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The Nobelity Project will spotlight literacy partners over the next few months, so I've been reflecting on my own love of reading. On my visit to Kenya this summer, we put books on shelves at several libraries. The schools invited students to organize titles by age and genre. Their faces lit up with curiosity and delight. We didn't need words, I read their faces to learn what interested them the most. Our team was able to accomplish this thanks to our new literacy partner, Start a Library Trust. This is my friend Dafrose in Nairobi, she works (so hard!) for Start a Library Trust. Our friend Joe is the photographer. Dafrose shared a thoughtful blog post for Nobelity earlier this year. She wrote, “Literacy is fundamental for learning and connecting with the world. Reading and writing empower learners to connect with society, achieve their dreams and experience the joy of a good book. But there are many communities where boys and girls do not receive an education, let alone learn basic literacy skills. What sort of future will those children have?” Early literacy opened a million opportunities for me and expanded world view. Books are all around me, on every subject, in every room of my house. This month's Austin Chronicle outlines all the city's independent bookstores to choose from. I frequently borrow from our expansive public library system. At a recent signing at Austin Public Library, I met a young fashion designer starting their own tailoring business. This is what books do. They introduce us to new worlds and people. A few of Liz's recent faves. I had the privilege of choosing from a variety of schools. My parents are avid readers who encouraged me to share their appetite for knowledge, and we had access to learning resources. Our house even had built in bookshelves! When I stayed at grandma's, she shared books on gardening and astrology. I inherited a box of my great grandparents' books, including a navy blue anthology of French lit published in the 1890s that's falling apart at the seams. Holding it makes me think about how they didn't have screens to distract them; books were a great escape. I was the last generation to live in a world where phones were not in every hand. I remember mom taking me to our neighborhood library to check off summer reading lists. Libraries that The Nobelity Project and Start a Library Trust restocked or opened this year. (That's Beatrice and me!) Getting kids to pick up a book isn’t always easy, and even more difficult when there aren’t many (or any) options. Please consider making a donation to The Nobelity Project to put books on shelves and train teachers to be librarians in their own schools. The book you put in front of a young reader might introduce them to something they never dreamed of, or inspire them to explore a dream they already have. We work in Kenya, Texas and Latin America. For U.S. supporters, The Nobelity Project can accept tax deductible donations on behalf of literacy partners around the globe. Introduce yourself to the work Start a Library Trust is doing: www.nobelity.org/startalibrarytrust. If your heart is at home in Texas, we also work with BookSpring - a wonderful Austin organization increasing literacy for Central Texas families. And of course our long time partner PIER in Roátan, Honduras is still truckin' around the island with the bookmobile. Reading is global. Reading links the past, present and future. Reading connects cultures. Kusoma ni poa! Reading Is Cool! I definitely take books for granted, they've been a huge part of my world my entire life. Imagine what the world would look like if every kid had the same opportunity? That's the goal of The Nobelity Project: bridging gaps in education. We chose these literacy partners because they are laying down stepping stones for anyone who wants an education. Literacy is the first step. Let's give these kids every book they can get their hands on. Open a book, open the possibilities.

The Nobelity Project wanted to share this special post by our friend Dafrose Ambani who works with Start a Library Trust, a new initiative with our longtime friends at Storymoja in Kenya. Our team just wrapped a very productive series of school trips where we cut the ribbon on several new libraries with the help of Start a Library Trust. Dafrose wrote this reflection on those projects. The world is such a magical place with beautiful and adventurous destinations. It is mesmerizing to see how much the mode of transportation has evolved to ensure ease in traveling to places like Paris, Dubai, London, the USA, Kenya and so on. I invite you to explore reading on this journey. Reading is like travel. It allows one to travel to another time and place and meet new people. In reading, dreams are shared, imagination takes flight, and time doesn't actually exist. Literacy is fundamental for learning and connecting with the world. Reading and writing empower learners to connect with society, achieve their dreams and experience the joy of a good book. But there are many communities where boys and girls do not receive an education, let alone learn basic literacy skills. What sort of future will those children have? Chuma Primary School – Library Launch With so much anticipation, on the morning of 2nd June 2023, the Nobelity Project restored the future of hundreds of learners and households! You know you're driving through a rural area when the murram roads are the order of the day, and you are met by fewer apartments and more homesteads along the way. That’s Laikipia for you: “Chuma Primary School,” the gate invited us, a government public primary school located at the heart of Laikipia County. Parents, learners, teachers, the priest and community members were already seated when we arrived. You could clearly tell there was an occasion from how their faces beamed joyfully. Celebratory songs filled the air. Prayers and ululation went out in unison. The prolonged program and many speeches were filled with gratitude for the donations. There were not only one or two, or three reasons for the school to celebrate but four: a new library, a new ECDE classroom, a continued friendship with Ol-Pejeta Conservancy and a new friendship with the Nobelity Project. Nobody can imagine that a school started in 1954, located near Nanyuki town and surrounded by multiple resorts, conservancies, and other economically strong features, does not have a crucial resource like a library. With a population of over 200 learners from ECD – Junior Secondary School and most of the learners drawn from the area, the school has