clinics countrywide.  Eric Mamba (staff) and students John Njenga, Emmanuel Noel, Elijah Maina, Elizabeth Kanini, Bernard Kipkoech, Rose Njeri and Peter Okila completed the half marathon and Ivy Chepchumba and Patrick Kamau completed the 10K race.  Way to go runners!

Praise the Lord for His provision for the Rohi Bus!! All needed funds have been received; the bus has been ordered and is being built with an expected delivery date of mid-January.  THANK YOU again to all who contributed to make this possible.  The Rohi children have prayed for five years to have a bus to facilitate transportation for outreach, sports teams, field trips etc.  What a blessing this will be!

2010 Gift Catalogs and Calendars
The 2010 Rohi Gift Catalog and calendar will be available at the Missions counter beginning November 14th.  As a church body entering into our season of Renew, we hope that you will consider ways to Renew your gift giving this year.  If each of us takes some of the money we previously spent on un-needed gifts and instead uses it to help our orphanage in Kenya, we can have an impact on those who are truly in need.  Calendars can be purchased for $15.  Catalogs will be mailed to all sponsors on November 12th.  If you do not attend Cornerstone Fellowship and would like to have either a Gift Catalog or calendar mailed to you, please contact the Rohi office at www.rohikenya.org.

Help Needed
On Thursday, November 12th, from 10am-12 pm, we are in need of volunteers to help staple and prepare the Rohi Gift Catalog for mailing.  If you can give a couple of hours of your time, please contact Linda at 925-579-5428 or lmahoney@cornerstoneweb.org.

Praise & Prayer Requests

• Praise God for the rains in Kenya!
• Praise God for His provision for a school bus!
• Pray for the Grade 8 candidates who will take their national exam Nov 10-12.
• Pray for the health of the students in both schools.
• Pray for a peaceful December holiday for the students.
• Pray for God’s provision for the HS boys’ dorm.
• Pray for the 2010 new student selection process for both schools.