Second Chances

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PR I N S T 1 ED O ITU UC V TE AT E N

Vol. Y6A no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

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Vol. 6 no. 4

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Chanuka Express vote d one of the “world’s top 25 educ ation programmes ” by Unesco Wor ld Conference

Have you ever been in a desperate situation and thought it was the end of the road for you? Meet a boy from a pastoralist community who is headed for greater heights after overcoming difficult challenges along the way.

“My

name is Boniface Lochoto. I am 22 years old. I come from Lokichogio, in Turkana County. I had a challenging childhood. I lost my dad during cattle rustling between my community and the Sudanese. They left my brother and me alive. My mother also survived, but being from a pastoralist community she moved on to another area in search of pasture and water.

Mum left us under the care of my aunt, who was not financially able.

So we slept on the streets of Turkana town, depending on handouts to survive. I have eaten all forms of things in the streets, including cats and dogs, for survival. l quickly learned English because that’s the language the people I begged from understood.

the n i s p o r c & k frica

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1 Sudan

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IN THIS ISSUE

2 South Sudan

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continued on page 3

3 Uganda

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H o rn Greater a of AfCrropic s

One day as I begged for money, one Mr Allan Owen Muigai instead offered to pay for my education. I started in Lokichogio mixed primary school but since I hadn’t realised the value of education, I often ran away, back to the streets. Mr Owen would force me off the streets and back to class, but money was an addiction. I moved to St John’s primary school from classes 4–8. What kept me going to school was the feeding programme.

At least I could eat without struggling! I somehow managed to complete school and pass my class 8.

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en Livestock , pork an d chick ef Meat: Be kins w h, hides/s fis , gs Milk: Co Eg oducts: Other pr r cco, suga tea, toba Crops s: Coffee, Cash crop seed pple, ea er pin ow , nfl , banana cane, su s: Plantain to Tree crop ava, pota seed tato, cass sesame Sweet po ndnuts, leaf s: op cr Ro ot ans, grou Be s: Vegetable other s, m, rice vegetable t, sorghu ize, mille Grain: Ma

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, mel, pork Livestock , goat, sheep, ca ef Meat: Be en chick camel wax, w, goat, h, honey, Milk: Co Eggs, fis oducts: Other pr s kin /s es hid r cco, suga tea, toba Crops s: Coffee, Cash crop rethrum gosteen,

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Vol. 6 no. 4

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 Clare Barasa, Charles Bodo, Lee Diani, Peta Meyer, Katherine Moir, Sarah Radoli, Susan Scull-Carvalho, Julia Wanjeri Graphic Designers Samuel Gachie, Grace King’ori, Mbula Makaa-Kinuthia, Katherine Mamai Artists Cyrus Gathigo, Bella Kilonzo, Katherine Moir, Harrison Muriuki, Martin Ngugi, Fredrick Odhiambo, Benjamin Ondiege, Nkrumah Ondiek, Celestine Wamiru Photographs Dmitry Azovtsev, Rohan Balgobin, Charles Bodo, Diana Lee Smith, Boniface Lochoto, Sarah Radoli, Delta Dunes Lodge, ILRI/ Collins, Gerard, Habtamu, MacMillan, Mann, Siegfried Modola/ IRIN, Planning Systems Services Ltd, UNEP, USAID, US Library of Congress, www.sxc.hu, www.wikipedia.org Contacts info@youngafricanexpress.net subscription@youngafricanexpress.net marketing@youngafricanexpress.net website: www.youngafricanexpress.net

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESSIONS I‛M READING ABOUT FAIRNESS ON PAGE 9—WHAT VALUES CAN YOU FIND?

Dear Readers, We’re entering the last term of school, the coming of final exams for some of you and the closing of 2011.

Each of these events marks a time when we reflect on what matters to us. What matters in our lives often is linked to what we value, cherish or hope to be—to ourselves and to others.

values they find in each section.

Compare your lists and share your ideas with each other.

Have fun!

In this issue of the Young African Express I’m challenging you to “read between the lines”—look for “values” or “ethical characteristics” in each article, comic strip, feature or in our cover story.

I’m talking about values such as kindness— ukarimu, love—upendo, fairness—haki, forgiveness—msamaha, gratitude—shukrani, honesty—uaminifu, responsibility—wajibu, hope—matumaini, wisdom—hekima, joy—furaha, cooperation—ushirikiano and my favourite, peace—amani.

As you read, list the values you spot and think about what you are reading. Ask friends what

Let us know what you’re learning from the Young African Express and how you’re using what you learn. Send us an sms on 0722-667747 or email us at info@YoungAfricanExpress.net. Check out our Facebook page (search for Young African Express) and add your voice too! We’ll include your views in our next issues of the Young African Express—so include your name, age, address and a photo too, if possible!

Oh! And don’t forget. We’ll soon be concluding the Wedding Dress Business Plan Competition!

We’ve extended the closing date—if you haven’t sent in your business ideas see page 23 and do it.

Send your entry to Young African Express, PO Box 1202 - 00606 Nairobi, or email your entry to info@YoungAfricanExpress.net

We say…

What do you think of the decision to lower the marks required for entrance to high schools for students from public schools? This is what some primary students feel.

Printed in Nairobi, Kenya Jacaranda Designs Ltd PO Box 1202–00606 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254 (0)20 374-4737 Fax: +254 (0)20 374-9171 Cell: +254 (0)722 667747 Email: info@jacaranda-africa.com Copyright© Jacaranda Designs Ltd 2011 Young African Express is published by Jacaranda Designs Ltd, under a registered trademark.

All rights reserved.

While every attempt has been made to verify all facts, instructions and procedures, the publisher claims indemnity against results of any nature whatsoever arising from the application/s thereof.

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.

Thank you for “adopting a school” by sponsoring subscriptions for others.

AgriFRESH Kenya Ltd • Braeburn School • Nicky Blundell Brown • James Finlay (Kenya) Ltd • Hopcraft family • Kitengela Glass • Diocese of Lodwar • Malewa Ranching Initiative • Nairobi Pentecostal • Ole Moi Yoi family • Tara Consultants • VVOB education for development

Nadia Wanjiru. 14 years, Class 8, Intex Academy. Likes reading novels, dancing hiphop I think it’s a good thing. Maybe in primary school somebody didn’t work hard. Later on in high school the same person may turn a new leaf and surprise people. I have a cousin who ended up in Precious Blood Riruta and proved people wrong.

Sheila Wangui. 14 years, Class 8, Limuru International School.

Likes swimming, listening to music I think it’s unfair. Most of them are day scholars and study the same hours as those in private schools. Just because our parents can afford school fees does not mean we should not have the same chance.

John Bol. 16 years, Class 7, Peace Junior Academy. Likes football, Playstation, basketball I think it’s good to allow pupils from public schools to join secondary school with lower marks. Private schools have more facilities and therefore have an advantage over public schools.

Shangai Dhieu. 16 years, Class 8, Peace Junior Academy. Likes football I don’t think bright pupils should miss out, wherever they are.

Those in private schools work hard too.

Read more about fairness and equality on page 9.

Lynne Siage. 14 years, Class 8, Nairobi Primary School. Likes swimming, singing, dancing, talking, eating I think some of the pupils in public schools are not working hard. Those in public schools have free education; they should be the ones working hard.

Private school parents pay more fees and buy more books. I do work hard but some don’t and that’s why they fail.

Jamil Timami. 14 years, Class 8, Jonathan Gloag Primary School.

Likes football, rugby My friends say it’s not fair because they think their hard work will go to waste. But I am cool with it.

The idea behind it is to give those in public schools an equal chance.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESSIONS

Vol. 6 no. 4

3

Pastoralists and schooling The councillor’s son eventually stopped assisting me. The boy I had left in charge of the cart in Turkana did not send me money.

My school fees piled up, despite an understanding head teacher.

I thought I would have to leave school.

By 2005 at the end of the 3rd term, my school fees stood at Ksh 10,000. But I thought to myself—with teachers motivating me and my chief referring to me as a ‘Moses of my community’, how could I give up now?

Boniface was awarded a certificate for being chairman of the Young Christian Association in 2007. continued from page 1

I realised that, after taking into account transport and uniform money, the remainder would not be enough for my school fees. A councillor’s son from our area offered to help me out for the first term provided I joined St Gabriel’s Secondary School, which I did. By now I had realised the value of education. I worked hard and performed well. I wanted to be among the few elites in the Turkana community—a role model for our boys and girls who don’t value education at all.

I went back to the village to try and sell water. Then I had an idea!

Why not trace Mr Owen?

• Sometimes families settle in places with plenty of water and pasture, but no schools. Children must go to a school far away or drop out altogether.

• Some parents deny their children the chance for an education because they want them to remain at home and take care of the animals.

• Girl-child education is still very low. Many girls leave school to work at home caring for other children, or are married off at a young age for a dowry of goats, cows or camels.

With the money I had saved from the sale of water, I came to Nairobi for the first time. I went to his offices and tried to find Mr Owen.

After I’d called many times in his office, the secretary sensed my desperation and gave me his personal number. I got him and it was an old reunion. It was a miracle. I felt loved for the first time.

He paid all my school fees and still supports me. I got a C plus.

My dream is to be a lawyer. I am currently pursuing a diploma in Business Administration.

© Siegfried Modola/ IRIN

In 2000, I was called to Njoro Boys, but by this time Mr Owen no longer worked in Turkana. I met Mr Douglas Kibe, who bought me a handcart and 20 jerricans, which I used to raise school fees. I would travel 20 km to fetch water in the jerricans then come back and sell them. I raised Ksh 12,000 by selling water and travelled to Nakuru to join secondary school.

