Meet Joe Black

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESSIONS

CREDITS Publisher Jacaranda Africa 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 Cajetan Boy, Valerie Cuthbert, Peta Meyer, Katherine Moir, Joe Munuve, Yvonne Otieno, Sarah Radoli Graphic Designers Grace King’ori, Mbula Makaa-Kinuthia, Katherine Mamai Artists Cyrus Gathigo, Bella Kilonzo, Katherine Moir, Victor Ndula, Samuel Ngoje, Donald Omondi, Nkrumah Ondiek Photographs Egon Abresparr, Jim Conrad, Dadero, Ebakuka, J. M. Garg, Helen van Houten, John Kock, Joe Munuve, Sarah Radoli, Chris Ralph, Sias van Schalkwyk, Barbara Schneider, Kim and Forrest Starr, Philipp Weigell, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commons.wikimedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, flickr.com, freeimages.com, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Department of Agriculture Contacts info@youngafricanexpress.net subscription@youngafricanexpress.net marketing@youngafricanexpress.net website: www.youngafricanexpress.net Printed in Nairobi, Kenya Jacaranda Africa PO Box 1202–00606 Nairobi, Kenya AFRICA 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 2014 Young African Express is published by Jacaranda Africa, 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.

Letter to the Editor 2

Fiona 9

Selling price 22

ORS: Treat diarrhoea at home 4

Road safety 10

We salute 23

Joe Black 3

What you should know about worms 4 What is cholera? 5

What is HIV testing? 6 Nuru 6

Puberty rules, OK? 7 Human rights 8

Do the right thing 8 Don’t let life get you down! 9

Who lives where? 10 My town 11

Connie Conserve 13 Home gardening 14

Express Academy 15 What’s inside a computer? 20

Make it, do it 24

Me & my school 25

Treasure of the trees 26 Scrapbook 28

Sports & fun 28 Short story 29

How do I … 20

YAEbo wonders ... What is Ebola? 30

Maths in action 21

Peace and me 32

Solutions 21

Enough! 9

Meet the boss 24

Cycle of life 12

Agroforestry 19

You could be a vet 23

Puzzles & fun 30 Watotoman 32

Attention Educators: Follow the colour band at the top of each page for curriculum links Expressions: English language and literacy Our World: Civil society, social sciences and human rights Business and careers Staying Healthy: Health, hygiene and nutrition Going Green: Agroforestry, home gardens and environmental conservation Practical Science: Maths, science and technology Critical thinking, puzzles and brainteasers

BOARD

Bulletin

To Young African Express,

M

y aunt usually brings for me every issue of the Young African Express and I am happy. The thing I loved most about the last issue is that I learned very many interesting things. For example, in Science, I learned how heat moves.

I also found out about conduction in solids, convection in liquids or gas, and radiation through space.

Another interesting thing I learned is how a thermometer works. Last but not least, it was interesting learning about animal adaptation. I really liked doing the exercises about these things in the Express Academy workbook.

Michelle Ambale Umoja 1 Primary School 5 South Dear Michelle Thank you very much for your letter.

We are happy that you are learning so much from Express. The Express Academy workbook will be in every

issue so look out for more activities and challenges! We are sending you a set of colourful book stickers in return for your contribution.

Keep on reading!

Best wishes from The Editor

Letters Poe ms Art Stories Kids, if your work is published we will send you stickers, too. So send in your art, poems, letters and jokes to Young African Express PO Box 1202 - 00606 Nairobi email info@YoungAfricanExpress.net

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

EXPRESSIONS

Meet

Joe Black

Cover story

This is the story of Joe “Black” Munuve, a boy whose talent and passion got him into a lot of trouble but was also the motivation that led him to do something about it … with the help of someone who gave him another chance.

“I

read a lot of African literature, newspapers, magazines and blogs, and watch many movies. That way I build my vocabulary as well as develop my own writing style. I would like to be as good as Ken Saro Wiwa, Binyavanga Wainaina and Francis Imbuga, among other famous African writers.

I discovered I could write when I was in Class 6. My English teacher, Mr Onesmus Kimeu, inspired me a lot.

He pushed me to write even when I thought there was nothing more to say. He pinned my compositions to the noticeboard to inspire other pupils. I am a stammerer and writing helped me escape ridicule for my speech difficulty.

r er, M me h c a e d re ht nglis eu, inspi write E y to “M Kim mus she d me there s e n O t pu . He I though say.” t o l a when more to n e v e ing noth s a w

Through my reading, I learned the importance of standing up for what is right. My attempts at fighting for students’ rights got me into trouble and I was expelled. To my principal and teachers, I was “wasted goods”. Sitting at home and wanting to show that I was good at something, I started writing short stories.

e. awak ack e m b d jolte me to go e s n e s respo reali elling “ The ne was t egan to hell, it b o yo Ever o ol an d I ucation t cation d u h to sc I sent e ith it. Ed m.” w if lu that take me of the s t d woul y way ou m was Inspired, I started looking for a school again but with my discipline record it was not easy. Then, through my story on the blog, someone offered to pay my fees at a private boarding school up to form 4. I was lost for words. Someone was giving me a second chance.

I am an admirer of Bikozulu’s online I realise I have a lot to be thankful blog. Using the food money my for. I have learned not to take anything grandfather had left me, I went to for granted. For a boy who grew up in a cyber café and sent Jackson Biko, Majengo slum in Kitui, who almost lost the author, one of the the chance of an education, I feel stories I had written.

I am on the road at last.”

Since Biko is an “I w ould established Kenyan g o o d as like to be writer, I was hoping as Binya Ken Sa for his professional ro W vang a iw Franc approval. I hardly is Im Wainaina a, expected him to read b famo us Af uga, amo an d my email, much less ng rican write other reply.

To my surprise, Biko replied saying that he was impressed by my creativity. What a relief! The short story I sent was about my life and the challenges I have been through, some of which led to my being expelled from school. Biko asked me to make a few changes, and send it back. Just like that, my story appeared on his blog and it got a lot of positive response.

Want to read some of Joe’s writing? Turn to page 29 for his short story Gone with the wind.

rs.”

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

staying healthy

ORS: Treat diarrhoea at home Read the story on cholera on page 5. Acute diarrhoea caused by cholera normally only lasts a few days but it leads to dehydration, which is serious. ral rehydration solution or ORS does not stop the diarrhoea, but it prevents the body from drying up. The sugar in the ORS helps the

O

intestine to absorb the fluid better than plain water.

You get dehydrated when your body loses more fluids than it is taking in. Some of the signs of dehydration are scanty, dark-coloured urine, dry lips and tongue, sunken eyes, and cool hands and feet. A dehydrated baby may cry without tears.

Make ORS at home

W

How to use ORS 1.

Give the sick person as much of the solution as they will drink, in frequent small amounts. For babies, start with 1 teaspoon every 5 minutes.

If the person vomits, wait 10

2. minutes and give them ORS

again. Usually vomiting will stop.

You can buy packets of oral rehydration salts (to mix with water) in any pharmacy but it’s faster to make your own.

Wash your hands with soap and water before you start.

+ 1 litre of clean or boiled drinking water (cooled)

What

+ 8 teaspoons sugar

S

1 teaspoon salt

M

Prevent infection

feed them a balanced diet.

Stir the mixture till the contents dissolve. The solution should taste sweet, and be no more salty than tears. Make a fresh solution at least every 24 hours.

you should know about

any types of worms and other parasitic animals often live in people’s intestines and cause disease. Larger worms—roundworms, threadworms and tapeworms—are sometimes seen in stools (faeces).

Hookworms and whipworms may be present in the gut in large numbers without ever being seen in the stool.

Give the sick person other fluids

3. too, like soup and juices, and

If the diarrhoea does not stop in a few days, take the person to a doctor or clinic.

or ms

Worm infection is very common in children and affects their health and school performance.

Deworming medicine is cheap and safe and should be taken every 6 months. Get the pills at any chemist.

Bad hygiene and sanitation make it easy for tapeworms to spread from animals to humans and back again.

Cleanliness can prevent many kinds of infection.

An infected person can pass thousands of worms in their stool or faeces. Dirty fingers or contaminated food or water carry them from the faeces to the mouth of someone else. So wash your hands often, especially after handling animals, wear shoes Eggs of the common pinworm, when outdoors, cook food properly, boil magnified many times.

The most common sign of your drinking water and practise proper pinworm infection is an itchy sanitation to stop spreading disease.

If we all take care to eat well, keep ourselves and our villages clean, and be sure that children are vaccinated, we can stop most worm infestations and other illnesses before they start.

bottom, especially at night.

The common tapeworm can grow up to 10 metres long and lay a million eggs per day. You may not know you are infected because the symptoms can be confused with those of other diseases. As the tapeworm grows bigger, signs might include weight loss, nausea, weakness, diarrhoea and anaemia. Bad hygiene and sanitation make it easy for tapeworms to spread from animals to humans and back again.

Head of a tapeworm showing the hooks which it uses to attach itself to the intestine wall.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Diseases

What is cholera?

Four friends find out more about the dangerous disease of diarrhoea that is spread by dirty water

Do not drink this water!

be so bad because your stomach acids will kill them. But, when large numbers enter, the bacteria overwhelm the body and start growing in the small intestine and are passed out in the waste. Usually the first sign is watery diarrhoea that begins suddenly.

If this waste is not disposed of properly, the disease will spread.

Ahmed: Can cholera be prevented?

Farida: The best way is to use only boiled or treated water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or washing face, hands, utensils or food.

Ali: And, we should wash our hands well with soap after going to the toilet or before handling food.

Saida and Farida were on their way to fetch water from the river when they met their friends Ahmed and Ali herding the goats to the grasslands beside it. The youngsters enjoy being together, especially since it is more acceptable these days for girls and boys to mix.

O

n the way to the river Saida noticed some mangos that had fallen off a mango tree.

“Hey, look what I’ve found. Ripe mangos! And they’re free!!”

Ahmed: Great! I love mangos! Toss me one, OK? Ali: Wait! They should be washed first. Let’s wash them at the river.

Farida: Uh-oh, that’s not a good idea, Ali. Don’t you remember what happened to you?

Ahmed: What happened?

