Zoe Goes to Kenya!

Each year in January we do one of the "Zoe Challenges". Zoe is a Guide who travels around the world visiting different countries and girls can earn a crest for each country. We have "visited" New Zealand, China, Brazil, France, Trinidad & Tobago, and are finishing off the set this year with the Kenya Challenge.

First, we played Kitnege, which is a tag game. The object of the game is to take the cloth, or kitnege, from the centre of the circle and get to the open space without being tagged.

Players stand in a large circle with a knotted cloth in the middle. One person is chosen to be 'it' and stands in the centre of the circle next to the cloth. She chooses one player from the circle to complete against. Both 'it' and the chosen player try to grab the cloth and get to the open space in the circle.

If the player with the cloth is tagged, they remain 'it' or become the new 'it'.

Our next activity was called Welcome to Kenya and we all learned some facts about Kenya, including a few phrases in Swahili.
Some of the facts we learned were:

• There are more than 70 tribal groups in Kenya
• English and Swahili are the official languages, but there are many other languages spoken

  Hello	Jambo  (djahm boh)
  How are you?	Habari yako  (hah bah ree yah koh)
  Thank you	Asante sana  (ah sahn the sah nah)
  Goodbye	Kwaheri  (kwah heh ree)

• One of the best known Maasai ceremonial songs is the Engilakinoto. It is supposed to be sung after a victorious lion hunt. It has a deep rhythmic chant and is accompanied by a very energetic dance in which warriors display their strength and prowess by leaping into the air.
• Drums are a very important part of Kenyan music and traditional dances.
• Kenya is home to many animals, including elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, rhinoceros', and warthogs. Over 1,000 different kinds of birds also call Kenya home.

Next we shared a myth from Kenya. Some different myths can be found on this website - John Tyman - Kenyan Folk Tales

We also had to learn about Guiding in Kenya:
Facts about Guiding in Kenya:

• The first Guide Company and Brownie Pack are formed in 1920
• From 1920 to 1935 Guiding was only found in schools for European girls. The first Guide Company for African girls was formed in 1936
• In 1949 the fairy lore used in the Brownie Program was changed to bird lore
• Lord and Lady Baden-Powell are buried in Nyeri, Kenya.

Age Groups

Rainbows - ages 5 to 7
Brownies - ages 7 to 11

Guides - ages 10 to 14
Ranger Guides - ages 14 to 18
Young Leaders - ages 18 to 30

Girl Guide Promise

I promise on my honour that I will do my best:
To do my duty to God and my Country,
To help other people at all times, and
To obey the Guide Law.

Girl Guide Law

1 A Guide’s honour is to be trusted.

2 A Guide is loyal.

3 A Guide’s duty is to be useful and to help others.

4 A Guide is a friend to all and a sister to every other Guide.

5 A Guide is polite and considerate.

6 A Guide preserves and loves nature.

7 A Guide is obedient and has respect for others.

8 A Guide is courageous and is cheerful under all circumstances.

9 A Guide is careful and avoids wastefulness.

10 A Guide is pure in thought, word and deed.

Girl Guide Motto
Be Prepared

Program

To be enrolled as a Guide, girls must pass a Pre-Enrolment Test by attending at least 6 meetings, learning the National Anthem in both English and Swahili, the Guide Promise, Law, Motto, Good Turn,  Salute and Handshake, the history of Guiding in Kenya, and the World Badge and Trefoil.

To find out more about Guiding in Kenya, visit these websites:

Kenya Girl Guides—http://www.kgga.co.ke/

WAGGGS—http://www.wagggs.org/en/world

(choose Kenya from the drop-down menu)

The last part of our meeting was spent doing a craft. We made Beaded Bracelets because the Maasai people are famous for their jewelry. They use many different colours to make detailed designs and patterns. They use glass, clay, wood stones, shells, metals, and bones to make jewelry to wear everywhere on their bodies. Strands of jewelry decorate the neck, arm, ankle, waist and head: various ethnic groups each wear jewelry in their own unique styles.

Materials:

* brightly coloured beads             * fishing line

Instructions:

1. Cut two pieces of fishing line

2. Tie a knot to hold the two pieces of fishing line together, about 2 inches from the ends.

3. Thread beads on each piece of fishing line separately until the beaded sections are long enough to go around your wrist (this makes a double-strand bracelet).

4. Knot the ends of the fishing line together to hold the beads in place.

5. Tie the loose ends together to form a bracelet.