• Pastoralists are nomadic. Families move from place to place, searching for water and pasture— making school attendance difficult.

A young Turkana man armed with an AK-47 rifle. Conflicts over water, cattle and weapons are becoming common in the region.

I will forever be grateful to Mr and Mrs Owen Muigai. They gave me a second chance in life.”

We want to hear from you! Write to Young African Express at PO Box 1202 - 00606 Nairobi, email info@YoungAfricanExpress.net Attention Educators: Follow the colour band at the top of each page for curriculum links Expressions: English language and literacy Staying Healthy: Health, hygiene and nutrition Practical Science: Maths, science and technology

Our World: Civil society, social sciences and human rights Business and careers Going Green: Agroforestry, home gardens and environmental conservation Critical thinking, puzzles and brainteasers

4

Vol. 6 no. 4

staying healthy

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Nutrition during treatment • Use plastic knives, forks and spoons to reduce the sense of metallic flavour.

Nutrition is an important part of any health treatment, particularly for people who are undergoing treatment for cancer or HIV. Eating the right kinds of foods during and after treatment (for cancer patients) can help you feel better and grow stronger.

G

ood nutrition is important because both the illness and its treatment can affect your appetite.

There are many reasons why a person with cancer may experience feelings of nausea. Radiotherapy, if given close to the brain, stomach, bowel or liver, can trigger the vomiting centre in the brain. Try to reduce feelings of nausea:

• Sit with your head up after eating.

• Eat frequent small snacks whenever you feel hungry—don’t wait for mealtimes.

• Avoid fatty foods. Avoid the smells of cooking as these may make you feel worse.

• Don’t force yourself to eat if you feel nauseated.

• Use a mild mouthwash. Rinse out your mouth frequently with water— this may improve taste.

• Chew sugar cane to reduce nausea.

Ginger (added to food or as ginger ale) and salty biscuits may help.

A simple flytrap You need • 2 plastic bottles of the same size • 1 extra piece of plastic cut from another bottle • Scissors or knife • String 1 Cut the bottom off one bottle. Keep the lid for this bottle, which will be the upper one. Make small cuts around the open end, as in the diagram.

2 Keep the lower bottle whole but remove the lid.

3 Blacken the bottom half of the lower bottle to keep out light. Use dark paint or a permanent marker, or glue on black plastic.

Or use a dark or coloured bottom bottle.

4 Cut 2 entry holes near the base of the lower bottle, as in the diagram.

Flies are not only irritating, they carry a number of diseases like diarrhoea and trachoma (see page 5). How can we keep them from polluting our food and infecting us? Make a simple flytrap that can catch 200–300 flies a day.

5 Cut a square piece of plastic from another bottle, roll it into a tube and push it into the top of the lower bottle so that it sticks out.

6 Push the upper bottle firmly over the lower bottle. This is your completed flytrap.

7 Cut a piece of string, make a loop and push the ends through the open top of the top bottle. Screw the lid on tight.

A person on cancer treatment should avoid processed foods like ham and eat only freshly-cooked fish and chicken. Cut back on salt, fat, alcohol and sugar. These foods may help continue the development of cancer in the body.

Malnutrition in cancer patients is dangerous. Eat foods rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants. These include plenty of fruits and vegetables (at least 5 servings a day), whole grain breads and cereals, and low-fat dairy products.

The nutrients assist the body in rebuilding damaged cells, and antioxidants may even fight the cancer directly.

How to use the flytrap 1 Put a little bait in the lower bottle. Flies are attracted to smelly things like rotting meat or fish, cow or goat manure, and sweet things like honey or fruit.

Experiment with what you have.

2 Hang the trap up in a place where there are many flies, such as in a latrine or near a cattle boma.

3 Flies enter through the base to feed on the bait and then fly upwards towards the light and become trapped.

4 Once the flies are dead, simply open the trap, remove them and reassemble.

If the trap is hanging in the hot midday sun, the heat will kill the flies.

Based on the leaflet “A simple fly trap” with kind permission from REAP (www.reap-eastafrica.org).

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

5

Those red, sticky eyes …

DISEASES

The village children were happily playing but one child stood to one side. Simon had red, sticky and painful eyes. Many flies hovered around him. He soon began to cry and the other children took him home to his parents.

ater a health officer diagnosed Simon as having a disease called trachoma. The villagers questioned the officer.

L

JANET: How does a person get trachoma?

Symptoms of trachoma • Cloudy cornea • Sticky eyes • Red eyes with a discharge

ensure clean water. You must treat water by filtering or boiling it before use, especially while it is scarce.

HEALTH OFFICER: Flies and gnats that are attracted to eyes and runny noses pass it on from the face of an infected child—even from contact with contaminated objects, like towels or clothes.

OMAR: Where do trachoma infections occur?

DINA: Simon is our playmate—can we get it too?

HEALTH OFFICER: The disease thrives where sanitation facilities are poor.

HEALTH OFFICER: He needs to be isolated until he gets better.

OMAR: So good hygiene can control the disease?

SIMON’S DAD: What precautions should we take to avoid trachoma?

HEALTH OFFICER: Yes. Your village has a trachoma outbreak and you must handle it together to be successful.

Ideally, you need more boreholes to

HEALTH OFFICER: Get rid of flies.

Ensure your environment is clean. Flies are known culprits in spreading the trachoma infection.

Preventing trachoma

washing or personal items like towels and bedding. Do not share eye makeup.

Don’t touch your eyes without first washing your hands. Keep your face clean. Use soap and clean water.

Do not share a basin for

Trachoma-infected eye

JUDY: How does trachoma spread from person to person?

HEALTH OFFICER: It is a bacterial infection of the eye. A bacterium called Chlamydia trachomatis causes it.

It is the leading cause of blindness in the world today.

To get rid of flies use insect repellents like bug sprays and citrus candles, or a flytrap like the one on page 4.

• Swollen eyelids

Keep the environment clean. Food and animal waste attract flies that can spread the trachoma infection.

Proper disposal of human waste is essential—use toilets or pit latrines. Leaking sewage pipes are especially hazardous. If a pipe bursts, inform the authorities immediately.

Use clean water for washing.

Arid areas that lack clean water are known for suffering outbreaks of trachoma. A cup of water is enough to wash your face.

Healthy eye

SIMON’S DAD: How could you tell that Simon has trachoma?

HEALTH OFFICER: The condition begins slowly as inflammation of the tissue lining the eyelids—conjunctivitis, or “pink eye”—which if untreated may lead to scarring.

Eventually the insides of the eyelids are scarred so badly, they turn inward with the eyelashes rubbing the eyeballs, scratching the lenses of the eyes with each blink and causing sores that become infected. This scarring leads to blindness.

But don’t worry—although trachoma begins in childhood, a person is not likely to go blind until the age of 40 or 50, after repeated infections.

SIMON’S DAD: What about treatment?

What drugs will Simon use?

HEALTH OFFICER: He will get antibiotics, which prevent long-term complications because the infection will be treated early.

Want healthy eyes? Maintain good eye hygiene and eat fresh fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin A!

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

hiv & you

become sexually active, which should be when you are a lot older, you should protect yourself against all STIs, including HIV, by practising safe sex.

Dear Counsellor

I’ve heard kids in my class talking about HIV, saying it’s an STI. I thought it was a sickness! What’s an STI, anyway?

Mwende, 12

Dear Mwende

It can be confusing when you hear other children talking about things you don’t understand, so let’s clear up some of your confusion.

An STI (sexually transmitted infection) is an infection spread through sexual intercourse. You may also hear it called an STD (sexually transmitted disease).

Since HIV is mostly spread in this way, it is an STI. However, HIV can also be spread in other ways. When you

Get information about the different STIs at www.cdc.gov/STI/ or from a VCT clinic.

Dear Counsellor

I heard somewhere that there is a link between HIV and other STIs. Is there really?

Kenneth, 16

Dear Kenneth

There really is a connection between HIV and other STIs! A person with another STI can get HIV more easily.

Having an STI means your immune system is hard at work fighting that infection, so you are more likely to get HIV if you are exposed to it. It is even easier to get HIV if you have an STI that causes open sores. Someone with an STI is 2–5 times more likely to get HIV.

ee-ugh!! those pictures of STIs that mrs radha showed were gross! imagine having sores like that and passing them on to someone else!

But also, if someone with HIV catches another STI they may have more severe complications than an HIVnegative person who gets the same STI. An HIV-positive person with another STI is also more likely to transmit HIV through unprotected sex.

It is critically important to get treatment for any STI as soon as possible.

Dear Counsellor

Can treatment for STIs reduce the chances of spreading HIV? Odongo, 15

Dear Odongo

Yes, STI treatment slows the transmission of HIV. An HIV-positive person who receives treatment for another STI will have less HIV in their genital secretions (the fluids produced in their private parts). They will also have fewer sores through which HIV can pass to their partner.

but what’s the fuss?

STIs can be cured with antibiotics, right?

HIV? you mean HIV is also an STI? what’s the connection?

yes—all except HIV.

eh, didn’t you listen in class?

Story by Peta Meyer Art by Bella Kilonzo

in the early stages, an STI has no symptoms. so the person doesn’t know he’s infected. that’s why STIs can spread so easily.

S-T-I means sexually transmitted infection. HIV is spread by sexual contact, so it is an STI.

yes, having an STI makes your body more vulnerable to getting HIV.

… the risky behaviour that leads to an STI can also lead to HIV.

… like unprotected sex?

why’s that?

exactly! people think about protecting against pregnancy, but don’t realise the danger of STIs. there’s only 1 way to protect against STIs, right?!

actually there are 2 ways … !

wait… mrs radha mentioned another connection too …

mainly because the virus can enter more easily through open sores. but also …

risky behaviour? you mean like …

TALK ABOUT IT! what are the 2 ways to protect against STIs? one of them is abstaining from sex. the other starts with the letter c ...

