Friday, August 12, 2005
Water and Sanitation Program ACCESS
Water and Santitation Program ACCESS
This is a free newsletter from the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program. What is the most effective way to make any of its contents more easily accessible to those people in Sagam who might find its content useful?
This is a free newsletter from the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program. What is the most effective way to make any of its contents more easily accessible to those people in Sagam who might find its content useful?
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Changes Urged to Combat African Hunger
Changes Urged to Combat African Hunger
The linked story describes the findings and recommendations of a report issued in Washington, but reported from Nairobi. You can find the report and related materials linked from this page.
I, for one, would love to hear the views of people in Sagam about this report and what it means to the Village. What more can those of us outside Kenya do to help connect people there to information and people and organizations who can help answer questions and respond to what the people of Sagam want and need?
The linked story describes the findings and recommendations of a report issued in Washington, but reported from Nairobi. You can find the report and related materials linked from this page.
I, for one, would love to hear the views of people in Sagam about this report and what it means to the Village. What more can those of us outside Kenya do to help connect people there to information and people and organizations who can help answer questions and respond to what the people of Sagam want and need?
Empty stadium
Empty stadium
How do the people of Sagam react to this editorial cartoon in the Nation newspaper today? (This may require free registration to access.)
How do the people of Sagam react to this editorial cartoon in the Nation newspaper today? (This may require free registration to access.)
Kenya progress toward Millennium Development Goals (2003)
Kenya progress toward Millennium Development Goals (2003)
This is a 43 page document from the United Nations Development Program website detailing Kenyan progress as of 2003 toward achieving the Millenium Development Goals. See Khama ROGO's discussion of these goals in the context of Sagam Village here on this blog.
This is a 43 page document from the United Nations Development Program website detailing Kenyan progress as of 2003 toward achieving the Millenium Development Goals. See Khama ROGO's discussion of these goals in the context of Sagam Village here on this blog.
Malaria vaccine does good job, but not enough
Malaria vaccine does good job, but not enough
Add a comment below on what you think this means for Sagam! What are the implications?
Add a comment below on what you think this means for Sagam! What are the implications?
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Administrative and Finance Officer
The Academy for Education Development is in search of an Administrative and Finance Officer to be based in Kisumu, Kenya (50 Km from Sagam).......
Academy for Education Development (AED): Speak for the Child
Improving Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Kenya
Position: Administrative and Finance Officer (full-time appointment based in Kisumu, Kenya)
Period of work: September 1, 2005-March 31, 2006 (renewable pending funding)
Backstops: TBN Chief of Party, Sarah Dastur, and Diane Lusk
Background:
Speak for the Child (SFC) (link) supports families and communities in western Kenya to improve the health, nutrition, and psychosocial care of young children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS; the program currently serves over 6,150 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the Western and Nyanza Provinces. SFC works with experienced community based organizations (CBOs) with extensive outreach to OVC to serve as key partners in the delivery of services and support to children.
Through field-tested, intensive and ongoing training and monitoring, SFC insures that a comprehensive, multi-sectoral program of orphan care is delivered and CBO capacity to administer, implement and monitor the program is strengthened. SFC works with CBOs to:
- Recruit and train household mentors in the SFC home visiting activity in which mentors counsel caregivers on improving their children’s health, nutrition, and emotional well-being
- Collaborate with local Ministry of Education officials in order to cover preschool fees and monitor preschool and primary school attendance
- Collaborate with local Ministry of Health officials in order to provide immunizations, and anti-malarial, acute respiratory illness, and de-worming medications
Ensure that children have blankets and insecticide-treated bednets and that households have water purification products, soap, seeds and fertilizer, and emergency food, when needed
TERMS OF REFERENCE:
The Officer facilitates the efficient and effective administrative/financial operation of Speak for the Child. He/she ensures compliance with AED Human Resources/Benefits, Accounting, and Contracts policies and procedures and USAID regulations. The Administrative and Finance Officer supports the work of the Director and Area Coordinators as well as the Data Entry Assistant as needed.
SPECIFIC TASKS:
a) Administration/Finances
1. Maintain contractual, financial, procurement, and human resources/benefits files for AED/Kisumu office
2. Coordinate local procurement, obtain and evaluate vendor quotes, and document procurement decisions
3. Prepare and maintain monthly Quickbooks/imprest reports for the recording, documenting, and reporting of all project financial transactions, including deposits, disbursements and receipts
4. Submit monthly Quickbooks/imprest reports, bank reconciliation statements, and financial reports to AED home office once signed and approved by the local project director
5. Regularly update bank books for AED
6. Prepare payment vouchers for payroll, benefits, office expenditures, consultant fees, expenses, and prepare checks for approval and signature by local project director for AED. Ensure that all check and cash payments are supported by documentation, approved by the local project director and that all goods and services paid for are received
7. Handle petty cash and make payments upon proper authorization
8. Maintain inventory of non-expendable equipment and submit yearly non expendable equipment report
9. Maintain equipment and facilities
10. Provide information to AED home office and local project director concerning payments, required documentation and other financial records and reporting aspects of the project
11. Manage financial planning and projections and prepare monthly budgets
12. Maintain cost-share recording system
13. Do a cost-benefit analysis for some administrative/finance decisions
14. Maintain electronic and hard copy filing system
15. Perform other administrative/finance duties as prescribed by TBN Chief of Party, Sarah Dastur, and/or Diane Lusk
b) Assist with all program goals
1. Support program activities by researching needed information
2. Assist in logistics for travel, equipment, and supplies
3. Ensure clear and accessible record keeping of all activities and expenses
4. Ensure good communication within and outside the project. Represent the project and its goals to callers, writers, and visitors from the community, NGOs, and CBOs as needed
5. Coordinate schedules, meetings, vehicle use and supplies as needed
c) Collaborate with AED colleagues
Collaborate with AED colleagues as needed or requested to meet reporting requirements, develop proposals, address management needs, design products, or respond to funders
QUALIFICATIONS:
· 1 year experience in finance and administration
· 1 year minimum experience with Quickbooks software
· Demonstrated proficiency in Quickbooks and Excel software
· Excellent command of the English language
· Excellent oral and written communication skills
· Willingness to function as part of the AED/Kisumu team and take direction and initiative
· Eagerness to support SFC Area Coordinators and facilitate smooth implementation of field activities
· Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting
· General knowledge of and interest in the field of HIV/AIDS and care for young children
If interested, please contact Fred Agak (agak.fred@cnc-corp.com)
For more information on AED, click here.