Farida: We washed some fruit in the river before eating, and next day Ali had ba-a-a-d diarrhoea. When mother took him to hospital, the doctor said he had cholera.

Saida: Cholera? What’s cholera?

Ali: The doctor said that cholera is a disease caused by water or food that’s contaminated with Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria are usually found in water that’s polluted with human waste.

Ahmed: Yuck! Surely if that stuff is in the river we’ll see it. So let’s look. If the water looks clean we’ll wash and eat these mangos, OK? Farida: Not me. You can’t see bacteria with the naked eye. Even if we drink just a sip, or use the water to cook or wash, we can get cholera.

Ahmed: So what happens if you get infected?

Ali: The doctor said swallowing a small amount of these bacteria might not

Ahmed: So, Ali, how were you treated?

Ali: Cholera causes dehydration because of the loss of water from diarrhoea. I was lucky. The doctor showed my mother how to prepare an oral rehydration solution. Dehydration can kill!

Saida: What’s oral rehydration solution?

Farida: ORS is a drink you take if you have diarrhoea. Keep drinking fluids and the diarrhoea will usually stop by itself.

Hey, it’s getting late. Let’s hurry and finish our chores.

Saida: OK Farida. Let’s take the mangos home and wash them properly.

I sure don’t want to get cholera.

Read page 4 and find out how to make ORS at home to treat diarrhoea.

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

hiv & you

IV tests look for antibodies to HIV—the human immunodeficiency virus. The immune system produces antibodies to fight a specific virus (or bacterium) so if HIV antibodies are found in a person’s system, they have the virus.

VCT centres are specially set up to do HIV tests and to counsel people before and after HIV testing. Testing is also done in clinics, hospitals, schools, offices and at home.

Anyone can go for an HIV test. Infected persons can seek counselling and help.

Story by Cajetan Boy Art by Bella Kilonzo

nuru, did you hear your new name is the virgin queen?!

the what?! who said

that?!

my privately confidential source: leon. he's mine now so hands off!!

ok. but anyone who's had lots of girlfriends, even one-ata-time, is risky! get to know him first, as friends.

• An antigen test that detects the actual virus in the blood can be done 11–30 days after infection, even before antibodies have developed.

no, really. i wasn't playing at anything. what i learned about his past was scary.

don't do today what you can do tomorrow. you know? it’s too risky for both of you!

It means that the person is infected with HIV. A negative test result may mean that the person has not been infected but it could also mean that they are still in the window period.

This is the time between getting infected and when the body develops antibodies. It can last from 3 to 12 weeks or even up to a year, so someone who thinks they may be infected but has tested negative should repeat the test after 3 to 6 months.

are you sure?! i think you were playing "hard to get"... and got nothing!

scary?! no way. he's had other chicks, because he's a great catch! forget his past. i'm his present and future!

• Most common is a blood test.

A rapid HIV antibody test uses blood from a fingerprick. If the result is positive, a 2nd test is done to confirm it.

you're with leon?! that's fast! i’ll bet he's had more girlfriends this term than anyone else—or tried to have!

ouch! jealous! and you're sorry the virgin queen let him slip through her fingers, right?!

no! i'm not. all he wanted was sex, and i wasn't interested.

For those not infected, counselling can help determine behaviour so they remain negative.

i can't believe this?! i came here to gloat and now i'm thinking i’d better slow things down! what's leon going to say?!

talk about it! how can a partner’s past affect YOU—even if the person vows it was only “one time”? what is angel likely to do next?

Testing for HIV is scary and pretest counselling helps. Persons are told how the test will be done and about the possible consequences of the result, either positive or negative. All information stays confidential— someone’s test results cannot be revealed without their permission. ing, For more information on HIV test ng esti iv-t rg/h go to www.avert.o

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Bodyworks

Puberty rules, OK? Puberty is the period between the ages of 10 and 17 years, the time when a girl begins to change into a woman and a boy into a man. Puberty involves both physical and emotional changes.

What causes puberty?

Puberty is triggered by your sex hormones becoming active. The main female sex hormones are oestrogen and progesterone, and the main male sex hormone is testosterone. Your sex hormones control sexual growth and development during puberty. They are also responsible for sexual functions of adult men and women long after puberty has ended.

NO I AM NOT H ER LITTLE BR OTHER. WE ARE TWINS!!

How do girls’ bodies change?

• A girl’s face changes so that she looks more grown up and oestrogen makes the skin on her face softer.

• Hair also begins to grow under the arms and in the genital area.

• Her breasts begin to develop and her genitals get bigger.

• The shape of a girl’s body also changes; her hips become wider to make room for a growing baby during pregnancy.

• Hormones trigger the ovaries to produce ova (eggs) and a girl experiences her first menstrual period.

Boys and girls do not reach puberty at the same time!

Girls usually start growing fast and reach puberty 1 or 2 years earlier than most boys. The average age for girls is usually 11–12 years, for boys 13–14 years.

Not everyone develops at the same pace, and the way your body will eventually look depends on the genes you inherit from your parents.

Oh no, pimples!

What changes do boys experience?

• A boy’s shoulders and chest become broader and he usually becomes heavier and more muscular than girls.

• Pubic hair begins to develop and hair grows under the arms, on the chest and limbs, and on the face.

• Not only will some boys begin shaving at this point, but their faces will also begin to change shape, and they will begin to look more adult.

• The voice becomes deeper.

• The male genitals grow bigger and start to produce sperm.

• A boy is then able to ejaculate and may also experience nocturnal emissions, or wet dreams.

g, Got to flex some muscle!

Can we expect any other changes?

Yes. Your body sweats much more during puberty even if you have not exerted yourself. Anxiety, excitement and nervousness may also cause you to sweat. A daily bath and change of clothes will keep you fresh and “nice to be near”.

Because the sebaceous glands in the skin produce more oil now, you may also develop pimples. Do not pick at pimples or you will have scars! To minimise outbreaks, keep your skin clean, drink lots of water, eat fresh fruit and vegetables, and avoid junk food.

Sometimes all these changes happen quite rapidly and you may feel self-conscious and uncomfortable, particularly when you are around someone of the opposite sex. It may take a while to get used to your new body. Relax and feel good about yourself. Your body’s getting ready for the new, grownup you!

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Human rights

The court system in Kenya is based on the British system, like the courts in Uganda and Tanzania.

The new Kenyan Constitution of 2010 also created the Supreme Court, the highest court consisting of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice and 5 other judges. The Supreme Court is the only court that can decide on cases concerning presidential elections and it is the final court of appeal.

N

ormally cases start at the lowest level—the Magistrate’s Court.

Magistrate’s Courts can hear criminal cases—for example, when someone is accused of robbery, and also civil cases involving disputes—such as deciding who is to blame for a traffic accident. Appeals from the Magistrate’s Courts, where someone is not satisfied with the judgement, go up to the High Court.

The High Court handles serious criminal cases, such as murder and treason. It also hears civil cases involving large amounts of money.

Appeals from the High Court are heard by the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal is made up of not fewer than 12 judges, headed by a president who is chosen from among the 12.

DO THE Without respect for and courtesy to others, we would not be able to get on with each other.

Remember to use these magic words: please, thank you, excuse me, sorry!

RIGHT

Unlike court cases you may see on TV shows, there is no jury system in Kenya and decisions are made by the judge(s) alone.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

The final court of appeal.

Hears appeals from the High Court.

Handles serious criminal and civil cases.

After Kenya adopted the new Constitution that created an independent judiciary and a Supreme Court, one of the first moves of the new Chief Justice was to make the courts seem less intimidating. As a sign of this, judges no longer have to wear wigs and their traditional heavy robes are made of lighter material that is more suitable to a tropical climate. They are no longer addressed as “My Lord” or “My Lady” and instead are called “Your Honour” or “Mheshimiwa”.

THING

Help others. If you see someone carrying a heavy load, offer assistance.

Don’t take things without asking the owner. If you politely ask to borrow something, you will almost always get a positive answer.

• Magistrate’s Courts • Kadhi’s Courts • Courts Martial • Any other court or tribunal established by an Act of Parliament The Kadhi’s Court sits at the same rank as a Magistrate’s Court and can be used to settle disputes when both sides are of the Islam faith. Cases usually concern personal matters of marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Courtesy and respect

Laughing at someone else’s mistakes is hurtful. Even if they look funny, try to be sensitive to their feelings and avoid laughing.

The pleasure of giving comes from seeing the happiness of the person who has received something. Remember to thank the giver!

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Living right

9

• Exercise! It reduces stress—and improves your physical health.

• Friends are good for you. Join clubs, sports and other after-school activities to make new friends.

E

arly teenage years are a period of great change.

You must cope with physical change and growth, with worry about fitting in with your peers and about your appearance. With changing hormonal levels, teenagers and even pre-teens can feel emotions going up and down like a see-saw! The feeling that you are not in control of your emotions can be quite scary.

At times life seems too hard to deal with.

Stress and worry—about family, friends, school, the future—can lead to depression.

You cannot avoid all stress—and a small amount is OK. But too much stress can affect a person’s mental health.

You can help yourself to maintain good mental health. Choose what works best for you.

By Cajetan Boy and Victor Ndula

• Save some time to be alone so you can think about things.

• If you feel you need more, seek professional help from a counsellor or a doctor.

• First, and most important, talk about your problems! Tell a family member or a good friend what you are feeling—even if they cannot give you solutions. Remember, “a problem shared is a problem halved.”

• Express your feelings through creative activities like drawing, writing, acting and singing.

PHEW! THIS QUEUE WAS TOO LONG! I HOPE WE GET GOOD SEATS.

YEAH, AND WE NEED TO GET IN THE MOOD BEFORE WE GO IN...

IN THE MOOD?

YEAH! RELAX, COME THIS WAY.

HUH?

S

chool should be a place to learn and grow in a safe environment.

Unfortunately, for too many pupils, especially girls, schools become hostile places where they are teased and called names, touched in ways that make them uncomfortable, or propositioned by older boys and teachers. Girls and female teachers are sometimes raped. Teachers may use physical violence to punish pupils.

In many schools, the idea that males should be dominant encourages violence against girls. Boys are expected to support this culture and girls are expected to accept it.

They fear losing friends, receiving more abuse, or being punished if they complain.