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

bodyworks

Those curious questions Adolescence is the time when you begin changing from being a child to being an adult. This doesn’t happen overnight—in fact, it takes several years. Physical development starts at different times and progresses at different rates in different people.

Why am I so much bigger, or smaller, than other boys in my class?

Not everyone grows at the rate. Some people have their growth spurt really early and others really late. If you notice that you are really tall when you are in class 7, don’t panic.

Everyone else will be about the same height as you by the time you are in your 2nd year of high school. If you are really concerned, ask your dad when he experienced his growth spurt.

(It’s those genes again.)

same

Do wet dreams stop when a guy gets older?

Wet dreams begin during puberty when the body starts making more testosterone, the major male hormone.

Most guys have wet dreams at some point during puberty and sometimes even as adults. However, they usually happen less often or stop altogether as you get older and reach the end of puberty.

Sometimes guys wake up from a wet dream; sometimes they sleep through it. Some guys may feel embarrassed or guilty about having wet dreams, but it’s a normal part of growing up.

No. This is normal. It is the same in lots of other boys.

I sometimes get an erection in public and it feels like everyone is looking at me.

If you start getting an erection in public, it’s a good idea to start saying your times tables or the alphabet backwards in your mind. It works for me. People do not usually watch other people closely, and no one is likely to notice that you have an erection.

What happens when my voice breaks?

You can see how fast you are growing on the outside but you can’t see that inside your body is growing too. When you reach puberty, your larynx (voice box) grows, which causes the pitch of your voice to change. The pitch gets lower and your voice sounds less childlike. Sometimes the sound seems to “break” part way through speaking. But this will sort itself out in no time.

One of my testicles is bigger than the other. Is something wrong with me?

I’m a guy, so how come I’m developing breasts?

Each day brings a new change, and it can sometimes feel like it’s hard to keep up.

Your privates

Because the genital area is really sensitive, it is important that boys learn to look after it.

You can do this by: • Keeping clean and washing carefully every day. If you are not circumcised, gently pull your foreskin back and wash under it. You don’t need to use soap. Sometimes there is a white substance, called smegma, under the foreskin. This is normal and healthy and does not need to be washed away.

• Telling an adult if you are hurting, swollen or your urine is burning.

• Wearing a box (a protective guard) if you are playing games such as hockey, boxing or even cricket. It really hurts if you get hit down there!

One of these changes may be developing breast tissue. Growing breasts in guys is known as gynaecomastia. This is normal and always temporary. This is because of hormonal changes during puberty. Hormones are chemicals your body’s glands produce. In a guy, hormones produced in the testicles are responsible for the physical changes that begin to take place during puberty—facial hair, muscle development, a deepening of the voice, and lengthening of the penis.

The hormones that change your body may affect the way you think about many things, including the way you think about, and interact with, your parents and family.

7

8

Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

LIVING RIGHT

Tame your temper

WO-OOH! YOU‛LL DRIVE THE BOYS WILD!

COME ON, EVERYONE DRESSES THIS WAY! JUST LOOK ON TV!

Emotion al ab t en

m

Child trafficking, sex tourism, prostitution

D

on’t be afraid to report when something bad happens to you or another child you know—the Sexual Offences Act is there to protect children under 18 from being sexually exploited and abused.

By Peta Meyer and Fredrick Odhiambo

IT‛S A WILD DRESS ALL RIGHT, BUT IS IT REALLY YOU?

F

Bullying,

Because anger can be powerful, managing it is sometimes

ntoovio!lence e, child abus e, rap

.

Self-awareness and self-control:

Self-control means thinking before you act. It puts some precious seconds or minutes between feeling a strong emotion and taking an action you will regret.

Say

e, us

.M .G

Some of it may be because of the changes your body is going through. All those puberty hormones can cause mood swings and confused emotions. Some of it may be stress: people who are under a lot of pressure, like studying for an exam, tend to get angry more easily.

e

Anger is a normal emotion, and there’s nothing wrong with feeling angry. What counts is how we handle it (and ourselves) when we’re angry.

challenging. Selfawareness is the ability to notice what you’re feeling and thinking, and why. Little children aren’t aware of what they feel, that is why you see them having tantrums when they are angry. It is important to train them on how to act when angry, like talking about it or letting them paint or draw to deal with the anger.

violence, d ef il

o you wonder why sometimes you lose your temper? Are there days when you feel like you just wake up angry?

al xu Se

D

DON‛T FOLLOW OTHERS IF IT DOESN‛T FEEL RIGHT. WELL, I WANT TO LOOK NICE...

YOU DO—IN FACT, YOU‛RE LOOKING HOT!

YES ... BECAUSE THEN THEY‛LL WANT ME TO BEHAVE LIKE ONE—AND I‛M NOT LIKE THAT!

REALLY? WHAT DO YOU THINK, FIONA?

... BUT I DON‛T WANT TO SEND THE WRONG SIGNALS.

PEOPLE JUDGE OTHERS BY THEIR CLOTHES, THOUGH THEY SHOULDN‛T. DO YOU MIND IF SOME BOYS THINK YOU‛RE A “HOT CHICK”?

COOL!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF DRESS?

In the last issue we talked about the offence of defilement, when an adult has sex with a child. Did you know it is also an offence to make arrangements for someone else to have sex with a child? Persons found guilty will be jailed for at least 10 years.

Child trafficking is when someone makes or plans for a child to travel somewhere (in or outside Kenya) so that the child can be abused in some way.

Child sex tourism is when someone makes or plans for an adult to travel somewhere in order to do a sexual offence to a child.

Child prostitution includes: • keeping a child in a place so they can be sexually abused • giving out a child for sex • threatening a child to force them to have sex with someone • giving a child or its parents money or gifts to allow the child to be used for sex • owning or renting any property (like a house, flat or car) which that person knows is being used for committing sexual offences with children If you need help, call the numbers below.

• Childline Kenya 116 ne 0800 22 11 121 • Liverpool VCT One-2-One Hotli 111 333 or 0800 111 222 0800 da Ugan ren Child for • Action 43 • ANPPCAN-Tanzania (51) 1522

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

Human rights

“

What? You got 300 marks! That is so unfair!” Abdul exclaimed after learning that his deskmate, Tumaini, had scored a hundred marks less than he had in the KCPE exams.

“Guys!” Abdul tried to get his classmates’ attention. “How many here got below 400 marks?” he asked. A few hands went up, causing a war of words to erupt.

“What is happening here?” Mrs Ng’etich, the class teacher, burst into form 1A. “Sorry, Teacher. We were just wondering why some of us had to work so hard to get over 400 marks if others need just 300 marks to be admitted into the same national school?” asked Abdul. “Where is the fairness?”

“Class, fairness and equality are not one and the same thing,” Mrs Ng’etich replied.

“Sometimes, things have to be unequal to be fair. What do I mean? Let’s take Abdul’s example. Abdul, where did you go to school and did you always have teachers ready to teach you?”

“I went to Brilliance Academy and of course, we always had teachers.”

DO THE

H G I T R

Elders sometimes make kids do things they don’t want to do.

“What about you, Tumaini?”

“Ahm, I can’t call it a school really. We used to study under a tree and the high school students in the area used to teach us whenever they had the time.”

“Class, Tumaini didn’t have the same access to teachers, books and other facilities in primary school like,

say, Abdul, and because we are all born equal, hence deserve equal opportunities in life, we had to lower the cut-off marks for students who come from hardship-filled areas so as to be fair to them. They too deserve a chance to have a good education and a better future. Always remember, things may seem unequal at the surface but actually, they are fair.”

THING

All elders (parents, guardians and other adults) have a duty to protect and guide children.

Respect for elders

Respect your elders’ advice—they have the wisdom of years of experience, including the mistakes they made!

Respect and help your elders—think of all they do for you. They in turn will help and respect you.

9

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

our world Hello Africa?

We’re new around here!

South Sudan

We are a new nation!

S

outh Sudan gained independence from Sudan on 9 July 2011, finally ending Africa’s longest-running civil war.

The states of South Sudan SUDAN ABYEI

Why the 2 states separated During the first civil war, from 1955 to 1972, the people of southern Sudan demanded greater autonomy (self-government) from the North.

The signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement, granting the South significant autonomy, marked the end of the war in 1972.

Fighting over resources and religion flared up again when General Omar al-Bashir took power in a 1989 military coup. Bashir remains president of Sudan to date.

The civil war finally ended with the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Do you know who is the “newest kid on the block” in Africa today? Yes, it is South Sudan

NORTHERN BAHR EL GHAZAL WESTERN BAHR EL GHAZAL

UPPER NILE UNITY

WARRAP

ETHIOPIA JONGLEI LAKES

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

WESTERN EQUATORIA Juba

country border state border Abyei Area—to hold referendum on whether to join South Sudan

EASTERN EQUATORIA CENTRAL EQUATORIA

DRC

Who lives there?

Many of the people are pastoralist cattle-keepers.

Among the largest ethnic groups are the Dinka, the Nuer, the Shilluk and the Azande.

Bridge over the Nile near the capital, Juba.

The South Sudan national flag has horizontal black, red and green stripes, separated by thin white bands. The thick stripes represent the black people, their blood and fertile land.

White is for peace. The blue triangle at the flag’s hoist symbolises the Nile, and the yellow star inside it the unity of the 10 states.

KENYA UGANDA

• South Sudan, will become the 193rd member state of the United Nations.

• The South Sudan pound will enter circulation in the coming months.