Academy for Education Development (AED): Speak for the Child
Improving Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Kenya
Position: Administrative and Finance Officer (full-time appointment based in Kisumu, Kenya)
Period of work: September 1, 2005-March 31, 2006 (renewable pending funding)
Backstops: TBN Chief of Party, Sarah Dastur, and Diane Lusk
Background:
Speak for the Child (SFC) (link) supports families and communities in western Kenya to improve the health, nutrition, and psychosocial care of young children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS; the program currently serves over 6,150 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the Western and Nyanza Provinces. SFC works with experienced community based organizations (CBOs) with extensive outreach to OVC to serve as key partners in the delivery of services and support to children.
Through field-tested, intensive and ongoing training and monitoring, SFC insures that a comprehensive, multi-sectoral program of orphan care is delivered and CBO capacity to administer, implement and monitor the program is strengthened. SFC works with CBOs to:
- Recruit and train household mentors in the SFC home visiting activity in which mentors counsel caregivers on improving their children’s health, nutrition, and emotional well-being
- Collaborate with local Ministry of Education officials in order to cover preschool fees and monitor preschool and primary school attendance
- Collaborate with local Ministry of Health officials in order to provide immunizations, and anti-malarial, acute respiratory illness, and de-worming medications
Ensure that children have blankets and insecticide-treated bednets and that households have water purification products, soap, seeds and fertilizer, and emergency food, when needed
TERMS OF REFERENCE:
The Officer facilitates the efficient and effective administrative/financial operation of Speak for the Child. He/she ensures compliance with AED Human Resources/Benefits, Accounting, and Contracts policies and procedures and USAID regulations. The Administrative and Finance Officer supports the work of the Director and Area Coordinators as well as the Data Entry Assistant as needed.
SPECIFIC TASKS:
a) Administration/Finances
1. Maintain contractual, financial, procurement, and human resources/benefits files for AED/Kisumu office
2. Coordinate local procurement, obtain and evaluate vendor quotes, and document procurement decisions
3. Prepare and maintain monthly Quickbooks/imprest reports for the recording, documenting, and reporting of all project financial transactions, including deposits, disbursements and receipts
4. Submit monthly Quickbooks/imprest reports, bank reconciliation statements, and financial reports to AED home office once signed and approved by the local project director
5. Regularly update bank books for AED
6. Prepare payment vouchers for payroll, benefits, office expenditures, consultant fees, expenses, and prepare checks for approval and signature by local project director for AED. Ensure that all check and cash payments are supported by documentation, approved by the local project director and that all goods and services paid for are received
7. Handle petty cash and make payments upon proper authorization
8. Maintain inventory of non-expendable equipment and submit yearly non expendable equipment report
9. Maintain equipment and facilities
10. Provide information to AED home office and local project director concerning payments, required documentation and other financial records and reporting aspects of the project
11. Manage financial planning and projections and prepare monthly budgets
12. Maintain cost-share recording system
13. Do a cost-benefit analysis for some administrative/finance decisions
14. Maintain electronic and hard copy filing system
15. Perform other administrative/finance duties as prescribed by TBN Chief of Party, Sarah Dastur, and/or Diane Lusk
b) Assist with all program goals
1. Support program activities by researching needed information
2. Assist in logistics for travel, equipment, and supplies
3. Ensure clear and accessible record keeping of all activities and expenses
4. Ensure good communication within and outside the project. Represent the project and its goals to callers, writers, and visitors from the community, NGOs, and CBOs as needed
5. Coordinate schedules, meetings, vehicle use and supplies as needed
c) Collaborate with AED colleagues
Collaborate with AED colleagues as needed or requested to meet reporting requirements, develop proposals, address management needs, design products, or respond to funders
QUALIFICATIONS:
· 1 year experience in finance and administration
· 1 year minimum experience with Quickbooks software
· Demonstrated proficiency in Quickbooks and Excel software
· Excellent command of the English language
· Excellent oral and written communication skills
· Willingness to function as part of the AED/Kisumu team and take direction and initiative
· Eagerness to support SFC Area Coordinators and facilitate smooth implementation of field activities
· Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting
· General knowledge of and interest in the field of HIV/AIDS and care for young children
If interested, please contact Fred Agak (agak.fred@cnc-corp.com)
For more information on AED, click here.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
"Storm over Sh360m Army chopper deal"
"Storm over Sh360m Army chopper deal"
This article from the Standard in Nairobi talks about a great deal of money being spent on helicopter maintenance (paid to a South African firm), in addition to other government expenditures. In what ways can the people of Sagam express their views about this? What is the impact on them?
This article from the Standard in Nairobi talks about a great deal of money being spent on helicopter maintenance (paid to a South African firm), in addition to other government expenditures. In what ways can the people of Sagam express their views about this? What is the impact on them?
The folly of reading the Government budget old style
The folly of reading the Government budget old style
Monday, August 08, 2005
Kenyan Teachers Living with HIV/AIDS Tell Their Stories
Kenyan Teachers Living with HIV/AIDS Tell Their Stories
Disabilities and Sagam
From Christine ASIKO:
"A disabled person is defined as someone ‘who has a physical or mental impairment which has an effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’ and covers any physical or mental disability, including sensory impairment and ‘hidden’ disabilities such as mental illness, learning disability, dyslexia, diabetes and epilepsy. "
British Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
The community has a role to play in supporting disabled people. The community can choose to make the lives of the disabled easier. The community, namely SAGAM can be a ‘disabled-friendly’ community. If community members find basic ways of supporting people with disabilities, by using available local resources existing in the community, we can reach more disabled people in the community and improve their well being. Family members, teachers, religious leaders and disabled people organizations have the ability to support disabled people to achieve a more ordinary lifestyle. Undoubtedly, community members require knowledge about disabilities and guidance on how to assist disabled people and this article is a token of the extensive knowledge that can be made available to anyone who is interested. SAGAM take on this challenge!
