Turning trash into cash

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Vol 5, No. 1

h s a r t g n i n r Tu into cash Do you ever wonder, as you drop a sweet’s wrapper or banana peel into a rubbish bin, where it all ends up?

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ities produce an astonishing amount of rubbish. Nairobi alone generates over 2000 tonnes of it every day. Most rubbish is transported to and collected in dumpsites. One of the biggest ones in Africa is in the Nairobi estate of Dandora.

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The Dandora dumpsite has grown over the years, and so has the population of the surrounding areas.

About 1 million people now live in the slums around Dandora. This means too many people in too little space—and huge mountains of garbage.

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Young African Express

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Vol. 5 no. 1

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One of the projects turning Dandora’s trash into cash is Ecosandals.com. Young adults in Korogocho recycle used tyres into akala sandals— with a profitable twist. They decorate traditional akalas with high-quality beading and leather finishes and then sell them overseas, via the internet.

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The Young African Express is in Uchumi supermarkets and bookshops at Ksh 75 an issue.

Single annual subscription with postage Ksh 850. Call tel: +254 (0)20 374-4737 or (0)722 667747

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Young African Express

CREDITS Publisher Jacaranda Designs Ltd Technical Advisers Experts from our sponsors Executive Director Susan Scull-Carvalho Creative Director Peta Meyer Art Director Katherine Moir Senior Editor Helen van Houten Writers Lola Aragon, Pauline Maina, Peta Meyer, Katherine Moir, Yvonne Otieno, Sarah Radoli, Susan ScullCarvalho, Julia Wanjeri Graphic Designers Samuel Gachie, Susan Mbula Makaa (lead designer), Katherine Mamai Artists Bella Kilonzo, Katherine Moir, Sherry Odeyo, Donald Omondi, Benjamin Ondiege, Nkrumah Ondiek, Tony Siema Photographs Alessandra Argenti, Paul Bodea/ Freshot.com, JB Koh, Sarah Radoli, Anissa Thompson, Cultural Video Foundation, Eawag, KENWA, Shangilia Mtoto wa Afrika, World Agroforestry Centre, www.sxc.hu, www.wikipedia.com

Dear Readers, Welcome to the first new-look issue for 2010! We’re aiming to better connect each issue’s content—the information in it—with how you live. We’re hoping this will make it easier for you to use what you learn from each issue of the Young African Express.

Did you know your culture shapes what you eat, how you interact with others, how you work, what you value, how you define beauty, plus how you take care of others and the natural living things around you? Our culture powerfully shapes how we live our lives.

Education helps us respect our culture and the traditions that come with it. Education can also help us choose what and how best to adapt our culture so that we can create positive solutions and promote beneficial social change.

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What are the benefits of attending school and how would society be if there were no schools? Students from Shangilia Mtoto Wa Afrika in Kangemi had this to share with us.

Hallo,

Young African Express Email: info@youngafricanexpress.net subscription@youngafricanexpress.net marketing@youngafricanexpress.net Website: www.youngafricanexpress.net Copyright© Jacaranda Designs Ltd 2010 Young African Express is published by Jacaranda Designs Ltd, under a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

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Readers are encouraged to contribute. They must include a self-addressed envelope if they want their materials returned; we cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The editor reserves the right to alter materials in any way deemed necessary. Young African Express is not responsible for unsolicited material. All articles and material submitted must bear the contributor’s name if they are to be used by Young African Express. The opinions expressed in this newspaper are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers of Young African Express.

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Socio-economic progress depends Start today, if you haven’t started on how well people are educated already. Start by stopping—stop and trained. Educating young people waiting for someone else to solve is particularly critical for your problems. Stop thinking you development. Yet it is can’t; start believing you can.

Hey guys, check out our often hard to connect Stop being new-look issue! the knowledge and angry about what you skills we learn with don’t have; practical ways to become active use them. in creating a The Young African better life. Set Express focuses on your own goals, and bridging the gap between dare to dream! learning and living. We Do you agree? Write are focusing on you—our and tell us about your young majority— thoughts and plans! because we recognise your abilities and your potential to create better lives by guiding the adaptation of our cultures. Our WRITE TO THE EDITOR: PO Box 1202 – 00606 Nairobi theme of Learning for a better Email: Editor@YoungAfricanExpress.net life challenges you to do this by Or send your SMS to applying the knowledge and skills

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Database Monitor Penny Njuguna Departments Christine Kathure, Production & Distribution Susan Scull-Carvalho, Partnerships & CSR Martin Oyoo, Finance & Accounts

Vol. 5 no. 1

EXPRESSIONS

My

name is Gerrald Kariuki. I’m 13 years old and in class 6. My hobbies are playing football, swimming and cycling. School is a place where people learn various subjects like English and improve their talents. In school, we learn how to reason well and work hard to achieve our dreams. In future one is able to assist their family. If there were no schools, there would be no discipline and cooperation among us. We would be fighting all the time because we would not reason well. In our school, I enjoy the club session, where we attend the farm; I also enjoy playing with my friends. In future, I would love our school to have a swimming pool, a bigger hall for training and a band room.

I’m Paul Maitha from class 5. I am 11 years old, I love playing in the brass band and playing football during my free time. We go to school to have a better life in future and assist our families.

While at school, my mind is stress free because I am busy studying. I love the balanced diet that we have at school and all the workers that help keep the school running. We are provided with our basic needs, and we play a lot of games like football and table tennis.

However, our school needs a bigger playground and more computers.

Hi,

I

am Sarafina Wangui and in class 5. I’m 10 years old and my hobby is dancing. School is a place where people get educated. We go to school to have a better future and help our family. If there were no schools, there would be so many street children because they would have nowhere else to go and would not know how to read or write.

In my school, we learn how to act, dance, do acrobatics and play musical instruments. I really enjoy the lessons but I would love to see the school fence completed.

my name is Anne Wairimu.

I’m 13 years old and in class 6. My hobbies include swimming and dancing. School is a place where people learn how to read and write. Education makes us successful in life and teaches us skills for living a safe life like protecting oneself from diseases. Without schools, there would be so many criminals because they did not get a chance to learn important life skills. At school, I enjoy the theatre sessions and all the class sessions. My school is just perfect for me.

Vol. 5 no. 1

Dear Editor, M

y name is Sesa Edward. I come from Lodwar, Turkana District. I am 18 and just finished high school last year with a good grade. I now work as a volunteer with the Diocese of Lodwar. I read a copy of Young African Express about “Making decisions” and it really inspired me.

In the course of my reading I discovered that life is all about making decisions, most importantly—the right decision. In my life, I have always dreamed of becoming a medical doctor although I never thought of what it takes to actually work in a medical field.

To satisfy my curiosity, I always accompanied my mum, who works with a mobile clinic as a nurse. Despite hardships in outreach areas, I was really encouraged by the fact that lives of people, especially young children, were transformed. Though it’s

D

ear Editor and the Young African Express Team

I wish to congratulate the Young African Express team for doing such a great job.

You people have really changed the lives of many young Kenyans, including me. I have learned a lot from your paper. I mostly enjoy learning about life skills, expression, hygiene and sports. From the stories of Henry Wanyoike, Nick Vujicic and Helen Keller I learned that when you are motivated you can do incredible things. All 3 refused to let their disability prevent them from achieving their

Young African Express

EXPRESSIONS

a tough exercise, one that deals with human life, I felt it was the right decision for me because at the end of the day I not only feel proud of what has been done but I have also touched the heart of an innocent child positively.

I have also seen from many who fail in their objectives in life and you wonder, what really went wrong? It’s all about making wrong decisions, and not only in our careers. All aspects of life involve making decisions.

I would like to advise all people, especially the young generation, to be more careful while making decisions because those decisions will always affect them in future. Just as I have decided to pursue medicine, I feel on top of the world and I have never stopped believing this is what I am meant to do. Thank you, Young African Express, for your great assistance.

dreams. I liked it very much and I urge you to keep inspiring more young Kenyans to change their lives.

I am now joining form 2.

I have been using your paper to educate my friends and it is changing their lives as well.

Thanks for the articles you write and I request you to send more to our school.

Turning trash into cash has also created community spirit, and youth groups in Dandora have organised activities such as tree planting and community clean-ups.

