A field trip to the National Archive Museum!
It seems to have become a tradition at this point! Over the last several years, we have taken an educational field trip at the end of the year. This provides our participants in Girls Empowerment, our Shining Scholars, and our Shining Brighters to come together and practice the empowerment topic lessons in some way and/or connect their school material to the activity. This end of year trip actually does so much more than that....... it gives the girls a chance to expand their experiences outside of Kibera and see what is beyond the community. This is also an experience they have together so it creates a sense of bonding among the girls while practicing their leadership skills in these new experiences.
Last year, we took you on our journey to the Giraffe Manor Center in Karen, Nairobi where the girls had the opportunity to visit with our management friends at the center and receive a special lesson from the staff about the Rothschild Giraffe and the importance of conservation. This year, we visited our friends at the National Archives Museum in downtown Nairobi. We appreciate the Museum Director's help in receiving our group and ensuring the girls got to see our nation's history. Our Shining Brighter College & University Scholars had the chance to work along side of our Director of Operations, Michelle, to manage our very large group of Girls Empowerment and Shining Scholars on this trip. (Photo: Our Director of Operations far right with some of the trip leaders, well representing in our Angaza t-shirts)
"It was so nice to see their faces light up when they saw a piece of history they learned about in school right in front of them," says Michelle Akoth. "This experience has been important for all of us in different ways and being a trip leader is giving me experience on my resume, I am building my skills with The Angaza Project in many different ways," says Winnie, Shining Brighter College & University Scholar.
After we finished our tour at the National Archives, we re-connected with our matatu friends (matatu's are the local transport vans that go around Nairobi) and went over to the Junction Mall Pizza Inn where many of the girls experienced pizza for the very first time. Even choosing their flavor of soda was exciting and the girls truly appreciated the whole day.
We would like to thank the parents and guardians for permitting their daughters to attend these educational field trips with us, our friends and relationships in the community at the locations we visit and YOU, our supporters, for making any of this possible for each of these beautiful, smiling, eager to grow girls. Truly, the field trip enhances all of the work you have been part of and it becomes one of those long lasting memories in their life.
(In front of the National Archives Museum in Nairobi, Kenya)