In a ‘disabled- friendly’ community a more ordinary lifestyle for disabled individuals is made possible in many ways. Enabling access to information, treating people as individuals, providing support for the family as a whole are examples. The support should be imaginative and should be available at the right time. This should be provided by well informed, supportive and approachable staff that are flexible.
For the purposes of this article I will not expand on the ideas above. Instead I have chosen to focus on DYSLEXIA, one of the disabilities and the role that the teachers of SAGAM, our existing resources, can play in making our schools ‘dyslexia-friendly’. Dyslexia is just one of many learning difficulties but it affects severely a significant percentage of the population.
Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing may also be affected.
Dyslexia usually arises from a weakness in the processing of language-based information. Biological in origin, it tends to run in families, but environmental factors also contribute.
Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability. It is not the result of poor motivation, emotional disturbance, sensory impairment or lack of opportunities, but it may occur alongside any of these.
The effects of dyslexia can be largely overcome by skilled specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies.
The Dyslexia Institute 2002Each dyslexic's difficulties are different and vary from slight to very severe disruption of the learning process. There is no total cure but the effects of dyslexia can be alleviated by skilled specialist teaching and committed learning. On the positive side there is a hypothesis that the neurological abnormalities also give some dyslexic people visual, spatial and lateral thinking abilities that enable them to be successful in a wide range of careers. Each dyslexic person has her/his own pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Many shine in such fields as the arts, creativity, design and computing. What they need is to be identified and taught, to enable them to release their talents in wide-ranging careers.
The condition is linked to a huge range of social problems. There is a higher incidence of dyslexia in people in prisons, youngsters excluded from school and the long-term unemployed. Early intervention of dyslexic children who have behaviour problems usually improve when the right kind of teaching for reading, writing, spelling and basic mathematics is provided
Below are a few characteristics that teachers may notice in their students and these are possible pointers of dyslexia.
All ages
· Is s/he bright in some ways with a 'block' in others?
· Is there anyone else in the family with similar difficulties?
· Does s/he have difficulty carrying out three instructions in sequence?
· Was s/he late in learning to talk, or with speaking clearly?
Ages 7-11
Does s/he have particular difficulty with reading or spelling?
Does s/he put figures or letters the wrong way e.g. 15 for 51, 6 for 9, b for d, was for saw?
Does s/he read a word then fail to recognize it further down the page?
Does s/he spell a word several different ways without recognizing the correct version?
Does s/he have a poor concentration span for reading and writing?
Does s/he have difficulty understanding time and tense?
Does s/he confuse left and right?
Does s/he answer questions orally but have difficulty writing the answer?
Is s/he unusually clumsy?
Does s/he have trouble with sounds in words, e.g. poor sense of rhyme?
Ages 12 - adult
Is s/he sometimes inaccurate in reading?
Is spelling poor?
Does s/he have difficulty taking notes or copying?
Does s/he have difficulty with planning and writing essays, letters or reports?
Some common problems
You may think:
S/he's not listening
S/he may have difficulty in remembering a list of instructions.
S/he may have problems getting thoughts together coherently for story or essay writing.
S/he may have sequencing problems and may need to be taught strategies to cope/alternative ways of remembering.
S/he's lazy
S/he may have difficulty in organizing work and need specific teaching to help her/him.
S/he may be able to answer the questions orally but can't write them down.
The child may have found that the less s/he writes, the less trouble s/he gets into for making mistakes
S/he's not concentrating
S/he may have difficulty in copying accurately. This is often because s/he cannot remember chunks but needs to look at each letter, write it, then look at the board again, find the place, and so on...
S/he's careless
S/he may have very poor handwriting as s/he hasn't sufficient hand skills to control the pencil.
S/he's not checking work
S/he may spell the same word several different ways if s/he doesn't have the visual memory to know what is right or the kinesthetic memory for it to feel right as s/he is writing.
S/he doesn't look carefully
S/he may have a visual memory deficiency and therefore experience difficulty when interpreting symbols.
S/he's being awkward / impossible on purpose
S/he may be able to produce very good work one day and the next "trip up over every word". "Off days" are quite common and require extra encouragement and understanding.
Some common strengths
You may be surprised that:
S/he has a good visual eye
S/he may be able to arrange the furniture in the classroom very effectively.
S/he's very imaginative and skilful with her/his hands
S/he may be able to make the best models.
S/he's practical
S/he may be able to work the computer before the others - even perhaps repair it. S/he may be able to start the car when others have failed.
S/he's mad on sport
S/he may excel at individual sports.
S/he's got a fantastic imagination
S/he may be able to tell wonderful stories- if her/his long term memory is good.
See the chart that appears above. It is a quiz that teachers can use to alert them to the possibilities of dyslexia in an individual of any age.
“It is a lonely existence to be a child with a disability which no-one can see or understand, you exasperate your teachers, you disappoint your parents, and worst of all you know that you are not just stupid”.
Susan Hampshire
If a child cannot learn the way we teach then we must teach the way s/he can learn
In what way can the teacher make the dyslexic learner experience in class easier?
· An understanding of dyslexia as a condition would be useful.
· Evaluating existing methods of teaching and materials used in the classroom to determine how ‘dyslexia friendly’ they are is important.
· Subjects that are difficult and discouraging for the learner should be left out to a large extent.
· Teacher should suspend unremorseful or negative judgments about students, after all they are simply responding to our level of teaching skills. It is our responsibility to get through to the students to ensure a successful learning session.
· Learning is a multi-level experience therefore the most effective teaching has to be multi-sensory. The student will learn best through the use of all their senses
· The greatest percentage of what students learn is not in a lesson plan, it is in our attitude, feelings, dialogues, actions and classroom set up. It is very possible to learn something new from no information at all.
· One common tendency amongst we teachers is to teach the way that we like to be taught. This way is guaranteed to please at least one person; us. Our preferred teaching strategies will only be beneficial to us and this is not about us, it is about the learner.