• Before South Sudan broke away, the biggest country in Africa was Sudan, which covered 2,505,816 sq. km.

Now it is Algeria with 2,381,740 sq. km.

A Mundari cattle camp on the banks of the Nile.

White-eared kob and zebra in motion in the Sudd, one of the world’s largest wetlands. The great animal migration of south–east South Sudan and western Ethopia survived decades of civil war and rivals the Mara-Serengeti migration.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

our world

11

by Cyrus Gathigo and Katherine Moir

Right of way ... part 2

Be

Be

In our last issue we found out when pedestrians and other road users have right of way. When does one vehicle have right of way over another? eb

aa aabeeb

a eb

abeeba

bee

ab

ba a a

e e ba a a

The tsunami in Japan in March 2011 was triggered by one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. Waves of up to 30 m high travelled as far as 10 km inland, causing massive destruction.

I

n December 2004, Indonesia was hit by a tsunami that left tens of thousands dead and a lot of property destroyed. In March 2011, Japan also experienced a tsunami that destroyed human life as well as property.

What is a tsunami and what causes it?

A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, though it can occur in large lakes. A tsunami wave can reach as high as 50 metres. How far inland a tsunami goes depends on the height of the land.

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, underwater explosions and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to cause a tsunami.

In Japan, tsunamis happen frequently.

So far, since the year 2011 begun, some 195 events have been recorded most of them minor.

of the year, winds blow from land to ocean. During certain months of the year, the winds begin to blow from the ocean to the land, making the air moist. This moist ocean air is what causes monsoon rains in many countries.

In India, the monsoon season runs from June to September. During most

eb

aa aabeeb

bee

ba a a

go

wait

wait

go go

wait

wait

Vehicles already in a traffic circle have right of way over vehicles go entering the traffic circle. go

go

wait

go

go stop

wait

go

wait

go

Vehicles at a 4-way stop must give way to the firstgovehicle to stop.

That vehicle stop has right of way. go

Monsoon rains lash the coast of Sri Lanka.

Thunderstorms

A thunderstorm is a storm with lightning and thunder. It can also be called an electrical or lightning storm.

Thunderstorms result from the rapid upward movement of warm moist air.

As the warm moist air moves upward, cooler air

Monsoons

Have you heard of monsoon rains?

Monsoons are a shift in wind direction, causing heavy rainfall in many parts of the world, including Asia, North and South America and Africa.

Be

Be

Emergency vehicles have right of wait way over allbeother ebaaa road users in an aa emergency, when their lights are aabeeb eb flashing and their sirens are on.

warm air

hot ground

The start of a thunderstorm: As hot air rises, cools and condenses, a cumulo-nimbus or anvil-shaped cloud develops.

stop

stop

Vehicles at an intersection with no signs or markings must give way to traffic coming from their right.

Lightning generated during a thunderstorm hits a lightning rod placed next to a house. A simple lightning rod can save lives.

it cools, condenses and forms soaring cumulo-nimbus clouds. Thunderstorms are usually accompanied by strong winds, heavy rain, sometimes snow or hail—and sometimes by no precipitation at all.

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Drought & me

Livestock products and crops Indigenous or exotic?

© ILRI/ Gerard

Farmers in Africa have been encouraged to grow exotic crops— crops from other parts of the world. Maize now is a staple food for most of us and varieties suited to African conditions have been developed. However, indigenous (local) crops have excellent nutritional value and, like local livestock breeds, they are better adapted to local conditions.

Sorghum and millet, for example, can withstand drought more easily than maize.

L

ivestock in East Africa have many uses and provide us with meat, milk and hides. What else do farmers and pastoralists produce in East Africa and in the Horn of Africa?

Look at your free map poster to find out.

Livestock

More about milk

Products

Composition of milk (per 100 g)*

Milk is sold fresh or fermented.

Almost nothing can be grown in arid areas but in semi-arid areas households raise drought-tolerant crops like millet, amaranth, sorghum, moringa, pawpaw and cassava. Cash crops (grown for sale, like tea, coffee, sugar and cotton) are grown where rainy seasons are longer and more reliable, especially in the highland areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. Food crops include fruit, nuts, vegetables, root crops (like cassava) and grain—maize, sorghum, millet and teff (in Ethiopia).

Poultry—many small-scale farmers rear and sell chickens, ducks and turkeys for meat and eggs. Poultry farms in Uganda and Kenya rear poultry in large numbers.

Animals in pastoralist and semipastoralist areas region are trekked (driven) or transported to markets within the greater Horn of Africa.

They may also be exported to the Arabian Peninsula or slaughtered by the owners for family consumption.

Meat is normally sold fresh. Processed meat like nyiri nyiri or biltong can be stored for some time if kept in a cool, dry place.

Crops

Fibre—sheep wool produced in the region is a major source of animal fibre.

Honey and wax are produced in the region, especially in dry areas, and some is now sold in regional markets and overseas.

Does most of your milk come from cows, or from camels, goats or sheep?

Which is better? Compare the nutritional value of milk from different animals.

Cow (g)

Goat (g)

Sheep (g)

Camel (g)

Water

Elements

87.8

87.8

83

85.6

Protein

3.2

3.5

5.4

4

Fat

3.9

4.1

7

3.1

Lactose (the sugar in milk)

4.7

4.3

3.7

5.6

All minerals

0.7

0.8

1

0.8

Milk products like sour milk, butter, cheese and yogurt are commercially produced in the East African region.

Calcium (for strong bones)

1.49

1.70

1.9

Vitamins

Hides and skins are mainly processed by households because there are few commercal hide-processing centres.

Hides cured at home are often of poor quality.

High in vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, niacin

Good source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B12, D

High in vitamins B1, B2, C. Also contains A, B12, D, E

High in vitamins B, C, D, folic acid

Other facts

People drink more cow’s milk than any other. Most cheese is made from cow’s milk.

40% of people who react to cow’s milk can take goat’s milk, which is easier to digest.

Sheep’s milk is usually made into cheese.

Easier to digest than cow’s milk.

Antidiabetic—high in insulin.

1.26

*Average figures—will vary according to environment and diet

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

agroforestry

13

Growing your own feed Care

Does your school or family have livestock? Help your animals by starting a fodder bank—plant fodder trees to improve their diet.

F

© ILRI / Gerard

odder trees provide important nutrients to aid growth and increase milk production. Animals may browse directly on the trees or be fed on harvested branches. Cut fodder may be given fresh, or dried in the sun and stored for later use. All livestock can eat the tender leaves, pods, flowers and shoots. Ruminants (cud-chewing animals like cows, goats and sheep) can eat more fibrous parts too. Dry and grind the leaves and small stems before feeding to poultry and pigs.

Starting the fodder bank

Plant seeds, seedlings or cuttings where you choose to grow the fodder bank.

• Plant fodder trees as a living fence around the edges of small plots of land.

• In bigger fields, plant fodder trees scattered among crops (intercropping) or in rows with strips of crops between them (alley-cropping). Leguminous trees are good for livestock and crops.

• In high-rainfall areas, plant fodder trees and grasses together on a spare piece of land as an intensive fodder garden.

Pastoralists can plant hardy fodder trees in seasonal grazing areas, or reserve a section of grazing land containing grasses and trees as a natural fodder bank.

Spacing

Spacing depends on the species, type of soil and type of fodder bank. Plant closely if you want a dense growth of small branches and leaves for more dry-season fodder.

Use wider spacing if you want to use the trees for poles as well as fodder or for better access for harvesting or grazing.

Intercropping—plant seedlings 5–10 m apart according to the type of tree and crop and the size of the land.

Water regularly and weed every 2–4 weeks until the seedlings grow taller than any weeds. Young seedlings in seasonal grazing areas also need care to start with.

Harvesting fodder

Wait 9–12 months after planting (longer in dry conditions) before cutting branches for the first time. This gives the tree time to establish deep roots.

• Cut living fences close to the ground to encourage the growth of more branches and leaves.

• In intercropping, cut branches regularly to feed livestock and to avoid too much shade for the crops.

• In alley-cropping, cut trees down to 30–60 cm from the ground. Continue cutting branches every so often so that the trees do not make too much shade for your crops.

Use cuttings as mulch as well as fodder. When crops are harvested, most cuttings can go to livestock.

• Cut fodder garden grasses every 4–6 weeks, down to about 75 cm from the ground, trees every 2–3 months, down to about 1 m from the ground.

Grazing

• Divide the fodder bank into sections and allow livestock in to graze one section at a time.

Allow grazing for 1–2 weeks.

• Cut the section to an even height to stimulate growth and leave for 3–6 weeks (longer in arid areas) to recover.

• Protect the section from all animals during the recovery period.

• If goats and sheep graze fodder banks, take care that they do not kill the trees by eating too much of the bark.

Living fence—plant seedlings or cuttings in a row fairly close together, according to the species.

Alley-cropping—plant fodder trees 0.25–1 m apart in rows 2–4 m apart. Plant your crops in the spaces between rows.

0.25–1 m

2−4 m

Fodder garden—leave grasses to grow for 8 weeks after planting and trees for 1 year before cutting.

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

ecosystems

The life of a river Y

A

ll rivers start at the highest point in an area, such as mountains or hills, where rainwater or melting snow collects and forms tiny streams.

As the river flows downstream, it gains water from other streams, rivers and springs. Nearly all rivers have an upper, middle and lower course.

oung river

The upper course is the beginning of a river. Here, the river is smaller and has a rapid, tumbling flow that cuts a narrow channel through rocky hills or mountains. At this point the river flows quickly with lots of energy.

A mountain stream rushes over rocks on its way downhill.

