Good Friday was the most extraordinary day in the history of Hand to Hand. It was dedicated to the launch of the two classrooms. According to our senior staff around 800 people attended. I watched the progress of the day in awe.
I am still reeling from the reality of this program. Here we are in a no-mans-land with all these people cheering, clapping and singing. All of our school children were present together with their teachers and staff. They sat quietly through about 30 speeches and much activity for more than 4 hours. Many outside children also came out of curiosity and stood in silence.
Attending were three current chiefs of nearby areas, our retired chief, secretary to the area member of parliament, MP's representative, education officer of Kilgoris region, and chairman of the Constituency Development Fund. Many others could also be listed but space/time limits me.
Dr Joe Mwangi Symmon and his assistant came all the way from Nairobi. Dr Joe lives in California, but is presently visiting Kenya. He stood for CA governor a few years ago and reached 5th position out of 25 contestants. He wrote an inspiring book: Dare to Dream. Was raised in a tiny village in Kenya. His message at the meeting was "never give up".
10-20 people helped in the cooking, which went on all day. Included were 50kgs of rice. There was enough food to go around for everyone, nothing was left at the end.
This program has cemented the name of Hand to Hand Education Centre as well as HHCK on the map of Kenya. We can't help but bow to all of the people who contributed to our cause.
Attendees and special guests were bespelled by the childrens' ability to speak in English. The chiefs themselves asked us what the secret was in the teaching that enabled the kids to speak so well. When the school began in Feb 2023, not one kid could speak the language. I myself could hardly believe the kids. It felt like there was a ventroloquist behind the scenes.
We are all of course elated with the results of the program, which has given us lots of hope for the future.