Newsletter #1

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I want to take this opportunity to personally welcome each and every one of you to our first-ever newsletter. We are excited to launch our newest endeavor in sharing information and news with you. Kenya was a fabulous delegation, and we are thrilled to be able to share our experiences with you through the various articles and tidbits contained in this newsletter. It is jam-packed with information and features.

I welcome all of you to share any ideas for upcoming newsletters, and please continue to follow our website for updates!

www.globalreachout.org

25 AMAZING AND INSPIRING DAYS! Norma Moran, Kenya’s Program Coordinator, talks about her experiences coordinating GRO’s first-ever Kenya trip.

[p. 3]

20 IN A CAMP Take a closer look at each of the delegates and campers involved in GRO Kenya ’09!

[p. 2 & 4]

Kenya ’09

Jambo from Alim!

Volume1Issue1

FAL

L 2

009

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Remember the Monkeys!

by Evans NamasakaKenyan Delegate

• • •

I was so happy for the chance to learn from new experiences through the GRO program that took place at DEPOT in Nariobi. Some of the experiences were serious while others were fun. GRO delegates faced many challenges while preparing for the forthcoming Kenyan Youth Leadership Camp (KYLC). Some of us became angry with each other because we thought we could not achieve our expected goals, but now we have discovered that nobody can achieve good goals without going through pain and hard work. As we were advised: if one needs omelets, one has to break eggs first!

Other experiences included monkeys; the Kenyan monkeys sometimes disturbed us and urinated on us during serious preparation time. I think that this not only made us laugh, but also allowed us to acquire new experiences. It meant that we learned how to utilize self-control and patience when we are disturbed by outside forces during our work in the future. I also experienced some cultural shock from the American GRO delegates when I met them in Europe. It was so nice to learn about their culture.

[picture below]

KENYAN DELEGATES

— Lucy Nanzai

SAFARI!

...since it is the only Nature Park located in the city of Nairobi and during our safari, we could see the skyline of Nairobi on the horizon!

We got the rarest chance to drive five feet away from two lions, capturing great pictures of their yawning. Best safari experience you can get is in the Nairobi Nature park...

— Joseph Otieno — Calvin Musalia — Pelita Kwamboka

--- Rachel Waithira— Eva Asava— David Lunalo — Evans Namasaka

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by Norma MoranKenya Program Coordinator

• • •

10 WINSOME AND DYNAMITE DEAF KYLC CAMPERS + 8 AWESOME DEAF AMERICAN DELEGATES + 8 AMAZING KENYAN DEAF DELEGATES + 3 OUTSTANDING GRO-KENYA STAFF MEMBERS = ONE INSPIRING KENYA 2009 PROGRAM/KYLC

Two weeks after my return from Kenya, I still sit back in wonder over the recent amazing and inspiring 25 days with GRO-Kenya. Last November, when Alim asked me to sign on as the program coordinator for the GRO-Kenya program, I had no inkling that coordinating this program would be akin to nurturing and then delivering a baby after nine months!

Prior to launching the first “GRO-Kenya” program, I reached out to several Deaf leaders in Kenya to discover the topics that were interesting and relevant to their deaf community. Among various topics, youth and leadership were two common themes that emerged thus the idea of a Kenyan Youth Leadership Camp was born. I had the fortune of working with Sarah Gordon, a Deaf U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer currently in Kenya. Sarah and I were aware that Deaf Kenyans were no stranger to “foreign aid” in Kenya after many years of witnessing “mzungu” (foreign) NGOs coming and going quickly. However, we wanted to ensure GRO was not perceived like those NGOs but as a legitimate and credible organization that believed in the Deaf communities of the globe. Thus, we focused on being open and transparent by executing a formal process of advertising for, interviewing, and hiring a local Deaf Point of Contact (Peggie) to assist Sarah in local operations and requiring a program fee from both American and Kenyan delegates.