School grades suffer as the victims of violence lose confidence and concentration. Victims of bullying and violence usually feel guilty, though of course it is not their fault, and so they keep quiet. Girls may even leave school to escape abuse.

WHAT? YOU WANT ME TO TAKE DRUGS?!! THEY ARE DANGEROUS!

STOP BEING A GOODY TWO SHOES! IT‛S JUST THIS ONCE ...

THAT‛S HOW IT STARTS. BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU ARE HOOKED. I WILL NOT TAKE THAT RISK. I WOULD RATHER BE A COWARD THAN A FOOL!

SHE HAS A POINT ...

LATER

HEY, THIS IS THE COOLEST CONCERT! SEE? WE DON‛T NEED DRUGS TO HAVE A GOOD TIME!

This has to stop! Have you seen or experienced violence at school? If you know victims, approach them and let them talk to you. Tell a trusted adult what has happened. Boys, spread the word that hurting girls does not make you manly. Girls, support each other—you may be the next victim.

You or your parents can also report the matter to the school board or to county education officials. help you: These organisations can • Childline Kenya 116 violence) 1195 • Antirape (gen der -based Hotline 0800 221 1121 ne -2-O One VCT l rpoo • Live 0800 111 333 nda Uga • Action for Children 222 111 0 or 080 152 243 • ANPPCAN-Tanzania (51)

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Our world

Africa’s population distribution

Who s live where?

What is a census? A

census is an official counting of a population in a certain area at a set date.

A national census takes place in most countries every 5 to 10 years.

Information is collected on the size of the population, personal details such as age and sex, geographical position (town, province, etc.), housing, education and employment. Every household must be counted on the same day to ensure that no one is missed or counted twice.

Number of people per square kilometre Over 200 75 – 200 25 – 75 10 – 25 1 – 10 Under 1

More than 6 billion people now live on our planet. We are not evenly spread across it, though. Look at the map showing population distribution. See—there is less than 1 person per square kilometre in the Sahara Desert!

Which areas are most densely populated? Population density is affected by local conditions; for example, few people live in dry regions, but in wet, fertile areas like the basin north of Lake Victoria the land supports more people.

H

ow do we know how the population is spread across Africa?

An important source of

information is national census figures, which tell us how many people live in each region and town.

Kenya conducted its most recent census in 2009. Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi last counted their people in 2012. Uganda, which last took a census in 2002, is conducting one in August 2014.

Why is a census taken?

Governments and town councils use census figures in planning (for example, deciding where to build a new school) and policymaking.

Others may use census information to decide where the best site for their businesses is. A census is also important in a democracy for organising elections and voting.

Compare this NASA satellite photo of the Nile with the population density map. Can you see which areas in the photo are more densely populated?

Why do you think this is so?

DOs and DON’Ts in the interest of staying alive!

By Cyrus Gathigo and Katherine Moir

Accidents

We tell you more about what to do for the victims of road accidents.

1 If the accident victim is bleeding a lot, apply pressure to the area to slow the flow of blood. Press against the wound with your hand, or with your thumb if it is a small wound. Put a cloth or a plastic bag under your hand to prevent infection.

Talk to the person. Reassure them. Ask them if they are hurt, and where. Ask them their name and the names of people who should be contacted. If they seem confused they could be in shock or have a head injury.

2

3

Put the person in the recovery position if they are unconscious or semi-conscious, to prevent them from choking. 1. Kneeling next to them, gently grasp the wrist and back of knee furthest from you. Pull towards you until the person is lying on their side. 2. Tuck the top hand under their cheek, palm down. 3. The bottom leg should be straight and the top leg should be bent at the knee.

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

My town

My town is Narok Ngorengore

N A R O K C O U NEwTY a

Loita Hills

Morijo

Leserin Hills

by kind permission of Egon Abresparr-www.flickr.com

T A N Z A N I A

The Enkare Narok River runs through my town.

Ng’iro

Serengeti National Park

Seyabei

so

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Changing times Some of the rangeland around the reserve is being converted into wheat farms. Narok County is Kenya’s leading producer of wheat, barley and maize but this change in land use is causing wildlife numbers to drop.

Narok

DO

a

JIA

ar

KA

Lolgorian

M

Am

Kilgoris

a la

rok

MIGORI

Mau Forest

BOMET

KISII

Na

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The migration is one of Kenya’s biggest tourist attractions. The rich wildlife spills into community conservancy areas surrounding the reserve, so they too attract tourists. The park fees that foreign and domestic tourists pay to Narok County are the biggest income earner for the county.

NAKURU

NYAMIRA Enkare

Hello, I am Silole.

I live in Narok, the capital of Narok County.

My town and my county get their names from the Enkare Narok River—enkare narok means dark waters.

training and contribute to their families’ incomes through their work. Some have gone to college and now work as teachers in their communities.

Livestock farming is still the main agricultural activity in the county.

Maasai Mara Narok town is the gateway to the worldfamous Maasai Mara National Reserve, which lies in Narok County along the Tanzanian border.

Closer to Narok Town is another important natural area, the Mau Forest Reserve. The East Mau Forest, nearest to the town, is one of the largest but also most degraded parts of the forest.

We often have flooding in town because of deforestation. The Enkare Narok and Ewaso Ng’iro rivers flow from the Mau Escarpment. Without forests to absorb rainwater, the rivers come down in flood.

Sias van Schalkwyle/freeimages

he Maasai, who form the biggest community in Narok County, were displaced by the colonial authorities from many parts of Kenya and concentrated in Narok and Kajiado counties. Our townspeople include many from other parts of Kenya too.

I am proud of my rich Maasai culture but happy to leave some elements behind, especially the customs of female genital mutilation (FGM) and early Maasai girl marriage for girls. Instead, I plan to complete school and become a teacher myself! Some girls whose families wanted them to undergo FGM now live at the Tasaru Girls Rescue Centre and go to school in Narok. After school they do further

Mara migration river crossing

The annual wildebeest and zebra migration from the Serengeti Park in Tanzania to the Mara has been described as one of the 7 modern wonders of the natural world. Thousands of animals cross the Mara River to Kenya to reach better grazing in the mid-year dry season. There must be a lot of fat crocodiles in that river!

11

There’s gold in them hills Gold was mined in the past on a small scale at Lolgorian and Kilimapesa but Goldplat, an international gold company, has discovered rich gold deposits in these areas.

The Kilimapesa Gold Mine is the first new Kenyan gold mine since independence.

A gold nugget

Narok County Fact File ,092 * • Population: 41 ion: 850,920 * lat pu • County po ism an d wildlife, • Economy: tour , crop farming, livestock farming mining tional Census * 2009 Kenya Na

Write and tell us what’s special about your home town. We’ll send you a set of fun Express stickers as a gift!

Chris Ralph–Wikimedia Commons

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

ecosystems

© John Kok

The circle of life

How plants and animals, including humans, depend on each other

Herbivores get their energy by eating plants and in turn are eaten by carnivores. All living things are part of the circle of life.

All living organisms interact with each other and with their environment. Their relationships maintain the balance between plants and animals in the ecosystem. Each species occupies a niche, a space in its ecosystem.

Disturbing this balance affects all organisms.

The food chain Within an ecosystem, plants and animals depend on each other for energy and food. The sun is the primary source of energy for our planet. Plants get nutrients from the soil and use the energy from sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into carbohydrates and other compounds (this is called photosynthesis). They are the primary producers in what we call the food chain.

Next in the chain are the primary consumers. These are the herbivores— insects, birds, and browsing and grazing mammals that eat plants to absorb energy.

Secondary consumers get their energy by eating primary consumers or other secondary consumers. They are the predators or carnivores.

How does all this eating benefit the producers, the plants? Actually, there is one more vital link in the food chain—the decomposers, which recycle energy. They eat dead plants, herbivores and carnivores.

In the process, they release nutrients and energy into the soil and the atmosphere, where plants absorb them.

nature’s Vultures are am. By te cleaning-up dies, bo eating dead e th they prevent e. as se spread of di

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Competition and population If the population of one species grows or shrinks, it affects other organisms. For example, if the number of predators (like lions) in a game park drops, the number of herbivores (like gazelles) increases because fewer are being eaten. Too many grazers and browsers in an area eat the vegetation faster than it can grow.

Eventually the herbivores weaken or starve, their numbers drop, and the vegetation recovers. If the number of predators has grown during this time, the balance between species is restored, though it may take decades.

Living together Some organisms survive and reproduce by living closely with another kind of organism, usually without being harmful. We call such interdependence symbiosis. Symbiosis takes different forms:

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

ecosystems

By Katherine Moir and Victor Ndula

TREES ABSORB CARBON DIOXIDE AND RELEASE OXYGEN.

MMM...

THE AIR IS SO FRESH OUT HERE!

13

DO YOU KNOW THAT TREES ALSO BREATHE?

THEY SOAK UP THE CARBON. WE SAY THEY ACT AS A ‘CARBON SINK‛.

Commensalism. One species benefits from living closely with another. The other species doesn’t benefit but neither is it harmed.

BUT HOW DO THEY DO ALL THAT?

IN A TREE, ‘BREATHING‛ TAKES PLACE IN LEAVES. THEY USE CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER TO DISSOLVE NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL. THEY KEEP THE CARBON AND RELEASE THE OXYGEN FOR US.

SO THAT‛S WHY THE AIR IS SO FRESH HERE!

AHH, SO TREES CLEAN THE AIR? EXACTLY! THAT‛S WHY WE SHOULD PLANT MORE TREES.

Hermit crabs live in abandoned mollusc shells. The tiny barnacles on the shell are also commensal, gaining food scraps without harming the crab.

Remora fish attach themselves with strong suckers to sharks. Remoras do not harm or help the shark but get transport, protection and small bits of food that the shark drops.

Parasitism is when one species lives off the other, weakening it. Parasites don’t usually kill their hosts because if that happens, they will die too. So they simply take nutrients from their host and often make it unhealthy.

Mutualism. Both species benefit from living together. Mutualism is essential for plants with pollen and pollinating insects. Bees need pollen and nectar for food, and flowers must have their pollen reach other flowers for reproduction.

A honeybee collects food for its colony while pollinating plants.