been on an upward trajectory in the performance and development of the infrastructure. The learners and their parents looked so excited and eagerly waited to see the new look of their library. As the learners cleaned the library room, you could eardrop into their deep conversations; “Wow, these are many storybooks,” one of the girls shouted, “yes, all of them are now ours, " another shouted from across the room. The conversation continues until the room and the shelves are sparkling clean. Afterwards, they all aid in arranging the library. The transformation of the empty and the filled library is so clear! A little past 2.00 pm, the library was officially handed over to the learners, the school and their parents. Everyone squeezed in to witness the occasion, feel the new desks and peruse through the storybooks. The event was nothing short of celebratory songs and stories to mark the start of a reading journey at the school. Chuma Primary School learners and their parents were excited to interact with the storybooks. Their faces glowed with smiles. We’re excited to announce library no. 284 at Chuma Primary School!!! Bingwa Secondary School – Additional Book Donation With the celebratory spirits still within us, we headed to Bingwa Secondary. One noticeable thing was the huge, well-arranged and stocked-up library space! A gorgeous space. A good learning environment can stimulate students to engage in the learning process, influence their behaviour, and assist in developing their interests and skills. The library got circa 500 additional books. It will continue to ignite their curiosity and inculcate a reading culture in the school while teaching life skills. Muthuini Primary School - Reading Festival Sunday started with a hearty breakfast at Aberdare’s Country Club. The sun shone perfectly, not too hot but enough! We were ready to dive into the world of stories at Muthuini Primary School. We couldn’t help but pick up the learners we met along the way - living a fun carpool adventure. We were greeted by the perfect blue sky, blue uniforms and, as the Muthuini learners say, ‘banana’ smiles. The school grounds were ready for not just an event but a reading festival. The Muthuini Water Tank Library was as perfect as ever. We got into business with the first order categorising Jackson’s books; may his soul rest in paradise. We rearranged the library with enthusiastic learners’ help to create room for the new collection and ensure easy access for all the grades. Simultaneously outside was an art session by selected learners to create different concepts to commemorate our extraordinary boy who loved to read. The entertainment was top-notch; somebody sign up these learners for some Broadway! Each learner got a book of THEIR OWN to take home— this was new to us as we’ve never issued books to learners beyond the library and really appreciate it. The school was generous enough to share a token of appreciation with the McCollum family the Kenyan way. A special thank you to the McCollum family. Through reading Jackson’s collection, we believe the learners will continue celebrating his life and love for books. We are grateful to the Nobelity Project for the continued partnership. Together, we will continue to inculcate a love for reading by establishing more school libraries, Commitment Letters from Schools

Hi friends. I’ve just returned from Kenya where we opened new classrooms, preschools, water projects and even a new high school basketball court. We also broke ground on many new school projects that will be finished by the time I return in May. This process of learning, evaluation, funding and construction has become a routine for us the past years, but there is nothing routine about the work or the satisfaction of seeing thousands of appreciative young people take the next step as their education opportunities grow and grow. I’ve had a long journey in Kenya, a journey that began 17 years ago with Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari was a woman of leadership and action. She fought her whole life for women’s rights and she founded and led the Green Belt Movement which empowered rural women to plant tens of millions of trees, a nation-wide forest that inspired world-wide efforts to plant billions of trees (and a movement that may eventually restore degraded lands across the globe with a staggering one trillion trees). Wangari’s invitation to join the Green Belt Movement in Kenya led to my first visit to a Kenyan school, remote and dusty Mahiga Primary, where I helped plant 200 trees with the students at the school. Planting trees led to so much more, and as we built beautiful Mahiga Secondary and rebuilt Mahiga Primary, the kids kept planting, 4,000 trees on a school campus that once had none. Those 4,000 trees are now a forest, and many of the first seedlings are 50’-tall. Those first kids are grown now, too, many of them out of college with families of their own. Some of them are teachers. I couldn’t have imagined anything better than those outcomes, but Mahiga was just the first step of many. Every school we’ve worked at has been another step and a new journey with a community doing their best with limited resources to help their kids get a good education. We called our work Bridging Gaps in Education. And there were a lot of gaps: gaps in the long distances between rural schools that needed filling with new schools in between; gaps in the number and quality of classrooms (it’s hard to learn in a classroom with dust or even rain blowing through the slats in the walls), gaps in clean drinking water and sanitation, gaps in access to books and early education and much more. Fifty steps have taken me to fifty schools where we’ve partnered with local communities to build hundreds of classrooms, preschools, libraries, science labs, dining halls and kitchens, toilets and more. In my mind, every one is more beautiful than the next. This trip, as with every time I’m in Kenya, the heartfelt love and thanks I’ve received from thousands of students, teachers and parents is love and thanks that flows through me to each and every person who’s been a part of this journey. I still get emotional at every one of these project openings, as I did this time when we cut the ribbon on the beautiful new “Modern Library”, when I watched the boys and girls basketball teams at Ol Moran Secondary running drills on their new “Love Tito’s” basketball court, at many classroom and preschool openings, and in particular at the barren landscape of Tangi Nyeusi Primary where we’ve partnered with Ol Pejeta Conservancy and with our Austin partners, Well