The spring saw GRO busily screening and selecting applicants all over the

U.S. and Kenya for 8 American and 8 Kenyan delegate spots. Then GRO was even busier with trip preparations for the program content, budget, delegates, supplies, last-minute emails, last-minute meetings on videophone, AIM, and Googletalk. Before we knew it, it was “Destination: Kenya!" (in Program Assistant Tamerʼs words)!

Upon arrival, the 8 American delegates were promptly introduced to the crazy chaotic Kenyan capital, Nairobi, via GROʼs Amazing Race! Then they received a crash course in understanding the needs of the Deaf Kenyan community by visiting various NGOs in Nairobi that provide services to this particular community. They also received another crash course in Kenyan Sign Language, KSL, from the KSL Research Project. Peggie, Sarah, and I started using KSL entirely, and the American delegates put on their great game face and started practicing their KSL as well.

The American delegates finally met their fellow Kenyan delegates at DEPOT (The Dan Eldon Place of Tomorrow, a wonderful capacity building and training facility). Those 16 GRO-Kenya 2009 delegates worked closely and intensely during a *bone-chilling* week to develop and carry out a curriculum for a youth leadership camp of the deaf, the first of its kind ever in Kenya! It is an amazing feat because they did it in a mere span of three days! They had to deal with culture shock, cultural exchange, language differences, drastically different ways of thinking, assumptions, team dynamics, leadership, and expectations. Yet, they gamely pulled through and managed to inspire 10 future Deaf Kenyan leaders at KYLC.

Those 10 KYLC campers were pioneers as well; their schools and parents were not sure about GRO but put their faith in us and sent us their precious cargo. Some were natural born leaders who just needed a few sprinkles of water to blossom, and others were shy/quiet but blossomed in their own way after getting watered by the GRO-Kenya 2009 delegates.

Our true test came during KYLCʼs Open House on August 13. People from DEPOT and various Deaf Kenyan organizations were invited to learn about KYLC up close and questioned KYLC campers. KYLC campers answered their tough questions beautifully and performed skits that conveyed the tangible and intangible aspects of leadership, thus becoming leaders in their own right in front of our eyes. KYLC campers also received further inspiration from those Deaf Kenyan leaders in audience and understood what would be possible for them after secondary school. Each of us truly benefited from this program and KYLC.

After KYLC and the departure of the Kenyan delegates, GRO-Kenya then shifted its focus to sexual health and awareness among Deaf women in Nairobi. We shadowed Sahaya (an organization that focuses on sexual health education in the deaf community) and visited two different Deaf womenʼs groups in two different slums and participated in their discussions on relationships and body changes. It was an eye-opener for the American delegates to grasp the huge gap in Americaʼs and Kenyaʼs sex education awareness. The Sahaya experiences also enriched the American delegatesʼ understanding of how most of deaf women in developing countries do not have the full access to sexual health nor do they even possess a basic understanding of their own physical being.

It is amazing what GRO-Kenya 2009 went through in only 25 short but amazing and inspiring days! I am very proud of the delegates and KYLC campers, and their sheer efforts, persistence, patience, and willingness to learn and eagerness to understand more. It is hoped that GRO inspires them to go out and spread their inspiration to others in this world.

Destination: Kenya

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Inspiration Recycledby Sarah Gordon

Kenya Point of Contact (POC)• • •

GRO-Thailand… as a delegate. GRO-India…  as an Assistant Coordinator. GRO-KENYA… as Kenya Point of Contact (POC)?! Who would have thought I would be hosting GRO in a country that Iʼve grown to love afterliving here for nearly 20 months?! And it turned out to be nothing short ofextraordinary, exhilarating and exhausting!

