From October 5th to October 21st, workshop participants from the Bridges to Understanding program were with us here in Takaungu, Kenya. During this time, the participants, guided by Phil Borges and Amanda Koster, worked with our local Bridges to Understanding children to learn digital storytelling techniques through the compilation of a final video production on the subject of water in Takaungu.

The local students learned a variety of skills throughout this workshop session and built friendships with the workshop participants that are sure to last a lifetime. From the Bridges Kids and the EAC, we want to thank you Bridges to Understanding participants and teachers, for coming all this way to Kenya, to share with us your skills and friendship and for continuing to provide us with the opportunity to share our unique and beautiful culture with the world. We had a great time and hope that you each find a way to come back and spend time with us again. Thank you, Takaungu Bridges Kids.

It's hard to believe that the Vutakaka Community Center has been open for a year! We're planning a big ceremony and party on November 26th to mark the occasion. There will be food, music, prizes, and good times. Our first Nursery class will graduate (and some will go on to our first-grade class in January!) Each of the Center's classes and projects has organized a song or drama to perform for the community. We promise to report back in the next Newsletter.

Also, as you can see from the picture above, our nursery kids are happy to have a LOT more childrens' books to keep them busy! This is thanks to Mrs. Armstrong's class at McAuliffe Elementary. Lynn Armstrong had a book drive last year with her kindergarten class. Her school is in Sammamish, Washington. BIG thanks to Lynn Armstrong and Karol Wilson for making the donation possible.

Have you got your Vutakaka Turkey Apron yet? Many people have and think they are great. If you haven't ordered yours, what are you waiting for? The apron will be great for Christmas! Enjoy it yourself, or give it as a gift. Either way, your Vutakaka Turkey Apron is sure to be a hit.

Speaking of the holiday season, whether it be through ordering a turkey apron, or simply making a holiday donation to the EAC, we kindly ask for your support at this special time of year. The EAC is doing so many great things here in Takaungu. Each day children and adults are visiting the Vutakaka Center to further their general education, learn tailoring skills, computer skills, business skills, increase their general health knowledge, read books from our library, and learn enhanced farming techniques. Your donation to the EAC can help so many people in so many different ways. Moreover, whether your donation is small or large, it is sure to make a big impact here in Takaungu.

Want to donate to a specific need? How about sponsor a nursery or first grade student to attend our school for 2005? The EAC must find 25 sponsors for this coming year. Just $30.00 covers the school fees and uniform for each of our nursery students. A donation of $70.00 sponsors one of our first grade students per year. The EAC has gone to great lengths to ensure that only the most desperate of students receive sponsorship. Upon request, we will gladly keep you informed of your sponsored students progress. If interested in supporting this need, please send a check to the EAC at PO BOX 95703 Seattle WA. 98145. Make sure to memo on the check if you would like it to go toward sponsoring a child. Happy Holidays!!

The EAC welcomes Jane, our new volunteer in Takaungu. She's with us for three months from her home in Holland. She's pictured here helping kids in out nursery school make hats for the upcoming First Anniversary Party. We asked her to describe her first month here:

So here I am in Kenya. In this totally new world! It's totally different then what I was used to in Holland. I left Holland on a cloudy, cold day and the next morning I got off the plane and walked outside and it was hot. The first day I had to wait in Mombasa because my luggage didn't come to Mombasa and was still in Nairobi. But I was taken care of by Suzanne and Mahmud very well. So I had no worries. I saw a lot of Mombasa that first day. We spend some time at a luxury resort and I also saw Kenyan people running around and selling stuff on the streets of Mombasa: Two totally different sides of the same town.

At the beginning, I got the feeling of being an outsider because I have this enormous white skin. A lot of children will call you mzungu, which means, "white person". But now a few weeks later I've gotten used to being a mzungu and I feel ok with it. The second day, my luggage arrived and we could go to Takaungu, which now feels like my second HOME. This is thanks to the wonderful people who work in the center and the nice people who live in this sub-location. In my first week we made plans to start painting the courtyard of the center. I talked about it with Mercy and Mohammed, who are teaching in the center and they inspired me with their ideas. Then I had to get creative and start drawing the Alphabet, with pictures for every letter. We had so much fun drawing the pictures on the walls! The children were very enthusiastic and they would try to guess what I was drawing. After the drawing I started painting the drawing, the children were helping and during that time I heard the Alphabet over and over again. Which was good, because the children were busy with learning and they liked it. We all had a great time painting and learning the alphabet. In the third week, Suzanne bought a lot of fabrics in Mombasa. We had a big order from the States and also one from my own home country Holland. We had these big pieces of fabrics and we had to divide them among our sewing-women. So they could start making these wonderful things from these materials. They make aprons, baby dresses, all kinds of bags and so much more. It's amazing what they can do with a little bit of fabric and a sewing machine. For me it was a great experience to see all the enthusiastic women and having there own business. Hopefully we can get more orders from all over the world and of course it would be great to sell the handmade stuff in Kenya.

I also spend some time in the health class that Katrin is giving. She's doing a good job. She's teaching the women everything about HIV. She tries to make the people aware of the dangers. And it's great to hear the women think and talk about this disease. Hopefully I can also spend some time at Evan's business class. He's teaching business skills. He teaches them about costs and how you can make profit. And he is now trying the start a chicken farm and sell the eggs and maybe the chicken meat. This is something that people can enjoy for along time in the future. Up to now I've learned a lot from the people here and the Kenyan culture. Hopefully I will learn in the coming two months. If somebody is interested in our beautiful handmade stuff please let us know.

We know this picture looks like a page from a fairy tale storybook, but it's actually where we live and work. This rainbow appeared over Takaungu last Sunday. NOW, do you wanna come visit?

We are also still trying to raise money for our business class project. A gift of $25 can really help.