· An ideal lesson will contain lots of emotion, celebration, play, humour, fantasy and imagination. Music is one example
· Appropriate communication -use language that the learner is familiar with. Remember that what has not been said is often more believable. For example you ask a student, “What is wrong?” He shrugs his shoulders and in a cracked voice says, “Nothing really…I’m okay.” You do not believe his words but you believe his non verbal message. Now reverse the situation…Our body language must be checked constantly. Our posture, eye contact, physical positioning, expressions and gestures must be thought through with a lot of care. Take notice of your voice qualities: tonality, pitch, tempo and rhythm. When you deliver your message make it short-watch the length of your sentences
· A picture presentation of words is an important. Help the learner to visualize words.
· Use colour coding to draw attention to the message.
· Repetition is vital. The challenge is to find 10 or more different ways of repeating vocabulary, concepts and sentence structures
· Whenever there is an introduction or teaching point start from a tangible point.
· When teaching vocabulary start with a general term before teaching a specific meaning. This makes comprehension and memorizing the word much easier. Generalized meaning would be words like ‘BIG’ and ‘LARGE’. These words can be broken down to have a variety of meanings for instance, ‘height, weight, width or length’ A specific meaning could be ‘tall or wide’. To put it simply ‘big’ should be taught before ‘tall’ and ‘large’ before ‘wide’
· In antonym pairs it is suggested that the (+) be taught first. On/Off. On is the positive state and off the negative state
· Pictures to teach new words should be simple. To teach the word DOG one should use a simple picture. To present one that shows a dog eating, jumping or inside a kennel could be misleading. These simple pictures are also useful when used to form sentences.
· In order to teach spellings start with the letters that are not confusable. ‘n’ ‘t’ ‘b’ ‘s’ ‘g’. This should be followed up by names and sounds. The letters ‘a’ and ‘I’ can be used to build up words like ‘bat’ ‘sat’ ‘tin’ ‘sin’ ‘bin’ ‘bit’ ‘big’. When these have been mastered the plural‘s’ can be added as soon as short sentences can be written.
· Add physical movement cues for example tapping for words or syllable gestures
· Shorten and breakdown information it is easier to remember
· PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL HELP
British Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
The community has a role to play in supporting disabled people. The community can choose to make the lives of the disabled easier. The community, namely SAGAM can be a ‘disabled-friendly’ community. If community members find basic ways of supporting people with disabilities, by using available local resources existing in the community, we can reach more disabled people in the community and improve their well being. Family members, teachers, religious leaders and disabled people organizations have the ability to support disabled people to achieve a more ordinary lifestyle. Undoubtedly, community members require knowledge about disabilities and guidance on how to assist disabled people and this article is a token of the extensive knowledge that can be made available to anyone who is interested. SAGAM take on this challenge!
In a ‘disabled- friendly’ community a more ordinary lifestyle for disabled individuals is made possible in many ways. Enabling access to information, treating people as individuals, providing support for the family as a whole are examples. The support should be imaginative and should be available at the right time. This should be provided by well informed, supportive and approachable staff that are flexible.
For the purposes of this article I will not expand on the ideas above. Instead I have chosen to focus on DYSLEXIA, one of the disabilities and the role that the teachers of SAGAM, our existing resources, can play in making our schools ‘dyslexia-friendly’. Dyslexia is just one of many learning difficulties but it affects severely a significant percentage of the population.
Dyslexia causes difficulties in learning to read, write and spell. Short-term memory, mathematics, concentration, personal organisation and sequencing may also be affected.
Dyslexia usually arises from a weakness in the processing of language-based information. Biological in origin, it tends to run in families, but environmental factors also contribute.
Dyslexia can occur at any level of intellectual ability. It is not the result of poor motivation, emotional disturbance, sensory impairment or lack of opportunities, but it may occur alongside any of these.
The effects of dyslexia can be largely overcome by skilled specialist teaching and the use of compensatory strategies.
The Dyslexia Institute 2002Each dyslexic's difficulties are different and vary from slight to very severe disruption of the learning process. There is no total cure but the effects of dyslexia can be alleviated by skilled specialist teaching and committed learning. On the positive side there is a hypothesis that the neurological abnormalities also give some dyslexic people visual, spatial and lateral thinking abilities that enable them to be successful in a wide range of careers. Each dyslexic person has her/his own pattern of strengths and weaknesses. Many shine in such fields as the arts, creativity, design and computing. What they need is to be identified and taught, to enable them to release their talents in wide-ranging careers.
The condition is linked to a huge range of social problems. There is a higher incidence of dyslexia in people in prisons, youngsters excluded from school and the long-term unemployed. Early intervention of dyslexic children who have behaviour problems usually improve when the right kind of teaching for reading, writing, spelling and basic mathematics is provided
Below are a few characteristics that teachers may notice in their students and these are possible pointers of dyslexia.
All ages
· Is s/he bright in some ways with a 'block' in others?
· Is there anyone else in the family with similar difficulties?
· Does s/he have difficulty carrying out three instructions in sequence?
· Was s/he late in learning to talk, or with speaking clearly?
Ages 7-11
Does s/he have particular difficulty with reading or spelling?
Does s/he put figures or letters the wrong way e.g. 15 for 51, 6 for 9, b for d, was for saw?
Does s/he read a word then fail to recognize it further down the page?
Does s/he spell a word several different ways without recognizing the correct version?
Does s/he have a poor concentration span for reading and writing?
Does s/he have difficulty understanding time and tense?
Does s/he confuse left and right?
Does s/he answer questions orally but have difficulty writing the answer?
Is s/he unusually clumsy?
Does s/he have trouble with sounds in words, e.g. poor sense of rhyme?
Ages 12 - adult
Is s/he sometimes inaccurate in reading?
Is spelling poor?
Does s/he have difficulty taking notes or copying?
Does s/he have difficulty with planning and writing essays, letters or reports?
Some common problems
You may think:
S/he's not listening
S/he may have difficulty in remembering a list of instructions.
S/he may have problems getting thoughts together coherently for story or essay writing.