As a part of the GRO family, I knew what it took to make a GRO triphappen in another country. How can we make it something that is sustainableand has an everlasting impact on both the Americans and Kenyans? It was a little nerve-wrecking trying to come up with a program, especially when I was also learning more about the country where I was living and working. Fortunately, Norma was a formerPeace Corps Volunteer and was able to use her experiences, connectionsand most of all, her love for Kenya to truly make this program happen.After much conversation and thought, the idea of KYLC was born…

And we couldnʼt have done it better (well, of course, thereʼs always room for improvement…)!! The whole approach of working together with the Kenyan delegates to provide a camp for the youth in the country was very

inspirational, and it truly inspired us all.

I was inspired in so many different ways, whether it was an Americanattempting to learn and actually use KSL, the language that Iʼve beenusing in the past 20 months, with another Kenyan and actually gettinga concept across, or a camper saying, “I donʼt want to go home. Itʼs much more FUN here!” Just… WOW.

Everyone went through some kind of cultural challenge, learned fromthis experience, changed, and grew. I wrote a card to all the delegates andGRO-Kenya staff, doting on each one of their changes or theirinspiration to me.

[Gordon contʼd on p.6]

KYLC CAMPERS

AMERICAN DELEGATES

KENYAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP CAMP CAMPERS

-- Krishna Madaparthi --Aaron Delbruegge --Rebecca Berman --Jocelyn Vallery

--Claudia Anderson --Anita Kurian --Monica Keller --Angela Tinney

STANDING L TO R: JACKLINE KARIMI NJERU, COLLINS JUMA OTIENO, ABDULLAHI KASSIM, HARRIET KAMULA, JOHN

MWANGI, & SHIRLEY KALOKI

SITTING L TO R: GETRAY NAFUNA, MERCY OWITI,, SAADIO NOOR, & KAREN WANIJKU,

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Harambee - Let us all pull together (Kenyan Motto)

IN FOCUS

Margaret Odhiambo

Point-of-Contact (POC)

A teacher by profession under the Teachers’ Service Commission for the past 7 years, Margaret works with multi-handicapped deaf children at the Mumias Primary School for the Deaf in Kenya’s Western Province. In addition to her teaching duties, Margaret is also pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree at Kenyatta University, which she attends during the school holidays (April, August, and December). She is currently in her third year and her area of study is Special Education with an emphasis on Deaf Education.

Ready to be Blossomed

by Anita KurianProgram Coordinator

• • •

Before arriving to Kenya, I had a vision that there was a possibility that I could become "dark chocolate" from the sun. For that worry, I went ahead and bought sunblock lotion as well as aloe vera to protect my skin. Strangely, as soon as I stepped foot in Kenya it was chilly during the night. I thought, “Oh it is really cold! Good thing I brought my jacket to keep myself warm.” In comparison to America, I felt I fit in well with the minority cultures, which in retrospect are majorities in Kenya. I became well aware of what Nairobi, Kenya had to offer, and it looked like a "mini-NYC," as it had business centers, transportation and stores/restaurants. During my stay, I learned that Kenyan people do have awareness of deaf people, and they try their best to communicate with deaf people. It would be nice if Americans were willing to pursue a simple chat with deaf people and share information. 

[Kurian contʼd on p.6]

Kenya by the

NUMBERS2009 population

(thousands)

39,802,000Total GDP (billions)

$30.236GDP per capita

$857

DEPOT - THE DAN ELDON STORY

The Dan Eldon Place of Tomorrow

(The DEPOT) was set up as a living

memorial by Danʼs father after he

was killed while on a photography

assignment in Somalia in 1993.

