This past week was a busy one for KPI! It would be nearly impossible to share all of our news and progress in one readable post so we split into highlights below.
PARENT’S DAY
KPI hosted Parents Day last Sunday, June 22nd. All 110 KPI participants were present with at least one parent or guardian. Coach Eric led the day by sharing what we are teaching at KPI. We discussed our KPI values and Fair Play attributes and asked both the parents and participants to give examples. Many parents mentioned the value of their kids playing with others, how their child’s behavior has changed, their appreciation for the encouragement to perform well in school, and the importance of our hygiene teachings.
It was a great day capped off with a three-legged race to win a goat – it was intense!!! Participants and their parents raced together to win the prize. Delephine and her father won the race for the older group and Placide and his father won for the younger group. It was very encouraging to see how many mothers were willing to participate in their dresses and how excited the kids were to compete with their mother or father.
VOLUNTEERS:
Last week KPI had the privilege of working with two UCLA water polo players, Erica, a current member of the squad, & Molly, a graduate and assistant coach. KPI Ambassador and Silver Medalist Jamie Komer accompanied Erica and Molly to Rwanda and led our coaches in a two-day yoga training. It was amazing to have all three with us for the week and they will be missed!
COACHES YOGA TRAINING
KPI Ambassador and Silver Medalist Jamie Komer led our twelve coaches in a two day workshop for yoga. The purpose of the workshop was to better understand our bodies and create more effective warm-up and cool down routines. The coaches loved the clinic and quickly put what they learned into action!
OLYMPIC DAY
With Jamie leading the way, KPI hosted Olympic day for our participants on international Olympic Day on Monday, June 26th. Olympic Day included dividing kids into teams based on countries, marching with our Olympic flame (of construction paper) and competing in numerous events, including, relays, hurdles, high jump, volleyball, and futbol. The kids had a blast! For first time high jumpers, we have some serious talent!
UCLA PENPALS
Prior to coming to Rwanda, Erica & Molly created a PenPal program with UCLA athletes. One hundred and twenty athletes wrote letters to our kids and coaches and we completed during programming on Wednesday & Thursday. Information exchanged included names, ages, favorite sports, where they live, size of their families, etc. A photo of the athlete was included in the letter. It was a great opportunity for the kids to connect with others outside of their community.
GOATS
Thanks to the generous contribution of our partner City of Joy – Rwanda, KPI received twenty goats last week! We were overjoyed with the gift and gave two goats to our three-legged race winners and eighteen to our best students. Participants and parents agreed that the first born goat will go to a KPI Family until all of our families have a goat!
FOCUS GROUPS
In partnership with Edgework Consulting, KPI hosted focus groups for both the coaches and the kids this week. Kate, Jamie, and Jean Paul (or Eric), asked a series of questions to the kids and coaches and recorded feedback. The purpose of the focus groups were to simply see where KPI’s Let’s Play Fair program is succeeding and where we need improvement.
It was a meaningful exercise for all KPI participants and overall Let’s Play Fair is succeeding. We have a lot of work to do to perfect the program but the kids are strongly grasping the concepts of Fair Play: Respect, Community, Contribution, Opportunity, and Moral Courage. Additionally, we received very positive feedback from our coaches and kids regarding our teachings on hygiene and their ability and desire to share KPI Values of Excellence, Friendship, and Fair Play, as well as Fair Play attributes with their students and classmates.