Kenya - Elizabeth Grumbach

For three years, the Moses Brown 4th grade has partnered with Kenyan teachers, students, and families in rural farming villages in Western Kenya. Each year, every 4th grader has communicated through letters with a student in one of the Kenyan schools. Through letters and photographs, students on both sides of the planet have learned more about each other as people. We have used our common Quaker language to deepen the understanding between these students living in very different communities. I am planning to travel to Kenya in late June/July, to meet with and learn from the people in these communities. I hope to:

• Spend time with the teachers in their schools, learning more   about the experiences of the students and teachers during the school day.
• Spend time with Juliet, her family, and some of the other      families, to better understand the culture, traditions, and living conditions that guide their daily experience.
• Spend time with the community evaluating the impact of our partnership, three years later. 
• Document (video, photography, interviews) details of daily home and school life in these villages, to create an iMovie documentary that can be used to help our students appreciate the similarities and differences between life in these villages and life in Rhode Island.
• Identify potential future service opportunities in these communities, assess the risks and benefits of each, and connect with local organizations that might be reliable partners in this part of our 4th grade curriculum.