Kutoka Network organised a campaign to relocate the Dandora dumpsite … will it work? continued from page 1 ates of infectious diseases such as TB, typhoid and cholera are high. Fruits and vegetables grown in the area are irrigated by a very polluted river.

Domestic animals feed off the trash too, and locals eat them. Dandora foods contain high levels of heavy metals such as lead and mercury—toxins that can cause all kinds of respiratory, ear and eye infections and in the long term, even cancer. Since 70% of the inhabitants of Dandora are below age 25, this means that these problems affect mainly children and young people.

R

Nairobi still struggles to manage its garbage, but the good news is that the people of

Dandora have started to come up with their own innovative solutions to change their surroundings and the way they live.

Waste management and recycling now provide income for a lot of people in the slum.

They sort and sell the recyclable waste to companies that have the machinery to deal with it; they make biogas from organic waste and use it as alternative energy for cooking and lighting.

Groups have found business opportunities in creating biofuels from organic matter and making compost to sell as fertiliser. Groups like Ecosandals.com make sandals out of old tyres and other recyclable materials and even create objects of art from the trash!

Coming together to try to find solutions

God bless you. May you keep inspiring many young Kenyans!

T

Yours faithfully, Kakenya Barta Il-Bissil Girls High School PO Box 213 Kajiado, Kenya

The level of pollution in it flows Nairobi River rises as site. past the Dandora dump

Humans are the ones who generate the trash in the first place and it is humans who are responsible for managing it. If you reduce, reuse and recyle the waste in your own household, you will be helping to make life easier for people who have to live close to garbage. The neighbours of Dandora have shown that, despite their poverty, they are determined to improve not only their environment but also their own lives by making a living out of what we throw away.

Patrick of the Trash Is Cash video crew covers Kutoka Network’s campaign.

he people of Dandora, their problems living with garbage and the innovative ways they try to resolve them are now the subject of a documentary called Trash Is Cash. Made by Alessandra Argenti and the Cultural Video Foundation, the video was chosen for showing at last year’s Kenya Film Festival and also shown at the Copenhagen climate change meeting last December.

Educators: Follow the colour guides Expressions: English language and literacy Health, hygiene and nutrition

3

Our World: Civil society, social sciences and human rights

Going Green: Agroforestry, home gardens and environmental conservation

Practical Science: Maths, science and technology Business and careers

Critical thinking, puzzles and brainteasers

4

Young African Express

staying healthy

Vol. 5 no. 1

said Hippocrates, a Greek physician about 2,500 years ago

H

is wisdom is still up to date—a good diet keeps us healthy. Sickness is often a sign that we are missing some nutrients. Use this body map as a basic guide for what to eat to prevent or recover from some common ailments.*

*We mention only some common helpful foods; many others provide the same nutrients or benefits.

Vol. 5 no. 1

COMMON DISEASES

Young African Express

5

Understanding fluorosis S

ammy was the most silent boy in class 7. He rarely talked or smiled. Not because he was shy or didn’t have anything to say, but because his classmates always teased him about his teeth. They called him Ma Meno because his teeth were yellow-brown in colour.

is even added to some toothpastes.

Matthew: Does that mean water and toothpaste are harmful to our teeth?

Sammy: Water and toothpaste are not harmful. Fluoride too is not harmful.

It only affects our body when taken excessively.

One Friday afternoon during the class 7 games lesson, Sammy’s classmates, led by the class bully, Matthew, started making fun of Sammy as they usually did. But this time round, Joy, Sammy’s deskmate, could not take it any more. “Enough is enough! I cannot continue watching in silence as one of my classmates gets teased,” Joy murmured to herself.

“What do I do?” Joy wondered. “I can’t tell Matthew to stop teasing Sammy as I too fear him. He might start picking on me too or even beat me up. What can I do to make sure Sammy is not teased again?” Just when Joy was about to give up on helping Sammy, Teacher Jane came to mind. “Though I don’t want to get Matthew in trouble with the teacher, I have to find a way to stop him from insulting my deskmate,” Joy told herself as she ran towards the staff room.

The following day …

Teacher Jane: Good morning, class.

Class: Good morning, Teacher Jane.

Teacher Jane: Today, we are going to learn about a dental condition called fluorosis. Someone who understands this topic very well and wishes everyone else did so that they could stop teasing him will be our teacher for the day. Sammy, you take it from here.

Sammy: Hi guys. You all know me, right? I have fluorosis.

Martha: What is that?

Sammy: Fluorosis is the discoloration of the enamel part of the teeth with white or yellow-brownish lines or spots like the ones I have on my teeth.

John: What is enamel?

Sammy: Enamel is the outermost part of a tooth—the part you see when someone smiles.

Matthew: What causes fluorosis?

Sammy: It’s caused by excessive intake of fluoride when teeth are developing, mostly between the ages of 1 and 4 years when one’s “milk teeth” are developing. But someone can also develop fluorosis between the ages of 6 and 13 years when their permanent teeth are developing.

John: Is fluoride a type of food?

Sammy: No, it’s not food.

Fluoride is a substance found in water and also in some of the foods we eat, and it

A vibrant smile from a girl with fluorosis.

In fact, fluoride is very important for our body. It makes our bones and teeth strong. But just like any other substance that we eat or drink, it can become harmful if we take too much of it. For example, carbohydrates are good for us because they give us energy to work and play, but when you take too much carbohydrate, you become obese and can suffer from heart disease. That is the same sort of thing with fluoride.

Martha: How can we prevent fluorosis?

Sammy: Parents who live in a highfluoride area should look for alternative drinking water for their children or use a defluoridation filter. They should also teach their children not to swallow toothpaste.

John: Is there treatment for fluorosis?

Sammy: Although the teeth are discoloured permanently, the stain can be hidden for a while through a medical procedure known as tooth bleaching.

Tooth bleaching whitens a person’s teeth.

But in most cases, because the procedure is expensive and because teeth affected by fluorosis are still healthy and strong, most people do not bother to do the bleaching.

Matthew: Thank you, Sammy, for helping us understand fluorosis. I promise not to make fun of you again.

Fun tooth facts

• Enamel is the hardest part of the body • Girls usually lose their milk tee th earlier than boys • When you chew, only your low er jaw moves • China celebrates Love Your Tee th Day on September 20th See more about defluoridation filters on page 17.

6

Young African Express

AIDS is considered one of the most serious and deadly diseases in all human history.

It is estimated that about 42 million people worldwide are living with HIV or AIDS, and more than 3 million die every year from AIDS-related illnesses.

Vol. 5 no. 1

hiv and you

e different are connecte d, they ar ey th h ug ho Alt t. no e DS. The No, they ar treate d will lead to AI un if at th n tio ec inf blood or things. HIV is an membranes or through us co mu h ug ro th dy virus enters the bo e cells in the bo dy. slowly kills the defenc it en Th . od blo th wi oyed an d can contact attacke d until it is destr ts ge m ste sy ne mu im HIV infection.

The bo dy the final stage of the is DS AI ns. tio ec inf no longer fight

e The window: This is th ing be r te af l perio d just

AIDS stands for “acquired immunodeficiency syndrome” and it is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The body has what is called an immune system, which is its defence that fights infectious diseases. The HI virus destroys a type of defence cell in the body that is part of the immune system, leaving the body unprotected against disease.

initia dy infecte d when the bo odies starts to develop antib tion. to fight off the infec dy Seroconversion: The bo odies develops lots of antib During . us vir to fight off the d te this stage the infec -like person may have flu sympto ms.

Symptom free: During

this time the person to ms. experiences no symp fro m This perio d can last an 10 6 months to more th years.

AIDS: This is the final has stage, when the bo dy an d t lef few defence cells f can no longer fight of infections.

what, time to have sex?

... then it’s too early to consider being intimate with him. you’re not ready for it. you’ll end up getting hurt.

whoa, girl! if you can’t talk to him about things you find embarrassing ...

if you go ahead, make sure to stay safe and use a condom.

but there’s emergency contraception, you just take a pill the morning after and then you don’t have to worry. really?

not to mention pregnant!

oh!

There is still no cure for AIDS. There is medication that can slow down the progress of HIV, but these drugs are expensive and are not available to everybody in the world.

However, more and more people with HIV are getting treatment, and living good quality lives for years.

that’s the problem. i can’t talk to paul about condoms. it’s embarrassing!

can you imagine it! paul is pushing me to do it. he says we’ve been together long enough and now it’s time.