Aware, on a transformation that has taken Tangi from 80 students to 330 in one year, many of them youngsters from pastoralist families whose children didn’t go to school at all. It’s been a long journey and it’s not over yet. Though I just broke ground on another big round of school projects, there is more to be done, more education gaps to be bridged, more preschools and libraries to build, more top-scoring students to send on to University. Christy and I are going to hang in there with this work as long as we can keep it going. And with every passing year, I feel more and more grateful to all of you, those who believe in the simple idea that every kid deserves an education and opportunity in this world. It's been a journey of steps, but the journey is not over. And I hope many of you will continue to take this journey with me. Turk Our end-of-year campaign email went out this evening with links to our Giving Circle members and for donations of any amount. All donations receive a set of these beautiful new 5 x 7 greeting cards. Here's the donation link

Last month Turk and I made the trip to Kenya that has become such a part of our lives. Though Turk had been back in March 2020 (that was a close one on getting home) and June 2021, I hadn't been on a project tour for almost 3 years. It was time for me to go, visit new projects, and create some new program partners to continue to provide an educational ladder for the students in our network of schools. First though, I had to meet the new babies! Our in-country program manager Gibson Githaiga and our Jumpstart Coordinator Beatrice Macharia both have new members of their families. I am proud to be in the honorary cũcũ category these days (pronounced "shosho" which is Kikuyu for Grandma)! Welcome to the world Braden and Jace! It was heartening to see everyone back in school after nearly a year at home due to COVID-19. Kenya took the pandemic very seriously and has mostly avoided the extreme circumstances we've had here in the US. So with schools now fully reopened and testing ramped up to get back on schedule, kids are catching up best they can. There has been some attrition in the high schools but the principals are working hard to locate those students and encourage them to come back to their studies. We are in discussion on how to help support that so we don't have even more losses chalked up to COVID. Our first stop was at Dedan Kimathi University to discuss establishing a scholarship fund to support our Jumpstart Scholars program for high scoring graduates of the high schools where we work in that area. We have supported over 50 students with college tuition grants since we began the program, and we are ready to take things to the next level by extending our school partnerships to a university. We just missed Anne Wamucii Mutongu's graduation but you can see that these students are ready to take it on! Another current partnership is with Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Mt. Kenya. The mission of Ol Pejeta includes community as well as conservation and we are working on several projects to support nearby schools. The new preschool at Yard Primary is open and I had a great time playing an ABC game with the little ones. It always amazes me that all school children in Kenya speak multiple languages, including Kiswahili and English being taught even at this early age. Thanks to Karen Kofod and Grant Richards for funding this preschool and the next phase of works for new primary classes so each grade level can quit splitting these spaces and have their own rooms. After many years of Turk celebrating his July birthday while in Kenya, this November trip was the first time I had been there for mine! A very special visit to Olmoran Secondary was a great way to mark the passage of another year. Wonderful to see the progress with the addition of a boy's dorm (named Turk's house!), expanded kitchen and a growing number of kids enrolled and excelling. Principal John Kimathi has really made some great things happen in this remote Laikipia location. Many of the students are the first in their families to attend high school, with many of them now going on to advanced studies. Our Jumpstart staff is tracking a pilot group from Olmoran that are receiving technical certificates to determine if we want to increase support for these skill training programs. The rapid pace of development throughout the country means there is employment opportunity in the areas of plumbing, electrical wiring, construction and computer technology. Olmoran also commits their time and hearts to learning and performing traditional dance works, for school competitions and to honor and preserve their heritage. On to the Aberdares! This is the area we have spent much of our time and toil since Turk's first trip to Kenya in 2004. From school project #1 at Mahiga to this brand new 3 story classroom building at Mwangaza, over 30 of the 50 partner schools where we work are in this region. Great to see many of them in the final stages of completion and local government building better, safer roads, installing electricity connections, and providing tablet technology to primary schools. There will always be work that needs doing but with much of these infrastructure projects in place, these communities will be able to build on a firm foundation. Finally we made a quick trip to the Maasai Mara to see our friends and partners at the Angama Foundation, Mara Safari Club, and the Mara Elephant Project https://maraelephantproject.org/. A visit to the Mara never fails to awe and is a reminder of how fragile these conservation eco-systems are becoming. We continue to partner with these organizations to make sure that communities in this area have the fundamental infrastructure for their children to receive an education and to learn about the unique and special place they live. Seed Balls Kenya https://www.seedballskenya.com/ is also doing great work to help reforest great swaths of Kenya, where charcoaling and clearing for livestock is contributing to climate change. Turk and I got the chance to do a little Throw and Grow distribution with the Mara Elephant Project--more on this effort to come. Our final school visit was to Ol Meoshi Primary to break ground on the new preschool (thanks once again to Thomas Giamboi). This will be our third building project at Ol Meoshi and I was touched by the gift of this khanga. They told me the Swahili saying printed on the bottom says "When friends come together the enemy has no chance". I said "That's why we're here." Thanks to you all for being those friends. Karibu Sana! Christy P.