S/he may have sequencing problems and may need to be taught strategies to cope/alternative ways of remembering.
S/he's lazy
S/he may have difficulty in organizing work and need specific teaching to help her/him.
S/he may be able to answer the questions orally but can't write them down.
The child may have found that the less s/he writes, the less trouble s/he gets into for making mistakes
S/he's not concentrating
S/he may have difficulty in copying accurately. This is often because s/he cannot remember chunks but needs to look at each letter, write it, then look at the board again, find the place, and so on...
S/he's careless
S/he may have very poor handwriting as s/he hasn't sufficient hand skills to control the pencil.
S/he's not checking work
S/he may spell the same word several different ways if s/he doesn't have the visual memory to know what is right or the kinesthetic memory for it to feel right as s/he is writing.
S/he doesn't look carefully
S/he may have a visual memory deficiency and therefore experience difficulty when interpreting symbols.
S/he's being awkward / impossible on purpose
S/he may be able to produce very good work one day and the next "trip up over every word". "Off days" are quite common and require extra encouragement and understanding.
Some common strengths
You may be surprised that:
S/he has a good visual eye
S/he may be able to arrange the furniture in the classroom very effectively.
S/he's very imaginative and skilful with her/his hands
S/he may be able to make the best models.
S/he's practical
S/he may be able to work the computer before the others - even perhaps repair it. S/he may be able to start the car when others have failed.
S/he's mad on sport
S/he may excel at individual sports.
S/he's got a fantastic imagination
S/he may be able to tell wonderful stories- if her/his long term memory is good.
See the chart that appears above. It is a quiz that teachers can use to alert them to the possibilities of dyslexia in an individual of any age.
“It is a lonely existence to be a child with a disability which no-one can see or understand, you exasperate your teachers, you disappoint your parents, and worst of all you know that you are not just stupid”.
Susan Hampshire
If a child cannot learn the way we teach then we must teach the way s/he can learn
In what way can the teacher make the dyslexic learner experience in class easier?
· An understanding of dyslexia as a condition would be useful.
· Evaluating existing methods of teaching and materials used in the classroom to determine how ‘dyslexia friendly’ they are is important.
· Subjects that are difficult and discouraging for the learner should be left out to a large extent.
· Teacher should suspend unremorseful or negative judgments about students, after all they are simply responding to our level of teaching skills. It is our responsibility to get through to the students to ensure a successful learning session.
· Learning is a multi-level experience therefore the most effective teaching has to be multi-sensory. The student will learn best through the use of all their senses
· The greatest percentage of what students learn is not in a lesson plan, it is in our attitude, feelings, dialogues, actions and classroom set up. It is very possible to learn something new from no information at all.
· One common tendency amongst we teachers is to teach the way that we like to be taught. This way is guaranteed to please at least one person; us. Our preferred teaching strategies will only be beneficial to us and this is not about us, it is about the learner.
· An ideal lesson will contain lots of emotion, celebration, play, humour, fantasy and imagination. Music is one example
· Appropriate communication -use language that the learner is familiar with. Remember that what has not been said is often more believable. For example you ask a student, “What is wrong?” He shrugs his shoulders and in a cracked voice says, “Nothing really…I’m okay.” You do not believe his words but you believe his non verbal message. Now reverse the situation…Our body language must be checked constantly. Our posture, eye contact, physical positioning, expressions and gestures must be thought through with a lot of care. Take notice of your voice qualities: tonality, pitch, tempo and rhythm. When you deliver your message make it short-watch the length of your sentences
· A picture presentation of words is an important. Help the learner to visualize words.
· Use colour coding to draw attention to the message.
· Repetition is vital. The challenge is to find 10 or more different ways of repeating vocabulary, concepts and sentence structures
· Whenever there is an introduction or teaching point start from a tangible point.
· When teaching vocabulary start with a general term before teaching a specific meaning. This makes comprehension and memorizing the word much easier. Generalized meaning would be words like ‘BIG’ and ‘LARGE’. These words can be broken down to have a variety of meanings for instance, ‘height, weight, width or length’ A specific meaning could be ‘tall or wide’. To put it simply ‘big’ should be taught before ‘tall’ and ‘large’ before ‘wide’
· In antonym pairs it is suggested that the (+) be taught first. On/Off. On is the positive state and off the negative state
· Pictures to teach new words should be simple. To teach the word DOG one should use a simple picture. To present one that shows a dog eating, jumping or inside a kennel could be misleading. These simple pictures are also useful when used to form sentences.
· In order to teach spellings start with the letters that are not confusable. ‘n’ ‘t’ ‘b’ ‘s’ ‘g’. This should be followed up by names and sounds. The letters ‘a’ and ‘I’ can be used to build up words like ‘bat’ ‘sat’ ‘tin’ ‘sin’ ‘bin’ ‘bit’ ‘big’. When these have been mastered the plural‘s’ can be added as soon as short sentences can be written.
· Add physical movement cues for example tapping for words or syllable gestures
· Shorten and breakdown information it is easier to remember
· PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL HELP
Will Sagam Village attain the MDGs?
From Khama ROGO:
"The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) signed by world leaders in 2001 are the new yardsticks for international development, to be attained by 2015. There are only ten more years to go, yet not many people in Africa have not even heard of the MDGs, leave alone know their significance. This is not acceptable, given that Africa face the most formidable of the challenges. This note assesses the probability of attainment of the MDGs by a modest village in the middle of Africa. We believe that we are the first African village to attempt this assessment.
At the 5th Asian-Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok(2002), Kofi Annan made a statement that is most relevant to Sagam village, Siaya District in western Kenya: " The Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of population and reproductive health are not addressed. And that means stronger efforts to promote women's rights, and greater investment in education and health, including reproductive health and family planning".
Today, Africa lies at the bottom of the league table of continents with reward to probability of reaching the MDGs; Kenya lies in the bottom half of the African league; and Siaya District has one of the worst socioeconomic and demographic indicators in the country. It is important to understand this as a prelude and to underline that Sagam is not a politically privileged village.