Story by Peta Meyer Art by Bella Kilonzo

No. HIV can affect anybody, not just adults. Anyone can be infected by having unprotected sex, through sharing needles or through blood contact. However, you can’t get HIV from hugging or holding hands, through sneezes or coughs or by sitting near someone who is infected.

HIV is not carried by mosquitoes or any other insect, either. If a woman with HIV is pregnant, her baby can catch the virus from her before being born, during birth or through breastfeeding.

besides, it won’t protect you against infections.

the morning after pill is meant for emergencies, like for rape victims. it has bad side effects. if you catch an sti, you’ll be more susceptible to HIV.

you know, there’s more to a relationship than sex. if paul is being responsible, he should bring up the subject of condoms.

yes, the pill can make it difficult for you to get pregnant later when you want to.

and if he really cares about you and respects you, he shouldn’t be putting pressure on you. he should want you to be happy.

well, i guess true love waits.

TALK ABOUT IT! why would olivia rather take her chances with an unknown drug than talk to paul about using condoms? why does she feel embarrassed? do you think their relationship will last?

Vol. 5 no. 1

Young African Express

bodyworks

The tooth cycle

7

Tooth types The 32 teeth in an adult are different in both shape and purpose.

Upper teeth

D

id you know that babies have the roots of their first teeth before they are born? But teethonly when the we can seeUpper the teeth baby is about 6 to 12 months old.

These first teeth are called primary or baby teeth and there are 20 of them.

Most children have all their primary teeth by the time they Upper teeth are 3 years old.

At age 5 or 6 the primary teeth start to fall out. By age 12 or 13, most children have lost all their primary teeth, and they are replaced by Lower teeth permanent teeth.

Lower teeth

girl whites! So on this little Check out my pearly teeth. will lose her first baby

Central incisor Lateral incisor Canine (cuspid) First molar Second molar

LIVING RIGHT

Lower teeth

Primary teeth

An adult human being has 32 teeth—28 permanent teeth

Central incisor Lateral incisor

What makes us haPPy “M Canine (cuspid) First molar

Second molar

oney doesn’t buy you happiness.” We hear this said all the time, but do we really believe it? We daydream sometimes of all the things we would like to have (a new pair of shoes, a nicer house in a better neighbourhood, to pass our exams ...) and think that once we have them we’ll be happy. But do material things really make us happy?

Research conducted among young people around the world shows that what makes us feel good is totally unrelated to money.

What comes at the top, no matter where you’re from, is good relationships.

Spending time with family, friends and those close to us brings us joy, as do religion and spirituality.

If you want to be happy, don’t wait for the future— start today, right now!

Here are some ways to find happiness: • Spend time with family and friends.

• Participate in your community by doing some volunteer work or helping others in some way.

• Spend time in nature: look at it, breathe it, smell it and feel part of it.

• Be absorbed in an activity you love, such as listening to music, dancing, helping out in the shamba or learning how to cook from your mother.

• Exercise: run, jump, play football!

and 4 wisdom teeth. The wisdom teeth grow in between the ages of 17 and 21.

Tooth health For your teeth to serve you well, you must take care of them.

To keep your teeth healthy: • Brush your teeth at least twice a day— after breakfast and at bedtime.

Tooth

Eruption

Central incisor

6–7 years

Lateral incisor

8–9 years

Canine (cuspid)

11–12 years

First premolar (first bicuspid)

10–11 years

Second premolar (second bicuspid) 10–12 years First molar

6–7 years

Second molar

12–13 years

Third molar (wisdom tooth)

17–21 years

The permanent teeth and when they appear. Ages can vary.

Incisors are the square-shaped teeth at the front of your mouth. They are 8 in number, 4 on the upper jaw and 4 on the lower. Incisors are meant to cut and chop food.

Canines are the pointy teeth at the corners of your mouth. There are 2 in each jaw. Canines are for tearing food.

The 4 pre-molars on each jaw are located just behind the canines. Their flat chewing surface is for crushing food.

Molars, located towards the back of your mouth, are 12 in total. They are bigger than the pre-molars and have bigger, flatter chewing surfaces because they grind food into small pieces.

• Spend not less than 2 minutes brushing.

Spend most of the time brushing up and down along the sides of your teeth.

• Brush your tongue to keep your breath fresh.

• Always ensure that your toothbrush has soft bristles.

• Eat foods with calcium, vitamin D, protein, vitamin A, magnesium and phosphorus. They all help make your teeth strong and healthy.

A puppy has 28 baby teeth and 42 as an adult dog.

Elephants go through 6 sets of brick-like teeth that grow in at the back of their mouths and move to the front as they are worn down. Sharks have up to 3,000 teeth, arranged in about 5 rows. Their teeth grow and are replaced constantly.

8

Young African Express

human rights

Your needs,

your rights

Children’s rights touch on every aspect of children’s lives. Children have the right to survival and protection and the right to develop to their full potential. They also have the right and responsibility to help build a better world in partnership with adults.

Different laws and policies guide children’s rights:

Survival: Children foremost

have a right to life—their basic physical needs for food, shelter, safety and health care should be met.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child

Participation: Children need to share in the life of their family, school, community and nation, to take responsibility and to have a voice.

Factors may negatively affect children’s well-being, such as poverty, ill health, violence or being orphaned.

Protection: Children need to

be protected from injury and harm—emotional as well as physical.

• The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child

Development: Children need

• The Constitution and the Bill of Rights

all the things that will help them grow and develop. They need friends and family, love and laughter. They need fresh air and safe places to play.

They need stories and music,

Human rights for children take into account children’s needs to have a happy and fulfilled childhood. What are these needs?

By Peta Meyer and Donald R. Omondi

schools and libraries, and all that stimulates the mind. They need to practise their culture and religion and to develop a sense of awe and wonder.

HEY DENNIS, I HEAR YOU QUIT SMOKING DURING THE HOLIDAYS. CONGRATULATIONS!

Vol. 5 no. 1

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that every human being is entitled to dignity and to fundamental rights that are equal and inalienable.

Children, as humans, should enjoy those rights!

Furthermore, this declaration proclaims that childhood is entitled to “special care and assistance”.

This is why the Convention on the Rights of the Child was drawn up—to protect and promote children’s rights and provide guidelines for what needs to be done if a child’s rights are abused.

Look in future issues for more on the rights of children as explained in different laws.

THANKS, FIONA. I HOPE I CAN STAY STOPPED.

Emotional abuse is also child abuse

OH DENNIS, DON’T GIVE UP NOW. YES, YOU’VE BEATEN THE PHYSICAL ADDICTION, NOW YOU MUST HANDLE THE MENTAL.

. . .START SMOKING AGAIN? HOW WILL I HANDLE THAT?!

TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME. REMEMBER, YOU’RE THE BOSS OF YOUR ADDICTION, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. AND EVERY DAY YOU DON’T SMOKE MAKES YOU STRONGER.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN? MOST PEOPLE START SMOKING AGAIN BECAUSE THEY’RE STILL MENTALLY ADDICTED. EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW HOW UNHEALTHY SMOKING IS. . .

HI GUYS!

SO THEY. . .

NOW YOU CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER. THAT KEEPS BOTH OF YOU STRONG!

HI GEORGE. GUESS WHAT, I’VE STOPPED SMOKING!

. . .THEY FEEL EVERYONE’S HAVING FUN EXCEPT THEM! THEY FEEL THEY’VE LOST SOMETHING.

GREAT, ME TOO!

HERE’S OUR BUS!

E

motional abuse is anything that intentionally hurts the feelings of the other person, such as “You don’t need a new dress—you’re so ugly it would be a waste of money”.

You may think words are harmless, but constant negative messages of abuse destroy a person’s selfesteem. An abused child finds it hard to make friends and may turn to drugs. Later they may choose a partner who is like the abusive parent, and the cycle of abuse continues.

However, some children are by nature shy and find it difficult to be outgoing and confident, but this does not mean they are being abused.

Behavioural signs of emotional abuse • Unwillingness or inability to play • Excessive fear of making mistakes • Compulsive nervous behaviour such as rocking • Self-harm or self-mutilation • Reluctance to have parents or guardians contacted • Excessive respect for adults • Excessive lack of confidence • Excessive attention-seeking behaviour Physical signs of emotional abuse • Speech problems or eating disorders • Substance abuse • Delayed development, either physical or emotional

To get help for a child being abused, call these hotlines.