The fast-flowing river can create waterfalls where it carves out layers of soft rock and leaves cliffs of hard rock standing.

In the lowest course the river slows down. The end of the river, where it meets the sea, is called the mouth. At the mouth, there is often a river delta, a large, silty area where the river splits into many slow-flowing channels that have muddy banks.

A good example is the Tana River delta.

iddle-aged river

In the middle course, the river gets wider and slows down. Rivers often meander (follow a winding path) along this course. The river current no longer has the force to carry stones or gravel.

This material drops to the riverbed, where it forms bars of sand and gravel or builds islands.

The Tana River Flows into the Indian Ocean through many channels.

Rivers are important. They serve us in many ways.

ry A zov © Dmit

Habitats — Rivers provide excellent habitats and food for many of the earth’s organisms. Many of the plants and trees growing by rivers are found nowhere else.

Plants growing along riverbanks stabilise

tsev

Water — Rivers drain nearly 75% of the earth’s land surface. Rivers carry water and nutrients to areas around the earth.

They play an important part in the water cycle, acting as drainage channels for surface water.

A grizzly bear fishes for salmon in a fast-flowing river in North America.

© Delta Dunes Lodge

Marit z

The middle course of the Luangwa River meanders lazily over the Zambian plains.

© Paul

M

O

ld river

the soil and protect the surrounding land from flood and erosion. Vegetation growing in the riverbed, such as reed beds, slows down the flow of the stream and supports the process of dissolving particles from the soil and moving water.

Reeds and other water plants also favour decomposition of dead plants and aquatic animals, and provide oxygen to the organisms living in the sludge of the riverbed.

Rivers and river deltas are home to many different species of wildlife. Insects, mammals and birds use them for their

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

ecosystems

15

homes and for food. Wild animals and livestock go to rivers to drink. Birds such as the kingfisher and other animals, like bears in the northern hemisphere, catch fish from rivers. Ducks make their homes on riverbanks.

Transport — Rivers provide travel routes for exploration, commerce and recreation.

Life in the Tana River delta The delta covers an area of about 130,000 hectares and is a patchwork of habitats including savannah, semi-arid acacia thorn bush, coastal forests, grasslands, beaches, dunes, lakes, mangrove swamps, and freshwater pools or channels.

This vast wetland acts like a sponge, absorbing floods, storing water and remaining green during the dry season. The thick vegetation also absorbs carbon dioxide gas from the air.

When there are floods, the delta fills with water and waterbirds from all over Kenya nest there, replenishing bird populations

By Clare Barasa and Benjamin Ondiege

throughout the country. The Tana River delta has been designated an Important Bird Area, a site critical for the conservation of birds.

Local people have adapted to and depend on the regular floods that keep the area fertile through the year.

However, the delta has its troubles.

Dams upstream have made the floods

less regular. A planned new dam could disrupt flooding even more.

Incoming squatters who clear bush for farming, and uncontrolled charcoal burning, are destroying coastal forest.

Another risk is plans to start huge plantations to grow sugarcane or jatropha (a biofuel plant), bringing many jobs to the area but threatening the delta’s wildlife and vegetation.

GOOD MORNING, ANN.

BLAST THESE DUDUS! SHOULD I SPRAY THEM WITH PESTICIDE?

HOW ARE YOU, CONNIE? I AM WONDERING WHAT I CAN DO TO SAVE MY BEANS.

THE APHIDS FEEDING ARE CAUSING THE LEAVES TO ROLL AND TWIST.

THESE LEAVES ARE EVEN TURNING YELLOW. THEY‛LL EVENTUALLY WILT. I WANT TO SPRAY THE APHIDS BUT IT COULD LEAD TO WATER POLLUTION. THE RIVER‛S RIGHT NEAR MY SHAMBA.

WHAT IF THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH APHID HUNTERS? SPRAY NEEM OIL ON THE APHIDS. IT KILLS THEM WITHOUT AFFECTING LADYBIRDS. EUCALYPTUS OIL IS ALSO GOOD—IT DOESN‛T KILL THE PESTS BUT IT REPELS THEM.

WHY NOT USE NATURAL ENEMIES OF THE APHIDS TO KILL THEM? LET LADYBIRDS AND LACEWINGS LIVE ON YOUR PLANTS. THEY LOVE APHIDS! HMMM ...

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE. WHEN I PUT IT ALL INTO PRACTICE I WILL EXPECT A BUMPER HARVEST.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

What Connie‛s suggesting is called integrated pest management—IPM. IPM is a way of controlling pests without the use of toxic chemicals, by attracting them away from the plants you want to protect and by using their natural enemies to keep them away or kill them.

Go to http://www.epa.gov/ opp00001/kids/pestpatro/ for more on IPM.

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

home gardens

The Furaha Farmers’ goat is here! The class has named her Tumaini (hope), because they hope for good milk from her in future—but first they must help her to grow up strong and healthy.

Class, show Mr Abdi Tumaini’s new pen.

Tumaini is a Galla goat, well adapted to dry conditions.

But you must look after her well ...

At Tumaini’s pen.

Follow us, Mr Abdi …

... so that she stays healthy and grows fast. Then she will mature and be able to have kids faster.

We have scattered hay on the floor to keep it dry.

This looks like a very good enclosure. May I look inside?

Hmmm ... Plenty of air … good, good …

She has clean water in this trough.

But what’s this?!

Mkulima Halima arrives

Just a hoe—we were digging in the garden this morning.

Do you know what to feed Tumaini?

Come, we’ll do a fodder tour!

However, these leaves and pods will be supplementary feed.

Mkulima Halima’s tips

Let’s start with your living fence. leaves are rich in protein—important for growing goats. Lop trees when they reach 0.3–1.5 m so that they grow more leaves, even in the dry season.

Tumaini!

Find out about goat health in the next issue of Young African Express!

—or to choke on a plastic bag!

In the garden

We can also feed her from our garden.

Which plants can we give her?

You must keep dangerous objects away from livestock.

You don’t want Tumaini to cut herself—

Good morning everyone. I see the goat is here!

Her droppings will be good manure for your compost.

… but also move her around the school grounds so that she doesn’t overgraze one place.

Very important—goats need 3– 8 litres of clean drinking water a day. Move the trough into the shade. Cool water makes goats less thirsty.

Don’t forget to change the bedding often and keep the goat house clean to prevent diseases.

This house is well made. It’ll protect Tumaini from rain, wind, heat and sun and keep her safe from predators.

She will graze on the grass in her pen …

… and Tumaini!

And never let Tumaini wander into the garden! Now Mr Abdi’s going to tell us more about how to keep her healthy.

is one of a goat’s favourite trees, with its nutritious leaves and protein-rich pods.

What do you mean?

They’re extra feed— Tumaini will need other fodder as her main food.

You can also feed her banana and papaya leaves and banana peels.

We have just planted sorghum and cassava.

Excellent! They’re good fodder plants.

Don’t forget to save some crop residues for mulch to protect your soil.

And that’s where your garden crops come in.

You will need most of your garden products for school meals, but Tumaini can eat crop residues—the parts of plants that you don’t eat, like the husks from threshing beans and cowpeas and stalks and vines from cowpeas, beans and amaranth.

Let the stalks dry and chop them before you give them to her. Together with the grass she grazes, they will form most of her diet. You can gather and store extra fodder for use during the dry season.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

s= H M n + a actio in

Metric system part 2

Have you ever wondered why a ship floats on water but a needle sinks?

B

The weight of an object acts downward, and the buoyant force provided by the displaced fluid acts upward. If these 2 forces are equal, the object floats.

Your ears prick up. You know how to make a balance scale because you saw it in Young African Express—you just need something that weighs 1/2 a kilogram with which to compare the weight of the meat.

Hmm … You know from our last Maths in action column that water has a known weight—1 litre of water weighs 1 kg. Can you use the weight of water to check the weight of the meat?

Here’s what you do

Make a balance scale following the instructions on page 22. Hang it where it can move freely. Check that your scale is level before you start.

Place the meat in 1 cup, then carefully pour water into the other cup until the 2 sides are exactly balanced.

Being careful not to spill any, pour the water into a measuring cup and hold it up to eye height to read the level. The amount of water you poured out is equal to the weight of the meat.

For example, if it took 450 ml of water to balance the meat, then your meat weighs 450 grams, which is less than 1/2 a kilogram (500 g).

17

g in k in s & g in t a lo F uoyancy is the ability of an object to float in a liquid.

When a ship floats, it displaces water equal to its weight and that is why it floats.

“I think the butcher cheated me,” says Mum as she comes home with the shopping. “This meat doesn’t look like 1/2 a kilo. I wish I had a weighing scale so I could check.”

Vol. 6 no. 4

practical science

gravity

object

A needle cannot float on water—it sinks because buoyancy its density (mass per volume of the needle) is heavier than the density of the water.

The amount of water it displaces weighs less than the needle.

Archimedes’ principle is the law of buoyancy. It states, “Any body partially or completely submerged in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.”

A loaded ship will float if the weight of the cargo is equal to the weight of the displaced water. The ship will sink if the cargo weighs more than the displaced water.

It will sink deeper and deeper until the buoyant force matches the weight of the ship and the cargo.

When your body is placed in water, like in a swimming pool, it experiences a buoyancy force too. Try to sit on the floor of the pool—it can’t be done! You have to work very hard to overcome the buoyancy force pushing you back to the surface.

Fool your friends with this buoyancy trick!

You need • • • •

Glass of water Empty matchbox Coin (size of Ksh 20 coin) Marker pen

Stage 1

Stage 2

• Discard the sleeve from the matchbox, keeping the open box part

• Remove the coin, leaving the matchbox

• Place the coin in the matchbox • Place the matchbox carefully on top of the water

• Put the coin in the water so that it sinks • Mark the water level again original water level

water level

• Mark the level of the water

new water level

What happens:

Did you expect the water level to rise with the coin in it? It actually falls.

