Kitchen

 Cook Mr. Samuel Kago

Cook Mr. Sakwa Beneath

Gardener Mr. Joseph Ngungu

Kitchen is like a hearth here in the Institute. Two cooks Mr. Samuel Kago and Mr. Sakwa Beneah are working in periods. Every weekday morning one is starting at six o'clock making morning tea or porrige to the boarding students, on Saturdays and Sundays an hour later.Breakfast is served at seven o'clock.  The other one is starting work at eight a clock. Tea time is at about ten o'clock, lunch at one o'clock and supper around seven o'clock in the evening. Normally working day finishes around eight o'clock. The cooks have one day free of work a week. Because of long distances home they also have a possibility to stay overnight in the Institute.

When the Institute have guests, working hours of the cooks may even be twelve a day. Here compensation of extra hours is not known like in Finland.

Cooks seem to go on very well with boarding students who often help them in their work.

The kitchen has two sections, inner and outer part. Inside the kitchen food preparation and delivery is mainly done. There is also an electric cooker which was used for example when we made pizza and Finnish "pulla". 

Outside are fireplaces where food like ugali and sukumawiki is cooked. In the picture ugali is cooking in the right kettle. 

Also chapatis are baked outside.

and morning porridge is made there.

Waiting for morning porridge

and supper, ugali and sukumawiki.

Maize is carried to the Institute on a bike.

All seeds need to be cleaned before washing and cooking.

He is bringing morning bans to students.

A farmer brings milk three times a week to the Institute. Milk is boiled and stored in a refrigerator before use.

Githeri is eaten at lunch.

Ugali, sukumawiki (and meat) is eaten in the evening.

Gardener

Mr. Joseph Ngungu is taking care of the kitchen garden and all the surroundings. Actually the school yard is very beautiful and clean.  His duties include also some reparation and other works.

 

Accreditation certificate

Good News!! Nakuru Counseling and Training Institute has got interim accreditation certificate by KASNEB! Also got a Certificate of Achievement by Cisco for work well done for one year!

Accounts studies

Accounts instructor Fred Ontiti

Mr. Fred Ontiti says that teaching is very interesting and he likes it very much. He is looking forward to acquire a bachelor's degree in education at the university. By now he has done CPA, which means Certified Publich Accountant.

Earlier he worked a short time in a company as an accountant. After the post election violences in 2007 he lost his work because the owner of the company lost all his property. For a short time he was jobless. Then he came to the Institute and got job as a teacher.

Mr. Fred says: "It is interesting to follow studies of the students. Mainly they are passing the exams well. Here we have two different kinds of courses, professional and technical. To get in to a proffessional course a students must have passed highly in their high scool."

Students must also register with KASNEB and pay for KASNEB exams besides tuition fees at the Institute.

If you are more interested in accounts studies, look here: http://www.ncti.ac.ke/courses/menu-icons.html

Ludiah

lost her parents when she was thirteen and after that came to live in Arap Moi Children's home. She has two brothers, an older one and younger one. With the aid of a Finnish sponsor she has gone secondary school (boarding school) in Nakuru and is now studying accounts in Nakuru Counseling and Training Institute

I asked Ludiah about her studies: "It was my own desire to study accounts, but the study place was organised by the children's home. I have been studying here now for two years and I have one more left"

After these studies Ludiah would like to make a bachelor's degree at the univeristy and then go to master's program. "After graduation I would like to work in a bank", she said.

Ludiah is also very good singer. Often she is one of the students who leads songs in devotions.

Matron

Matron Mrs. Doreen Suzan Juma

Matron in boarding schools in Kenya one of the stuff members is matron, who is like mother to the youths. In Nakuru Counseling and Training Institute Matron Mrs. Doreen Suzan Juma is in charge of the kitchen, hostel and all visitors. A big part of her work is counseling the students.

Matron Doreen Suzan tells:  “This generation youths seem to have lots of problems. Western culture, especially American, has a strong impact in Kenya and therefore many young people have lost their contact to our own traditions.  Earlier grandmothers used to take care of their granddaughters by teaching them the basics of life and culture. Now grandparents are often far from their grandchildren and parents are too busy to look after money. They do not have enough time to their children. Besides, in this Institute, many of the students come from broken families or they do not have a family at all.”

Mrs. Doreen Suzan has home in Nakuru but she lives mainly in the Institute. It means that she is practically always at work. Matron said: “My children are grown ups and I normally visit my home once a week.  I like working here meeting lots of different kinds of people and solving different kinds of problems.”

