On Wednesday 5th March the Aga Khan schools in Kenya collectively presented a cheque of Ksh 1.2 million to the Kenya Red Cross and UNICEF to support internally displaced persons (IDPs). Numerous food and clothing items were also donated. The presentation ceremony took place at the Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi. Students from the Aga Khan Schools performed songs, poems and peace messages for the Guests of Honour and the parents and students in the audience.

Kenya Red Cross representatives Dr Simuyu Tabu, Head of Disaster Preparedness and Response, and Mrs. Dolat Premji, Chairperson of the Parklands Branch, as well as UNICEF Communications Specialist Pamela Sittoni, attended the event and received the cheque. The ceremonial presentation of the cheque was done by the students who raised the highest amount from the Aga Khan Junior and Aga Khan Senior Academies.

Aga Khan Education Service, Kenya teachers were also recognized for the service provided to IDPs at various camps in Limuru and Nairobi in January and February. The teachers provided recreational and educational activities for children in the camps. Over one person-month of hours were donated by AKES, K teachers in this effort.

Held on 30 May 2007, the Annual Sports Day took place. The battle was between Longonot, Everest and Kilimanjaro teams. The Guests of Honour were Robert Soi (KTN), Bernard Otieno (Easy FM/NTV) and Maurice Ochieng’ (Easy FM). Children parents and guests participated in the various field activities, each team member working hard to earn as many points as they can for their team. It was a fun-filled event for all. For the parents, it was a time to revisit their childhood; and for the children it was a chance to learn a few more new tricks such as how to run in a sack without falling. At the end of the event, team Everest emerged as the winner.

What is the relationship between one’s physical fitness and their brain capability? This is the question that Donna Misslitz, a teacher from a Dubai International School, tackled. Misslitz facilitated a brain gym session in our school catering for both children and adults. Two separate sessions were held; one for adults and once for children. It was a very interactive session and both the parents and children were expected to engage in simple but very effective physical exercises. These exercises helped to better comprehend the relationship between ones physical fitness and good performance. We learnt that our physical fitness state affects our body’s neural pathway, this subsequently affects the functional capability of our brain. This in return affects our performance in assigned tasks.