Why is that?

The coin is many times heavier than the water. With the coin in the box, the box increases in volume and becomes many times heavier than the water, so the box displaces more water than when the coin is in the water and the matchbox is floating on top.

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

practical science

How does nuclear power work?

After an earthquake and tsunami in March caused Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant to leak radiation into the Japan’s unharmed Ikata nuclear power plant. Japan gets 30% of its ocean, people electricity from nuclear power. have been fall apart sooner or later. Like a shaky asking how safe nuclear energy old building tumbling to the ground, really is. And how does nuclear they split into bits and release energy power work anyway? Read on. as they split.

L

ook at the building you’re sitting in. A lot of energy was spent getting those bricks and building materials into the right position, and as long as the building stands that energy will be stored indefinitely. But an unstable building will sooner or later fall and when it does, all the energy stored will be released as heat, noise and kinetic energy (energy that comes with movement—like bricks falling on your head).

In the same way, most atoms are stable and unchanging, but other atoms exist in an unstable form and

A

s split into When large atom ving off gi smaller atoms, ess, it is oc pr energy in the n. The sio fis r calle d nuclea atom (the e th of central part up; fission nucleus) breaks apart. means splitting

The energy released when one atom splits is tiny but as there are billions of atoms in even the tiniest speck of matter, the amount of energy is huge if you could make them split one after the other indefinitely. This is what happens in a nuclear power plant.

What on earth are atoms?

nucleus

proton—carries a positive energy charge neutron—carries no charge electron—carries a negative energy charge

W

hen water is heated it splits into 2 gases, oxygen and hydrogen. We cannot break hydrogen and oxygen down into anything simpler because they are elements. All matter is made up of elements and every element consists of a different type of atom.

Atoms are far too tiny to see but they are made up of even smaller parts—protons, neutrons* and electrons. Protons and neutrons cluster together to make the nucleus or centre of the atom.

Electrons circle the nucleus. The number of protons, neutrons and electrons in an atom controls what element it is. An oxygen atom, for instance, has 8 protons, 8 neutrons and 8 electrons.

nuclear power plant uses atoms of uranium-235 as fuel.

U-235 is a very stable atom with 92 protons and 143 neutrons (92 + 143 = 235) in its nucleus.

1 A neutron is fired at U-235 to make it U-236, now with 144 neutrons—which is very unstable.

2 U-236 immediately splits into 2 smaller, more stable atoms, releasing energy and firing off 2 spare neutrons.

uranium-235 1 neutron

uranium-235

3 The 2 spare neutrons now crash into 2 other U-235 atoms, splitting them too, releasing more energy.

4 The 4 released neutrons crash into 4 other atoms, and so on in a chain reaction that gets bigger and bigger and releases a huge amount of energy—enough to power a city.

Neutrons in their free state are highly radioactive** and extremely dangerous, so the walls of a nuclear reactor must be made of concrete several metres thick to contain them. * Protons and neutrons are particles within the nucleus of an atom. Protons have a positive charge and repel each other; neutrons are neutral and weaken this repulsion, keeping the atom stable. ** Radioactive: radiation energy in the form of particles or rays that can damage living tissue.

Find out more cool scientific facts at www.explainthatstuff.com

2 uranium-236

4

3 neutrons 3

uranium-235 4

A controlled nuclear explosion produces nuclear power. An uncontrolled nuclear explosion is usually called a nuclear bomb!

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

PRACTICAL SCIENCE

19

What is a community cooker?

1 Sorting the waste

2 What happens in the cooker

5

A metal chute feeds the rubbish from the racks to the cooker. The waste is pushed into the firebox in the center of the cooker.

hot plate

waste water

6 A tall chimney rises out of the firebox between the hot plates, releasing nearly clear smoke into the air high above. The smoke is so clear because the extreme heat generated in the firebox and chimney destroys toxic elements in the waste.

7

The firebox heats a network of steel pipes that passes around the cooker.

8

The steel cooker has a large top with eight sunken hot plates. Cooking pots slotted into the hot plates are heated by the firebox below. Along the sides of the cooker are 2 ovens big enough to roast a goat.

9

Follow the steps to see how the cooker works

Solid waste materials like paper and plastic bags, packaging, sawdust, rags and even ‘flying toilets’—bags of human and animal faeces—are forked up to the top level of the racks, ready for incineration.

access hole

waste chute chimney

waste oil

oven

All that is left at the end of the incinerator-like process is a small amount of ash. The ash will be tested for toxins and if found to be safe, it will be used in compost and in pit latrines to keep flies away. It just goes to show—there really is no such thing as waste!

Water pipes carry heat around the cooker. The heated water is piped to a tap for use in washrooms in the compound.

A battered tin sits on either side of the firebox door. A tap controls a slow flow of used engine oil from one and waste water from the other. A drop of each falls in equal amounts onto a heated steel plate at the front of the firebox, where the water vaporises into hydrogen and oxygen. The gases react with the flames and the temperature increases to 600 °C. The temperature at the base of the chimney goes above the necessary 800 °C.

door to firebox

A drop of oil, a drop of water

firebox

Designers of the cooker constructed it to maximise heat. However, they could not reach the minimum 800°C considered safe for waste incinerators.

Self-taught local furnace builder Frances Gwehonah had the answer. He helped double the firebox temperature from 300 °C to 600 °C, using oil and water.

water pipes

water tanks

How does the cooker get so hot?

sorted waste

sorting rack

recyclable waste vegetable bags with compost

Community members who collect and sort rubbish get time on the cooker in return. Others buy a Ksh 5 token for cooking time to make a family meal. This is a good deal at a time when a 1-kg tin of charcoal costs Ksh 50 and a litre of paraffin more than Ksh 80. The cooker also heats water for washing. Some schools plan to build community cookers to reduce their huge fuel bills.

Volunteers from various local youth groups collect, sort and store the garbage in metal racks adjacent to the cooker, where it can dry.

3

What’s the reward for sorting waste?

Bio-degradable scraps become compost for the vegetables growing in sacks in the compound.

What makes this cooker special is its fuel: waste products, including paper, old clothes and even shoes.

The cooker was the brainchild of Nairobi architect Jim Archer, who had the idea while puzzling over how to reduce the piles of waste in the city.

4

A fuel with a difference

Materials like rubber, glass and batteries are recycled because they cannot be burned.

Have you been reading about Sweetie, Mingu and the community cooker? How does the cooker work?

To find out, take a tour of the cooker in the Laini Saba community, Kibera, in the diagram on the right.

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Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

business & careers

Starting the business

THIS IS WASTING TIME! WE NEED TO MAKE ENOUGH TO SELL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

With their start-up loan, Jamila, Martin and Lily were able to set up their briquette-making business.

They obtained equipment and the materials they needed and set to work. In the first week they practised getting the mix right and tried out different briquettes to see which burned best.

BUT LILY SAW A PROBLEM ...

AFTER 2 WEEKS HARD WORK, THE FRIENDS HAD MADE ENOUGH BRIQUETTES TO FILL 50 BAGS.

MARTIN, YOU MADE MORE THAN ME AND LILY COMBINED.

ACTUALLY, IT‛S TIME WELL SPENT. GOOD BRIQUETTES WILL GIVE US SATISFIED CUSTOMERS.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS VERY IMPORTANT IN A BUSINESS. HAPPY CUSTOMERS WILL COME BACK TO YOU AND BRING THEIR FRIENDS TOO.

THESE BAGS STILL SAY SIMBA CEMENT.

GOOD POINT … HOW WILL PEOPLE KNOW WHAT‛S INSIDE?

HMM

WHAT‛S THE PROBLEM, SIS?

WE NEED A NAME. IN FACT, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT MARKETING OUR BRIQUETTES!

WHY DO WE NEED TO?

I LIKE THE NAME ECOFUEL— What is NOT BAD! I‛LL BRIQUETTES ARE FUEL, AND WHAT DO YOU THINK, A FEW DAYS LATER: marketing?

DESIGN A LABEL TO OUR BRIQUETTES USE WASTE MRS FERNANDES? STICK ON THE BAGS. SO THEY‛RE ECO-FRIENDLY When you start AND ECONOMICAL! a new business you need some way of telling people about it and making them want to buy your product. This is calle d marketing.

WE‛RE TELLING THE TRUTH. Good marketing will VERY NICE! I THINK I‛LL BUY A THEY REALLY ARE CHEAPER attract customers THAT LABEL IS ALSO A FEW AS YOU CLAIM THAT THEY THAN COOKING WITH MARKETING TOOL. MAKE IT ARE POCKET FRIENDLY. PARAFFIN OR CHARCOAL. to a new business.

BRIGHT AND PLEASING! Once your business is WE WANT TO going well, continue BE TRUSTED! marketing your Never make false claims about your product or service. It is product or service. dishonest. Your business will suffer as disappointed customers Draw ing in new warn people against buying from you and you may have to customers will let repay them. Truthful advertising is a way to build trade. your business grow.

THEY HANDED FLYERS OUT ON THE DAY THEY STARTED SELLING THEIR FIRST BRIQUETTES IN THE MARKET.

GUESS WHAT! I‛VE PUT ECOFUEL ON FACEBOOK!

GIVE FLYERS TO PEOPLE WE‛VE SEEN BUYING OTHER FUEL BEFORE.

THAT‛S COOL! BUT ARE OUR FACEBOOK FRIENDS BRIQUETTE BUYERS?

