Joan Joshua, Kijana GSS Participant at Essba Secondary School

John Mulima on meeting Joan Joshua:

“I have been paying a close and yet critical attention to the Kijana website profiles. Many positive comments about The Global Student Summit have arisen in the profiles. As I was going through them, I came across one that triggered the next step in my quest to receiving the answers to a series of questions. I then pick my Kodak camera, a sharp pointed Bic pen and a piece of writing material. Here is what I learned from Joan Joshua of Essaba Secondary School”

Joan Joshua is currently a Form Four student at Essaba Secondary School. She is well armed with the knowledge and skills that will help her succeed in the forthcoming National Secondary School examinations. But that is a story for another day. With her eyes focused on the horizon, she is determined to become a lawyer. Her favorite subject is English, although she doesn’t know why. “I just find it very easy,” she says. She is a traveler, a singer and a serious dancer.

Joan says that the Global Student Summit, launched in Kenya in 2010 by Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative team, was a tremendous opportunity for her and several of her peers. The program involved a series of events that quickened the rhythm of life of the schools involved. Ebusiloli, Essaba and Mwituha Secondary schools represented Kenya while The Benjamin School represented the continent of North America.

Joan says that they were moved by the desire to find solutions to fresh water scarcity in the world. She says that they traveled to Lake Victoria and witnessed how the water is made unsafe for the aquatic creatures and for humans. She had an opportunity to travel to Radio Lake Victoria in Osienala for the first time. It marked an important milestone in the history of her life. She says that they went to the Western springs in Rabuor where they learned practical knowledge of how the water is treated through various stages until it is bottled.
Indeed they found solutions that must seriously be adhered to in order to solve the problems of global fresh water scarcity. She says that the public must be educated on the need to conserve water catchment areas by encouraging them to plant more trees and protecting forest covers. She says that the matter should not be politicized theoretically but real political actions must be taken. Joan says that the public must be educated on the dangers of taking dirty and untreated water and thus be taught on the simple and affordable methods of water treatment.
During the summit, she says that she was challenged to take the initiative of educating others about the different simple ways of treating water in her community basing on the various skills she had gained.

She says that she was also challenged to study hard and make her progress to the University so that she can be like the bosses they met while on their trips. “I really enjoyed the video conferencing with the Benjamin School students in the U.S.A,” says Joan. “The whole process was just wonderful as we exchanged useful ideas with people on another continent.” She says. “We learnt a lot and we encourage Kijana Educational Empowerment Initiative and the rest to go on with this wonderful work of educational empowerment and cross-cultural exchange programs among youths from various continents.” “Kenya is proud of you.” says Joan.

Story by Kijana Roving Reporter, John Mulima