Kirkossa

Kavin eilen sunnuntaina paikallisten tapojen mukaan kirkossa, talla kerralla Nakuru Counseling and Training Instituten sihteerin Lilianin. Talla kertaa pappi puhui rauhallisesti ja selvasti (huutamatta) niin etta minakin ymmarsin, mista on kyse. Kirkossa oli muutenkin erinomainen viestinnallinen ote, silla puhujan englanti kaannettiin swahiliksi.

Olen ollut havaitsevinani, etta vaikka Keniassa on kaksi virallista kielta, swahili ja englanti, silti kaikki eivat osaa valttamatta molempia hyvin. Useimmat puhuvat lisaksi kolmatta kielta, joka on kotona opittu heimokieli ja joka vaikuttaa voimakkaasti puhujan intonaatioon ja siihen, miten helppoa on ymmartaa hanen puhettaan. Myos luku- ja kirjoitustaidoton saattaa taalla kuitenkin puhua eriniomaista englantia.

Kirkonmenojen jalkeen Lilian ja mina kavelimme kuuden kilometrin matkan kaupunkiin. Lukemattomista kirkoista kuului pauhu valtatielle. Ilma oli lammin ja aurinkoinen, mutta Lilian ennusti, etta noin yhden aikaan alkaa sataa. Lounaan jalkeen noin klo kaksi astuimme maralle ja sateiselle kadulle. Onneksi Instituutin opiskelijapojista joku oli pelastanut narulla kuivumassa olleet vaatteeni suojaan sateelta.

Lilian halusi menna kaupungin ykkosravintolaan  (Gilanis) syomaan pizzaa. Minakin ensimmaisen kerran taalla Keniassa tilasin itselleni pizzan, joka oli oikeaoppinen ja hyvin herkullinen. Ykkosravintolan omistajat ovat intialaisia, pariskunta seisoi koko ruokailumme aja vahtimassa, mita salissa tapahtuu. Eivat tehneet mitaan muuta.

Library

Librarian Mr. Patrick Kamau

The Institute has a library where students can do their study works. The library has a good collection of different books both professional and others. Most of them have been donated. Also today's newspapers are to be read.

Mr. Patrick Kamau takes care of the library.

The Institue would be very greatful if the Finns or Finnish associations could be able to collect magazines and text books in English language for ICDL, Cisco, PC hardware, networking, programming, hairdressing, beauty, fashion & design e.t.c and they be sent to us for students' use in the library.

In Finland I tried to find magazines if these issues. I managed with hairdressing and fashion & design. For example the Finnish magazine Ottobre published also in English might be good also here. http://www.ottobre.fi/index_e.html

In Helsinki there were lots of magazines in English about computers but because I  do not have enough skills in these issues couldn't take any. Fortunately I got one about Linux software from my neighbour upstairs. Thanks to Kerkko.

Devotion

Tanaan lauantaina taalla ammattikoululla on jonkinlainen uskonnollinen tilaisuus, joka alkoi eilen neljalta iltapaivalla ja jatkuu sunnuntaihin iltapaivaan. Tilaisuus on tarkoitettu taman koulun oppilaille ja sisalto on jonkinlaista omistautumista jumalalle.

Tilaisuuden tarkoituksena on myos luoda sosiaalisia suhteita ja niinpa taalla on vieraana pieni porukka Nairobista. Vieraat esittelivat itsensa seuraavasti: Olen se ja se, olen syntynyt uudesti....  Illalla opettaja kehoitti nuorisoa tanssimaan Jeesukselle.

Ja tanaan alkoi omistautuminen aamulla viidelta. Jos olisi ollut tarvetta viela silloin nukkua, siita ei olisi tullut mitaan. Desibeleja piisaa kirkoissakin.

En ole diskomeiningista johtuen onnistunut ottamaan selvaa kuvaa.

Hairdressing and beauty

Hairdressing instructor Esther Mekenye

Two years ago when I visited Kenya for the first time I was extremely surprised about women's hairs. I took huge amounts of pictures and still now, sometimes even in Helsinki I need to photograph somebody's hair. I have seen also beautiful men's hairs.

Hairdressing instructorr Esther Mekenye says: "We teach here only how to make African type of hair. It is so different from European or Indian type of hair that for making them the hairdresser in Africa would need to take advanced courses. Hairdressing is quite interesting because there are lots of different styles that a hairdresser can create. Hairdressers can use their creative skills."