EVEN IF 2 OR 3 BUY AND LIKE OUR BRIQUETTES, THEY‛LL SPREAD THE WORD.

ECOFUEL‛S FIRST DAY SALES WERE SMALL BUT OVER THE WEEK MORE PEOPLE CAME TO BUY THE BRIQUETTES ON THE ADVICE OF THEIR SATISFIED FRIENDS. LILY, JAMILA AND MARTIN FELT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

We salute

Vol. 6 no. 4

business & careers

21

How do I . . .

write a job application letter I n hunting for a job, you will need to write an application letter to go with your CV. The letter’s purpose is to get the potential employer to read your CV and invite you for a job interview.

The application letter should be brief—no more than one page in length—and easy to read.

ty t e B d r o F

B

etty Ford, born on April 8, 1918, was the wife of former United States President Gerald Ford and served as the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977.

But unlike many a First Lady, Ford was a politically and socially active presidential wife, noted for raising awareness about breast cancer and substance abuse.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1974 and had to have a mastectomy (breast removal), Ford chose to share her cancer story even though back then, cancer was not talked about. This publicity helped bring the disease into the open and inspired women to seek breast examinations.

But her cancer plus the stresses of being a First Lady led to her getting addicted to painkillers and alcohol, and she was admitted to hospital to fight these addictions. Her triumph over them is what inspired her to start the Betty Ford Center in 1982, where people addicted to alcohol and other drugs could be treated.

She passed away on July 8, 2011, but she will always be remembered for her outspokenness, for opening up the toughest times of her life as a public example and for becoming a beacon of hope for addicts.

Address Put your address and the date in full at the top right of the page.

Put the recipient‛s name (if you know it) and title, followed by the organisation‛s name and address, on the left just below the date line.

Salutation Use the recipient‛s name. If she is a woman and you don‛t know her marital status, use Ms. If you don‛t know the name, use Dear Sir/Madam.

Mrs Pendo Wemba Human Resources Manager Tekeleza Limited P.O. BOX 2430 Nairobi 01010

First paragraph: explanation Give the reason for writing and the specific position for which you are applying. If there is an opening for the particular position, mention how you learned of the job. If you are enquiring about jobs in general, talk about your interest in the particular organisation.

Dear Mrs Wemba, n Re: Application for positio I am writing to apply ...

Subject line er what your This tells the read can then ey Th letter is about. person if ht rig e th to pass it on necessary.

I have worked as a ...

The attached CV ...

Amina Amani P.O. BOX 86680 Nairobi 01234 30 August 2011

Second paragraph: interest Create a desire for your services by stating your qualifications, experience (if any) and outstanding accomplishments. Refer to key aspects in your CV relevant to the job and include only the information that supports your application. Anything else, however great, should be put in your CV.

Yours faithfully,

Amina Amani

Last paragraph: request Refer your potential employer to your enclosed CV, which summarises your qualifications, training and experience, and request an interview or a personal meeting.

Closing Sign off with “Yours faithfully,” followed by your signature. Type or write your name underneath.

Recipient = the person who receives something (the letter in this case) Salutation = a greeting. In a letter, an opening phrase in which the recipient is addressed CV = abbreviation of curriculum vitae, an outline of your qualifications, skills and experience

22

Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

careers & Fun

THE T E ME

I do!

When most kids get new clothes, all they can think of is when they will get the chance to wear them. Not Wanjeri Kihoi, the co-owner of Afro Elegance Bridal House in Hurlingham, Nairobi.

“Even as a young girl, the first thing I did when I got something new was to scrutinise it and think of more exciting ways that I would have made it if I had been the designer.

From an early age, I knew I wanted to study fashion and that is how I ended up at Kenyatta University (KU), undertaking the only course that at that time had anything to do with fashion—Bachelor of Education (Home Economics).

It’s while at KU that I started making outfits for my friends for free.

Unknown to me then was that one of these friends would be the one who get me into business!

Even as a young girl, the first thing I did when I got something new was to scrutinise it and think of more exciting ways that I would have made it

After university, I went into teaching but it was not long before one of my former university mates, for whom I’d made clothes, asked me to design her wedding gown.

From this first gown, requests from others started streaming my way and a business was born!

To start off, I partnered with a friend and we used our savings, plus a soft loan from a relative, to import readymade wedding dresses for our stock.

Finding the appropriate space to set up shop proved to be our biggest startup challenge.

It took us over 4 months!

That we managed to dress 70 brides in our first year in the cutthroat wedding business is our biggest achievement.

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: cultivating the right frame of mind is vitally important when starting a business.

o ur o wn y k e a M balance scale

Which is heavier—a large bag of popcorn or a small bag of peanuts? Find out by making your own balance scale. It’s easy! A homemade scale won’t give you exact weights but will still make a good estimate. And it can be very useful around the house.

do You need

• A large plastic clothes hanger • 2 clean yogurt cups of the same size and brand so they weigh exactly the same • 6 lengths of string or cord, each 25 cm long • Sticky tape • Hole punch

What you do

1 Mark and punch 3 holes, an equal distance apart, 2 cm below the rim 1 of each cup.

2

3

2 Tie a knot at the end of each piece of string and slide it through the hole from the inside.

3 Tie the 3 free ends of string from each cup to either end of the hanger, and wrap them with sticky tape so they don’t slide.

4 Hang the clothes hanger where the cups can move freely, like on a large door handle or wall hook.

Make sure the cups are level. If one appears heavier (lower) than the other, add a little sticky tape

to the lighter, opposite end until the hanger is level.

5 Place the items you want to weigh in the cups and see which side is lower (heavier). Or you can use the known weight of water to check the weight of something else. How do you do that? See “Maths in action” on page 17.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Exc it ing c om p e t it io n !

n w o r u o y St a rt s s e r d g n i we dd b us i ne s s !

How would you make money if you owned 10 wedding dresses? Rent them out? Make and sell patterns from the designs?

Hold a modelling camp?

We are looking for your best business ideas! The best concept will win 10 NEW wedding dresses and our 2 runners-up 5 dresses each.

What to do

1

To enter this competition, write and send us your business plan. The best 3 will win!

• Describe your business idea • Target market—who will your customers be?

• Price range—read about calculating selling price on page 20 of our last issue.

• Marketing plan—how will you advertise your business?

2

Your entry must include:

• Full name and age • School and class • Phone number • Postal address • Email address (if any) • Write and sign the following statement: “I agree to be interviewed and photographed for Young African Express if I am the winner or a runner-up.”

Note: if you are under 18 your parent or guardian must sign your entry.

• Your profit goals

About the dresses

Who can enter?

Anyone 18 years or younger may enter, whether in school or not. You can enter as an individual, or as a group. At least one member of the group The 20 wedding dresses to be should be 18 or under. Boys, a wedding dress business can won in the competition have been work just as well for donated by an exclusive fashion you as for girls! house in the Netherlands.

Enter and win!

Vol. 6 no. 4

Competition extended by popular demand to 15 October 2011!

3

Send your entry to Young African Express to arrive no later than 15 October 2011.

Post your entry to Young African Express PO Box 1202–00606 Nairobi, Kenya or email it to info@YoungAfricanExpress.net The winners will be notified by phone on 17 October 2011 and announced in the vol. 6 no. 6 2011 issue of Young African Express.

Wi n !

23

24

Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Reading is fun

g ! n i y d a a w Le e th M

by Lee Diani

Chapter 3: Let’s make a change

ingu was woken by the sound of shouting and chanting outside their house near the waste dump.

The goat was fenced in next to their room, and Freddy quickly came back with a cup of milk as Mingu was starting the fire on the earth floor.

“Amka! Wake up” said Freddy, who was sleeping by his side, “Twende, tuone!

Let’s go!”

“Mista Big!” yelled the crowd of people passing by as Mingu and Freddy drank their tea. Just then their uncle came in and called them to go with him.

Mingu stretched. “First we’ll have some tea. You must eat something.

Where is Uncle?” “Ametoka kwa mkutano,” said Freddy, trying to pull him outside.

Mingu knew his uncle and other people had to meet Mr Driver today about the community cooker project, but the noise outside sounded like a political rally.

“Naskia ubao jo,” said Freddy, now looking for something to eat.

If you’re hungry, go milk the goat and I’ll boil the milk to make us some tea,” said Mingu. “And stop that crazy Sheng language,” said Mingu, “Speak English or Swahili or you’ll never do well at school.”

“Once these people going to the rally have passed, we can join Mr Driver near the community cooker and go on with our meeting. I hope our committee members have not gone off to cheer the political candidate. They were offering money for people to go there so some of them may not show up.”

“Why do politicians have to pay people to support them?” asked Mingu.

“Maybe we should go so we can get some cash.”

“No,” said his uncle. “I do not want you to grow up with bad habits. You have to learn to think and make good decisions. Such politicians are not serious. They have no idea about our problems. They just shout nonsense

at meetings and do not listen. It is better you come with me and we do something practical for ourselves.”

N

ot everyone came to the meeting but those who did knew what to do. The cooker had recently been completed, so they started preparing the waste for burning. Mingu and Freddy helped by sorting out the batteries, glass and rubber, which were not to be burned as they would create toxic smoke.

They could find people to buy some of these things, so they put them with other useful items into wheelbarrows provided by Mr Driver from the UN. Later they would push these up the hill to where the traders worked.

Last time they had agreed to put all the organic waste in sacks. It was a quick way of making compost and now they were growing sukuma wiki in the sacks. It was a messy job, so Mingu suggested to the meeting that they ask everybody to separate their food waste from the other items, to make the process easier.

“That is a very good idea” said Mr Driver. “It will take someone who is good at convincing people to do it. Who would be able to do that?”

“Mingu!” said all the others.

