Br Beausang Catholic Education Centre, Embulbul
http://www.bbcec.org/
Embulbul is an impoverished town about 25 kilometres from the centre of Nairobi in Kenya. The surrounding district is a mix of shanty towns and open spaces with a large Christian and Moslem population of over 60,000, with over 90% living on or below the African poverty line.
Br Beausang Catholic Education Centre, located in Embulbul, has a school population of over 800 from nursery to the end of secondary school. There is also a unit for children with special needs. Most of the students are from poor and often displaced families and many are orphans. The school provides a meal each school day. For many, it is their only meal for the day. Students from all tribes, cultures and religions in neighbouring communities are welcome, especially those who might not otherwise be able to access education due to personal circumstances.
Primary students BBCEC
All classes are full to capacity, with waiting lists at all levels. Both the primary and the secondary departments are fully registered with the Kenyan Ministry of Education. The lack of educational facilities in the Embulbul area has been recognised by the Ministry of Education with the Kenyan Government making special provision regarding the school’s non-payment of VAT for some classroom construction.
Winning team
Early 2008 saw the completion of a new 12 classroom block, being Phase 1 of a five stage building program. Late 2008 saw the completion of Phase 2 with completed construction of a science laboratory and library building.
St Bernard’s College, Essendon – Kenya Immersion - July 2011
July 2011 saw the birth of an East African immersion program for eight Year 11 students accompanied by two experienced staff members from St Bernard’s. The College has had links with Brother Beausang Catholic Education Centre in Embulbul, Nairobi, Kenya for the past five years and each year students at St. Bernard’s raise funds to assist with the establishment of buildings and programs at the school in Embulbul. This year the boys made the decision to take the long journey to Kenya to strengthen links with the community at Br Beausang School and immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of the Kenyan people. It is our hope that these young men will learn much from their experience and will be instrumental in advocating and acting for the students from Br Beausang School.
The tour began on Friday 30 April 2011 when the group flew out of Melbourne, bound for Perth, then to Johannesburg, finally arriving in Nairobi on Saturday 1 July 2001. The group was met by Form 3 (Year 11) students from Br Beausang who were our guides for the afternoon and who continued to look after our boys during their stay.
We attended the local Swahili Mass on Sunday, were welcomed by the school on the Wednesday and continued to be a presence in both Primary and Secondary Schools throughout the remainder of our stay. The boys proved beyond doubt that they were truly committed to getting to know their counterparts at the Secondary School and the younger children at the Primary School.
We accompanied Br Paul and Sr Francesca on home visits that are designed to assess the visited child and their family for sponsorship and also to determine the family circumstances. Our boys learnt an enormous amount about the Kenyan culture and way of life through these visits. The boys also learnt that every individual has a story if one takes the time to listen. They were conscious too of being a guest in another culture.
We mixed our sessions of work with outings to some of the local tourist attractions, shopping at the centre in Karen, a trip to the city and a school excursion to Lake Nakuru.
Travel around the local area was done in a ‘matatu’ bus used by locals to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’. The boy’s initial fears were dispelled once they experienced a couple of rides in a ‘matatu’. By the start of the second week they were feeling a lot more comfortable with the local scene.
Each evening we reflected on the day’s happenings and we were amazed at the depth of sharing amongst the group. The boys were very supportive of one another in light of the fact that they do not all belong to the same friendship group at school. They honed in on many aspects of the immersion process that they had touched on during their preparation with Br Damien Price in Melbourne before departure.
The boys were amazed at how happy the children in Kenya are, even though they have very little in the way of material possessions. They discovered that they have plenty of spirit, a thirst for education, an enormous devotion to Church and an inner sense of happiness which manifests itself in beautiful smiles and frequent handshakes.
Our departure was a sad affair as the boys found it very hard to leave the most recent friends they had made at the Primary School and the relationships they had developed with their counterparts at the Secondary School.
We believe the immersion has provided the boys with the following opportunities:
· To develop spiritual awareness of self.
· To understand their role in their community.
· To develop interpersonal skills of active listening, empowering the other person and considering others.
· To become aware of the needs of students at Br Beausang School.
· To be exposed to a different culture and way of life.
· To witness and appreciate the efforts of fundraising by St Bernard’s Community.
· To help develop social awareness and responsibility within their own families and the wider community
· To have a positive experience in less developed countries that will encourage safe independent travel in the future.
· To develop relationships with their counterparts.
· To foster and promote positive attitudes at St Bernard’s College about our involvement in “Project Kenya”.
The eight boys were a credit to their families and St Bernard’s College. Their approach to the immersion was more reminiscent of young men who have finished school. They ate all that was offered, slept without complaining about the accommodation, absorbed all they saw without judgement, helped without seeking recognition, made friends by looking at the inner person and reflected like young men who are older beyond their years. We were absolutely delighted that they saw themselves as guests and that they were pilgrims rather than tourists. Well done boys.
St Bernard’s Yr.11 Immersion Group in Embulbul – July 2011