Childline Kenya tel: 116 Liverpool VCT One-2-One Hotline 0800 22 11 121

Action for Children Uganda 0800 111 333 or 0800 111 222 ANPPCAN-Tanzania (51) 152243

Vol. 5 no. 1

Africa’s

Landforms Africa is home to some of the most amazing landforms in the world. Here are just a few.

The Atlas Mountains run from south-west Morocco, along the Mediterranean coastline into eastern Tunisia.

They consist of several ranges—High Atlas, Middle Atlas and Maritime Atlas.

The highest peak, Mount Toubkal in western Morocco, is 4,167 m high.

The Congo River Basin, which covers about 3.6 million sq km, contains 20% of the world’s rain forest. It stretches from the Democratic Republic of

The Great Rift Valley can be seen from the moon.

DO THE

Young African Express

our world

RIGHT

If we were asked why we go to school, we would probably reply, “so that we learn to read, write and count”. We know that we will need all of these in future life.

But those are not the only skills we learn.

Congo into Congo, going as far as Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Zambia. The Congo River, the 2nd largest in Africa, connects other rivers and streams and helps link people and cities within Africa.

The Great Rift Valley is the greatest depression on the earth’s surface.

Approximately 6,400 km long, it stretches from the Red Sea in the Middle East to Mozambique in Africa.

Volcanic eruptions that left

The Congo River helps link people and cities within Africa.

THING

We learn how to deal with success and with failure through tests and competitive sports.

Most of us discover our own individual talents, whatever they are, through learning.

geological faults formed the rift, which features the Ethiopian highlands, cliffs, mountain ridges, rugged valleys and deep lakes along the entire valley.

The Kalahari Desert, 259,000 sq km, covers the south-western part of South Africa, a large part of Botswana and all of western Namibia. The Kalahari is actually semidesert. The Namib Desert to the west of it is a true desert. The Kalahari consists of dry riverbeds and dense scrub. The Okavango, the only permanent river, flows into a marshy delta in the north. Several species of wild animals are found in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

The Nile, stretching 6,693 km, is the longest river in the world. It flows northward from the highlands of northeastern Africa and drains into

The Kalahari Desert is actually semi-desert.

9

the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile, comprising the Albert, Blue and Victoria Niles, is made up of tributaries, swamps, waterfalls, dams, rapids and streams.

The Sahara Desert, the largest desert in the world, covers almost 1/3rd of the continent—approximately 9,065,000 sq km. Common features are rock plains, rolling sand dunes and sand seas. Nearby deserts are the Libyan, the Nubian and the Western Desert of Egypt. It virtually never rains in the Sahara.

The Sahel is growing every day. It is a wide stretch of land running across north central Africa, just south of the Sahara Desert. This region, between the dry north and the tropical south, receives 15–20 cm of rain a year. Its sparse vegetation is grasses and shrubs.

Did you know the Atlas Mountains were home to Africa’s Atlas bear, which is now extinct?

The value of going to school

We learn to solve problems in Maths and Science. We learn critical thinking in Social Studies. We develop our physical abilities in P.E. We learn to communicate in English, Kiswahili and Art, and through singing, performing and debating. And in many subjects we cultivate creativity.

At school we are thrown together with a bunch of strangers, so we learn social skills too: tolerance, respect, caring, patience, sharing, good manners. And along the way, we make lifelong friends!

10 Young African Express

Vol. 5 no. 1

agroforestry

Why start a tree nursery?

If

you have read Young African Express before, you know that we love trees!

Not only because they look so good (they are beautiful!) but also because they help us in many ways. Some benefits are easy to see— direct—but other benefits are less obvious, or indirect.

Here are a few examples:

• Preventing wind erosion by shielding soil from the wind

• Breaking the force of falling rain so that it does not erode the soil

• Anchoring the soil with their roots, so that other plants can grow

Can you think of more goods and services that trees supply?

Direct benefits— the goods that trees produce • Timber

• Firewood • Fruit

Plant trees around your school or home garden. The trees you choose depend on the climate and conditions in your region and on what you want the trees to do. They may be windbreaks, fertiliser trees (trees that enrich the soil by fixing nitrogen in it), fodder trees, shade trees or providers of fruit, poles, timber or fuelwood. Some trees provide many different goods and services. They are called multipurpose trees.

Where to start

• Medicines

Set up a tree nursery, a place where you raise trees from seed or from small seedlings. It requires time and hard work, but there are advantages:

Indirect benefits— the services trees provide

Growing your own trees from seeds, cuttings or immature seedlings costs less than buying mature seedlings.

• Protecting us, our crops and livestock, and the soil from the sun

By Katherine Moir and Donald R. Omondi

Let’s grow trees

Seedlings that are raised near their final planting spot will be used to local conditions, so they will be more likely to thrive when they are planted out.

ONE AFTERNOON . . .

CONNIE, THANKS FOR HELPING US REALISE WHAT WE CAN DO. YOU’RE WELCOME. I LIKE YOUR “CONES”.

Young seedlings need lots of care. They need to be weeded, watered and checked or treated for pests and diseases.

It is easier to carry out these tasks if they are grouped together in a nursery.

It is easier to protect young seedlings from browsing goats and other animals in a nursery.

EXACTLY, AHMED—WE DON’T EVEN HAVE EQUIPMENT.

WHERE ARE WE MEANT TO PRACTISE FOR THE FOOTBALL MATCH?

SOME DAYS LATER . . .

Looking after young seedlings in a nursery allows you to raise strong, healthy trees that are likely to do better when planted out than seedlings or seeds planted directly.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MARY? HOW CAN WE PRACTISE, ANYWAY?

THERE’S LESS AND LESS SPACE HERE.

WHY THE LONG FACES? WE CAN CLEAN UP THAT RUBBISH TO MAKE SPACE FOR PLAYING FOOTBALL.

Growing seedlings in a nursery allows you to grow more trees than you need—you can plant some and sell the rest.

THAT WAS JACK’S IDEA. HE SAID WE COULD MAKE MARKERS FROM SOME OF THE PLASTIC CONTAINERS WE COLLECTED. WE PAINTED THEM AND FILLED THEM WITH STONES SO THAT THEY WON’T FALL OVER.

NOW THEY LOOK SO BRIGHT THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING WHERE THEY CAN GET SOME! DO YOU HAVE ANY CONTAINERS LEFT? YES. . .

WELL, WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY—MAKE MORE MARKERS AND SELL THEM! LET’S DO IT, AHMED! IMAGINE—WE COULD THEN BUY A NEW BALL … JUST FOR STARTERS!

Students tend their seedlings in a semi-arid part of Tanzania.

So let’s get planting! Look out for our next issue where we will discuss how to set up a tree nurser y.

Vol. 5 no. 1

Young African Express

Reading is fun

11

The Secret

of the Mango Grove

T

here was once a rich man who had a beautiful mango grove. His daughter, Shanta, took care of all the creatures in it. They all loved her, from the largest to the very smallest. One day a traveller came from far away.

“Welcome,” said the rich man, offering the traveller a basket of the delicious mangoes. The guest was delighted. He ate many of the mangoes.

After he had eaten more than half, he stopped.

“What is this?” asked the guest, peering at a hole in one of them.

“What is this?” cried the rich man as he peered into one of his baskets. Lo and behold, his precious mangoes were now full of holes.

“Oh that?” replied the rich man. “That’s made by the birds that live in the mango trees. They enjoy our mangoes, too.”

“Birds?” said the guest, frowning. “You must get rid of them! How will you ever have perfect mangoes if the birds peck at them all the time?”

That night the rich man thought about what his guest had said. “We must get rid of those birds,” he told his daughter the next day.

“No, father, we cannot do that,” Shanta replied. “All living things need homes and good things to eat, just as we do.” But the rich man wasn’t listening. He was only thinking of his mangoes.

Every day he had all the birds chased away. Soon there wasn’t a bird left in the mango grove. Now Shanta was sad. How she missed the sound of birds singing in the trees at dawn and dusk. The people in the area did not know why the birds had disappeared, but they were sad, too.

A

fter a while, another guest came to visit.