I returned to Kenya a few weeks ago, almost 15 months since my last visit as COVID-19 lockdowns were being implemented worldwide. Those were long months for everyone in the States, but perhaps seemed longer in Kenya where the nation completely shut down the schools, implemented curfews and travel restrictions which was really tough on students and the economy. There were economic challenges for The Nobelity Project as well. We were unable to hold our annual Feed the Peace Awards in 2021, but a core group of supporters stepped up to join our Giving Circle pledge, helping fill some of the shortfall. Not wanting to halt progress completely, we discussed options with our Kenyan team and decided to accelerate construction at partner schools. With campuses empty, it was one of the ways we could continue supporting educational needs in these rural areas. Mwangaza Primary is the best example of this decision. This school has a large enrollment, but is built on a small piece of land in Mweiga town. In partnership with the community, we had already built five new classrooms, a library and a computer lab. But the school still needed additional classrooms to keep up with the growing number of students. The only way to fit everyone was to go vertical: build nine more classrooms on three floors. Though we’ve built over 200 preschool, primary and secondary classrooms in rural Kenya, this would be our biggest single project to date. Our plan was to build one story per year for three years, with parents contributing to each year’s budget. We had one floor finished before the pandemic shut down schools, and with no kids on campus we were able to accelerate construction and complete the project safely and years ahead of schedule. Arriving back at Mwangaza last month to celebrate the opening, we were greeted by hundreds of cheering students, staff and parents. Our friend and area Minister of Parliament, the Honorable Kanini Kega was there as well. The next hour was one of songs, dance and great joy. Mwangaza is now the top-scoring public school in the very large Kieni West education district! A tremendous accomplishment for parents, teachers and students. And the school tour continued! Thanks to hundreds of you who helped purchase 15,000 masks and a lot of thermal gun thermometers, the schools can meet COVID requirements to reopen. Though the masks often hid the smiles we love so much, the feelings of pride and joy shone right through. At remote Kiambogo Primary, 9000' high in the Aberdare Mountains, an even larger community crowd turned out. Parent and student choirs sang, bands played and then a DJ dance party capped it all off. Kiambogo is a big school but far off the path so visits are rare - and welcomed. We opened a new preschool the last visit; this time we cut the ribbon on four new classrooms: two built by The Nobelity Project, and two more were through a partnership with Kanini Kega and the area’s CDF (Community Development Fund). This is a big step for the school and a perfect private/public partnership. The community was thankful, presenting us with two roosters, three turkeys and one sheep as gratitude. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d given us a partridge in a pear tree! THE HITS! Laburra Secondary completed construction on their final two classrooms, bringing that school to EIGHT classes, PLUS a library, computer lab, kitchen and dining hall. There were only two old wooden classrooms and a handful of students when we first visited this campus nearly 5 years ago, and is now a high scoring school of 400. Nyamgubichi Primary has a new preschool now thanks to Karen and Grant Richards, whose Kenya travel package from our auction made possible. This is the final critical component at this campus. Mwiyogo Primary has a new preschool, providing a bright, warm and dry learning environment for their 3-5 year olds. Muthuini Primary is the site of the beautiful Muthuini Watertank Library. Here we opened beautiful school gardens and a fantastic amphitheater/outdoor classroom sponsored by the McCollum Family. The changes at Muthuini are inspiring. It’s always a joy to see the kids run to the library and read, read, read. We also said hello to Mahiga Primary and Mahiga Hope High, the site of our very first school project over ten years ago. Both campuses and RainWater Court are in fine form with enrollment and grades going up, up, up! A conservancy tour with our friends and partners at Ol Pejeta included a visit with Najin and Fatu, the last two Northern White Rhinos on Earth and the focus of Ol Pejeta’s incredible effort to save this beautiful species. Mirera Library, in partnership with Ol Pejeta Conservancy In partnership with Ol Pejeta last year, we built a new preschool and library at nearby Mirera Primary. So this year they proposed work at Yard Primary as another potential site for transformative change. Yard desperately needs new infrastructure so we approved construction of a new preschool. The parents got straight to digging the foundation for the new building. We plan to expand support of Yard in the future to serve more children in the area. Special thanks to the Richards for joining this effort. All of the classrooms are split and crowded at Yard; we plan to replace these two tin shacks which are currently serving as classrooms for these students. The last leg of the trip took us to the Maasai Mara to see our friends and education partners at the Angama Mara Lodge and at Fairmont Mara Safari Club. It is thanks to these hosts that we are able to underwrite the school work we do together in that region. Mara Safari hadn’t even reopened, but welcomed our group for one special night so we could celebrate the new library at Ol Meoshi Primary. This visit was one of the most memorable I’ve ever made, as the kids’ Maasai Choir is beyond incredible. Before cutting the ribbon, we were told that Ol Meoshi was the first of 57 schools in the district to have a library. The appreciation from kids and parents was equal to that stunning fact. It was good to get back to Kenya and see your work continuing to have a big impact: ● Each year, there are 15,000 students enrolled in the rural schools where we partner ● Each year, more young ones are starting school at age 4 or 5 ● Each year, more of those students graduate from high school - even better, 70 of those graduates have earned college scholarships through The Nobelity Project’s Jumpstart College Grant Program If you want to make a difference in these kid’s lives we are always seeking sponsors for new preschools, tuition for college kids, or increasing library books in the 30+ school libraries we’ve built with these communities. And we are always happy to hear from you! Drop us a note, give us a call. Let’s find a way to do something great together. Peace and Love, Turk