Here is how the village ranks its chances on meeting the MDGs:
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty, eradicate hunger and malnutrition. One out of four people in the developing world lives in extreme poverty, earning less than US$1 a day. In Kenya, 56% of the population are below the poverty line. It is estimated to be around 70% in Siaya district. The district has no industry and no viable cash crops, most of it's income coming from expatriate labor. It imports most of the food and malnutrition is widespread. Sagam village has good soil but the population density is a setback. It could use the bountiful rivers to grow vegetables and fruits throughout the year. The district is a net importer of food to the tune of KSh. 100,000 per annum. RSA Development Trust is a local CBO working on income generation and the village has established a viable Micro finance bank that provides small loans 'Gramin' style. Women are utilizing these resources much better than men!Seasonal food shortages occur although there is no famine. The achievement of this goal is HIGHLY UNLIKELY in the current natinl economic environment. More investment is needed to accelerate agriculture and cottage industries and most important identify markets. Otherwise, poverty may actually increase.
Goal 2: Universal primary education. Globally, over 100m children are not in school for various reasons. Sagam contributes to this figure, despite having four primary schools, all of them overflowing; there are as many as 100 pupils per class in some schools. Previously school fees was the major obstacle to the attainment this goal but this has now been removed by the government. The present challenge is to build enough classrooms, ensure universal enrollment and completion, gender parity and raise the quality of teaching. The CBO is investing heavily in this area, within a progressive 'no child left behind policy, a bursary fund and care of orphans. A Village Polytechnic is also under costruction to cater for the many youth ful school leavers. Attainment of this goal is HIGHLY LIKELY, albeit with additional investment in facilities, books and teachers.
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empowering of women. Two thirds of the world's 799m illiterates are women. Education is key to gender empowerment. Providing an extra year of education beyond the average boosts eventual wages by 10% to 20%. Women in leadership is not new to this area. Gem constituency, where Sagam lies, produced Kenya's first female mayor and parliamentarian (Mrs Grace Onyango). It has also been represented in Parliament twice by Mrs Grace Ogot, who rose to be Assistant Minister. Sagam has also elected a female Assistant Chief and a Councillor. Achievement of this goal is LIKELY, but will require targeted programs to counter culture-based biases and disempowering male attitudes. In this context, property rights and ownership and wife inheritance should be gieven special attention. The establishment of Gender Violence Center (GVC) at Sagam Community Hospital is a good beginning.
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality by 75%. Four million infants die annually in the first month of life, 99% in the developing world. Two thirds of these deaths are preventable using existing low cost interventions, costing less than US$3 per newborn. Neonatal mortality accounts for 40% of infant deaths in Africa. Infant mortality has risen in Kenya over the last decade and immunization rates have stagnated. Siaya district has one of the highest IMR in the country. Sagam village has the essential infrastructure to curb child mortality: excellent health facilities, staff, communication and all the services. Already Sagam's IMR is considerably lower that the rest of the district and has dropped significantly since Sagam Community Hospital in 1997. This goal is LIKELY to be achieved with full utilization of available facilities and application of child survival interventions at household level.
Goal 5: Improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality by two thirds. 99% of the annual global maternal deaths of nearly 600,000 occur in the developing world, mostly South Asia and Africa. Another 20m women suffer non fatal complications of pregnancy and child birth while at least 70,000 women die from complications of unsafe abortion every year. Siaya district has one of the highest MMR in Kenya, estimated at 1,500/100,00 live births. Skilled attendance at delivery, availability of emergency obstetric care and post abortion care can prevent the majority of deaths. Sagam has good health facilities and is probably the only village in Africa running its own facility that offers comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC), including post abortion care (PAC). No wowan should die in Sagam and there has been none since the hospital became operational. (There were two deaths the week before the hospital opened!) This goal is LIKELY, but the with special attention to the demand side. Cost of services is a factor that makes TBAs a more accessible alternative. There are efforts to establish a community pre-payment scheme that should supplement the planned National Social Health Insurance to which the hospital is already affiliated.
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases. In 2004, 40m people were HIV positive, 5m were newly infected and 3m died. Almost half of PLWA are women; half of the newly infected are adolescents. Africa has the highest number of PLWA and Kenya one of the highest infection rates in the region. Western Kenya and Siaya districts lead the national statistics of HIV infection (20+%). Condom use is still unpopular with strong resistance by men and the influential Catholic Church. Less than 1% of the infected are on ARVs. The village has not received any sizable support from the much advertised national HIV control programs supported by the World bank, Global Funds or PEPFAR. This is not for lack of trying. The bureaucracy is thick and not easy to penetrate. At current levels of interventions, it is UNLIKELY that the HIV/AIDS goal will be achieved although there is hope based on the existence of strong community organization and infrastructure that could be effectively mobilized. For example, Sagam Community Hospital is now a VCT center and is providing limited amounts of ARVs while running an extensive home based care program. There are innovative orphan care programs run by Yaw Pachi women's group and faith based organization but they receive no externel support. There are also several youth groups opening up discussion on sexual behavior. The hospital has established an excellent free TB diagnosis and treatment program which receives reagents and drugs from the government and provides monthly returns. The incidence of TB has gone up and is unlikely to be controlled for so long as the HIV/AIDS epidemic is ravaging the population and the stigmas are in place.
Malaria remains a major public health problem in the village and a major contributor to child mortality and anemia in pregnancy. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in Sagam. Treated bed nets are not readily accessible in the district except for a restricted research area under CDC/KEMRI. But it is LIKELY to meet the goal on Malaria if the Global funds and other support could focus on building the opportunities offered by the RSA Trust, its local network and the qualified staff at the hospital to improve accessibility of treated bed nets and newer antimalarials. Resistance to Chloroquine and Fansidar (SP) is high in Western Kenya.Typhoid and cholera are the other endemic communicable diseases. The incidence of typhoid has remarkably dropped following inauguration of the water project. Cholera is no longer a problem nor are other water related diseases such as trachoma. The achievement of this target is HIGHLY LIKELY.
