Kenya 2010 Information
We are still working out all the details but here is what we know so far:
Schedule (16 days):
Thur, Feb. 18 - Dep Sac 7:00am. Thru Portland, Thru Amsterdam
Fri, Feb. 19 - Arrive in Nairobi at 8:25pm (PCEA Guesthouse)
Sat, Feb. 20 – Shopping for supplies and waiting for luggage.
Sun, Feb. 21 - Ground travel to Othoo (6-8 hrs, traffic, roads, flats etc.)
Mon, Feb. 22 - Wed, Feb. 24 – Teacher Training.*
Thur, Feb. 25 - VBS Creation
Fri, Feb. 26 - VBS Sin
Sat, Feb. 27 - VBS Forgiveness
Sun, Feb. 28 - VBS Sacrifice
Mon, March 1 - VBS Living for Christ
Tue, March 2 - Teacher and Pastor debriefing
Wed, March 3 - Safari
Thur, March 4 – Closing time. Depart Nairobi at 10:50pm.
Fri, March 5 – Arrive in Sacramento 6:38pm.
* While the training is going on we will lead part of the team that will minister within the villages. These will be Preschool kids, as the others are in school.
Location:
Between Nairobi and Lake Victoria
Google map search for Awasi Nairobi
Othoo is where we’ll stay; Awasi is where the training will be held.
Preliminary Trip Cost (assuming 15 person team):
Airfare = $1496.30 (Purchase airfare in early January)
Lodging = $40 per room per night 2 beds per room ($405 per person).
Insurance = $75 per person
Food = $120 per person (Kaziyake covers most of this expense).
In country travel = $500 ($35 per person)
Water per person = $150
Training and VBS Supplies = $200 per person
Sub-Total = $2435
15% Miscellaneous = $365
Total = $2800 (This will change as we get more info, I don’t anticipate it to go higher than $3200).
Safari = $150 per person. These funds will not go through Fifty5five (i.e. not supporter funded).
Teacher Training
Ministry has thousands interested; narrowing it down to Pastors and Sunday school teachers - approx 700.
There is need of training at 6 other locations requiring future trips.
19 day trip (see schedule option 2) could cover two of the locations. They are 6 hours apart, different populations, different cultures, languages, etc.
Vacation Bible School
Number of kids for VBS is still being discussed. If we leave things open 5,000 kids could show up without any advertising. Through experience we have learned that 600 children is the maximum number of kids who can be effectively ministered to at a single Vacation Bible School. If more than 600 children are anticipated we need to consider doing two simultaneous VBS's or doing morning and afternoon sessions.
Accommodations:
Location 1 – Stay at the site where training is held. This site has a Recreation Center and about 1 acre of ground. Rustic dorm type accommodations, 8 people per room, toilet which sometimes works. Common area for worship and meetings.
Location 2 – About 3 blocks away from training location. Accommodations here resemble a guest house with rooms and common area.
Both sites are very basic. No Air conditioning, no fans due to shortage of electricity. Mosquito netting provided. Both places have showers, sinks and toilets which SOMETIMES work. Gets dark at 6 pm and by 6:15 they are in bed. No electricity equals dark - therefore bedtime.
Ministry recommends that anyone with real diabetic issues (diet, timing of meals, etc.) not go on this trip. There is starvation all around so we will be eating whatever they can get for us. Any health emergencies are a real problem because the life flight is some distance away and the airports shut down frequently and won’t open for emergencies. We will only be eating 2 times a day, lunch is not customary in country. Plan on packing lots of supplemental snacks.
Additional ministry:
Our team will overlap with a health care group training midwives. This would serve their purposes of training people in the health arena while they are there for our training. Those health care workers would be staying elsewhere but hopefully we will get an opportunity to meet these other missionaries and get to know some of them.
There will also be an opportunity to do some street ministry; they will be showing the Jesus film on the streets in the evening while we are there.
Volunteer needs:
There are many opportunities to serve whether you are experienced at teaching children or not.
- Activities leader/helper
- Crafts leader/helper
- Actors/Storytellers
- Herding children.
- Worship helper (hand motions and singing).
- Props, art and costume designer. (Must be willing to create masterpieces using odd things found in developing nations).
- I can carry heavy things (one of our favorite volunteers).
Media - Fifty5five specializes in helping teacher’s disciple children and lead children to Christ. When it comes to f stop settings and framing the perfect picture...well we aren't so talented. There are three needs that a media volunteer might help us with during and after a trip.
We ask the ministries we are serving to invite teachers from all the churches and schools in the community to attend the free workshops. To that end it would be helpful for the ministries extending the invitations to have photo and video examples of what we do. The video footage of our shoes collected when we thought the camera was off has been less than helpful so far.
We feel it is important to clearly represent the impact our prayor warriors and supporters have on the people we serve. Somehow our under exposed pictures of children 300 yards away don't capture that impact.
We have a difficult time describing what a Fifty5five trip is like to our first time volunteers. We need help capturing the footage to assemble a short video which portrays the experience of a Fifty5five trip.
General info:
Swahili is the language but there are 47 dialects.
You can check out the organization we will be working with at www.kaziyake.org
Orphans everywhere… adults ravaged by Aids and sometimes there won’t be an adult as far as they eye can see. Kids live in huts raising each other
Shem is the full time Pastor in Kenya who we will be working with. Shem will be in the States Nov 2 - Dec 2 and would like to meet the team. We may need to make a field trip for those interested in meeting him.
Parents and teachers will want the things the kids have. They have been known to confiscate jump ropes and such from kids so they can use them for themselves.
They have no pens and paper.
Check out the CDC sites re: shots and vaccinations. Malaria capital of the world. Yellow fever, etc.
We are working on understanding the culture and how it applies to the workshops we teach. For sharing the Gospel through magic workshop, Jay would have to do his magic for the village elder and the local witch doctor before the training and show them how he does stuff so they don’t think it’s voodoo.
Sign-up/Pre-Trip preparation:
Please pray about joining us and let us know info@fifty5five.com if you are committed to going, on the fence about going or need more info.
Our first informational meeting will be at the Touchstone Missions Meeting Sunday, October 18th from 12:30-1:30pm at the Touchstone meeting space (4441-A Auburn Blvd. Sacramento Ca.).
Volunteers are encouraged (not required) to join our weekly Wednesday night bible study at 7pm in S. Land Park area. E-mail info@fifty5five.com for more info.
We will hold volunteer meetings at 2pm on the 1st Sunday of every month beginning in November. During the meetings we will share all the important updates, work on the preparations for the trips and assign tasks to the willing volunteers.
A non-profit Christian missions organization designed to help children's teachers in the developing world share the Gospel of Jesus Christ amongst children of every tribe, nation, people and language.
Fifty5five Inc.
