Graduation 2007

Another successful year at Seed of Hope has come to an end with graduations taking place at three of our vocational training centres. Administrator Deborah Ross was there to oversee proceedings at all three centres and was accompanied by field directors Rev. and Mrs. Packard at two of them.

Nyamache Graduation ClassThe first centre to hold its ceremony was Nyamache near Kisii town. Of the three centres, this was the furthest away and involved a short flight from Nairobi followed by a 2 hour drive to Kisii then another 90 minute drive along mostly bumpy roads to the centre itself. 34 girls graduated from this centre and all were wearing clothes they had designed and made themselves. One girl had even made a matching outfit for her daughter. There was an air of excitement as the tent filled up before the ceremony took place and the community welcomed the day. A local leader congratulated Vision Africa on the work it had done there and asked if a similar project could be set up for boys. All the girls who graduated were presented with certificates for each subject they had studied in their second year and a small gift of a t-shirt and some toiletries, stationery, underwear or jewellery. The day was definitely enjoyed by all the graduates and their families.

Kariti Graduation ClassA few days later, it was on to Kariti Seed of Hope for their first ever graduation. This time, the event was held inside a local church hall and once again the girls were modelling their own designs. 39 girls had successfully completed their two year course and graduated on this day. In Kariti the girls also displayed some of the clothes and items such as aprons and oven gloves that they had learned how to make. There was some excellent entertainment provided by both the first and second years with songs, poems and dancing for the audience. Once again, Vision Africa and Deborah were commended for their good work and once again, a request was made for a boys training centre to be set up for local youths.

Nairobi GraduatesFinally, on 27th November, Nairobi Seed of Hope held its graduation ceremony for 14 students. This is the most established of the four centres and the girls knew exactly what to do to prepare for the day. The tent was set up in the grounds, decorations were made and a room was set up to display the work the girls had been doing. The format of the day was similar to those in Nyamache and Kariti however there was an additional item on the programme which was a fashion show. Each of the second years had designed and made an outfit which was then modelled by a first year. Prizes were awarded for the best designer and best model on the catwalk. This was enjoyed greatly by the audience and the students.

Deborah and John PackardDeborah once again took the opportunity to thank all the staff for their hard work throughout the year and Rev Packard also made a presentation of a bouquet of flowers for Deborah in recognition of the enormous effort she has put in to make the Seed of Hope project such a great success.

The school year at Seed of Hope has now been aligned so that all four centres (the fourth being in Kitui) follow the same calendar. This means that we can look forward to a week of graduations from all of our centres next December.

Posted January 2008

Our Seed of Hope Centres:

Nairobi Nyamache Kariti Kitui

Vision Africa is a registered charity, No. 1091198