In Africa is used both natural and artificial hair to make person's hair longer. The prosess often needs lots of chemicals and takes time. Usually women wear the same hear for a month during which they wash it once. At night they have a cap on to protect their hair style.

Most of the hairdressers in Kenya have not gone any hairdressing Institute. They have learned their vocation by doing work in another person's salon.

Three types of haircovers for the night.

In the Institute they also teach facial treatments, manicure and pedicure, but students like most hairdressing. Also among customers hairdressing is more needed and there are only a few beauty salons in the country, more in cities than in the countryside.

Hairdressing is one of the vocations and works that cannot be moved abroad very easily. Here in Kenya somebody said that in cities and towns women go to hairdressing once a month and it costs usually a lot of money, about 1000 Ksh (10 euros). At night women were a hat to protect their valuable hairstyle. In the countryside and among boarding school girls the traditional African hair is usual.

Courses in the Institute start in January and June. Always in January more students are applying for a study place. The work situation is very good if a person is confident and have good skills.

If you are more interested in learning hairdressing and beauty, look at the link:

http://www.ncti.ac.ke/courses/hairdressing-a-beauty.html

Tailoring and dressmaking

Tailoring instructor Lucy Waithaka

This is a department that deals with fashions of all kinds from children's wear, men's wear and women's wear and other sewing accessories like bags, table cloths, curtains etc.

Instructor Lucy Waithaka tells: "We therefore train the students with the sewing interest from artisan level to craft level. We train both male and female and of all levels. It is very interesting to now how to stitch with your hands as well as sewing machine. Students find it so interesting to swing the sewing machine and to cut varioius designs of garment items and to stitch them together. Also designs from various fashon magazines and newspapers really motivate and inspire the students to like the whole course."

The course takes two years but one acquires a lot of skills that he/she uses after they are through with school. They also learn how to repair, recycle and re-innovate the old clothes and make use of them of which they can get money after that.

Lucy continues: "It is a course of interest and worth training. Fashion, fashion never ends."

Somebody had donated a huge amount of zippers to the Institute.

If you are more interested in tailoring studies, look at the link:

http://www.ncti.ac.ke/courses/tailoring.html

Francis

is one of the tailoring students who has come to the Institute via Arap Moi Children's home and who has a sponsor in Finland.

Francis is 21 years old and does not know anything about his parents. He has been living the first years in Arap Moi Children's home. Afterwards he got a family where he lived for 12 years, but then in 2008 mama of the family went away and Francis returned to the children's home.

Francis has gone primary school and from January 2011 he has been studying tailoring in the Nakuru Counseling and Training Institute. He says: "The desision about studies was more or less the social worker's. But I think it is good for me. I didn't know where to go, maybe that is my future. I wish to live alone in the city. I hope to get work, maybe visit first in a tailorinfg store."

I asked what kinds of other practical skills, for example cooking skills, he has in order to live totally alone. "I can cook," he answered very surely.

Here in Kenya many tailors work at the street. Francis said that it might be a stress to him. He would prefer working in a salon first and maybe later become an entrepreneur.

Then suddenly he said that playing football is his real talent. But at the moment he does not even have a football, no football shoes, no team, no coach. "Maybe after graduation and starting work I have money to buy these needed things and I get more possibilities to practice."

Tyson

Yesterday I managed to meet Tyson whom I came to know during my last visit here. He was studying tailoring here in the Institute. He also had a Finnish sponsor.

Tyson on the left.

He is now living with his uncle in one of the suburbs of Nakuru. Every morning his walk to work in the center of Nakuru takes an hour and back the same. I visited with him the salon, it really looked good.

Tyson was the one who has really good skills in dancing. He is still dancing in churches, practises with other youths. He is the one who usually does the choreography. Tyson does not go to discos because it would be too unsafe.

Pizza

Yesterday evening with the bording students I made pizza even though I always say that pizza is not a Finnish food. But it was wanted. However I got the impression that many of the students never before had seen cheese and it really was not easy to find in supermarkets. Some of the students had very good skills in making food.

Today morning in TV news somebody was speaking about diabetes and health problems caused to Kenyans by eating western food.

Western food may cause also some environmental problems because here is not any proper waste management organization. In many places all the waste is burned together in small fireplaces with a small flame.

However once in a life time pizza is not unhealthy and making and eating it gave lots of fun among students.