The rich man welcomed his new guest.

“Now for some of my perfect mangoes,” he said, rubbing his hands together. In a grand procession, many baskets of mangoes were brought in.

“Worms! Insects!” cried the rich man.

“What has happened?” he wailed, calling for his daughter.

“Why, it is very simple, father,” replied Shanta. You chased away all the birds. When the insects came, there were no birds to eat them. Now the insects are eating all our mangoes.”

The guest said, “Why don’t you use strong poisons on the trees?”

“No, father, you shouldn’t do that either!” warned Shanta.

But the rich man didn’t listen to his daughter. He wanted to kill the insects. He ordered his fruit trees to be sprinkled with a powerful pesticide.

A

fter a few months, there were beautiful mangoes on the trees. But when the rich man ate them, he fell sick. His daughter had to nurse him back to health. When he was well again, she told him, “you see father, the pesticide on the fruits enters our bodies when we eat them. This can make us very sick. It poisons everything: the earth, the water and the air.”

The rich man looked at Shanta. He

had received bad advice from strangers, now he would listen to his own daughter.

Sometimes the best wisdom is close to home.

“Each creature has its own place and depends on all the others,” Shanta told him. “If we remove the birds, who will eat the insects? If we kill snakes, who will eat the rats that devour our maize and wheat?”

Now the rich man began to understand.

When we harm one creature, we upset nature’s delicate balance until, in the end, all beings suffer.

N

ext year, the mango grove was full of birds again. The birds sang sweetly and so did the rich man’s daughter. After a few months, big golden mangoes hung from all the trees. The rich man shared the mangoes with all the creatures living nearby.

Occasionally he bit into a mango with a hole in it, but he didn’t mind. He ate carefully around it, happy that he was part of nature’s wonderful balance.

Shanta was happy again. She spent long hours in the mango grove with her friends.

She smiled an inner smile, knowing that all beings are one.

This was the secret of the Mango Grove.

Adapted by Bridget A.C. King from The Secret of the Mango Grove by M.H. Mueller and Forrest Corkery. Illustrations by Robin Miranda.

Praia

(Spain)

São Tomé

5892

5199

Moroni

Victoria

12 Young African Express Vol. 5 no. 1

3482

1,000–2,000 500–1,000 300–500 <300

60–70 50–60 35–50 <35 no data

50–75

75–100

100–150

150–250

>250

Learning for Life

GDP per person in US$

(France)

Port Louis

Young African Express

Copyright c YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS. Published by Jacaranda Designs Limited.

P.O. Box 1202–00606, NAIROBI, KENYA. Email: editor@youngafricanexpress.net

Percentage of adult population that is literate

2,000–3,000

70–80

25–50

no data

3,000–5,000

80–90

10–25

>10,000 5,000–10,000

US$

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)

>90

%

ADULT LITERACY

0–10

Number of people per square kilometre

No.

POPULATION DENSITY

Salt pan

Lake

River

Country boundary

MAYOTTE

(France) Vol. 5 no. 1

13

14 Young African Express

Reading is fun

Let’s have fun with WORDS Who says poetry always has to be serious? Poetry can be a great medium for playing with words and humour, as Edward Lear did in his nonsense verse. If he couldn’t find a good word for something he’d make one up.

The Duck and the Kangaroo Written and illustrated by Edward Lear Said the Duck to the Kangaroo, “Good gracious! how you hop Over the fields, and the water too, As if you never would stop!

My life is a bore in this nasty pond; And I long to go out in the world

beyond: I wish I could hop like you,” Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

“Please give me a ride on your back,” Said the Duck to the Kangaroo: “I would sit quite still, and say nothing

but ‘Quack’ The whole of the long day through; And we ‘d go the Dee, and the Jelly Bo

Lee,

EAST AFRICA’S ANNULAR ECLIPSE

Vol. 5 no. 1

Over the land, and over the sea: Please take me a ride! oh, do!”

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

Said the Kangaroo to the Duck, “This requires some little reflection.

Perhaps, on the whole, it might bring me

luck; And there seems but one objection; Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold, Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold, And would probably give me the roo Matiz,” said the Kangaroo.

Said the Duck, “As I sate on the rocks, I have thought over that completely; And I bought four pairs of worsted socks, Which fit my web-feet neatly; And, to keep out the cold, I’ve bought a

cloak; And every day a cigar I’ll smoke; All to follow my own dear true Love of a Kangaroo.”

Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready, All in the moonlight pale; But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit

steady, And quite at the end of my tail.”

So away they went with a hop and a

bound; And they hopped the whole world three

times round.

And who so happy, oh! who, As the Duck and the Kangaroo?

Did you miss the annular eclipse on 15 January?

This is how it looked from Laikipia, near Mount Kenya.

Vol. 5 no. 1

home gardens

Young African Express

15

16 Young African Express

Vol. 5 no. 1

ecosystems

Recycling

East Africa now has its own e-waste recy cling facility. See details below.

Waste. Garbage. Trash. Rubbish. Litter.

Maybe there are so many words for waste because there is so much of it!

W

e don’t always realise how much waste is, well, wasted when we throw it away.

We can reduce the piles of rubbish through the 3 Rs—reduce, reuse, recycle.

Reduce waste by using less in the first place. Reuse things like plastic bags and glass jars again and again. Recycle many things—process them into new things to use or sell.

Can anything in this heap of rubbish be recycled?

If you’ve read the cover story of this issue you will know that we can make money from rubbish. Recycling is big business—all over the world people are making money from waste.

What can be recycled?

Part or all of most products can be recycled. Products that are too difficult, expensive or dangerous to recycle on a small scale are recycled in factories. Some contain toxic heavy metals, like lead, mercury and cadmium, and other unsafe materials.

When things rust or decay on dumpsites Trash = cash they may leak such harmful substances, poisoning people and polluting the soil, air and water.

Industrial recycling involves collecting waste products, sorting them and then processing them into more of the same things or extracting useful materials to produce other goods.

Recycling

an making • Uses less energy th things from scratch. resources. Fewer • Preserves natural mined and minerals need to be be cut down. to fewer trees need n than when • Creates less pollutio raw materials. making things from ish, so less • Leads to less rubb dumpsites. space is taken up by • Creates jobs.

What happens to …

Batteries? As most

types of batteries contain heavy metals, they should not be thrown away. Most rechargeable batteries contain cadmium.

Silver oxide batteries, used in watches, contain cadmium and mercury—unsafe to throw away but worth recycling. The steel and zinc in standard batteries can be recycled. Lead-acid (car) batteries contain a harmful mixture of lead and sulphuric acid, but the lead and plastic are recycled into new battery cases and the sulphuric acid is either neutralised or converted into sodium sulphate for use in detergent. However, car batteries must be recycled in a suitable factory to avoid causing harm to people and the environment.

Cans? Tin cans are actually made from an alloy (a mixture of metals) that is 99% steel, with a thin coating of tin.

The cans are melted to make steel. Aluminium drink cans are melted down to turn out sheet aluminium for making new cans.

If you can’t tell whether a can is tin or aluminium, hold a magnet to it—it will stick to a tin can but not to aluminium.

• Only 25% of a tree harvested for papermaking ends up as paper.

• Making paper from recycled paper instead of wood pulp uses 70% less energy.

• Used aluminium cans are worth 6 to 20 times more than any other used packaging material.

• We produce and use 20 times more plastic today than we did 50 years ago.

Recyclers in Kenya • Computers for Schools Kenya (CFSK) in Nairobi has East Africa’s first e-waste management facility. They separate the different parts and sort them. (Tel: +254 (0)20 206 0919; email: cfsk@cfsk.org) • Nokia collects used phones, batteries and chargers for recycling at points in Nairobi and Kisumu (technoserviceltd@gmail.com), Dar es Salaam (nokiacare@midcomeafrica.com). Safaricom and Zain collect old handsets at any of their service centres • Makers of paper products, Tetra Pak, are planning to increase their use of recycled packaging.

E-waste? Electronic

waste has increased as newer electronic equipment (computers, televisions, mobile phones) make old equipment obsolete. Plastics, metals and circuit boards can be recovered and reused or recycled. Reusable components are repaired and reused, and non-reusable parts are shipped to specialised e-waste recycling plants.

