Our School Watchman is Now the Thermometer Man!

The Daylight School Watchman Paul Longarkit has been a faithful member of the Daylight staff for many years. Paul is in charge of keeping all the children and staff safe throughout the week.

Paul is there in the morning to greet the staff and students when they arrive to school. He will check in parents when they come to visit their children throughout the day.

Paul lets in the delivery teams when they come to drop off food, lumber, and building materials.

But due to the COVID pandemic, Paul has an added responsibility. He will be taking the temperatures and encouraging mask wearing for the students, staff, and guests entering Daylight School.

Due to COVID, many of our students will remain on campus during the August school break. The 8th graders will continue to study for their national exams, and the rest of the students will enjoy clubs like choir, debate, futbol, farming, and sewing.

So Paul will be taking the temperatures and encouraging the masking of students like Joshua Kimpur who are living at Daylight.

Community Leaders and Daylight Board members like Dan Chumba who stop by for meetings.

Daylight Matron Angelina Kimpur gets her temperature taken when she comes back from shopping.

Thanks to our many supporters we were able to provide masks, thermometers, and ensure safety standards at Daylight.

We are doing this to protect our students in the COVID pandemic. Students like 8th grader Sharlene who is living on campus as she studies for her 8th grade national exam.

Sharlene, 8th Grade at Daylight School.

Sharlene’s family lives many miles into the desert in a small village. So as she studies, she lives in the Daylight Dormitories. Sharlene is working hard to make her Mom, Dad, and two brother’s proud. “I love my parents with all my heart, soul, and my mind.” she says.

Her favorite classes are English and Social Studies. Sharlene also loves participating in the Daylight Debate Team after school.

When Sharlene grows up she wants to be a lawyer. “I love defending others when they are in trouble, I don’t like anyone to suffer. This is why I would like to be a Lawyer.”

Thank you for helping keep our students and staff safe during COVID. And thank you for helping make Sharlene’s dream of being a lawyer come true!

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Daisy and her 8th Grade Class are Prepping for National Exam

Daisy is a brilliant 8th grader at Daylight. When Daisy grows up she wants to be a journalist because she wants “to spread news to the country!” During her free time she likes to play basketball. But she spends most of her weekdays with her 8th grade classmates studying hard for the 8th grade National Exam.

During the pandemic most of Daylight School’s classes are suspended. This helps prevent students who don’t live on campus from falling behind academically.

So our younger students spend their days learning about farming in the Daylight farm.

Our field is busy with kids playing a games, basketball, jump rope, and swinging.

But our 8th graders still spend more of their day in their classrooms, as they continue to prepare for the National Exams.

The National Exams in Kenya are very important. They are educational exams that test core competencies in Math, Science, Reading, and English. These National Exams will happen, but due to COVID-19 interrupting the school year, we are not sure when.

Students’ test scores qualify them for high school scholarships and determine what caliber of high school they will attend!

It also determines Daylight School’s district ranking. We are currently the only top performing school in West Pokot County that accepts so many students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our students and staff are very proud of this!

Please send some love, encouragement, and prayers to Daisy and the 8th graders who are preparing for the National Exam. And thank you for your support which makes Daisey’s dreams of becoming a journalist possible.

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Kitchen Complete and New Stoves Installed

The Daylight Kitchen Staff led by Mama Mercy and Angelina Kimpur work hard to provide nutritious meals for 300 students and 40 staff each week. 

We serve a variety of foods including chai tea with fresh milk from our Daylight cows, porridge, beans and rice for lunch, chapati (Kenya flatbread), bananas, bread, spinach grown in our garden, and locally sourced meats.

Our kitchen serves nearly 5,000 nutritious meals a week!

We are so excited that our new kitchen is finally completed! 

We have locally sourced bricks, a fresh tin roof, new red floors, and  3 beautiful locally handmade stoves. On behalf of the cooks, students, and staff at Daylight we are so grateful!

These three stoves, one 130 liter, 100 liter, and a stovetop are more energy efficient. Trees are valuable and each meal is prepared with locally sourced firewood which is hand cut.  Our new stoves will require less wood and be better for the environment. 

The stoves are also are vented through the roof so smoke will not affect the cooking staff.

Thank you for helping the cooks, staff, teachers and students have what they need to be successful during this unexpected and difficult time of COVID-19. 