Designed to be a camp to test and

build self-reliance and confidence

amongst team members through

various activities and obstacle

courses, this camp was an

inspiration to GRO-Kenya

Delegates and KYLC campers. As

such, it deserves special mention.

http://www.daneldon.org

www.depotkenya.org

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THIS ONE TIME IN KENYA...by Becca Berman

American Delegate• • • •

When a mutual friend returned from the Peace Corps she joked that, “I know Iʼm always saying ʻand this one time in Ukraine…ʼ” Having been back from Kenya for 2+ weeks, I can now truly understand how she felt. When I returned to the States, people asked, “How was Kenya?” How can I be expected to give a one-word answer? Kenya was so many things… Last weekend I went camping in Delaware and so many random things happened that reminded me of my time in Kenya. For instance we had s'mores one night. Making s'mores in America reminded me of when I had the same classic dessert with the Kenyans. The marshmallows were dyed blue, and many of the Kenyans thought it was “too sweet.” (I was mad when one person told me she threw it in the fireplace - I would have eaten it!) Moving beyond the little things, it was great to be surrounded by motivated deaf people who care about the world and want to make life better for all of us. I have always been interested in international development, but this trip confirmed my interest and passion for international advocacy. Beginning in November, I will be volunteering for 6 months at a school in Southern India. Before the Kenya trip I had been going back and forth about if I should take this job. I am pleased to say that being a GRO delegate helped give me confidence and determination to take on this new adventure.

 Regardless of what countries Iʼll go to in the future- Kenya and Global Reach Out will always have a special place in my heart. And will always be sharing stories about, “this one time in Kenya…”

INSPIRATION RECYCLED [Gordon contʼd from p.4]

• • •I think I was such in awe towards the end of thecamp that I couldnʼt wait to contain my excitement to see what comesnext year… Truly, inspiration is contagious and it truly “recycles” and comes back to you every time. Thank you to all who made this trip possible,from donors who supported the delegates, the parents who encouraged and brought their children, the community support both Stateside and Kenyan, and most of all, the inspiration that never ceases to amaze me!

READY TO BE BLOSSOMED [Kurian contʼd from p.5]

• • •

When the Kenyan youths came to our camp, I imagined them as buds on a stem that are ready to blossom. We, the Kenyan and North American delegates, acted like a big deaf flower that provided activities and workshops to demonstrate leadership and encouragement for the youth to become successful. At the Open House, I saw youthsʼ buds blossoming amazingly because they showed that they did understand what we worked for and they wanted to become the same for their deaf community. I really wish the best for these Kenyan youth. 

GRO Kenya ’09

Schedule

7/30 Amazing Race

7/31 NGO Visits

8/1 KSL training

8/2 Safari & meet delegates

8/3 Intro to GRO-Kenya

8/4 UN Deaf Assembly

8/5 Structuring KYLC

8/6 Planning KYLC

8/7 Finalizing KYLC

8/8 Free day

8/9 KYLC campers arrive

8/10 Workshops 1 & 2

8/11 Workshop 3

8/12 Review/Team Spirit

8/13 KYLC Open House

8/14 Campers depart

8/15 Evaluations / Planning

8/16 Community visits

8/17 Deaf Women Group

8/18 Deaf Women Group

8/19 Free day

8/20 Depart for USA

DONATIONSGRO is a non-profit organization that is still new. As such, we have little external

funding. All delegations to date are 80% self-supported by both American and foreign delegates with a few private donations. Subsequently, we continually

seek monetary opportunities. If interested in making a donation or helping us to fundraise, please visit our website or contact us to discuss any and all

possibilities. http://globalreachout.org [email protected]

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India 2009: Kolkata

Announcement• • •

GRO will send a delegation to India for the second time from December 27,

2009 to January 12, 2010. The location will be a new one for the organization: Kolkata. Located in eastern India, this city formerly known as Calcutta is the

third largest metropolitan area in India.

FOCUS OF DELEGATIONCoordinators are hard at work planning

this delegation. As identified from GROʼs previous delegation to India, the two primary issues are education and

health.

As always, GRO plans to offer a peer-to-peer delegation experience in which

Deaf Americans collaborate with Deaf Indians and share cultural experiences and issues from their respective deaf

communities.