Glass? Glass bottles, jars and broken glass are washed, sorted, crushed, added to a mixture of raw materials in a furnace, and blown or moulded into new glass products.

Paper products?

Used paper and cardboard are processed into pulp and made into new paper and cardboard. The fibres that bind paper break down more each time they are recycled, so the pulp makes lower-quality paper unless fresh raw materials are added to maintain the quality.

Plastic? Different types

of plastic are recycled in different ways. Drinking bottles are chopped and processed into pellets that are used to make various new products.

Glass is made from sand, soda ash, limestone and feldspar. For every tonne of glass we recycle, we save: Sand Soda ash Limestone Feldspar Total

603 kg 196 kg 196 kg 68 kg 1,063 kg

That’s more than a tonne of raw materials! And glass never wears out—it can be recycled forever.

Go to www.recyclezone.org.uk for more on recycling.

Vol. 5 no. 1

practical science

Young African Express My molecules like to stay close together

17

, s s d i d u and gases i l q li So

What is matter? It is anything occupying space and that has mass. The smallest particle of matter is the atom, and atoms combine in various ways to form molecules.

M

atter is found all over the universe, usually in just a few forms. The 3 main states of matter are solids, liquids and gases. Each of these states has its own characteristics and matter can change from one state to another when energy is reduced or increased.

Increasing the temperature changes a solid to a liquid. Further heating changes the liquid to gas.

Reducing the energy by freezing a gas changes it to a liquid. And freezing the liquid makes it solid. What happens to the properties of each state if we apply heat?

Liquids have a definite volume only when temperature and pressure are maintained. They have no definite shape but take the shape of the container they are in. The forces holding the molecules particles together inMy a liquid are only a strong enough to keep have the molecules loose bond moving relative to each other.

My molecules like to stay close together

In solids, the particles are packed closely together. The force between them is strong, so the particles cannot move freely but can only vibrate.

Myamolecules Therefore, a solid has stable, definite My molecules like to stay are free, shape and volume, and cannot be man! close together compressed. Solids can change their shape only by force, like when broken or cut. Heating a solid adds energy, increasing the vibration of the particles.

Eventually these particles break free from their binding forces and melt to become liquid.

My molecules have a loose bond

My molecules are free, man!

How a defluoridation filter works Did you read on page 5 why Sammy has brown teeth? It is because of drinking water with excess fluoride. Fluoride is essential in our body but when we have too much of it, it discolours our teeth.

To remove the excess fluoride from water, we need a defluoridation filter.

T

wo very effective materials for defluoridation of drinking waterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that is, removing fluoride from itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;are activated alumina and bone char.

Activated alumina is manufactured from aluminium hydroxide in a way that produces a highly porous material. It has many small pores, almost like tunnels, running through it, making it highly absorbent. It is odourless, tasteless, non-toxic, and does not dissolve in water or alcohol. Even after absorbing the pollutants, the particles do not expand or crack. Activated alumina filters can reduce fluoride levels from 0.5 ppm (parts per million) to less than 0.1 ppm. The more alumina in the filter, the less fluoride will be in the filtered water.

Activated alumina is readily available. Pour the chemical in the water tank, and it will start doing its job. The alumina will remove more than the excess fluoride. It also gets rid of pollutants that make our water smell bad, for example sulphur, and those that make it taste

water supplied from outside activated alumina

Place the defluoridation filter in a house with running water at the point where water enters the house. All the unwanted elements in the water get filtered out before the water flows to the taps.

Water will be free from rust, chlorine and fluoride.

Where there is no water supply to the house, a system like this can be used.

Water from the top bucket, runs into a cylinder containing activated alumina.

The filtered water flows from the cylinder into the bottom bucket.

The process of changing the liquid to a gas is called evaporation. A gas has no definite shape or volume but occupies the entire container in which it is kept.

It can also be compressed to a much smaller volume. In a gas, the force between molecules is small, and the typical distance between neighbouring molecules is much greater than the molecular size, allowing the molecules a lot of space to move about in. Gases can be liquefied by compression alone without cooling.

Everything that you see around you is matter; from the seat you are sitting on to the drink you are having and the air that you breath.

Now that you know the properties of matter, you can understand why the seat does not break when you sit on it or why a liquid flows when in an open space.

Technology fact file

bad, like chlorine. Other pollutants that make the water hard are also removed, along with unwanted bacteria and organisms. to taps

My molecules are free, man!

The defluoridation filter needs to be frequently replaced so that it can get rid of all the fluoride and other unwanted elements.

Bone char filter The Catholic Diocese of Nakuru has developed inexpensive bucket bone char filters for household use and larger ones for community use.

Households can choose between the simple bucket and the double bucket.

plastic bucket water perforated concrete plate

bone char

perforated pipe wrapped with cloth

Inside the simple bone char filtration bucket.

18 Young African Express We need money for a bigger get printer. Can we do re he a loan? W we start?

Vol. 5 no. 1

business & careers

Why have a

business plan?

Reasons why you need to write a business plan

M

ark and June’s communications bureau has been running for a year now, with good results. They recently got an order to make posters for a youth charity walk to be held in August. This gives them 5 months to work on the posters.

“June, finally we have a big break, but how shall we make the posters? We need help and a bigger printer,” said Mark.

“Mark, you worry too much. Remember our business plan? I have been

updating it as our business grows.

This is the time to have a look at it.

We need more funds with which to purchase a printing machine and to hire 2 assistants to help us with the posters while we run our core business,” answered June.

“Oh yes!” answered Mark. “Since our business has been making a profit and we have a business plan, the microfinance bank will surely give us a loan. Good thinking. That’s what business partnership is all about.”

• Test the feasibility of your business idea.

Writing a business plan will help you find out if you have chosen the right business for yourself. The plan will save you wasting money and time on the wrong type of business.

• Give your new business the best chance to succeed.

Writing a business plan will help you pay attention to the details of your business.

These include drawing up a budget and carrying out market research. A good business plan alerts you to the possible problems that could come up from the time you start your business until it becomes stable.

Continued on page 19

Choosing a career

For many people, choosing the right career is not easy.

How can you be sure of what you want to do in the future?

W

hen choosing a career, you first need to gather information about yourself, as well as the different kinds of jobs you are interested in. This will help you make the right choice. Here are some of the things you need to find out about yourself:

Interests—the career you choose should be something you enjoy doing in your free

time. People have turned their hobbies into careers and you could too. For example, you may enjoy decorating your room. This could make you an interior designer.

Values—do your principles conflict with your chosen career? For example, a committed Christian might not be happy working in a night club.

Skills—what are you good at? If you do not enjoy solving maths problems, then a career as an accountant would not suit you. If you do not enjoy drawing and painting, you cannot be a good graphic designer or illustrator.

Working environment—not many people take this seriously, but the type of environment you work in affects your creativity and productivity. For example,

Continued on page 19

Vol. 5 no. 1

Young African Express

Business & careers

Continued from page 18

MEET

Sneakers

• Secure funding such as a bank loan.

To start a new business, you will need start-up and operating capital. Before lending you any money, a financial institution will always ask for your business plan so they can see if their money will be in safe hands.

Keep revising your business plan

You will need to revise your plan every so often as you set new goals. Revising it will enable you to see what goals you have met and which ones you need to follow through to completion. It will also help you know how your business is growing and what changes are important for the new goals.

A good busines s plan also help s you attract investor s for your busin ess.

Potential invest ors will want to have a close look at yo ur business plan before they make any investment com mitment, so it needs to be well written.

Continued from page 18

you cannot go spray-painting cars if you are asthmatic.

Developmental needs—where do you want your career to take you in the next 5 or 10 years?

You cannot do everything; you have to make choices. That is why it is important to research each of the jobs you are thinking of as a possible career. When researching these careers, consider the following: • Job description—what specific duties fall under this job?

• What kind of education and training do you need?

• Will you be able to find a job—are there job opportunities after you train in that field?

Interview people working in the particular kind of jobs that you have researched.

With your research and interviews, you will be able to make an informed decision about what career you want to pursue.

To get a feel of a particular career that you choose, try to find part-time work, an internship or volunteer opportunities with a company or agency in the field.

THE

just for you!!!

Sheila Nteere shows off one of her finished products.

“

Before starting any business, it is important to carry out research so that you do not waste time and money doing something that fails to get you a ready market or profits. Sheila Nteere says:

I

My initial capital came from my own small savings. I bought brushes, paints and other needed materials. I bought the first pair of sneakers from a hawker.

