BBCF IN THE YEAR 2011:

In February, Dr. Okumu Bigambo and Dr. Saul Namango conducted our first performing arts (VPA) seminar in Khasoko.

In April, Retired Chief Kokonya sponsored the first Village Speakers Corner (VSC) debate in Namahindi which was attended by BBCF leaders and students from Bungoma, Busia, Mount Elgon and Bunyore districts. During this time Pastor Jonathan Lubega, our BBCF director from Uganda, brought his village soccer team (VST-Uganda) from Mukono to play against a Kenya team in Namahindi.

In June, Pastor Francis Bwire (director BBCF-BoL) and Abdalla Otaro (director BBCF-VST) organized a soccer match at Nambale Primary School followed the next day by evangelism work with at St. Thomas Anglican Church Nambale. We wish to thank Ms. Josephine Narotso, Canon Mama Grace Butzunzu, Hudson and Dr. Diana Obanda and evangelist John Jesse Masiga for their hospitality during this event.

In June, Dr. Joseph Muleka launched our first Village of Music rally in Mundika. This event brought together many influential village people who shared personal experiences with our BBCF children and the community at large. For example the community was introduced to Father Alex, a catholic priest with a large number of church attending youth in the area, as well as Mr. Nakitari, a well travelled gentleman currently working in the new republic of Southern Sudan.
In the spring, we shipped many beautiful choir robes that had been donated to us from St. John's United Church of Alliston Ontario. We greatly appreciate their donation and wish to thank them, as well as Michael Frederiksen, president of CES Canada who partnered with BBCF to ship the robes to Kenya. The choir gowns as well as all of the BBCF shirts have been printed with their individual BBCF logos by Perry of Toronto Canada who continues to donate his time, expertise, equipment and shop to print all of these logos. We are grateful to St. Matthew catholic primary school of Toronto for their cash donations as well as clothing to our programs in Kenya.

In July BBCF-MNC was involved in volunteer catering at the funeral of Mrs. Grace Namango, who was the wife of the late bishop Isaac Namango of Nambale Diocese and mother of Dr. Saul Namango. The Namango family invited Mama Nangulu and her husband Cannon Richard Spurin to work with the Anglican community in Khasoko in the early 70's. This is where Zabde, co-founder of BBCF-International, spent a portion of his childhood.

We are grateful to our International coordinator Ms. Josephine Oyoo based in Kenya, who, with the help of many committed BBCF volunteer staff, continues to translate our five year vision into reality on the ground.

Lastly, for complete picture coverage of all the news mentioned here and more, send us an email through the contact page and request a link to our on-line photo album.

Josephine is organizing individual homes into village communities where existing primary school programs can be launched. This venture has been boosted through our partnership with distinguished individuals in East Africa.

Dr. Okumu Bigambo teaches at Moi University. His contribution to the performing arts is much appreciated in East Africa. He now leads our BBCF-Village of Performing Arts (BBCF-VPA). Dr. Saul Namango, who speaks three European languages, teaches at Moi University. He has opened his home in Khasoko as the BBCF-VPA centre.

Dr. Joseph Muleka teaches literature and Music at Nairobi University. He has led a Kenya school choir to Washington DC. He takes on our BBCF-Village of Music program (BBCF-VofM) based in his home village of Mundika. Dr. Abbey Kibalama lives in Kampala Uganda. He is founder of Eschatos Brides choir and is joining us as a consultant.

Floridah Okuku of Ganjala village Samia is our venue sponsor for BBCF Childrens' Mass Choir (BBCF-MC), which is currently supervised by Josephine, our International coodinator. The children will further benefit from the ministry of BBCF-VofM under Dr. Muleka's training.

Abdalla Otaro is a young man who loves sports. He has joined us to form BBCF-Village Soccer Team, which is based in Nambale village. Shakilla of BBCF Rwanda is a key supporter of our VST program. She recently helped launch VST in Mukono Uganda.

Josephine trains and hosts at her Samia home, a large group of children who sing and dance with the Mass Choir (BBCF-MC).

Given the reality of continual deaths in the families of our 10,000 plus BBCF community of villages, the need for specialized catering has come to our attention. A team of 10 adults in Samia, under the leadership of Pastor Francis Bwire, have now formed BBCF-Mama Nangulu Catering (BBCF-MNC).

Mrs Pat Spurin is now back in England where she still preaches at her local church. Her Luyia name was officially bestowed upon her by Dr. Festo Olang', Kenya's first African Archbishop and by Dr. James Mundia, then Bishop of the diocese of Maseno before it was split up.

Rural village folk in Butere, Nambale and khasoko watched mama Nangulu teach and model empowerement from as far back as 1958. The untapped cumulative potential available to our villagers through planned empowerement is simply staggering. It is our mission to continue Nangulu's legacy of empowerement in rural Kenya through our BBCF programs.

Retired Senior Chief Bwana Geofrey Kokonya has volunteered his services to BBCF as our new Village Speakers Corner director (BBCF-VSC). Meanwhile Mr. Julius Wandera has opened up his home for our VSC functions. We therefore now have BBCF-VSC based in Namahindi village Kenya.