An adult head louse is a parasite about the size of a sesame seed. It feeds on blood from the human scalp, causing itchiness and sometimes infection. Feeling itchy yet?

Ticks, fleas and worms are common parasites in both animals and humans.

The web of interdependence between plants and animals is vital to the survival of all. That includes us! Let’s do all we can to maintain nature’s health.

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Home Gardening

The plant doctor W

hat’s wrong with my plants? When you go to a doctor, the doctor examines you and asks questions, trying to diagnose or find out what is wrong with you. The doctor may give you medicine and tell you how to avoid getting sick. We can diagnose what is ailing our plants by examining them.

What to look for

Cause Is the cause biotic (living)—like a pest or pathogen*—or abiotic (non-living), like frost or a lack of minerals?

Is only one plant or one species affected? Then the problem is probably biotic. Biotic diseases start in one part of the garden or on one plant and spread. The plant slowly gets sicker. There may be visible signs of pests or pathogens, like insects, chewed leaves or powder from fungal disease.

Off-colour leaves give the plant doctor good clues. Here are some examples:

: low nu damag ed, trit wa ion te rl ; o

y lth

lit t

le pho spho r us

chlorosis

f lea

vir

t

oo

s mo

ai c

us

us ung leaf spot f

Symptom

Likely cause

Tunnels

Insects

Greyish appearance

Spider mites or thrips

Chewed leaves

Insects with chewing mouthparts

Swellings on roots with stunted growth, chlorosis and wilting

Nematodes (tiny worms) in soil

Galls (lumps and bumps)

Insect (if on only one species) or fungus

Dry or powdery texture

Fungus

Sliminess or wetness

Bacteria

Bad smell

Bacteria

Dead patches on leaves

Virus

Distorted flowers or leaves

Virus

Loss of leaves

Insect pest/ fungus/ low nutrition

Curled or distorted leaves

Low nutrition/ herbicide/ waterlogged soil/ aphids/ mites/ mildew/ virus

Discoloration of leaves Fungus/ virus/ nutritional problem/ waterlogged soil Wilting

Bacteria/ fungus/ too little or too much water

Stunting (plant is too small)

Virus/ fungus/ low nutrition/ hard soil/too little or too much water

Scorching: dry, brown leaves

Too much sun or too much fertiliser

Growing tips dying: heart of vegetable is black or brown

Too little calcium

Grey blotches on plant

Scorching caused by sudden removal of shade

Leaves and stems turn black overnight

Frost or sudden cold weather (even if above freezing)

Long, thin stems and pale leaves (etoliation)

Too much shade

Twisted or deformed shoots

Nutrient deficiency or careless herbicide spraying

Abiotic

a he

pH; pesticides; soil d roots ong pacte wr r com e th ed o gg

Distribution What parts of the plant are affected?

Are other plants of the same species affected? Are other species affected?

Biotic or abiotic

Are all species affected? Is the change quite sudden, affecting the whole plant? Then the problem is likely to be abiotic, such as: • lack of nutrients • damage from extreme

weather, such as frost • polluted or saline (salty) soil The cause of some problems, like deformed leaves, may be either biotic or abiotic.

Environment or conditions How much sun and water is the plant getting? What is the soil like? Have there been changes in the weather? When did the problem start?

These Americ an plant path ologists are checking soyb eans innocula ted against a fungal diseas e.

Biotic

Pumpkin leaves infected with powdery mildew

Symptoms Symptoms are physical signs of sickness. Compare your sick plant (say a tomato) with a healthy plant of the same species (another tomato plant). What is different about the sick plant?

What now? Find out how to deal with or prevent problems in our next issue!

* pathogens—tiny organisms that cause disease, like bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi

academy

Free with YAE Vol. 9 issue 4, 2014

A

re you ready to give your brain and creativity a workout? Use the activities in this workbook! The workbook may be pulled out or photocopied for use in class or at home.

1. Water filtration activity Page 5

In the story about cholera you will find out that we get infected from dirty water. A common method for making dirty water clean is called filtration. The water must be boiled afterwards. Filtering only removes the big particles but not the parasites in the water.

Imagine that your environmental club is camping. You have finished the 3 big bottles of soda you brought but none of you carried any water to drink. You have to fetch water from the river.

Can you clean the water so it is safe to drink? Try this.

You will need: • 3 empty plastic soda bottles (each 2 litres)—use one for fetching river water • Stones—some medium-sized and some small • Charcoal • Sand • Cotton wool • Unclean water • A knife What to do: 1. Using the knife, cut the top part off 2 bottles as shown in this picture diagram 2. Screw the caps onto the cut-off sections. Make holes in the caps with the knife.

3. Turn the top portions upside down and lay cotton wool at the bottom 4. Put in some sand, charcoal (crushed into small pieces), small stones and bigger stones—in that order

Work book

Activities and teaching guide 2. Population Page 10

a) Map study. The map on page 10 shows population distribution in Africa. Study it and discuss it with your teacher before answering the questions.

1. A large area in northern Africa is very sparsely populated. What do you think is the reason for this?

2. Which country is most densely populated overall: Egypt, Nigeria, Namibia or Uganda?

3. Why are there more people living in urban areas?

4. People are attracted to places with good access to water. Where are the wetter parts of East Africa?

5. Why do fewer people live in hot, marshy areas?

6. Zambia’s population is concentrated around the capital, Lusaka, and a second region north of Lusaka. What has brought people to the second region? b) Doing a census.

Conduct a class census. Write the following questions in your exercise book or on a piece of paper. Split into pairs and “conduct a census” on one another, using the questions in the box, similar to the ones a real census-taker would ask.

5. Place the top portions on the lower portions of the bottles and pour the unclean water into the tops 6. Leave the bottles alone as the water filters 7. Remember to boil your water before drinking

Census questions 1. What is your date of birth?

2. Are you a Kenyan citizen or a citizen of another country?

3. Is your home in a rural area or an urban area? rural

urban

4. How many people are there in your household?

5. How many are male and how many are female?

6. How many are working?

7. How many are of school age (ages 6–20)?

8. How many are in school?

9. Do you have running water or do you buy or fetch water? running water fetch

buy

10.Do you have electricity?

11. How do you get to and from school? bus/matatu

private car

bicycle

train

walk

other

12.What is your favourite school subject?

13.What is your favourite meal?

14.Do you spend more time watching television, listening to the radio or reading?

TV

radio

reading

15. Do you have access to the internet?

16. What is your favourite sport?

When all the forms are filled in, tally up the responses.

Example of results: 1. Students born in 2000: 21 Students born in 2001: 13 2. Students who are citizens of Kenya: 30 3. Students who are citizens of other countries: 4 A national census helps the government in planning. Discuss how your class census could help in planning for the class or school.

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESS ACADEMY

3. Wildlife and tourism Page 11

In My Town, Silole describes the Maasai Mara, one of Kenya’s most important wildlife reserves. Write a composition about the Maasai Mara, using the information in the article. Answer these questions in your composition.

• Why is tourism important to Narok County?

• How does the Maasai Mara benefit the county of Narok?

• What problems do wildlife in and around the reserve face?

• What do you think can be done to help wildlife in the county?

4. Computers Page 20

b) Fill in the gaps in the passage.

a) Can you name the items on this desk?

We type information into a computer on a _______________. The ______________ helps us to navigate or move around the computer. They are both _________ devices. We can see the data on the ___________. The ______________ is the computer’s brain or microprocessor. All the data is stored in the _________. Data can also be stored on removable devices like ________ and USB flash drives. They are used for input and ____________.

The __________ is also an output device. A ______________ is a portable computer with the keyboard, CPU and monitor all in one unit. c) Word search Now find the words in the word

search grid. Words in the grid may run across, down or diagonally, and forwards or backwards. The first

word is already marked to help you.

K E Y B O A R D K I

S R R O I U O C A N

Y S E F A V T E B T

K T T S F C I P I P

F P N N U W N S U O

Answer

J Z I E R O O E Z T

X Y R O M E M R J P

T U P N I O H L H A

U P J G O Z H T I L

P C D S E N C E E N

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESS ACADEMY

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

5. Musical maths Page 21

The rhyme in Maths in Action will help you remember how to do fractions. Make it into a song! Form groups of 3–6 and compose a tune, a rap, or a clapping and chanting rhythm for the rhyme. Perform your version in front of the class. When all the groups are finished, vote for the most memorable song.

If adding or subtracting is your aim, the bottom numbers must be the same!

Change the bottom using multiply or divide, but the same to the top must be applied.

And don’t forget to simplify, before it’s time to say goodbye.

Use it whenever you are doing your maths homework!

6. In the law court Page 8

Do you ever watch Vioja ya Mahakamani?

Are some of the words used unfamiliar to you? Beef up your vocabulary to play this game. First read about law courts on page 8 and then look up the meanings of these words:

1. Write the words on separate pieces of paper, fold the pieces and put them in a container

2. Your teacher selects 10 students to come up and take a piece of paper from the bag. No peeking!

3. Once all 10 have a word, they take turns to explain their words to the class, without using the word 4. The other class members have 2–3 minutes to guess each word Now you know these words, you can perform your own courtroom drama … or comedy!

1. court____________________________________________________________________________ 2. trial_ ___________________________________________________________________________

3. plaintiff__________________________________________________________________________

4. defendant_ _______________________________________________________________________ 5. magistrate________________________________________________________________________ 6. gavel____________________________________________________________________________

7. criminal case_ _____________________________________________________________________ 8. prosecutor________________________________________________________________________

9. defence lawyer_____________________________________________________________________

10. evidence_________________________________________________________________________ 11. exhibit_ _________________________________________________________________________

12. suspect__________________________________________________________________________

13. sentence_________________________________________________________________________ 14. convict__________________________________________________________________________ 15. jail_____________________________________________________________________________

7. Treasure of the trees Page 26

Read Part 1 of Treasure of the trees.

Can you imagine what happens next?

Write your own Part 2 of the story.

You can read our version in the next issue of the Express!

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

EXPRESS ACADEMY

Workbook guide Teachers, this guide gives answers and guidelines for the activities on pages 19–24.

Curriculum links for standards 5–8 are in italics.