The first pair did not come out well.

I had used car paints, which are very toxic. But I didn’t give up. I looked for an alternative. Friends who spray paint T-shirts suggested buying materials from art shops.

Some people don’t take my work seriously. They don’t think I can be creative so they ask if I am simply marketing.

But I say the sneakers are my own creation. I also custompaint rubber shoes. I am glad that my work speaks for itself.

previously worked as a salesperson for a tour company, but I felt that it was not what I wanted to do in life. I have a passion for art and I looked around for something different I could do. One day while surfing the internet, I saw a picture of a woman wearing an attractive pair of sneakers. I looked for something similar in shoe shops but didn’t Breaking into the local market is find them. I went difficult, but I don’t get back to the website discouraged. My biggest clients I have a passion for are Kenyans living overseas. and found that the art and I looked sneakers had been I adjust my prices according to hand painted. around for something the market. Price depends on I researched different I could do. time, paint and the complexity further on how the of the design a client wants. painting was done.

There are times when your parents will I found that most of the materials not approve of what you want to pursue needed were locally available. What in life. Try to let them understand was not I could improvise. you. Even when people don’t take you seriously, don’t give up.

Never take for granted what you enjoy doing. It might just be the career you are meant to be in. You are the one who can see your vision because you know your talents.

”

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20 Young African Express

Vol. 5 no. 1

read & relax NI WHAT NANCY?! KWANI HAU-WANT KUWA AROUND MACHALI WA-CUTE? BESIDES, IT’S ONLY A PARTY! BUT TUTADRESS UP TU-LOOK KAMA TUKO 19 OR OLDER.

Story by Susan Scull-Carvalho Art by Bella Kilonzo ITAKUWA POA JO! MACHALI TENA WA OVER 18 WATAKUWA HUKO!

HAKI, UNACHIZI! HAO MACHALI UNA-THINK NI WA-CUTE NI WANASTY ALSO. WATA-PUT DRUGS KWA DRINK YA MANZI. TUTA-DO WHAT TUKI-FALL NDANI YA TRAPS ZAO. UME-THINK ABOUT THAT?

SASENI?

LAKINI, BRENDA WE’RE NOT 18 YET. KWANZA, UTA-SHOW PARO WAKO WHAT? NA VILE WAKO WA-STRICT?!

POA. SO, UTA-COME? OF COURSE.

BRENDA, WE’RE JUST 15! ME NA-THINK HIYO PARTY NI RISKY SANA FOR US.

EASY! NITA-SAY NIKO AT YOUR PLACE FOR THE NIGHT.

ME SITA-COME. THINGS ZINAWEZA GET OUT OF CONTROL HUKO.

CHEKI SASA, NANCY... UNATUEMBARASS.

ONE DAY UTA-COME KU-REALIZE MACHALI WANA-LIKE MAMANZI WANAOJUA KU-HAVE A GOOD TIME.

KWENDA HUKO! STAY HOME NA MOTHER-AKO BASI!

HEY, MARTHA! NIAJE?

USIJI-ENJOY, BRENDA.

YAANI UNAJALI MORE ABOUT MARTHA’S TEASING THAN MAKING DECISION POA IN LIFE?

TALK ABOUT IT: What guides the decisions you make? How does looking ahead—or thinking about possible results of an action—affect your decisions? How does sticking to good decisions or choices affect your potential to succeed? What does “I’ll become the person I want to be” mean to you?

Yoga

Yoga is an ancient practice that originated in India. It promotes healthy living, proper breathing and exercise, and relaxation as the key to a fulfilling and happy life. The Sun Salutation is a sequence of stretches that will not only energise and strengthen your whole body but will increase your concentration and your self-esteem, too. Without the sun, there would be no life on earth. Let’s salute the sun!

and the Sun Salutation

Sun Salutation

Stand with your feet together.

Inhale deeply; as you exhale, bring your palms together in front of your chest.

1

4 Inhale and stretch your right leg out behind you, bending your left leg.

7 Inhale and slide your body forward, keeping your elbows slightly bent and close to the body.

Inhale

10 Exhale and bring your left foot forward to meet the right and straighten the legs, so that you are in a forward bend (like position 3) with your palms flat on either side of your feet.

Inhale

Exhale

Exhale

2

Inhale as you stretch your arms upward.

5 Hold your breath and stretch your left leg back, holding your body in a straight line.

Inhale

Exhale and bend forward and down, placing your palms on either side of your feet.

3

Exhale

Hold your breath

Exhale, bend your knees and bring them to the floor; bend your elbows and bring your chest and chin to the floor.

6

Exhale

8 Exhale and push your palms down as you stretch your arms and lift your hips upward, keeping the back of your legs straight.

11 Inhale, stretch your arms forward and upward and come to a standing position.

Exhale

Inhale

9 Inhale and bring your right leg forward, in between your hands (like position 4).

12 Bring your palms together in a prayer position in front of your chest.

Exhale

Inhale

Repeat the sequence, stretching and bending the other leg in positions 4 and 9.

Vol. 5 no. 1

Young African Express

challenges & fun

21

We salute

by Benjah Ondiege and Katherine Moir

Get to school safely

Asunta Wagura

“… Asunta, I am sorry, you are HIV positive” When Asunta Wagura was diagnosed with HIV, she was given 6 months to live, expelled from college and sent back to her rural home, where even her own family shunned her.

Roads are for vehicles, pavements are for pedestrians. For your own safety, walk on the pavement.

That was in 1989, when fear and ignorance about HIV and AIDS were sky high. But Asunta did not die—in fact she is very much alive today, 21 years later. Instead of hiding, Asunta decided to take action.

In 1993 she co-founded the Kenya Network for Women with AIDS (KENWA) to give those living with HIV a voice. Today KENWA provides life-supporting services to

If there is no pavement and you have to walk on the road, walk in single file, especially when a vehicle is coming.

Hey, everyone, you’re safer on the pavement!

e k a M

The actions of Asunta and her organisation have led at last to public recognition that the disease can affect anyone—not just “sinners” as religious leaders had insisted. Asunta writes a weekly newspaper column, Living Positively, in which she shares her day-today fears and joys as someone living with HIV.

In 2000 she was awarded the Order of the Grand Warrior of Kenya. Asunta has risen above stigma, loneliness and rejection to become a leader and inspiration for others.

a no-sew bag

Instead of asking for a plastic bag at the shops, take along a square of cloth! You can make it into a bag by knotting it in different ways to suit the things you need to carry. Try these traditional Japanese wraps: Basic carry wrap (Otsukai tsutsumi)

So what! I’ll be the first one onto the matatu!

thousands of HIVpositive women and their children in the most deprived slum settlements.

4-tie wrap

(Yotsu musubi)

Watermelon carry wrap

(Suika tsutsumi)

Shoulder carry wrap

(Katakake fukuro)

Hand carry wrap Long object wrap (Tesage bukuro)

Stay on the pavement when waiting for buses or matatus.

You don’t have to be the first onto the bus!

O

Uh oh! Think I’ll sit down until the bus has stopped!

of

!

Do not stand in the open doorway of a matatu or bus or try to get off it until it has come to a standstill.

The Japanese use a cloth about 1 m2 called a furoshiki. If you use a rectangular cloth like a lesso or a kikoi, first fold the longer side to make it square.

(Entou tsutsumi)

22 Young African Express

Vol. 5 no. 1

challenges & fun

Triangular Connect all the islands into one group by drawing 1 or 2 lines—”bridges”—between islands. The bridges must be horizontal or vertical lines between 2 islands. They must not cross any other islands or bridges. The number of bridges connected to each island must match the number on the island.

We’re helping you with Island Group A. The bottom left island has only 2 islands lying next to it either horizontally or vertically. We have put in the 2 bridges connecting it to the island on its right. It has 4 bridges altogether. Can you take it from here?

A

3

5

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4

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2

2 4

B

2

1 4

3

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How many triangles are there in this pentagon?

2 3

5

3

3

Reef maze x5

x5

x5

Help the shy butterfly fish find his way to his mate on the other side of the reef without x5 x5 touching anything.

Matatu maze

35 triangles altogether

st a rt

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is fi n

Alien: I come in peace.