“I nominate him as our youth leader,” said a woman.

“It will be easier to convince people if we give them bags to put the organic waste in,” said Mingu. “I can find bags among the other waste and distribute them. People can bring them here when they are full.”

As they were working, people from the rally came by and one asked if they allowed members of different ethnic groups to join. “And how much will you pay us to work here?” one woman asked.

“Nothing,” said Mingu’s uncle. “But anyone can join who lives in this

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Reading is fun

Vol. 6 no. 4

25

services like water and with real bathrooms. Mingu felt envious because he had lived in a place like that when he was younger, before his parents had been killed in a road accident. He had had to leave high school to go and live with his uncle near the waste dump, trying to survive by collecting and sorting waste, which they sold.

Mingu felt sad sometimes, but he knew his uncle was a good man who looked after him and he tried very hard to make sense of his life. He liked Sweetie and her parents because they were kind and polite to him, treating him as a friend.

“Hello Mingu,” called Sweetie through the fence, and came out to greet him.

“Hello Freddy. Don’t be afraid of our dog, he is getting to know you. Come, you can touch him, see?” neighbourhood. If you join, you can bring food to cook here but you must work and help us.”

to mark the start of the project.

There was a latrine too, which the committee members kept clean.

“Mista Big says you people are out to exploit us,” said the woman. “You must give us something if you want us to join.”

The woman who had asked about being paid came by with her family and brought food to heat up. They decided to allow that if she promised to come to their next meeting and share the work without complaining.

“The new constitution says we must have an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality, equity and freedom,” said Mingu’s uncle, as the boys listened. “Mista Big is entitled to his opinion but we have nothing, just like you. If you want to help make energy to cook, you are welcome to join us.”

Later they started up the cooker.

Some who had prepared food brought it to the cooker, which got very hot as it burned the rubbish. This was because of a special device to drip water and oil into the burner, creating a very high temperature. This device had been thought up and made by one of the committee members.

Mr Driver had brought a donation of maize bags for the people who had worked, and they cooked the maize together, adding a dish of green sukuma wiki that had grown in the sacks. They were all tired and hungry and glad to get a meal. Everyone washed their hands before cooking and eating, using the clean water from a tank that the UN project had put in next to the community cooker.

The waste water ran into a ditch that nourished the sukuma wiki plants and a fruit tree seedling they had planted

N

ext day Mingu got up very early to go on his rounds, collecting waste from his friend Sweetie’s neighbourhood. Freddy went with him, to help and to learn. It was nice to be in a clean neighbourhood with proper roads and houses with

“How is the community cooker going?” she asked Mingu, and he told her all about the meeting the previous day and how he had been made the youth leader for the project. “It is going to be a lot of work, but I think I can convince people to sort their organic from their inorganic waste.”

“I am sure you can,” laughed Sweetie.

“You certainly convinced me. And now that has led to my dad organising it in our neighbourhood,” and she smiled at Mingu again. “I think we are going to do that at school too!”

What’s this community cooker all about? Find out on page 19!

Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

puzzles & fun Fun for

I‛m not called the ship of the desert for nothing!

You

Which map?

26

1

3

The truth about camels

I 2

t is not true that camels store water in their humps—the humps are filled with fatty tissue.

So how then can they go for so long without water?

4

Camels have special adaptations to conserve moisture and deal with dehydration (lack of water). For example: • Camels can extract moisture from green vegetation to go without water for longer

On the left is a picture of the countryside taken from the air.Which map on the right accurately represents the picture ?

• Camels’ nostrils trap most of the water vapour released when they breathe out, so it returns to the body • Thick fur insulates them from heat as well as cold, reducing the need to sweat

• So as not to lose water through sweating, camels can adjust their body temperature. Their normal body temperature can vary between 36 and 41 °C, depending on the outside temperature. They only start sweating when their temperature goes above 41 °C

In picture on left: television is cracked; book; no escaping chicken; patterned armchair fabric; colours on broom; swoosh on side of bus; flowers on roadside; line on road; second bus; second mountain

Spot the difference

Don‛t go too fast, driver, you may lose some luggage!

Can you find 10 differences between these pictures?

number bond?

What is a

DON’T mishandle electrical gadgets and sockets.

HEY, I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I PUT THIS METAL SPIKE IN HERE ...

By Harray

Answers for page 27

Can you think of any palindromes?

South Sudan Across: 4. Sudan; 5. Pound; 6. DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo); 7.

Algeria; 8. Nile; 10. Unity; 11. Ethiopia; 12. Kob; 14. Al-Bashir

Q: What word is a palindrome when turned back to front and upside down?

2 6 1 8 9 5 2 7 1 6 1 5

map 3

… And when they do find water, camels can drink up to 100 litres of water in 10 minutes!

3

(This is a reference to Emperor Napoleon of France, who was exiled to the island of Elba in 1814 after he was forced to abdicate.)

• Camel droppings are very dry so they lose very little moisture through their wastes

7

Anna Madam, I’m Adam.

Was it a rat I saw?

Able was I, ere I saw Elba.

• Camel urine can become as thick as syrup because, more than in any other species, the kidneys concentrate urine to reduce water loss

4

• • • •

• Their blood can flow even when it thickens from dehydration

Down: 1. Upper Nile; 2. Sudd; 3. Juba; 4. Shilluk; 7. Addis Ababa; 9. White; 13. Oil

A palindrome is a word, phrase or sentence that reads the same right to left or left to right. Here are some examples (ignore capital letters and spaces between words):

Instead, DO handle them with caution and care.

ONLY PLUGS GO IN SOCKETS!

VERY GOOD!

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 6 no. 4

puzzles & fun

By Bella Kilonzo www.bellakilonzo.com

CRAZY BELZO

27

S o u t h Sudan Africa‛s newest country 1

2 3

4

5 6 7

9

8 10 11

12 13 14

What do you know about Africa‛s newest country?

Complete the crossword using the clues below and the story on page 12.

Across 4. South Sudan was formerly part of this country. (5) 5. The new currency is the South Sudan _____. (5) 6. Abbreviation for the country to the south-west. (3) 7. This country is now the biggest in Africa. (7) 8. The river symbolised by blue in the South Sudanese flag.

(4) 10. What does the yellow star on the flag represent? (5) 11. The country on its eastern border. (8) 12. A white-eared antelope found in the south-east. (3) 14. The president of South Sudan’s northern neighbour, Omar __-______. (8)

Down 1. The northern most part of the country is in this state. (2 words – 9) 2. South Sudan’s vast swamp, one of the world’s largest wetlands. (4) 3. The country’s capital. (4) 4. One of the largest ethnic groups, along with the Dinka, Nuer and Azande. ((7) 7. The agreement that ended the first civil war was signed in this city. (2 words – 10) 9. This colour stands for peace in the flag. (5) 13. South Sudan has rich deposits of this mineral. (5)

What is a

number bond?

Do you know what a number bond is?

Here is an example:

0

1 3

4 4

2 2

Now fill in the missing gaps in the puzzle below.

1

2 6 9

5

1

3 1

Answers for What map? map 3; page 26 Palindromes SWIMS

Don‛t go too fast, driver, you may lose some luggage!

Can you find 10 differences between these pictures?

5

28

Vol. 6 no. 4

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Civil society

hate!

We hate speech my people are the madoadoas and that the leaders of this area want us out of here before the next elections.”

“What? Why?” “Because we belong “Wait up!” Lucas called, chasing after his to a different tribe and because of that, friend. “Did you guys receive the notes that they think we’ll spoil were being circulated yesterday?” he asked, their votes. Where catching his breath. will my family go?”

“Yes. What was that all about? Who Lucas whispered, trying to fight back are these madoadoas they talk of?” the tears. asked Naomi.

What would you do if faced with a “Us,” Lucas replied. similar situation?

Do you know that you can and should “Huh?” report such hateful talk (also known as “My people. My dad told me that hate speech) to the police?

Hate speech is any communication that intimidates or degrades others and promotes hatred and violence against others based on their tribe, race, religion, disability, or other characteristics (like the notes being circulated about Lucas’s tribe).

It is punishable by law in Kenya through the National Cohesion and Integration Act. According to the act, any person who spreads hate speech is liable to a fine of up to one million shillings or to imprisonment for a term of up to 3 years, or to both.

s hate If yo u ever co me acros ste d speech, talk to a tru report adult an d together, e. the case to the polic

IF WE LET HIM PLAY, PEOPLE WILL THINK WE’RE ALL CRIMINALS.

I SAID NO! HIS MOTHER GOT A JAIL SENTENCE YESTERDAY.

Story by Sarah Radoli Art by Bella Kilonzo IF HE CAN’T PLAY, I WON’T PLAY. NOT SALIO. NOT ON OUR TEAM.

YOU ARE RIGHT, MUTUA. HIS MOTHER MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF A CRIME BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SALIO.

BUT WE HAVE A TOURNAMENT THIS WEEKEND.

SALIO NEEDS OUR SUPPORT MOST NOW. DON’T LEAVE HIM OUT. BUT HE’S A GOOD STRIKER …

ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO PUNISH HIM FOR SOMEONE ELSE’S WRONGDOING?

SALIO, I AM VERY SORRY FOR ACTING SELFISHLY. I JUST GOT SCARED. YOU CAN JOIN US ...

THANKS, MUTUA, MAXWELL AND WATOTOMAN. FOR A MOMENT THERE I THOUGHT I WOULD BE ARRESTED TOO!

REALLY?

YES. IMAGINE YOURSELF IN SALIO’S SHOES. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

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for life

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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.

The throu Young Africa gh your schoon Express l by contais now The throu Young Africa cting in Uchum gh your i super mark scho n Express