1. Water filtration activity Page 5 This activity and the cholera story link to the Water unit in Std 6 Science, in which the prevention of waterborne diseases and the treatment of water are discussed.

Water pollution is the topic of the Water unit in Std 7 Science.

The practical activity can be used in class to demonstrate water filtration. Bring in the materials in the list. In schools with clean, piped water, add dirt to the water beforehand. The teacher may choose a few students to perform the activity in front of the class. Alternatively, split the class into groups of 3–6 so that all students may participate.

2. Population Page 10

Population distribution is explored in the People and Population unit in Social Studies for Stds 5, 6 and 7. a) Map study. The questions concern Africa as a whole and can be used for Standard 7 pupils. The answers below are a guide only. Teachers may need to adapt the questions for Standard 5 pupils studying Kenya’s population and for Standard 6 pupils studying the population of East Africa.

Answers: 1. There is very little water in this area because this is the Sahara Desert.

2. Nigeria shows the highest population density.

3. People come to urban areas because there are more jobs and better services like schools and hospitals.

4. The rain shadows of Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and Mount Elgon, the shores of Lake Victoria and river mouths and deltas on the coast.

5. The warm, wet conditions breed diseasecarrying pests like mosquitoes.

6. This is the Copperbelt and people come to the area for jobs in the copper mines. b) Census. Before the census activity explain why governments conduct censuses.

Collect the “census forms” after the activity and involve the class in tallying the results for each question on the board. Discuss the results with the students. The census results could be used for a graph-making activity in Mathematics.

3. Wildlife and tourism Page 11 The benefits of wildlife and tourism and the problems facing or caused by them are discussed in the Resources and Economic Activities unit in Social Studies for Stds 5, 6 and 7.

Although this exercise looks at a reserve in Kenya, it may be used for students studying tourism and wildlife in East Africa (Std 6) and Africa (Std 7) as well as those in Std 5 studying Kenya.

4. Computers Page 20 Computers are the topic of the Technology unit in Std 8 English.

Students may choose to do the word search before filling in the gaps, or vice versa.

The activities may also be used for the Technology unit in Std 5, which looks at office machines. a) Label the diagram The diagram on page 20 has the correct labels. Pupils need not describe the items named. b) Gap fill Answers: K type S information Y K F intoJ a computer X T Uon aP We keyboard. us toUnavigate E R SThe mouse T P helps Z Y P Cor move around the computer.

They are Y R E T N I R P JbothD input devices. We can see the data on the B O F S N E O N G S monitor. The CPU is the computer’s brain O I A F U R M I O E or microprocessor. All the data is stored V CData WcanOalsoE beOstored Z N inAtheUmemory.

R removable O T devices I N like O CDs MandH USB H C on flash for input and E D drives.

C E They P are S used E R L T output.

The printer is also an output device.

K A B I U Z J H I E A laptop is a portable computer with the I N T P O T P A L N keyboard, CPU and monitor all in one unit.

Answer c) Word search solution K E Y B O A R D K I

S R R O I U O C A N

Y S E F A V T E B T

K T T S F C I P I P

F P N N U W N S U O

J Z I E R O O E Z T

X Y R O M E M R J P

T U P N I O H L H A

U P J G O Z H T I L

P C D S E N C E E N

AFRICA

5. Musical maths

Page 21

The rhyme is a memory aid for working out fractions problems in Std 5, 6, 7 and 8 Mathematics.

Split the class into groups of 3–6 depending on class size. Give them 20 minutes to prepare their song. The groups present their songs in the next lesson. The activity may also be used in Drama or Choir clubs.

6. In the law court Page 8 The Court of Law is a unit in Std 8 English.

This activity boosts students’ understanding of some of the vocabulary introduced in this topic. The activity may take place over 2 lessons: a Library lesson in which the class looks up the words in the list and an English lesson in which the game is played.

There are more words used than the number of students explaining them. Call up fewer students if time is limited.

Extension: A courtroom comedy Comedy may be used to get the attention of learners and enhance their understanding. Ask the class to write a script for a court scene using the following scenario.

A citizen of Nonsenseland, Arnold, has been arrested for walking around with a potted plant on his head. The magistrate, Aliyah, states that he has been charged with breaking the law against interfering with potted plants.

The defence lawyer, Nimrod, argues that Arnold was trying to support the government’s campaign for citizens to “go green.” Davina, the prosecutor, argues that Arnold’s actions were dangerous as the pot could have fallen off his head and injured someone.

Other characters may be written into the scene, which should take 20–30 minutes to act. This may be a class activity or an individual task. Students may then act the best script.

5. Treasure of the trees Page 26

The activity may be used in English as a classroom exercise or for homework. Set a length for the story that is appropriate to the level of the pupils.

The Young African Express is published by Jacaranda Africa, PO Box 1202 - 00606, Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel: +254 (0)20 374-4737 Cell: +254 (0)722 667747 Email: info@jacaranda-africa.com

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Agroforestry

What tree is this?

D

identiTree 2 Tamarind

Tamarinds have compound leaves— several green leaflets on each hairy stalk. Like grevillea leaves, they are pinnate. The leaflets, about 3 cm long, have raised veins and are rounded at the top and bottom. They close at night. These trees are evergreen, bearing leaves throughout the year in areas with sufficient rain. In dry areas they are deciduous, losing their leaves once a year. This is an adaptation to drought—the tree will need less water without leaves. The leaves make good mulch.

CC BY 3.0-Philipp Weigell/Wikimedia

The red tamarind buds open into clusters of golden flowers with red veins. Can you see 3 petals? There are in fact 5 (2 are very tiny).

©Kim and Forrest Starr

CC BY 3.0- J.M.Garg/ Wikimedia

This is the whole tree. It is tall, growing up to 30 m. Its dense, spreading branches start quite low down, leaving a short trunk up to 7 m wide.

The dark grey bark is rough and flaky. The bark, twigs and roots of tamarinds have many medicinal uses—treating stomach ache, pain, cuts and wounds, fever and other ailments.

It is hard to believe that these drylooking, sausage-shaped pods are the source of tangy, refreshing tamarind juice.

CC BY 1.0-Dadero

©Kim and Forrest Starr

Tamarind trees have many uses. The fruit pulp is popular for food, drink and flavouring, but the seeds, unripe pods, leaves and flowers are edible too. They provide fuel, fodder, long-lasting timber, posts and medicine as well as giving shade and fixing nitrogen in the soil.

CC BY 3.0-J.M.Garg/Wikimedia

id you read about grevillea trees in our last issue? This time, let’s look for an indigenous fruit tree—the tamarind or Tamarindus indica.

It grows in a variety of environments, from the coast to 1,500 m above sea level.

Tamarind buds and flowers

A tree with many names The many local names for tamarind show how widespread it is. Do you recognise one of these names?

Swahili: mkwaju Borana: roka Bukusu: kumusitole Kamba: kithumula Kikuyu: mukwanju Luo: chwa Maasai: ol-masamburai, olaisijoi Pokot: oran Somali: hamar Turkana: epeduru

mbia make Ch ildren in Ga from m gu a chew in g m ixed es av le d in ar tam tree s. fig om fr w ith gu m

But here’s the evidence—the ripe pod cracks open to reveal sticky goldenbrown pulp containing up to 10 brown seeds. This pulp is used raw or cooked in curries, sweets, pickles and drinks.

The extract is a flavouring and also a polish for copper and brass. Tamarind fruit is a good laxative.

The seeds, too, can be cooked or eaten raw.

Oil from the seeds is burned in lamps and used in varnish.

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Practical science

How Ouch!

What do you do if you suffer a minor burn?

1 Cool the wound immediately by running it under clean, cool water for 10 minutes. If running water is not available, soak the wound in cool water for the same amount of time. The idea is to cool the skin as quickly as possible to reduce pain and scarring.

2 Apply a small amount of burn ointment. Use only enough to cover the wound.

A

computer is a machine that processes information at great speed. A computer takes in information from a user through its input devices like the keyboard and mouse and processes it. Once

Printer: Prints information from the computer onto paper

CPU: The brain of the computer, where all information is processed

Apply these simple remedies to soothe burns

Otherwise use one of the home remedies suggested on the right.

• Cold, wet teabags • Honey spread on the gauze or cloth before covering the burn • A piece of aloe leaf—dab the burn with the gel • A thin slice of raw potato • A paste of baking soda and water • Coconut oil mixed with a few drops of lemon juice

3 If the skin is broken, dress the wound using gauze or sterilised cloth to loosely cover the wound.

Remember, air needs to reach the wound, so dress it lightly and secure it with medical tape or a knot.

4 Give painkillers if needed. Monitor the burn site for pus or other signs of infection.

See a doctor if this occurs.

processed, the information appears on the screen for the user to see. The user may store the information in the computer (CPU), on a device like a CD or a flash drive, or by sending it to another computer via email.

Monitor (screen): Displays information from the computer

Inside a computer

1. The central processing unit (CPU) is the microprocessor “brain” of the computer.

The CPU oversees everything that a computer does.

2. The memory is very fast storage that is used to hold data. There are several types of memory in a computer:

Keyboard: Enters information into the computer

Mouse: Helps to navigate and interact with

the computer

The computers in your school probably look something like this.

• Random-access memory (RAM) is used to temporarily store information that the computer is currently working with.

•

•

Read-only memory (ROM) is a

permanent type of memory storage used by the computer for important data that does not change.

Basic input/output system (BIOS) is a type of ROM the computer uses to establish basic communication when the computer is first switched on.

• Caching is the storing of frequently used data in extremely fast RAM that connects directly to the CPU.

• Virtual memory is space on a hard disc used to temporarily store data and swap it in and out of RAM as needed.

Removable storage: Compact discs (CDs), flash drives and digital versatile discs (DVDs) are examples of removable storage. Use them to store or back up files or to transfer files from one computer to another.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

SOLUTIONS Many experiments involving chemicals use them in solution form. So what is a solution?

A

solution is 2 or more substances—a solvent and a solute—mixed together so one dissolves into the other. We use solutions every day, like when we dissolve sugar (the solute) into water (the solvent) to sweeten our tea.

KNOWLEDGE OF SOLUTIONS WILL HELP YOU DO THE WASHING UP!