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability. Nearly 60% of 4.4b people in the developing world lack basic sanitation and access to clean water. The safe water goal has ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED in Sagam and the sanitation aspect is on course. The Sagam water project is a shining example of how a village can attain self sufficiency in tis valuable commodity. Sagam is now also selling bottled water to the nearby city under the trade name of 'Western Springs'. Environmental conservation is a problem, due to the population pressure (Sagam is the most densely populated sublocation in the district), and wanton cutting of trees for construction and fuel. We have electricity but is rather expense for cooking. The CBO has intensified environmental work establishing tree nurseries in every primary school, introducing energy saving stoves, mandating a ' family tree corner' in every family plot to cover domestic needs and protecting water catchments/springs. With more effort and identification of alternative enegy saving sources, this goal is LIKELY to be achieved. The population growth factor would however have to be tackled and the CBD family planning program by the hospital is a good start.
Goal 8: Develop and strengthen partnerships. As seen from the above Sagam community is highly organised, with high levels of mobilization and community participation. The village has a healthy relationship with the government and has a clear road map to the MDGs. But, partnerships with major development partners and funding agencies remains surprisingly thin. Apart from the European Union which supported the water program and UNDP who gave seed support to the women's dairy project, the village relies on its own resources, especially the sons and daughters working outside and retirees at home. More could be done in this area to make this goal HIGHLY LIKELY. It will be interesting to see if donors can embrace the type of partnership that Sagam offers - not the hand down type. We strongly believe that herein lies the secrets to the attainment of the MDGs in rural Africa.
In summary, Sagam village scores rather well on its potential to achieve the MDG targets by 2015. This is due to the innovations, clear road map and investments that have been prudently managed over the last decade. Sagam is obviously has a head start over most African villages but is showing that IT CAN BE DONE....With proper leadership and sustained efforts.
Could the Sagam example be the beacon of hope for rural Africa?"
"The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) signed by world leaders in 2001 are the new yardsticks for international development, to be attained by 2015. There are only ten more years to go, yet not many people in Africa have not even heard of the MDGs, leave alone know their significance. This is not acceptable, given that Africa face the most formidable of the challenges. This note assesses the probability of attainment of the MDGs by a modest village in the middle of Africa. We believe that we are the first African village to attempt this assessment.
At the 5th Asian-Pacific Population Conference in Bangkok(2002), Kofi Annan made a statement that is most relevant to Sagam village, Siaya District in western Kenya: " The Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of poverty and hunger, cannot be achieved if questions of population and reproductive health are not addressed. And that means stronger efforts to promote women's rights, and greater investment in education and health, including reproductive health and family planning".
Today, Africa lies at the bottom of the league table of continents with reward to probability of reaching the MDGs; Kenya lies in the bottom half of the African league; and Siaya District has one of the worst socioeconomic and demographic indicators in the country. It is important to understand this as a prelude and to underline that Sagam is not a politically privileged village.
Here is how the village ranks its chances on meeting the MDGs:
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty, eradicate hunger and malnutrition. One out of four people in the developing world lives in extreme poverty, earning less than US$1 a day. In Kenya, 56% of the population are below the poverty line. It is estimated to be around 70% in Siaya district. The district has no industry and no viable cash crops, most of it's income coming from expatriate labor. It imports most of the food and malnutrition is widespread. Sagam village has good soil but the population density is a setback. It could use the bountiful rivers to grow vegetables and fruits throughout the year. The district is a net importer of food to the tune of KSh. 100,000 per annum. RSA Development Trust is a local CBO working on income generation and the village has established a viable Micro finance bank that provides small loans 'Gramin' style. Women are utilizing these resources much better than men!Seasonal food shortages occur although there is no famine. The achievement of this goal is HIGHLY UNLIKELY in the current natinl economic environment. More investment is needed to accelerate agriculture and cottage industries and most important identify markets. Otherwise, poverty may actually increase.
Goal 2: Universal primary education. Globally, over 100m children are not in school for various reasons. Sagam contributes to this figure, despite having four primary schools, all of them overflowing; there are as many as 100 pupils per class in some schools. Previously school fees was the major obstacle to the attainment this goal but this has now been removed by the government. The present challenge is to build enough classrooms, ensure universal enrollment and completion, gender parity and raise the quality of teaching. The CBO is investing heavily in this area, within a progressive 'no child left behind policy, a bursary fund and care of orphans. A Village Polytechnic is also under costruction to cater for the many youth ful school leavers. Attainment of this goal is HIGHLY LIKELY, albeit with additional investment in facilities, books and teachers.
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empowering of women. Two thirds of the world's 799m illiterates are women. Education is key to gender empowerment. Providing an extra year of education beyond the average boosts eventual wages by 10% to 20%. Women in leadership is not new to this area. Gem constituency, where Sagam lies, produced Kenya's first female mayor and parliamentarian (Mrs Grace Onyango). It has also been represented in Parliament twice by Mrs Grace Ogot, who rose to be Assistant Minister. Sagam has also elected a female Assistant Chief and a Councillor. Achievement of this goal is LIKELY, but will require targeted programs to counter culture-based biases and disempowering male attitudes. In this context, property rights and ownership and wife inheritance should be gieven special attention. The establishment of Gender Violence Center (GVC) at Sagam Community Hospital is a good beginning.
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality by 75%. Four million infants die annually in the first month of life, 99% in the developing world. Two thirds of these deaths are preventable using existing low cost interventions, costing less than US$3 per newborn. Neonatal mortality accounts for 40% of infant deaths in Africa. Infant mortality has risen in Kenya over the last decade and immunization rates have stagnated. Siaya district has one of the highest IMR in the country. Sagam village has the essential infrastructure to curb child mortality: excellent health facilities, staff, communication and all the services. Already Sagam's IMR is considerably lower that the rest of the district and has dropped significantly since Sagam Community Hospital in 1997. This goal is LIKELY to be achieved with full utilization of available facilities and application of child survival interventions at household level.