Help keep Kenyan kids safe and gifts of Grace for you and yours. Donate to keep Kenyan students safely studying through the pandemic. COVID-19 critical need in Kenyan communities: We serve thousands of students in rural Kenya at over 50 school locations, and an outbreak of COVID-19 in these small towns would be devastating. As schools slowly reopen, protective equipment like masks, thermometers, and hand sanitizer are essential for safety, especially in areas with limited clean water. Your donations (and sales of Grace and the Moon below) can provide the funds for the protective gear schools need. Families in these remote areas are hard hit by the closed economy. With no on-line learning available, these students will fall behind. But with your support we will provide textbooks and study guides to keep them on track to graduation and a brighter future. Tis the season to be thankful so here is our gift to you! We hope you enjoy this beautiful new online version of Turk's bilingual bedtime story "Grace and the Moon/Graciela y la Luna". This story of two girls named Grace reaches across different lands and languages as they imagine an adventure with the Moon and the sky we all share. Read today on your laptop, tablet or phone! Want to share Grace with others this holiday season? Every hardcover copy provides masks, sanitizers, thermometers and learning materials at our partner schools in Kenya. Order copies for holiday giving! Whatever ups and downs this year has brought, please know that you are deeply appreciated. Your support makes a difference in our lives and the lives of those we serve. Together we can make a little grace go a long way. Wishing you peace and love, Christy, Turk and the Nobelity Team Looking to celebrate traditions in 2020? Please consider continuing your history of giving to The Nobelity Project by making a year-end contribution or joining our Giving Circle of recurring donors. Learn more about becoming a member by visiting our Giving Circle page. Let's do some good in 2021 and beyond. Need your 2020 tax receipt? Email liz@nobelity.org.

Today is my birthday, a ripe ol’ 67 if you’re counting, and once again I have a birthday wish that I hope friends and family can help fulfill. You’ll have to read more to learn what it is, but this time it’s not about supporting a special school project. I’d like to think that this time its something bigger. But first, as my pal Harry Anderson used to say during a long magic trick, “Let’s review!” Harry came to town for my 60th birthday dinner and show at The League Restaurant in Lakeway, a raucous night that funded construction of a new classroom at Simbara Secondary in Kenya. That was followed by a party at the old 263 Bar with Joe Ely, Gary P. Nunn and other pals performing. I joined Micah Nelson’s band to juggle torches, a trick I hadn’t tried in 20 years, and was terrified to see how big those flames were! Somehow I made it to 61 where, sitting on the equator in Kenya, I announced a birthday wish to raise $15k to build a new classroom at a school for kids with Downs Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and even bigger challenges. We made that goal and more (thanks Paul Twitchell and many others). That inspired my subsequent birthday campaigns. This photo with Willie was my 64th, and with Willie’s and all of your help, my birthday wishes continued to fund a new preschool in the desert, many new classrooms, and thousands of new books for some of the 30 new Kenyan school libraries we’ve built. None of that would have happened without you. With a few hiccups along the way, I’ve been blessed through most of my 67 years by virtue of place of birth, a loving family, many friends and perhaps by a continuing interest in learning and doing new things. I’ve been a juggler, a comedian, a writer, and actor and a filmmaker. The past twenty years, much of my time has been dedicated to the films and the education and conservation partnerships of our nonprofit, The Nobelity Project. So now we’re back to my wish for 2020. This has been a trying year for just about everyone. Many local businesses and nonprofits are struggling financially, and any support your give them is helpful and appreciated. But many families and individuals are also struggling - both financially and emotionally. My birthday wish is simply for everyone who reads this to do something kind or generous or both for a family or a person who could use a lift, a smile, a friend or all three. The size and shape of your kindness is entirely up to you - no examples needed, for Sir Paul had it right all along when he wrote, “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” If I can add a second wish, I'd love for you to share this message with someone and keep the kindness going, because we could all stand to make and take a little love right now. That's it. Big Thanks. And Big Birthday Love to all! Turk Pipkin PS - as always, you can find The Nobelity Project at www.nobelity.org or on Facebook. We've just finished five Summer Camp Safaris about Northern White Rhinos, Lions, Elephants, Mountain Gorillas and Monarch Butterflies. They were a blast, and are all still streaming for free at www.facebook.com/nobelityproject Thanks to our friends at OlPejetaConservancy.org for introducing me to that beautiful lion cub.