Using solutions in day-to-day life Water is called the “universal solvent” because more chemicals dissolve in water than in any other liquid. However, a large class of substances—greases and oils—simply do not mix with water at all.

Soaps and detergents mix with both oil and water. When oil, water and soap are mixed together, soap molecules become trapped between the water and the fat molecules, holding both together in a suspension. Now the mixture can

2

Pour the mixture through a clean piece of cloth into a saucepan underneath.

The water with the dissolved salt will pass through the cloth. The insoluble flour will stay on top of the cloth, and you can dry and collect it.

3

Glossary

If you heat the remaining salt solution, the water will evaporate, leaving the salt behind for you to collect.

H ns= M + a tio in ac

How to do

fractions Your class has decided to sell mandazis at the church bazaar to raise money for the end-of-term trip. Mama Safina at the bakery has agreed to supply the mandazis, in return for 1/3 of your sales. Renting a stall at the bazaar will take another 1/6 of your sales. How much of your gross sales will you need to spend?

Step 1: Make sure the bottom numbers (the denominators) are the same.

Step 2: Add up the top numbers (the numerator) and put the answer over the denominator.

Step 3: Simplify your answer.

be easily washed away, like when you use soap to wash grease off dirty dishes. The same trick is used to trap oil slicks from ships before they pollute beaches.

You have accidentally mixed salt and flour together. What to do?

Add water to your salt-flour mixture and stir. The salt will dissolve and the flour will float in suspension.

21

There are 3 steps to adding fractions:

! p l He 1

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Practical science

Why boil the water?

Step 1: We cannot add 1/3 and 1/6 because their bottom numbers are different. How do we make them the same?

We know that 3 x 2 = 6, so multiply 1/3 by 2 to make the denominator 6.

Remember to multiply both top and bottom numbers, so the value of the fraction stays the same.

1 3

x2 x2

=

2 6

Step 2: Now that both bottom numbers are the same, add up the top numbers only.

2 + 1 = 2+1= 3 6 6 6 6 Step 3: Now simplify your answer.

1

3 1 2 = 6 2

When you heat a salt solution the water evaporates as steam, leaving the salt behind. This is also how salt is extracted from sea water.

Solvent: the substance (usually a liquid, e.g. water) that dissolves another substance Soluble: a substance that can be dissolved in a liquid (e.g. sugar, salt) Insoluble: a substance that does not dissolve (e.g. flour, oil) Suspension: a mixture in which very small pieces of solid are spread through a liquid but do not dissolve

Here’s a rhyme to help you remember the steps.

If adding or subtracting is your aim, the bottom numbers must be the same!

Change the bottom using multiply or divide, but the same to the top must be applied.

And don’t forget to simplify, before it’s time to say goodbye.

Find out all about fractions on www.mathsisfun.com/fractions.html

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

How to calculate a selling price List all the raw mater ial

NO, THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE TRANSPORT. BUT I CAN ARRANGE IT.

s or inputs yo ur new business will need, where yo u will get th em, an d the cost of each item. Yo ur trave costs an d the time tak l en to buy them must be adde d too.

Now make a list of ev er ything that will cos t money or require labour. Sort ever y cos t into one of the 3 ma jor categories of business costs.

VIP

Enterprises

Fixed costs These don’t change mu ch fro m month to mo nth an d include costs such as rent, lice nces an d salaries.

Variable costs

The selling price

Part of starting up a business is calculating the selling price of your product or service. This is very important because it must include all your costs, earn a profit and suit your customers.

Here is an example—Vincent plans to sell readymade VIP latrines. He needs to be able to get all the materials needed to build one, such as PVC pipes, iron sheets, timber and cement.

He makes separate arrangements for delivery, depending how far away the customer is.

All costs for 1 month

These costs change ea ch month—items such as electricity, water, petrol, firewoo d, rep airs of tools an d equip ment, freelance an d casual labour, telepho ne an d internet use, transport plus variou costs to deliver, distri s bute, package an d ad vertise yo ur business.

Capital assets

These are yo ur startup costs or business investments an d they are one-time costs. Th ey include the purch ase of tools, machine transport vehicles, plu s, s furniture, furnishing s an d fittings. A signboard or a water tank are capital asset s too.

Costs

Item

Unit cost Ksh

1.

Variable costs for the business

Paraffin—4 litres

25 per litre

Water—6 barrels

100 per barrel

Repair of tools

600

Mobile airtime

550

Iron sheets: 5 sheets x 16

350 per sheet

Hinges & nails x 16

250 per latrine

PVC pipes & bends: x 16

450 per latrine

Screening: 0.5 metre x 16

120 per piece

Timber

400 per latrine

Cement: 1.5 bags x 16

485 per bag

Rent

850 per month

Salaries: 1 helper 1 carpenter 1 manager*

4,000 6,500 8,000

Licence

200 per month

All costs divided by 12 months, for the first year

2,500 per month

2.

Variable costs for materials to build 16 units

3.

Fixed costs

4.

Capital assets: mobile, tools, buckets, wheelbarrow, costs to build workshop and signboard

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Business & Careers

Let’s calculate

Subtotal

What is the total start-up investment?

Total costs this month: * This is a small business, so Vincent is both manager and owner. The business owner must pay himself a salary too.

Use your maths and thinking skills to help Vincent calculate a selling price for his ready-made VIP latrines, by using the costs in the table. Setting a fair price will attract customers and make sure he is not losing money. To be successful—and to survive—every business must make a profit, even if it is not much!

Vincent builds 16 latrines a month. He has listed his costs in the table.

Now calculate the following:

1. How much does it cost to make 1 ready-made VIP latrine? (Hint: add up all the costs and divide by 16.)

______________________________

2. How much should one ready-made VIP latrine be sold for if Vincent’s business is to earn a 20% profit? (Hint: add 20% to the cost of making one VIP unit.)

______________________________ Answers on page 31

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Business & careers

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

23

You could be...

An uncle who had just graduated from Makerere University came to my rescue. He advised me to study veterinary medicine. The dean at Nairobi University was happy. I was one of 2 female students in the class that year.

Susan with assistants Eddie and Albert.

Do you love animals and learning everything there is to know about them? Then you could make a good vet, like Professor Susan Mbugua.

”

When I was in school in the late 60s and early 70s, we had no career guidance. My parents, especially my dad, insisted that my sisters and I do science subjects.

Luckily I was good in maths and science but the nuns at my convent school discouraged me from choosing engineering at university, saying it was not suitable for girls. Times have changed since then! So I thought of doing medicine, but could not bear the thought of treating people only for them to die.

We salute D

r Khan died of Ebola on 29 July 2014, at the age of 39. He had contracted the disease from patients he was caring for in Sierra Leone.

Khan, who graduated from the University of Sierra Leone in 2001, was one of the world’s leading experts in the clinical care of viral haemorrhagic fevers. As the only Sierra Leonean specialist in his field, he was leading the fight against Ebola in his home country. He had cancelled

I mostly treat small animals like cats and dogs. I worry a lot when my ‘patients’ are hanging between life and death. It is stressful when an animal I have treated dies. When my own dog died, I mourned for 3 months.

A vet is exposed to several animal diseases, such as rabies, from animal scratches or bites. It is important to have regular vaccinations to avoid infections. Twice, dogs whose owners were not able to restrain them bit me. In such cases, the animal has to be put down.

Apart from treating animals, I lecture in veterinary medicine at Nairobi University, Kabete Campus.

I am happy to see girls training to be vets. People are learning to appreciate pets, especially as companions for children.

”

Tending to a patient

Career Fact File

• High school—strong passes in chemistry, biology and mat hs

• 5-year undergraduate stu dy in veterinar y me dicine.

Areas of stu dy: animal anatomy, animal physiology , biochemistry, pathology, animal reproduction and animal parasites • 3 month internship in a veterinar y clinic during year 5

medical training, and research into drugs to treat Ebola and other diseases.

Health workers are among the most vulnerable to infection with Ebola as they come into direct contact with patients. Some have died during this and previous outbreaks of Ebola.

a visit to the US in June in order to keep on with his work. President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone has declared Dr Khan a national hero, saying he saved the lives of more than 100 people.

Dr Khan’s family is setting up a foundation in his name. It will support the families of medical workers who die from disease, students doing

Ugandan Dr Matthew Lukwiya was the first doctor to die of Ebola, in 2000.

He had saved many lives by alerting the Ugandan government to the outbreak of Ebola in Gulu.

We salute all doctors, nurses and other health workers who put their lives at risk in helping victims of dangerous diseases all over the world.

Read more about Ebola on page 30

24

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

M

THE T EE

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Careers & Fun

A tender documentation consultant thought it a waste of my talents. They pressured me to look for an office job.

While working as an accountant, I handled several tenders for different clients. This helped me learn a lot about tender documentation and I saw a business opportunity.

Checking the details on a client’s tender document.

A love for doing business led Ibrahim Haggai to becoming a consultant in tender documentation.

“

I have always been interested in doing business. In school I sold groundnuts and sweets. While studying accountancy in Mombasa Polytechnic, I sold fruits to my classmates, with a start-up capital of just Ksh 200. After graduating, I started selling secondhand clothes (mitumba). Although my business was doing well, my parents

do

After 3 years, I started my own business as a consultant in tender documentation for small and medium sized businesses. I had 2 clients and worked from my bedroom or a cyber café. After 6 months, I was able to buy a laptop, an internet modem and a printer; then I set up an office at home.

I advise my clients on what goods or services they can best supply, depending on the size of their business and if they meet the specifications of the tender document.

Tendering is linked to supplies management. The organisation that advertises the tenders wants someone who will deliver goods or services in bulk and at a good price. Most of the 200 clients I have today came from recommendations.

My greatest challenge is lack of personnel. Sometimes I get many tenders at the same time but I have few staff. I trained my 5 employees myself. There is no course on tendering offered at any college. The closest training is supplies management.

Business is good because there are few people in my line of business.

To be good at tender documentation, you must be a fast thinker and good at detail. This is because you handle some tenders that are very technical.

Any small mistake in the tenders could easily lose a client.

“

A tender is a process whereby a government or big company invites suppliers to provide goods or services.

