Child of the Week

Meet Collins- WHS460

Birthday – September 15

 

Collins is sixteen years old and is beginning Form 2 at Waddington High School.  Collins has had a difficult life.  His father is deceased and his widowed mother is in poor health.  Collins enjoys playing football and hopes to be a doctor someday.  His dream is to do well on his exams so that he can attend University and be of help to his mother and siblings.  Collins has been waiting for a sponsor since March, 2013?  Can you help Collins achieve his dreams? 

You can sponsor Collins for only $12.50 a month on the basic program, or $20 a month on the reduced-cost lunch program. 

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~submitted by Brooke

Organizing Your Sponsorship Materials

The New Year is here, and my perennial resolution is to get organized!  This year the first thing on my “to do” list was to develop a better system for keeping track of all of my child sponsorship materials.  Not only will getting these materials organized reduce the chaos in my home, but it should also help me keep another of my resolutions this year – to get more letters out to my sponsored children.

Given the items that I wanted to organize, I decided to use a binder system.  Alternatively, you could use an accordion file, hanging file folders, plastic drawer unit, manila envelopes, or even shoeboxes.

Supplies:  I used a large binder, sheet protectors, repositionable filing tabs, and plastic binder envelopes.  I already had most of these supplies, but you can click on the links to find products similar to what I used.

Sections:  My binder contains three sections (each section has different colored tabs).  The first section contains information on my sponsored children.  Each child has his/her own tab in this section.  The second section contains fun “extras” to include in my correspondence, and the third section contains mailing supplies, cards, and postcards.

Section 1: Sponsored Children

Behind each child’s tab, I have:

1.    Fact sheet about the child containing the child’s full name, sponsorship number, grade, birthday, mailing instructions, and picture.  I also include basic information about the child’s family and living situation.

2.    Chart of letters sent to the child noting the date the letter was sent and what topics were discussed.

3.    Log of items I have purchased for the child at the Online Shop (date, item, price).

4.    Empty page protector.  As I gather items to send my sponsored child in his/her next letter, I will put them here.

5.    Plastic envelope for letters received from my child.  I note the date received on the back and keep them in order by date, with the most recent on top.

Section 2:  Extras

I have a plastic envelope for each of the following:

1.    Stickers

2.    Photos (of my family, city, etc.)

3.    Articles (clipped from newspapers or magazines)

4.    Printables (dot-to-dots, mazes, coloring pages, etc. printed from the internet)

5.    Miscellaneous Extras 

Section 3:  Supplies

I have a plastic envelope for each of the following:

1.    Mailing Supplies (envelopes, stationary, international stamps, return address labels).

2.    Postcards (I keep a stock of these for when I am too busy to write a letter).

3.    Greeting cards (seasonal and blank cards).

I am sure that I will have to tweak this system as time goes on, but for now I feel so much better having all of these items neatly stored in one place!  

How do you keep track of your sponsorship materials?  Please share in the comments if you have found a system that works well.  

~submitted by Brooke

KCPE Results and Term 3 Grades Are In

 

KCPE Results

Results for the KCPE (Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education) Exam taken in November by our Standard 8 students have been released!  Sponsors can find results for their sponsored children under the “Files” section of the private Yahoo Group (just click “GPS End of Term and Exam Results – 2013 KCPE Results”). The highest scoring sponsored student at Galilee Primary School was Victoria, with a score of 386. 

Her sponsor, Anette, writes:  "Wow, I am so happy for Victoria! Her hard work and aspiration made her hit her goal.  My heartfelt congratulations to Victoria and the teachers and school, who altogether made that success possible!"

We are all proud of Victoria!  A student’s score on the KCPE determines whether he or she is eligible for admission to secondary school.  Students can earn a maximum 500 marks on the exam.    For reference, the Kenyan government reports that 49.71% of Kenyan students nationally achieved the mean socre of 250 marks.  The highest score achieved by any student in Kenya was 444 marks. 

Waddington High School requires a minimum KCPE score of 240 marks for admission.  Therefore, GPS students who have achieved this minimum score will be moving into Form 1 at WHS this month.  GPS students scoring less than 240 points on the KCPE are invited to repeat Standard 8 this year and retake the exam at the end of 2014.  Repeating Standard 8 is not uncommon in Kenya.

Term 3 Grades

We have also received Term 3 grades for both GPS and WHS students.  Sponsors can find grades for their sponsored children under the “Files” section of the private Yahoo Group.  Grades for GPS students are listed under “GPS End of Term and Exam Results – GPS 3^rd Term Results” and grades for WHS students are listed under “LWHS Exam Results – 2013 F1/2/3 3^rd Term Results.” 

Still Waiting on KCSE Results

Please note that we are still waiting for results from the Kenyan Government for the KCSE (Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education) Exam.  Therefore, there are no grades currently listed for WHS Form 4 students.  We will update you as soon as scores for the sponsored Form 4 children are available.

Writing to Your Sponsored Child

When writing your next letter to your sponsored child, you may want to take the opportunity to comment on their academic performance.  If they have done well, congratulate them on their success.  If they have shown improvement, tell them that you are proud of their efforts.  If they failed to pass the KCPE Exam or there has been a dip in their grades, encourage them to focus on their studies and let them know that you believe in them.  The words of a sponsor can have a great motivating effect on our Nairobi Kids, so please reach out and encourage them to achieve their personal best!

Please contact info@plantabook.org for more information or help locating test scores or grades for your sponsored child.

~submitted by Brooke

Child of the Week

 Meet Abigael- GPS648

Birthday – Unknown

Abigael is eleven years old and will be starting Standard 6 at the Galilee Primary School this week.  She lives with her unemployed parents and two siblings in the Kayole-Soweto slums of Nairobi in abject poverty. Abigael enjoys playing football and hopes to be an accountant when she grows up.  Can you make 2014 a wonderful year for Abigael by giving her the gift of sponsorship? 

You can sponsor Abigael for only $12.50 a month. 

Note: Abigael was temporarily sponsored for a short time in the Fall of 2013.  During that time her sponsor purchased a uniform, non-school dress, and book for her. 

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~submitted by Brooke

Holly House Christmas Dinner

 

We have received photos from Fanuel (the school director) of Christmas dinner at the Holly House orphanages.  Thanks to our generous sponsors and donors, we were able to raise enough money to fully fund a wonderful Christmas dinner for the children. 

This dinner is a once-a-year treat for the children living at Holly House, and included chicken and rice, soda pop, lollipops, and other treats.  As can be seen from the pictures, the children had a wonderful time. 

Thank you all for making this special Christmas meal happen for the children in the Holly House orphanages!

 

  

~submitted by Brooke