We want to especially thank the Kenya builders, stove makers, and staff who helped make this new kitchen possible. We also want to thank the donors who helped provide funding including The Knuteson Family, The Roberts Family, The Holmes Family, Kevin Schmidt, The Pastor Family, Rebecca Fitch, Brett Egan, The Baynard Family, The Edina Morningside Women’s Fellowship and The Fredrickson Family. 

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Daylight School in the time of COVID-19

The safety and well being of our students and staff Daylight School continue to be our highest priority. Those on campus continue to practice social distancing, just like all of their supporters in America. School is not in session and students that live off-campus continue to shelter at home with their families.

Those students who board at Daylight and the few staff that remain on campus are doing their best to stay well by keeping a safe distance when possible and always making sure to wash their hands.

Students washing hands with safe social distancing

They are currently using the sewing room to make masks for kids and neighbors. They are so thankful to have fabric and sewing machines to make these much needed masks for the community.

Sewing masks for students and community members
Students and staff wearing their new masks to stay safe

They have also been using this time to sew new track suits for the students! They are all very excited to be able to use them when it is safe to be together again.  The national track meets were cancelled this year but the students on campus still enjoy training in their new suits.

New Daylight School Track Suits
Grace, Sunday, Pembe, Reuben and friends on the Daylight Track Team

Daylight continues to follow the recommendations of the Kenya government to stay safe during this coronavirus outbreak. They are keeping all of their American friends in their prayers.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Daylight School as we meet the needs of our students during this difficult time.

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Meet Daylight’s Leadership Team

Daylight Center and School has an exciting and capable Leadership Team for the 2020 school year. Our Leadership team works hard to ensure the teachers and students have what they need to be successful during this unexpected and difficult time of COVID-19.

But even as most student’s academics have stopped, our Daylight Leadership team is hard at work meeting the daily needs of the 100 dormitory resident students, as well as the 8th grade students that continue to hold study sessions for the national exam in the fall.

Our entire staff is very important to us and the future of Daylight school. So we have made the commitment to continue paying our staff while school is not in session. Kenya has a shelter in place order and our staff will be on call to help as needed.
Our budget will remain the same. And any extra funds will go towards helping provide support for people affected by COVID-19 in Daylight’s community.

Our Daylight Kenyan 2020 Leadership Team

School Manager Reuben Losharipo with Nathan Roberts Daylight US Director

Reuben Losharipo (right) is our school manager. He ensures that the school has the materials we need to meet the physical needs of the children and staff. He purchases food, fire wood, and school supplies. He is also in charge of staff payroll. Reuben has been with Daylight since the beginning 12 years ago and we are so grateful for his leadership.

School Manager Reuben Losharipo (left) and Headmaster Paul (right)

Paul Okiya (right) is our school headmaster, like a principal. He oversees the student’s academic outcomes and works with our teachers to prepare quality lessons. We are so grateful for his pursuit of academic excellence.

Mercy Chemutai Kogo is Daylight’s School Secretary

Mercy Chemutai Kogo is Daylight’s School Secretary. She is in charge of keeping records of students, reporting to the Kenyan Ministry of Education, and relating to Daylight student’s family members. She is also the technology teacher and helps our students learn computer skills.

Angelina Kimpur School Matron and Daylight Co-Founder.

Angelina Kimpur is the school matron and the kids call her “Mama Daylight.” She ensures that the students are healthy and well fed. She accompanies sick children to the doctor. She oversees the school kitchen which prepares over 1000 meals per day. And is in charge of the Daylight farm which grows 1/3 of the food eaten at Daylight. She is also the day to day project manager of Daylight building projects.

Daylight Founder Michael Kimpur

Daylight Kenya Director Michael Kimpur oversees the large scale projects and visioning for Daylight. But he entrusts the majority of the day to day operations to the rest of the leadership team. This is because Michael also serves the Kenyan Government as the Director of Disaster Relief for the local West Pokot County Government. He works closely with the Governor of the region to help provide emergency relief caused by hunger, poverty, or natural disasters. Michael’s work is vital to the health and safety of the wider community in which Daylight School is located.

Reuben, Mercy, Paul, and Angelina working on creating monthly report for US Board

Each month the Daylight Leadership team works together to prepare a monthly report for the Daylight US Board. This report includes receipts for staff payroll, food, utilities, food, and school supplies. The US Board then reviews the report and sends the funds you generously donate.

Daylight students are so grateful to the leadership team and all our supporters!

Thank you so much for empowering our Daylight Leadership Team with your support, love, and gifts. It is your continued support that allows Daylight to educate students and empower leaders to transform their community.

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