Make your own drum from an empty tin

You need • 1 large empty tin • Baking paper (sugar paper) wider than the tin • White glue

• Rubber bands • Tissue paper, paint or fabric scraps and glue to decorate drum • Wooden dowels and beads for drumsticks

You do 1. Cut 8 sheets of baking paper 2.5 cm wider than the diameter of the tin.

2. Coat 1 sheet of paper thinly with the glue. The glue must cover the whole surface. Place another sheet on top and coat with the glue. Repeat until you have glued

together all 8 sheets of the paper.

This is the drumhead.

3. Centre the tin on the baking paper and glue them together. Use rubber bands or tightly tied string to keep the drum head on while it dries.

4. Glue coloured tissue paper on the drumhead and decorate the sides

of the tin with paint or fabric.

Leave to dry overnight.

5. Make a pair of drumsticks. Be creative and make them out of what’s available. Glue big beads onto wooden dowels or sticks. Or use pencils with erasers on the ends. Wrap fabric around the ends of sticks.

6. Start playing!

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Me & My school

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

25

Mirema School

The bright Special Needs classroom

M

irema School along Thika Road started in 1998 with about 300 children aged between 2 1/2 and 14 years. As the number of pupils grew, teachers realised that some children had sisters and brothers at home who were being neglected. These

special needs children were locked up in the house while their parents or Mirema School’s playground caregivers went about their and that is how the Special Needs Unit chores. The teachers was born. Ronny is now a young man of made home visits, 19, independent and working in South asking the parents to Africa. Currently, we attend to about 70 bring their children children with special needs. Only 10 of to the school so they them board at our school. We visit the could be part of the rest at home. The children have special Mirema family, with needs that include ADHD (hyperactivity), trained teachers to cerebral palsy, dyslexia and mild handle them. intellectual disability.

“Mid 1999, the first special needs child, Mirema School has a team of 40 trained 4-year-old Ronny, was enrolled in our teachers, some under the Kenya Medical school,” says Lorna Mutegi, the school Training Institute, approved by the Kenya manager. “Ronny was hyperactive. He Institute of Special Education to handle could not communicate or concentrate. the children. They are trained language We were challenged by Ronny’s needs. and occupational therapists.

We worked hand-in-hand with parents

We say…

Young African Express asked the pupils of Mirema School and the Special Needs Unit to tell us about the best place they have ever visited and why they think it is the best.

Ashley Joyce. 11 years, Class 5 The school administration took us to Rock City as a reward for good performance the previous year.

It was exciting because I got a chance to ride on the merrygo-round and the bumper cars.

I also got to swim because swimming is my hobby.

Macleen Wango. 13 years, Transitional Phase I love to visit Mombasa, I went there last holiday with my family. A visit to Mombasa means I have a chance to eat chips and ice cream.

Michael Ngugi. 11 years, Class 6 My favourite town is Mombasa.

I like Mombasa because it has beautiful beaches and hotels, and the ocean where you can swim or ride in a boat. Mombasa also has an airport from which you can travel all over the world.

Jessie Mbivi. 14 years, Class 8 I love visiting Mombasa. The sandy beaches are superb. I do not mind the scorching sun because it gives me a chance to swim whenever I can. I love watching the sun set in Mombasa. It leaves a coral pink glow on the horizon.

Hope Johnson. 12 years, Class 7 I love visiting Mombasa because of its beautiful hotels and many historical sites such as Fort Jesus. You can go to the beach and just relax, or enjoy a boat ride or build sand castles.

Shawn Patrick Muhatia. 13 years, Transitional Phase I love to visit Mombasa because you can swim any time because of the heat. It is great fun going to Mombasa by road because we get to see lots of beautiful animals and places along the way.

26

Treasure

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

by Valerie Cuthbert Illustrated by Samuel Ngoje

Reading

of the trees

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Part 1

It had always been the custom in the village for people to gather beside the fire in the evening. Children clustered around to keep warm, and the firelight was reflected on their faces as the old people related the stories and legends that they had heard from their grandparents. In this way, stories were handed down from one generation to another.

One night, Njoroge’s grandfather joined the circle around the fire. “Tell us one more story,” pleaded the children. Njoroge’s grandfather smiled.

“A

long time ago, all the animals could speak as well as men. Trees and stones also had the power of speech and movement. It was a magic time and there were many wizards around.

Some of them were good, helping and healing people. But many of them were bad, greedy and cruel.

There lived at this time a poor orphan boy whose name was Mwangi.

Poor Mwangi had been born with a twisted foot and had difficulty walking. His father had been killed in the forest by wild beasts, and Mwangi was taken in by his uncle, who already had a large family of his own and did not really want an extra child.

When Mwangi was about 12 years old his uncle told him, “I have no money to keep you any longer, Mwangi, so I’ve arranged for you to go to Makora, the wizard who lives in the next village. You will live there and work for him.”

“I’ll tell you about the treasure of the trees,” he said. They all settled down by the fire to listen and he told them this story: The boy’s new master, Makora, was a hard man, who was very unkind. He treated Mwangi badly.

The poor boy was so unhappy that he used to cry himself to sleep every night. He had loved his parents and missed them very much.

Even his uncle had been kind to him. Now he often had to go to bed hungry and sore from the beatings the wicked old man gave him.

Many months passed and Mwangi grew tall and thin. He was forced to work hard and for long hours. The old man kept him prisoner, not even allowing him to go out of the compound alone.

One night, Mwangi awoke with a sudden fright as the wizard shook him. “Wake up, boy! Wake up!” The old man spoke fiercely. “You must come with me into the forest. I have work for you to do, but if you ever tell anyone what

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Reading

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

27

you see or hear there, I’ll kill you.

Get up and come with me. Hurry!”

Mwangi got up and followed the wizard. The old man strode along the forest path with the boy limping behind him as fast as he could go.

The trees seemed restless and their branches creaked as they moved.

Night birds called and insects made shrill noises. The bright moonlight formed strange patterns on the ground beneath the trees. Everything was mysterious and frightening, and Mwangi looked around him with big eyes.

“Hurry! You must walk faster,” the old man whacked Mwangi with his stick and the poor boy tried to limp faster.

As they followed the path, they came across a big monkey lying on the ground in front of them, holding its stomach.

“Please … help me … I’m starving,” the monkey called out to them piteously.

The wizard snarled and aimed a kick at the unfortunate animal as he passed. “You can starve to death for all I care, you nasty, thieving creature,” he said as he hit out at the monkey. “I’m in a hurry!”

The wizard hurried on, but Mwangi felt sorry for the poor monkey, who looked at him with big, hungry eyes and held out its paws pleadingly.

Mwangi stopped and took a couple of boiled maize cobs from the little bag he carried with him. He gave them to the monkey and whispered softly, “Take these. They were my dinner for tonight and I was saving them to eat later, but I think you need them more than I do.”

“Thank you, I’m very grateful,” said the monkey and he ate the maize hungrily as Mwangi hurried off to catch up with the wizard, who had gone striding on ahead.

When Mwangi reached him, the old man stormed at him. “Come on, don’t take all night! We’ve no time to lose if my plan is to succeed. It’s nearly midnight.”

Mwangi had no idea what the wizard’s plan was. They came to a clearing in the forest. There was circle of big trees with several large rocks scattered in among them.

“This is the place,” Makora spoke in a hoarse whisper. “Go and cut a long vine from the forest. Then hurry back to me. There’s no time to waste!”

to climb up and down on my own, I need your help to get in and out. We must hide ourselves when the trees leave their holes at midnight. They are the guardians of the treasure and if they see us, they’ll kill us.”

The old man grunted. “Now, listen carefully to my plan! Tonight there is a full moon. At midnight, all the trees will pull themselves out of the earth and make their way down to the river to drink. When they pull up their roots, they will leave great big holes behind them. Rich treasure lies at the bottom of those holes and I want that treasure! The sides of the holes are steep and slippery, and as I’m too old

Will the wizard’s thieving plan succeed? Does Mwangi get out alive? Read the 2nd half of our exciting story in the next issue of the Express!

Mwangi limped off to do as he was told and had soon cut down a long, tough vine that he took back to the wizard.

Reprinted from Beneath the Rainbow, a collection of children’s stories and poems from Kenya. Published by Jacaranda Designs. Copyright© Jacaranda Designs.

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Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

O

n 16 June 2014, the Day of the African Child, Elimu Yetu Coalition held a walk in support of Global Action Week, which calls for children with disabilities to be recognised as part of society. This year’s theme

Arriving at Uhuru Park.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Sports & fun

is Equal Right, Equal Opportunity: Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities. We at Express were proud to participate in the walk—here are some of our photos!

and the walk begins ...

The AP Band prepare to lead the march.

Acrobats with hearing disability entertain par ticipants.

Too small for the shirt but still taking part.

Past the Government press.

Can you do a

This is about vertical leaps—all you need is a high wall, plus a measuring tape and flour or powder. Start by measuring how high you can reach while standing.

Step 1: Dip your fingers into the flour and stand against the wall. Without going on tiptoe, stretch up and mark the wall as high as you can with your fingertips.

Step 2: Keep your feet flat on the floor, crouch down, and with more flour on your fingers, spring up to touch the wall as high as you can.

For this you will need an even piece of ground in front of a pit filled with sand. If you don’t have sand, just dig up the soil and loosen it to make it soft for landing. Use chalk dust or soil to mark a point from which you can measure the jump.

Now sprint and jump as far as you can into the pit. Measure to the point where your heels first land.

Careful now! Your jump is disqualified if any part of your foot is in front of the marked line when you take off.

The one with the longest jump wins.

Now measure the distance between the 2 marks. That’s the height you jumped when you leaped!

How did I do?

Long jump: the average distance for 13- to 14-year-olds is 4–6 m.

Vertical jump: 11-year-olds should be jumping 20 to 40 cm and 16-year-olds between 22 and 55 cm.

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Reading

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

29

by Joe “Black” Munuve

K

ilonzi wiped his brow, using his shirt to mop up the sweat that threatened to run into his eyes and blind him. Finally, it was here.

The moment he had dreamt of all his waking seconds.

He had gone out of himself to get here. No effort had been spared, no exertion feared. He had long ago calculated the cost and resolved to pay it.