Hi to all our Nobelity Project friends and supporters, It’s been a rough ride the past few weeks. We hope you and your loved ones are all well and getting through this till the world can find some semblance of normal. We are sending love to all of you, along with our deep appreciation for your support of our education work. Just after our February Feed the Peace awards, I traveled to Kenya to open some new school projects and launch construction on more. It was an inspiring trip, even with a shadow rising on the world, and I was happy to get back safely to Austin in early March. The virus has not hit Kenya as hard as here at home and we are hoping for the best. The Kenyan government has closed schools and issued more strict controls on commerce and movement, and there will likely be economic hardships on all. But schools will reopen, and when they do, many kids will be going back into new facilities. Staying warm and dry in classes, and having clean water for hand-washing at school have never been more important. Here are a few photos of newly-completed projects: Kiambogo Primary, Turk and Mr. Turkey Thanks to 4 x 4 artists and audience, we built and opened a new preschool at Kiambogo Primary, a remote community at a 9,000ft elevation. The community turned out in full force to say thanks to all of us. (I did not bring home the turkey a woman gave me as her personal thanks.) I was also able to open many other new school projects funded at the 2019 Feed the Peace Awards, and break ground on some new projects funded at this year’s big night. These are the final 3 new classrooms at Nyambugichi Primary (special thanks to Louisiana Charities Trust and the Beebe Family). We hope to build a new preschool here to complete the new infrastructure. This is the final classroom at Mugaka Primary, where a handful of students in a wood and cardboard classroom has grown into a top-scoring school of 300+ students in all modern classes. Kanyoni Preschool Dining Hall - a partnership with Fairmont Mt. Kenya Safari Club - is a favorite visit, and with the new kitchen and dining hall, is now fully built. The finished first floor and three classrooms (of what will be an impressive, 3-story, 9-classroom building at Mwangaza Primary)! Now the top-scoring public school in a very large district, construction is underway on the second floor. Construction jobs like this and our other partner schools, are a strong boost to stressed local economies. We were so happy to present the 2020 Feed the Peace Award to Ray Benson Those of you who were with us at the gala know what a great night that was. Together we were able to fund new construction in Kenya on a library, preschool and classrooms, plus a new high school library in Macheros, Mexico - our base camp for filming the Monarch butterflies. That is great news, and I hope we can all get together for the official Asleep at the Wheel 50th Anniversary Concert in the Fall. When schools open in Texas we will continue our work with CapCityKids, UIL (for our statewide Social Impact Film Awards), Austin's Paramount Theatre, Austin Bat Cave and all our local partners working towards education for all. Rather than asking our supporters for funding in this turbulent time, we’re cutting expenses wherever possible while continuing our work for Education for All. When the time is right, I hope we can all get back together to lift our spirits while making some good things happen. Until then, we are sending our love, and more love. Turk Pipkin p.s. Christy, Liz, Gibson, Beatrice and the rest of the team say hello!

