Time for updates!  It’s been a busy winter for the Kaitanys. At present, we have moved out of our house in Michigan, sent the school library, microscopes and most of our possessions off in a container to Kenya, and we are now sheltering in place in different locations while waiting for the Covid 19 pandemic to subside so we can relocate ourselves to Kenya.

On the plus side, we were able to get the container off in good order. Also, we have our wonderful site manager, Felix, in charge in Kenya so we know everything there is safe and sound including the Simbolei Academy building, the cows and our small house. Richard is in Michigan with some of our neighbors, hoping to head to Kenya as soon as international flights resume. Andrea is in Iowa doing some gardening for her mother and hoping to join Richard by August.

On the “not so plus” side this is a new experience for everyone and we cannot predict how travel regulations and requirements may change in the next few months. So, we remain flexible and patient, just as all of our friends and supporters must in this environment.

We remain determined at this time to focus all of our energy on opening Simbolei Girls in January 2021. The need for high quality local secondary education has increased due to economic and social pressures of the pandemic. We have an important role to play in helping the community to cope and we remain optimistic that we will overcome whatever challenges lie ahead.

As always, we depend on the support and encouragement of our friends and donors to help us meet our goals.

We will keep you posted as we add more details to our timeline.

Posted on April 8, 2020

I’ll get back to library organizing and household packing next week, but this week we got a whole crop of new photos from Richard showing the finished exterior walls.

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Side entry to the library/laboratory

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Working on the interior courtyard

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Almost ready for morning assembly

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Main stairwell now has walls

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Richard standing inside my future office

As you can see, the construction scaffolding is still in place or scattered around, but we will soon have that cleared away. I couldn’t wait to show you the beautiful building. The next step will be building interior partitions which are of cement block rather than stone. Then windows will go in and we will be ready for electrical wiring, tiling and painting. The crew has already started on some of the interior partitions.

Richard will have one more week in Kenya to wrap things up, including arrangements for the arrival of our shipping container of library books, lab equipment and personal effects, ensuring the cottage and building site have good security while he is in the US, arranging medical insurance, transportation etc, etc for our final relocation to Kenya in July. Felix Sirma continues to be our right hand man and amazing family friend. We could not do it without him.

We also could not do this without all of you, our friends, family and supporters. Keep sending your encouragement, keep praying if you do that, and, as always, financial support is always welcome. Your generosity of time, talent and resources is an inspiration to us.

We have some new and exciting volunteer activities coming up in the fall of 2019 and winter of 2020, so if you’ve been contemplating joining us in Kenya for a couple of weeks, a month, or a couple of months, a year, whatever, stay tuned. I will have more information about these activities in the next few weeks. If you can’t wait that long, send me an email at info@simboleiacademy.org or on Facebook at Simbolei Academy and I will fill you in. Happy planning!

Posted March 9, 2019

The new year begins with Richard Kaitany and the crew finishing the rough construction and beginning interior finishing. Everything is finally coming together for our school opening in 2020.

In a few photos from the construction site, the workers are position cut stone in preparation for creating the last walls. They will be able to complete the wall in one day. Then, the wall needs to cure overnight before they continue work the next day. In the last photo, you can see the back wall finished. In the days since this photo was taken, all the second floor walls were finished.

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Positioning cut stones for walls

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This wall will be finished in one day

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The finished back wall

So, what’s next?

Here in Michigan, I am clearing out and packing up accumulation from 20 years raising a family in this house. Our house here will go on the market in April. In Kenya, Richard and the crew are ready to begin interior finishing of the first four classrooms, the science laboratory and the library. A huge thank you to the Presbyterian Church of Okemos in Michigan for providing funds for interior finishing and microscopes for the science laboratory!

If you or someone you know would be interested in sponsoring the library or one or more of the classrooms, let us know!

Also, over the next few weeks, I’m going to start posting about how I am preparing for the move, with photos and stories about the new tools and processes I am attempting to master, from efficient ways to do laundry without a washing machine to making cheese and planning coursework. I will also post reviews of some great books about Kenya and East Africa so you can read up on the context of Simbolei Academy.

We’re moving right along!

— Andrea

Posted January 30, 2019

Here it is, folks, the last day of roofing! 

At the end of February, we finished the entire roof of the main building.

The next construction step will be to begin finishing the walls, doors and windows on the northwest wing, at the far right side in the first picture. These will be the first classrooms for students who will be entering Simbolei Academy in January 2020.

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In the meantime, we will continue to use the “soccer field” to grow maize to help fund construction.

Here in the U.S., volunteers continue to clean, catalog and pack more than 6000 books for the Simbolei Community Library.

Also, March 25-31 is our annual Schuler Book Days for Simbolei fundraiser. You can join the fun by shopping at Schuler Books in Okemos, Michigan and saying “Simbolei” at check out to direct 20% of your purchase price to be donated to Simbolei by Schuler Books. Or, online, you can shop at schulerbooks.com and enter “KENYA” in the coupon box to donate 20% of your purchase to Simbolei.

Every day we appreciate all you do to help make the dream of Simbolei Academy a reality. Things are happening fast now and Andrea and Richard and family are busy preparing for relocation to Kenya.

Let us know if you would like to volunteer or learn more about Simbolei by emailing info@simboleiacademy.org.

March 2, 2018

I haven’t posted on the blog in a while, but don’t let that fool you, Simbolei has been busy! 

We’ve been holding fundraisers (Riffs for the Rift and Alternative Christmas Market) and more importantly, we are now well into winter construction season.

Richard K is on the ground in Kenya and working with Felix and the crew of Mr. Majani to prepare the second floor skeleton so we can put on the roof. Here are a couple of recent pictures to bring you up to speed.

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Second floor pillars ready to be poured

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Richard stands beneath the second floor forms

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Welcome Agnes to our dairy herd!

Progress is slow but steady and we are pleased to have good weather for construction. The high quality of the work being done is evident in the beauty of the finished results.

Soon the roof will be going on!

Finally, we have a new little addition to our dairy herd. Welcome Agnes (daughter of Alsace) to the Simbolei family!

Thank you to all of you who continue to support our journey. As the roof goes on and the plan comes together, we can see our dreams and the dreams of Kamariny community coming true.

— Andrea

Posted December 13, 2017

In planning for Summer Literacy 2017 I realized that due to the excellent English skills of our cooperating teachers and our manager, Felix, my Kiswahili has gotten pretty rusty over the years. I am now on a “crash course” to brush up my basic skills, and thus, the title of today’s post which simply reads “We are building a school” in Kiswahili.

It’s important to remember often that though long-term goals can seem distant, each practical step brings them closer to completion. In January, Richard and the crew finished putting on the second floor “deck.”

This summer I hope to move stone for the second floor walls, put in a new water tank to catch rainwater, and repaint the volunteer cottage, along with conducting our literacy outreach workshops. I will be joined by two or three volunteers this year, so we will keep busy.

I’ll be posting more about summer preparations as we move along. For today, here is a picture Felix took with his phone last winter of our crew putting on the second floor.

— Andrea

Posted May 10, 2017