Jigsaw puzzle: I come in pieces.

Would you like to send us a story, poem, joke or picture for the Bulletin Board? Be sure that it is your own creation, and that you haven’t seen or heard it somewhere else. All artwork should be on unlined white paper.

Don’t forget to include your name, age and address.

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5 senses crossword Flags: Answer: 1, People’s Republic of China; 2, Libya; 3, Rwanda; 4, Nepal; 5, Angola; 6, Jamaica

ve?

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For more information on the competition and for links to websites about biodiversity, go to www.fao.org/climatechange/19571-0-0.pdf.

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The competition is open to 3 age groups: 6–10 years; 11–15 years; and 16–20 years. The deadline for entries is 15 June 2010.

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It’s fun—create a bright, bold design showing how children and youth may explore the amazing variety of life on the planet, the richness of ecosystems, the reasons why biodiversity is being lost, or the things people are doing to protect biodiversity.

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Celebrate 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity by entering an exciting international art competition. The theme of the Young Hands Together for Diversity International Art Competition is biodiversity and what it means to young people around the world. The winners will get some cool prizes and their artwork will be used to illustrate FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) publications.

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Upcoming art competition

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Vol. 5 no. 1

Young African Express

puzzles and fun

23

Identify the flags What countries do these flags belong to?

Across 1. The number of eyes a person has.

4. Touch with these.

6. What you may peep out of.

8. The location of our organ of taste.

10. If you don’t do this you won’t hear a thing!

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2

3

4

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2

5

3

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5

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Down 1. What do we use to taste things?

2. How many mouths do you have?

3. I use this to smell, sniff and sneeze!

5. Use your eyes to TV. 6. These pick up sound.

7. Detect aromas with this sense.

9. How many fingers does a person have?

1

7 8

9

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The BallQQn family

Maths in action

Mummy and Daddy Balloon had been very strict about Baby Balloon sleeping in his own room. One night, Baby couldn’t sleep, so he went to his parents’ room and tried to squeeze in between them.

Coordinates

We use maths in so many ways, we often don’t realise it. For example, if you have been studying maps at school, you have been using maths. Finding coordinates on a map is the same as finding them on a graph, with the graph being the lines of latitude and longitude.

Battleships

He couldn’t fit in, so he let a little air out of Mummy Balloon and tried again. He still couldn’t fit, so he let some air out of Daddy Balloon. He still couldn’t squeeze in, so he let some air out of himself and tried again. It worked! Baby Balloon slept 5 peacefully the rest of the night.

This game for 2 people uses coordinates too. In it, you are admirals of opposing navies.

You each have a naval chart (actually a graph marked with coordinates, which 1 you hide 2 3 N from each other) on which you place the battleships of your navy. Your taskTis toW findOand sink your enemy’s ships. Call out coordinates. If your enemy has a ship touching thoseN O O coordinates, you’ve hit the enemy ship and you get another turn. If they have no ship on 4 F one S G allE I toN “sink” R those coordinates, it is a miss and your enemy takes a turn. The first enemy ships is the victor.

G

6

E Y • 2 boats with 4E spots • 1 boat with 5 Aspots

Each mark these coordinates on a piece of graph paper (or draw a grid on other paper).

4 5 3 4

-5

-3 -4

-2 -3

34

1 2

23

-1 -1 -2 -1 -2 -1

M

45

2 3

1

7 S

2

1 1

2

1 -1 -1 -1 -2-1

5

4

3

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U

H

T E

T

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Specia l YAE su savings! bscript deliver ions ed to s

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5

4

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Spots must run horizontally or vertically (not diagonally) andR must be on Ethe places 5 10 where lines intersect—the coordinates.

S I L S

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How to play

-3 -2 -4 -3

-2

-5 -4

1 1

2

3

4

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2

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example

chools

In this example the player has placed 3 of their battleships

info@Y

or club s

Email:

oungAf

ricanEx

press.n

et

example

Place 7 battleships-5somewhere on your map, by marking them as spots on the grid, as follows • 2 boats with 2 spots • 2 boats with 3 spots

Decide who is starting. The first person calls out the first coordinates (like 2,1; 2,-1; -2,1; or -2,-1). If you score a hit, mark the spot with a cross. If it is a miss, draw a circle. A ship is sunk when all its spots have been hit.

35 triangles altogether 4

4

x5

x5

x5

x5

x5

4

4

5

3

3

x5 3

A

2 1

2 4 2

3

3

5

1 2

x5

-5

W

The next morning, Daddy Balloon felt BabyABalloon next to him. At breakfast later,T he said, “Son, don’t do that to us again because you let me down, you let your Cmother down and most of all, you let 9yourself down!”

2

5

3 4

B

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24 Young African Express

Vol. 5 no. 1

peace and me

Conflict is a social situation in which 2 or more characters strive for something they both want. A conflict situation is often personal and emotionally charged. Conflict can arise in family disputes, parent–teenager communications, neighbourhood or playground disputes, and international disputes.

S

olving conflict may start by first managing the conflict, which may involve: • avoiding it • living with it

• reducing it

We can learn from different sources, including wildlife, how to manage conflict. Which of these animals best describes you? Which would you like to be?

The turtle has a pessimistic approach to conflict. His way of acting is to withdraw, to move out of the way. He is ready to throw in the towel at once. He is no fighter.

The shark is ready to force anybody to accept his own solution. His wish is our command. A shark will threaten, humiliate, and ride roughshod over all others. The fight in itself is important. Victory may be more urgent than getting the prey.

The teddy bear is a favourite and everybody accepts him. Because he knows that conflict may damage one’s relations with others, he will renounce his own claims and rights to keep his good relations with everybody else.

The fox is always willing to compromise.

He is anxious to find a solution that gives

something to both parties. He tries to convince his opponent to accept a compromise, simply to keep the good relationship.

The wise owl looks upon the conflict as a problem that can be solved in a way that satisfies both his own and his opponent’s demands. He also appreciates a good relationship with his opponents. He wants a solution that satisfies the demands of the parties and also reduces the tension between them.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WHISPERING IN MY CLASS?!

PSST ...

PSST ...

PSST ...

PSST ... PSST ...

Story by Yvonne Otieno Art by Bella Kilonzo

JUST LOOK AT HOW FAT BOTH OF YOU ARE. EATING IS ALL YOU CAN DO! LET THIS BE THE LAST TIME I FIND YOU TALKING IN CLASS. YOU MAY AS WELL NOT BE HERE!

WHAT WERE THE 2 OF YOU SAYING? I ... ER ... WAS ASKING HER TO ASSIST ME WITH A PEN.

THAT’S EMOTIONAL ABUSE, SIR. AND IT REALLY HURTS!

WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH YOU 2 THAT YOU CAN’T BE SILENT? THAT IS NOT THE WAY TO DISCIPLINE YOUR STUDENTS! YOU ARE ONLY EMBARRASSING THEM!

OKAY, TEACHER ...

FORGIVE US TOO.

YOU ARE RIGHT.

Learn

Adopt-a-School: give 50+ youth a chance in life!

MARC

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2009 Sing le copy Ksh MARC 90 H 2009 Sing le copy Ksh Special annu 90 subscript al ion 2009 Sing offer le Spec for copy schools Ksh subsial annu al and clubs 90 cript ! ion offer for Specialschools and annu clubs subscript al ! ion offer for schools and clubs !

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THE BEST WAY TO DO SO IS BY CALMLY TELLING THEM RATHER THAN SHOUTING HARSHLY.

I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY FOR BEING SO OFFENSIVE TO BOTH OF YOU. PLEASE MAINTAIN SILENCE AND CONCENTRATE ON WHAT I AM TEACHING YOU, OKAY?

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LIARS! YOU THINK AM AS STUPID AS YOU TWO? THAT’S WHY YOU’RE BOTH DOING SO BADLY. IS THERE NOTHING ELSE YOU DO IN CLASS?

SHAMING AND SCARING THEM ARE FORMS OF EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND THEY ONLY MAKE YOUR STUDENTS FEEL REJECTED.

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I AM ONLY TRYING TO CORRECT THEM, WATOTOMAN.

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The Young African Express is published by Jacaranda Designs Ltd, PO Box 1202 - 00606, Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: +254 (0)20 374-4737. Registered at the GPO as an educational magazine.

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