JANUARY Turk films William Kamkwamba’s Feed The Peace Acceptance Speech at Sundance Officially SOLD OUT 2019 Feed the Peace Awards Dinner! Beatrice and former students implement a new library categorization system at Mahiga FEBRUARY Woody Creek Dinner at Bonneville Turk promotes Grace and The Moon at StoryMoja Fest hosted by Aga Khan Academy #kusomanipoa Christy congratulates Olmoran’s Jumpstart Scholars Mary, Euphrasia and Hudson MARCH One lucky auction bidder scores HIGHLY sought-after tickets to Willie's Luck Reunion Cassidy represents The Nobelity Project at SXSW: Richard’s Rainwater teamed with Well Aware at Pool Burger to educate attendees about clean water initiatives DC+A secures a J1 Visa for Joe! Jumpstart Scholar James Ndegwa advances his career at KTTC! APRIL The Nobelity Project Team celebrates Dick Clark Architecture with a happy hour at Lonesome Dove: Dick’s continued support built the Mahiga Hope Legacy Library Alex and Jennifer Chapman bid on Willie and won! They get to see him at Whitewater Amphitheater. David Dachner enjoys Joan Baez at the Paramount. Thanks FTP19 sponsors! Nearly 2,000 Central Texas middle-schoolers fill the Paramount Theater for our annual screening of Turk’s documentary, Building Hope. This field trip is an opportunity for US students to visit a historic landmark, engage with their fellow classmates in Kenya, and hopefully be inspired to create change of their own. MAY Longtime donor and friend Paul Twitchell enjoys his winning bid from the Feed The Peace auction to see the Avett Brothers and Lukas Nelson perform at Whitewater Amphitheater! U.S. based supporters of The Nobelity Project write postcards to students in Kenya, which Christy presents at 3 schools. Gibson sends Turk home with kids’ colorful replies! JUNE Jumpstart Scholar Joe Mwithiga arrives in Austin! Joe is our first college scholarship recipient to participate in a global internship. Thanks to Dick Clark Architects and Associates, especially Mark Vornberg and Kris White for pushing through red tape and acting as Joe’s ambassador. JULY Turk celebrates his birthday working in Kenya, including: Presenting laptops to St. Monica Munyaka Secondary grads, an all girl boarding school Steve Kuhn hosts a ‘Game Fair’ to teach students about strategy-focused games Kinyaiti and Wendiga construction progresses Mahiga, Mwangaza, Muthuini, Ikumare, Simbara, Kanyoni, Ol Meoshi visits Jumpstart Scholar Orientation held at Laburra StoryMoja Librarian training was held at Honi Back in Austin, staff member Cassidy Schulze transitions to her new full-time position at Ballet Austin. She continues to support our CRM transition to Salesforce, consulting with Christy and Liz weekly. Big thanks to board member Joey Martin for helping us streamline our database! AUGUST The Nobelity Project office moves: thanks to Mercury Mambo especially Arreaga Farmers Insurance Agency and Bo Duncan and STAV Creative for providing working spaces. Thanks to Joslyn and Sean Dobson for hosting the CapCityKids Empowerment Academy, where backpacks and school supplies are distributed to Austin’s student population facing homelessness. The CCK Community Grant from The Nobelity Project supports this annual event, which also offers immunizations and community resources for families. Beatrice Macharia, our Kenya Scholarship Coordinator, has a birthday! Her work with Jumpstart Scholars and also as the librarian at Mahiga Hope High School is unparalleled. The kids love her and so does Liz. SEPTEMBER Congratulations to Kadie and Greg Elsner on the birth of their first child, William August Elsner. Their fantastic addition coincides beautifully with the construction of Greg’s passion project in Kenya: Mugunda Maternity Clinic. Another first! Austin welcomes the Pirate’s Cup Charity Golf Tournament to Falconhead Golf off RR620. Historically a Honduran event, this year’s tourney raises funds for literacy programming with Austin Bat Cave, Kenya libraries, and of course our Roatán Bookmobile partner. Major support from Falconhead Golf Club, Todd and Stephanie Routh, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Jon Gerber for bringing in Captain Morgan and Ramona Wine as sponsors, Twisted X Brewing, David Smith for High Brew, The Ford and Ciola families for catering with TC4. There’s no tournament without the teams - thanks for playing! Yet another first! Austin welcomes Nicky Fitzgerald of Angama Foundation to team up with the Greatest Maasai Mara Photography competition. Precision Camera and Departure Lounge generously host exhibits where photos are auctioned off in elaborate framing courtesy of Fast Frames in Westlake. The Nobelity Team welcomes Baylie Beebe as part-time staff, she’s the best! Mahiga Hope takes 5th in regional dance competitions! OCTOBER Turk returns to Kenya to document progress at schools and visit construction at Kiambogo. He also presents MASK Awards to student artists from across Kenya. Final revisions of kiswalhili translations are made on his children's book, Grace and the Moon (now available in a Spanish)! NOVEMBER Our fall 4x4 Concert raises enough to fund the construction of 2 new classrooms in Kiambogo! Thanks to Gibson Guitar Showroom, TC&4, Nomadic Beerworks, and board member Leslie Moore’s Word of Mouth Bakery for showing everyone a good time. Performances by: Van Wilks and Josh Smith, Slaid Cleaves, Del Castillo Trio, Bill Carter with Gabe Rhodes and Bale Allen Christy and Liz celebrate birthdays, and there's much to be grateful for over the holidays. 2019 Spotlight on Jumpstart Scholarship Program: 30 tuitions paid, 6 graduations attended!