Goal 5: Improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality by two thirds. 99% of the annual global maternal deaths of nearly 600,000 occur in the developing world, mostly South Asia and Africa. Another 20m women suffer non fatal complications of pregnancy and child birth while at least 70,000 women die from complications of unsafe abortion every year. Siaya district has one of the highest MMR in Kenya, estimated at 1,500/100,00 live births. Skilled attendance at delivery, availability of emergency obstetric care and post abortion care can prevent the majority of deaths. Sagam has good health facilities and is probably the only village in Africa running its own facility that offers comprehensive emergency obstetric care (CEmOC), including post abortion care (PAC). No wowan should die in Sagam and there has been none since the hospital became operational. (There were two deaths the week before the hospital opened!) This goal is LIKELY, but the with special attention to the demand side. Cost of services is a factor that makes TBAs a more accessible alternative. There are efforts to establish a community pre-payment scheme that should supplement the planned National Social Health Insurance to which the hospital is already affiliated.
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other communicable diseases. In 2004, 40m people were HIV positive, 5m were newly infected and 3m died. Almost half of PLWA are women; half of the newly infected are adolescents. Africa has the highest number of PLWA and Kenya one of the highest infection rates in the region. Western Kenya and Siaya districts lead the national statistics of HIV infection (20+%). Condom use is still unpopular with strong resistance by men and the influential Catholic Church. Less than 1% of the infected are on ARVs. The village has not received any sizable support from the much advertised national HIV control programs supported by the World bank, Global Funds or PEPFAR. This is not for lack of trying. The bureaucracy is thick and not easy to penetrate. At current levels of interventions, it is UNLIKELY that the HIV/AIDS goal will be achieved although there is hope based on the existence of strong community organization and infrastructure that could be effectively mobilized. For example, Sagam Community Hospital is now a VCT center and is providing limited amounts of ARVs while running an extensive home based care program. There are innovative orphan care programs run by Yaw Pachi women's group and faith based organization but they receive no externel support. There are also several youth groups opening up discussion on sexual behavior. The hospital has established an excellent free TB diagnosis and treatment program which receives reagents and drugs from the government and provides monthly returns. The incidence of TB has gone up and is unlikely to be controlled for so long as the HIV/AIDS epidemic is ravaging the population and the stigmas are in place.
Malaria remains a major public health problem in the village and a major contributor to child mortality and anemia in pregnancy. It is the leading cause of hospitalization in Sagam. Treated bed nets are not readily accessible in the district except for a restricted research area under CDC/KEMRI. But it is LIKELY to meet the goal on Malaria if the Global funds and other support could focus on building the opportunities offered by the RSA Trust, its local network and the qualified staff at the hospital to improve accessibility of treated bed nets and newer antimalarials. Resistance to Chloroquine and Fansidar (SP) is high in Western Kenya.Typhoid and cholera are the other endemic communicable diseases. The incidence of typhoid has remarkably dropped following inauguration of the water project. Cholera is no longer a problem nor are other water related diseases such as trachoma. The achievement of this target is HIGHLY LIKELY.
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability. Nearly 60% of 4.4b people in the developing world lack basic sanitation and access to clean water. The safe water goal has ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED in Sagam and the sanitation aspect is on course. The Sagam water project is a shining example of how a village can attain self sufficiency in tis valuable commodity. Sagam is now also selling bottled water to the nearby city under the trade name of 'Western Springs'. Environmental conservation is a problem, due to the population pressure (Sagam is the most densely populated sublocation in the district), and wanton cutting of trees for construction and fuel. We have electricity but is rather expense for cooking. The CBO has intensified environmental work establishing tree nurseries in every primary school, introducing energy saving stoves, mandating a ' family tree corner' in every family plot to cover domestic needs and protecting water catchments/springs. With more effort and identification of alternative enegy saving sources, this goal is LIKELY to be achieved. The population growth factor would however have to be tackled and the CBD family planning program by the hospital is a good start.
Goal 8: Develop and strengthen partnerships. As seen from the above Sagam community is highly organised, with high levels of mobilization and community participation. The village has a healthy relationship with the government and has a clear road map to the MDGs. But, partnerships with major development partners and funding agencies remains surprisingly thin. Apart from the European Union which supported the water program and UNDP who gave seed support to the women's dairy project, the village relies on its own resources, especially the sons and daughters working outside and retirees at home. More could be done in this area to make this goal HIGHLY LIKELY. It will be interesting to see if donors can embrace the type of partnership that Sagam offers - not the hand down type. We strongly believe that herein lies the secrets to the attainment of the MDGs in rural Africa.
In summary, Sagam village scores rather well on its potential to achieve the MDG targets by 2015. This is due to the innovations, clear road map and investments that have been prudently managed over the last decade. Sagam is obviously has a head start over most African villages but is showing that IT CAN BE DONE....With proper leadership and sustained efforts.
Could the Sagam example be the beacon of hope for rural Africa?"
Village Countdown
From: Waruingi, Macharia WMACHARIA@PARTNERS.ORG
To: kdnc@kdnc.org
Sent: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 01:04:45 -0400
Subject: Village Countdown
Open Invitation/Village Microfinance/Launching and More:
RABUOR SINAGA COMMUNITY FUND, a micro finance commonly known as village bank is
a young initiative launched on the twelfth day of April 2002 but proving to be
attractive to village members of Marenyo Sub-location,Yala Township Location in
Siaya District. Follow the links for interesting insights about Kenya from the
Bloggsphere.
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=4
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=5
* http://kdnc.org/print.php?sid=73
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=77
Macharia Waruingi
Society is better off only when it makes its least well-off people better-off
To: kdnc@kdnc.org
Sent: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 01:04:45 -0400
Subject: Village Countdown
Open Invitation/Village Microfinance/Launching and More:
RABUOR SINAGA COMMUNITY FUND, a micro finance commonly known as village bank is
a young initiative launched on the twelfth day of April 2002 but proving to be
attractive to village members of Marenyo Sub-location,Yala Township Location in
Siaya District. Follow the links for interesting insights about Kenya from the
Bloggsphere.
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=4
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index&catid=&topic=5
* http://kdnc.org/print.php?sid=73
* http://kdnc.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=77
Macharia Waruingi
Society is better off only when it makes its least well-off people better-off
Sunday, August 07, 2005
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