Cosmos Education - Happy Holidays Message from CE USA

Season's greetings from Cosmos Education! It's certainly been an eventful year, both here in the US and abroad. Disputed elections in Kenya caused terrible violence there early in the year but eventually gave way to a peaceful sharing of power. In addition, our Zambian friends mourned the death of their president, Levy Mwanawasa, in August. Of course, domestically we have witnessed the excitement at the close of an historic election as well as the troubling turn of difficult financial times.

Throughout the year, our four Cosmos Education (CE) branches have been continuing our work to inspire, engage, and empower young people in the developing world to think critically and question the world around them, so that they will one day drive development from within their own communities. Through our hands-on science and engineering education modules, career development presentations, and research collaborations, we have been working hard among our branches in the US, UK, Kenya, and Zambia to develop grassroots programs in schools and youth centers that will have a positive impact on young lives. In this newsletter, you will find just a few examples of how Cosmos Education is making an impact. We hope that you will consider Cosmos Education USA for your holiday giving and join us in supporting the work of our teams in Africa. Please click below or visit the donate page to find out how you can contribute to our cause.

CE Kenya Fills Education Need at IDP Camps

Since the establishment of their office in Nairobi last year, CE Kenya has grown and expanded its activities while adapting to current events. The disputed election in Kenya forced many people from their homes into Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. Concerned about the children of these refugees, our Kenyan team visited two IDP camps near Nairobi in March and May. CE Kenya has also continued its popular professional development program with the support of CE UK and has worked with local businesses to bring computers to Kalukuni Secondary School. You can read more about the IDP visits and other CE Kenya projects at http://cosmoseducationkenya.blogspot.com.

Justa Nyaga, CE Kenya Director of Education, works with children at an IDP camp in Kenya.

Executive Director Isaac Musyoka discusses global warming with a group of children.

Cosmos Education USA Intern Now Working for UN Policy Initiative in Kenya

CE USA intern Caitlin Sanford (in blue) helps with a tree planting activity with CE Kenya Executive Director Isaac Musyoka (2nd from left) and Vice President Peter Kanja (far right). Also pictured are CE Kenya members Justa Nyaga, Kevin Kinyua, and Dickson Orina.

What started as a summer internship ended up as an almost two-year stay in Kenya for Caitlin Sanford. After working on environmental education and youth outreach programs with the Division of Communication and Public Information as part of her joint internship with CE Kenya and UNEP, she was hired as a consultant with the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI). Continuing to volunteer with CE Kenya, she then took on a position as a program assistant with PEI , which helps countries to integrate environmental considerations and funding for environmental protection in their development plans and budgets.

Caitlin says, Sparking inquiry and curiosity among students, seeing the glimmer in their eyes when they are truly interested and forced to think critically has been one of the great rewards of working with CE Kenya.

Kenyan University Students, CE Kenya Gain Research Experience

In the fall, CE USA Executive Director (ED) and Vice President (VP) Kevin Hand led a research trip to Kenya and Tanzania, teaming up with faculty and students from the University of Nairobi (UoN, led by geology professor Francis Mwaura) and the University of Maine (led by virology professor Monroe Dubois). As part of his work with the US National Science Foundation and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, the itinerary took him and his team from Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya to Lake Bogoria and Lake Magadi. Along the way, CE Kenya team members and students from the UoN were able to engage in real scientific research related to climate change and biogeochemistry, while the graduate students from Maine got the chance to visit elementary and secondary schools around Nairobi and Lake Bogoria. Our science team engaged CE Kenya in the science of Kenya's Rift Valley, and our CE Kenya team got the scientists engaged in teaching and working with students in Kenya.

Research scientists work with CEK in the Mathare Community Education Development Organization (MCEDO). Mathare is one of the most impoverished regions of Nairobi, and many of the children were exposed to horrible violence during the post-election tribal disputes.

CE USA ED and VP Kevin Hand (right) explains some of the dynamics of Kenya's Rift Valley hot springs to CE Kenya team members and students.

Future Plans and Announcements

As the year comes to a close, our branches are gearing up for more work in schools. CE UK members Carol Lo and Damian Smith are working with CE Zambia to coordinate a visit to Lusaka, bringing along new volunteer Matt Landreman, who is a Ph.D. student in physics at MIT and has previously worked in Zambia through a joint project between the Hampton University Center for the study of the Origin and Structure of Matter (COSM) and the Zambian Association of Science Educators (ZASE). The trio will team with CE Zambia VP Theo Banda, ED Ernest Ngoliya, and other volunteers to work closely with students and teachers at two schools, Munali Boys' Secondary School and Lusaka High School.

CE Zambia is also gearing up to host a science quiz competition tournament among 16 schools in the Lusaka area. Students will form teams and compete within their own schools as well as against other schools, answering questions geared toward and drawn from the Zambian national science exams. This will be a great way to challenge the students to think critically while preparing them to succeed in their academic careers.

Meanwhile, CE Kenya ED and former VP Isaac Musyoka has taken a post with Peace Child International in the UK as the African Desk Officer. CE USA member Caitlin Sanford commented on Isaac's growth, saying, As Vice President, Isaac was responsible for all office supplies and logistics, for starting new education initiatives, and for organizing school visits and building our network of schools. In this role, Isaac had to think on his feet and to deal with difficult people and situations, teaching him some important lessons and fostering leadership skills. Isaac's confidence showed in an interview he did for a feature story about Cosmos Education that appeared in the Nairobi Star, a local newspaper, and helped him to secure a year long position with Peace Child International in the UK. Here is the newspaper article (PDF, 860kB).

Please Help Us

Cosmos Education is working hard to inspire and engage young people of every age, from the small child in an IDP camp to the university student and young professional, but to do so we need help from generous individuals like yourselves. We understand that these are difficult economic times, but every little bit helps. Ninety percent of your contribution will go directly to support educational programs in Kenya and Zambia, and all contributions are tax deductible. In the US, Cosmos Education is a project of The Tides Center. Please click below or visit the donate page to find out how you can contribute to our cause.

Newsletter - December, 2008

Future Plans and Announcements

Please Help Us