When he had first spoken of his aspirations to the team, they had thought him over-ambitious, to the tune of crazy. They were a good team, yes, but only in the district. Kilonzi’s dream of them carrying home the Nationals cup was to them just that— dreams, fantasies. However, more out of respect for their charismatic captain than real belief in their chances, they had religiously stuck to the vigorous practice routine he had drawn out.

Winning the Nationals cup was an obsession with Kilonzi. As time progressed, it had rubbed off on his team mates and become a collective

ambition. There was no room for selfdoubt. A mock cup, with their name engraved on it, had been placed in their makeshift dressing room.

They had sailed through the regional competitions in a breeze, surprising everyone but themselves.

Given the intensity of their practice, the only win worth celebrating was the final one. The journey had been rough, full of twists and turns. The temptation had been there. When they reached stages they never thought of even in their wildest dreams, they had felt like giving up. It would be enough, a win after all, a record; but by the sheer will of their captain, they had trudged on and here they were now at the finals.

T

he game had gone all the way to the penalties, the teams tying at 4:4 with 2 misses each.

It was Kilonzi’s shot. If he scored, they would win. If he missed, they would lose. All eyes were on him. The whole field went silent, a silence so loud you could hear yourself think.

Kilonzi could only hear the deafening thump of his heart, the blood pumping in his veins, the adrenaline stabbing through his body. He held the hopes of his team mates. He had led them to believe that they could win. It had been hard convincing them but now that their optimism had reached dizzying heights, he could not be the one to shatter their hopes.

From a long way off, he heard the whistle blow and suddenly, his world shrank. There were only 3 things that mattered—his foot, the ball, and the goal. He felt the weight of the hopes of all the people watching press down on his hunched shoulders and, propelled by a force unknown, he shot forward and kicked the ball.

Off it flew, carrying with it the hopes of hundreds. And the ball was gone, gone with the wind.

What a story! Could you be a writer? Read about the author, student Joe Munuve, in our cover story.

30

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Puzzles & fun

r fun fo

You

Ebola virus disease is a dangerous haemorrhagic* disease. It was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in Congo. The current outbreak in West Africa is the biggest yet. Over 1000 people, including health workers, have died so far. There is currently no cure.

How does Ebola spread?

• Handling sick or dead animals or bush meat infected with Ebola • Direct contact with the blood or other body fluids (sweat, saliva, semen, stools) of an infected person or the body of someone who died of Ebola • Touching objects contaminated with their body fluids

Main symptoms • First signs appear after 2–21 days. The symptoms—sudden high fever, headache, sore throat and body aches—are similar to those of flu or malaria • Later symptoms—vomiting, diarrhoea, bleeding from areas like eyes and gums, and internal bleeding, which can lead to organ failure How can we prevent Ebola?

• Do not handle sick or dead wild animals or eat their meat (bush meat) • People with symptoms should seek medical help and be quarantined so the disease does not spread • Observe good hygiene all around you

CRISS R O S S 7

4 5

6

8

9

10

11

12

Letter puzzle Answers from page 31

Amina’s coconut oil

Kenya

Down 1. Nutritious tuber 2. City on the Kenyan coast 4. Ugandan, Tanzanian and Kenyan currency 5. We must protect these tree-filled regions 6. This person writes signs 10. Uganda boasts this rare ape

Amina first gives Kerubo a gift of 10 bottles. She is left with 30 bottles and gives half (30/2 = 15) to Mwanahamisi.

40 - (10 + 15) = 15 bottles left for Amina.

D.R. Congo

13

If she had done it in the reverse order she would have given Mwanahamisi half of 40 (40/2 = 20) and then given Kerubo 10 as a gift.

40 - (20 + 10) = 10 bottles left for Amina.

South Sudan

Across 1. A place for lawbreakers 3. Add letters to these for a healthy diet!

7. This person needs mother’s milk 8. Africa’s greatest lake 9. Kilimanjaro lies in this country 10. Winner of the FIFA World Cup 2014 11. Waste, trash or garbage ...

12. An orbiting telecommunications device 13. These organisms can cause disease

By giving Kerubo the gift of 10 first, Amina is left with 5 extra bottles of her fantastic coconut oil for herself.

*Haemorrhagic (hem-uh-RAJ-ik): Causing blood vessels to burst, which results in bleeding

2

3

Should we panic?

No. Ebola has never Guinea occurred in Kenya.

The government is Sierra Nigeria Leone monitoring travellers Liberia from West Africa.

Current outbreak Infected people cannot First outbreaks spread Ebola until they develop symptoms. Basic hygiene, especially washing your hands, will prevent you catching many diseases.

1

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

puzzles & fun

r iddle

LETTER PUZZLE!

I am weightless, bu t yo u can see me. Put me in a bucket an d I’ll make it lighter.

What am I? A hole

What gets wetter an d wetter the more it dries?

A towel

mina has a problem. For the last 13 years, her neighbour Kerubo has been a very good friend.

Place the letters A to I in the 3 x 3 box. E is to the right of C. A is to the right of G, which is above B. B is to the left of F. I is above D, which is to the left of G.

Kerubo will soon be leaving Mombasa for her hometown of Keroka. Amina wants to give her a present that will remind her of both Amina herself and of the lovely town of Mombasa before Kerubo leaves.

Amina has prepared 40 bottles of her own brand of coconut oil of which she has promised Mwanahamisi half of her final stock. Amina would like to give Kerubo 10 bottles for a going-away present.

If Amina wants to keep as many bottles as possible for herself, should she first give Mwanahamisi half and then give Kerubo 10, or should she reverse the order in which she gives away the bottles?

A river

A

ks, What can run but never wal s, talk er Has a mouth but nev ps, Has a hea d but never wee ps? slee er nev but bed Has a

How many planets in our solar system?

If you thought 9, you’re wrong! On 24 Aug 2006 the International Astronomical Union decided that, based on its type of orbit, Pluto is not a planet, but instead a dwarf planet. So there are now officially 8 planets orbiting our sun—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Find out more about the solar system at www.kidsastronomy.com.

The only choice is to select from the mixed box. We know it cannot contain mixed fruit. If you pick up a banana, you know that the box labelled ‘mangoes’ must contain the mixed fruit (if it had just mangoes in it, it would not be mislabelled).So the banana box has mangoes only.

Fruit salad

A skunk sat on a stump.

The skunk thunk the stump stunk but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.

31

Down: 1. potatoes; 2. Mombasa; 4. shilling; 5. forests; 6. signwriter; 10. gorilla Criss cross Across: 1. prison; 3. vitamins; 7. infant; 8. Victoria; 9. Tanzania; 10. Germany; 11. rubbish; 12. satellite; 13. bacteria

Answers from page 30

Additional calculations: Costs for 1 latrine: 83,060 ÷ 16 = 5,191.25 Price in order to make 20% profit:

20% of 5,191.25 = 1,038.25

5,191 + 1,038.25 = 6,229.50 Fixed costs: Rent: 850 Salaries: 18,500 Licence: 200 Capital assets: 2,500 Add them all for the total: 83,060 Variable costs for materials to build 16 units: Iron sheets (mabati): 28,000 Hinges & nails: 4,000 PVC pipes/bends: 7,200 Screening: 1,920 Timber: 6,400 Cement: 11,640 Variable costs for the business: Paraffin: 100 Water: 600 Repairs: 600 Airtime: 550 Total costs for the month: First get the subtotals (in Ksh): Business story answers:

32

Vol. 9 no. 4, 2014

Civil society

YOUNG AFRICAN EXPRESS

. . . n o i l a s i e c a e P or is it a

mouse?

Being strong does not mean that you have to win every fight.

There are battles that are best fought with kind actions or words. Peace is the reward of right choices and actions. some mice came out from a nearby hole and started playing around him. The lion Story by Yvonne Otieno Art by Bella Kilonzo

WE'RE DESIGNING A MODEL TOWN AS A PROJECT FOR OUR CIVICS CLASS.

THESE RIVERS FLOW FROM THE FORESTS ON THESE MOUNTAINS TO BRING CLEAN WATER INTO TOWN.

HI BOYS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

GREAT! CLEAN WATER IS NEEDED FOR GOOD QUALITYOF LIFE.

HOUSES, HOSPITAL AND THE POLICE STATION. SHAMBAS AND LARGER FARMS WILL BE AROUND THE TOWN. AND ALL SCHOOLS WILL BE NEAR PUBLIC PARKS, SO THE AIR IS CLEAN.

WHAT‛S OVER THERE?

I'M IMPRESSED. YOUR CITIZENS WILL BE WELL TAKEN CARE OF. I HOPE SO. WE'RE ALL SUPPOSED TO HAVE FOOD, SHELTER AND CLOTHING.

YEAH. AND KIDS SHOULD HAVE GOOD HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION. WHY DON'T YOU SHOW THIS MODEL AROUND AND MAKE A PLAN FOR HOW YOU WILL HELP. THAT COULD BE PART OF YOUR PROJECT TOO!

A few days later the lion found himself ensnared in a net that hunters had set under his resting tree. He tried to break loose from it, but he could not. He roared in frustration and rage.

On hearing the roar, the mouse came out from his hole and found the lion entangled. “Now is the time for me to help,” said the mouse as he moved close. “Don’t worry, Mr Lion, I will get you out of this trouble.”

IT'S PART OF OUR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS...

WOW! YOU REALLY KNOW WHAT CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE ABOUT.

“What? Don’t you know I am king of the jungle? How can you possibly help me?” said the lion. But he pitied the mouse and let him go. The grateful mouse rushed away before the lion changed his mind.

WE MAY EVEN EARN EXTRA CREDIT!

He called his friends, who all chewed the net with their sharp teeth.

Within no time, the lion was freed.

Then he realised how wrong he had been to laugh at the mouse and to underestimate what it could do. He apologised and thanked the mice for saving his life.

From that day on, the mouse helped the old lion hunt and the lion protected the mouse. They both lived peacefully ever after.

Special savings! YAE subscriptions Delivered to schools or clubs for only Ksh 1,200 a year. (minimum of 10 subscriptions)

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got angry, because they disturbed his sleep. Suddenly he grabbed a mouse in his paws. The mouse pleaded with the lion not to kill him. “Please forgive me.

One day, when you are in need, I will help you.”

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nce upon a time there lived an old lion that spent most of his time sleeping under a tree. One day

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