Be sure to check out India 2007: Mumbai and India 2007: Bangalore for a recap of

our previous delegations there. As always, if you are interested in

supporting our efforts, please contact us! [email protected]

U.S. Delegates (as of 9/25/09)

1. Tamer Mahmoud, PC

2. Anita Kurian, Asst.

3. Jess Zellar

4. Jocelyn Vallery

5. Jody Bingham

6. Kathleen Roberts

7. Lauren Searls

8. Rachel Blake

9. Sarah Houge

10. Tullos Horn

11. Johney Ragoobir

Thank you to the Kenya Federation of Deaf Teachers (KFDT), Kenyan National Association of the Deaf (KNAD), Global Deaf Connection (GDC), Liverpool VCT (LVCT), Sahara, & Handicap International (HI)

Pizza Night!

Mike Eldon: founder of DEPOTBrainstorming!

Team-Building!

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PAST• • •

✴With 7 delegations to date and over 200 delegates, GRO continues to grow and prosper.

✴ We secured our 501(c)(3) status, thus making us an official non-profit organization.

✴We held a successful design contest for a new GRO logo.

✴ We made a major overhaul of our website.

PRESENT• • •

✴ GRO is in the process of selecting a new Board of Directors. Our interview process has concluded and we will profile the new B.O.D. in our winter newsletter.

✴ GRO welcomes a new intern, Sarah Houge. Sarah brings a wealth of experience from her work in the Peace Corps and Handicapped International, and we are excited to have her on board.

FUTURE• • •

✴ We are busy preparing for our upcoming delegations to India (Dec-Jan 2009), Honduras & Guatemala (Spring 2010), Thailand (Summer 2010) and Kenya (Summer 2010).

✴ We are also pursuing fundraising opportunities, and plan to apply for grants to continue the organizationʼs growth.

OUR PURPOSE. OUR MISSION. OUR VISION. OUR HISTORY.

• • •

Global Reach Out Initiative (GRO) is designed to build a global network of Deaf youth who unite to improve the quality of life for Deaf members within their home communities. Many developing countries do not enforce human rights for their Deaf citizens; consequentially, their ability to succeed in various spheres of life is limited. GRO is more than just an outreach organization that helps others - it seeks to empower Deaf youth in a mutual way by bringing together American and foreign delegates.

Many organizations currently exist to serve deaf communities internationally, but none exist that utilize a peer-to-peer model to ensure that empowerment, rather than dependency, is the result of their collaboration. The peer delegates combine their experiences as Deaf people and their capacities in leadership to create and present workshops related to specific issues in their Deaf communities. Our goal is to encourage independence in all delegates; we expect them to establish communication networks that exist long after the delegation itself is over.

We believe unity is the first step in resisting oppression. It may be idealistic, but many successful policies for social

change were and are often dismissed as impossible. GRO believes that social change in the global Deaf community is possible, and it strives to create a world in which deafness does not foster oppression; instead it creates empowerment.

GRO provides a solution by establishing cross-cultural relationships that empower deaf youth in the U.S. and developing countries so that both groups feel motivated to accomplish goals that strengthen awareness and enforcement of Deaf rights. GRO's programs are designed to push young members of Deaf communities worldwide to recognize their capacities as leaders and to work to obtain educational and social resources for themselves as well as others.

Inspiration is contagious.

[email protected]

http://globalreachout.org

Global Reach Out Initiative Out of the 250 million people in developing countries identified by the World Health Organization as having a hearing loss,

• 1 in 20 receive a decent education

• 1 in 15 have a stable job

The rest become street beggars, locked up in insane asylums, or lone wanderers lacking communication skills

Change needs to be made. Who better than each countryʼs own deaf advocates? This is the foundation of our growth!

Newsletter Created by Katie Cue (India: Bangalore Delegate ʼ07 & Thailand Team Leader ʼ08) Newsletter Edited by Avi Haimowitz (India: Mumbai ʼ07 Delegate)

GRO Stats• • •

Founded:2006

# of Delegations 7# of Americans 75# of Foreigners 116# of Countries 5# of Repeat visits 2

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