2019 marks our 10th year working with Kenyan communities to bridge gaps in education for their children. We've seen a lot of change throughout the country, including at the 50 school locations where we now work, partnering on hundreds of projects and serving thousands of students. Here are some highlights of our July trip to 12 of those schools where we opened kitchens, classrooms, libraries, and more. And at every stop we were asked to deliver these three words to you --"Thank you, thank you, thank you." New Kitchens at at Kanyoni Preschool, Laburra Primary, and Olmoran Secondary With thanks to: Solio Ranch, ASK Charitable Foundation, the Alexander Family, Fairmont Mt. Kenya New libraries and lots of new books at Ikumari, Kinyaiti, Wendiga, and Monica Munyaka With thanks to: Barb Horan, StoryMoja, Steve Kuhn, Paul Twitchell, Tito's Monica Munyaka Girls celebrated their star players on the new basketball court With thanks to: Love, Tito's And the Simbara Secondary dance team is headed for regionals! (Note the Joslyn Dobson Library in the background!) With thanks to: Joslyn Dobson and Family Meet the 2019 Jumpstart Scholars! 11 new college students from the 5 high schools where we work. Studies range from Nursing to Education and they have all made the commitment to return to their high schools to tutor, teach, and mentor. With thanks to: ASK Foundation, Louisiana Charities, Scholar sponsors Christy worked with students (seen here at Mwangaza), delivering your postcards and maps from the US. They had lots of great questions and will be sending their responses next school term. Thanks to everyone who wrote a note. They loved them! Welcome to Kinyaiti and Wendiga Primary Schools; 2 schools we identified this year that were struggling to support 100's of students with substandard facilities. Working with the communities and our key partner Shancar Contractors, these schools have undergone rapid transformation and are ready to support these students and many more for years to come. Thanks to each of you who Raised Your Hand to bring these changes and bridge the gaps in education for these kids and their families. SO many smiles! There were other stops at Muthuini, Mahiga, Honi, Kanyoni, where kids were all thriving. Overall enrollment is up, scores are rising, and more students are qualifying for colleges every year. It has been amazing to be a part of the progress for these 10 years. These are the faces of the future. Thank you for making that future bright.

These are just some of the smiles we wanted to share with you from our spring visits to partner projects in Kenya. Every one of these schools has its own story, needs, triumphs and challenges, but every one is working hard for the success of their students. Across the board we are seeing higher enrollments and better scores, particularly in the schools where we’ve installed new libraries. Here are some highlights, including the new Dick Clark Legacy Library at Mahiga Hope High School. With a couple of days in the capital city before heading to school locations, Turk and StoryMoja presented his beautiful English/Swahili children’s book, “Grace and the Moon” at schools in Nairobi and Naivasha, including Mirera Primary (largest in Kenya with 3,000 students). If you’d like a copy, click here. Every purchase pays for a copy for a Kenyan library. Then the real work began, with stops at 2 to 5 schools a day. The new Tito’s basketball court at Monica Munyaka Secondary Girls School is awesome. With 600 girls at this boarding school, the court is getting a workout! Thanks to: Tito’s Vodka, Becky Beaver, and Giants of Africa. We’ve been working with Simbara Secondary School for years on infrastructure improvements, and the Library and Computer Lab is the crowning addition for these 250 marginalized high school students. Thank you and Happy Birthday to Joslyn Dobson from every student here. And our Bike Awards Program for the top scoring students at all the high schools is still bringing scores up! Wendinga and Kenyaiti are the schools where we are working this year to create a rapid transformational change. The Wendinga preschool is the first of what will be many improvements and a great place to start. These farming communities are really feeling the impact of another very dry year, but we were heartened by so many parents who joined us at Kinyaiti Primary for a groundbreaking and to share the hope of a better future for their children. Thanks to all of you who Raised Your Hands at the Feed the Peace Awards! Your generosity is behind all these smiles! 4 new classrooms at Mwangaza Primary School were a cause for celebration. Or maybe a nap... Welcome to the Nyambugichi Primary Library! Lots of great books for great kids. Thanks to the Louisiana Charities Trust and the Beebe Family. And I was honored to meet the girls now staying in the dorm at Ol Moran Secondary. This high school has grown from 250 to 800 in a few short years. In celebration of Dick’s memory, we opened the doors to the Dick Clark Legacy Library at Mahiga Hope High School. The students, teachers, and parents – and all of us too – were blown away by the beauty and warmth of this inspiring center of learning and the promise it holds. Working with our trusted contractor Peter Maina, Dick Clark + Associates created a place for hopes and dreams to grow. Dick would have loved it. Thanks to all of the Friends of Dick that contributed in so many ways. And special thanks to Mark, Kris, Jim and Danie for making the trip. Here is some video from the opening ceremony and first looks at the library: Stay tuned for more updates! We love the progress we see every time we go and appreciate you making it happen. More news in July!

Every trip I make to work with our Kenya school partners is inspiring, but my October 2018 visit of finished, ongoing and upcoming construction projects really brought home the scope and scale of the work that your support has helped us achieve. Working in 45 school locations, with enrollment of over 10,000 students, the impact we’ve had has been substantial and will be ongoing for generations. Here are some fun photos from some of the project site visits, with many thanks to their funders. Opening of the new vocational training workshop at the River Likii School for Special Needs Children (and at the school’s new medical transport van - thank you to the McCollum and Routh families!) Opening day pics of the new basketball (and tennis) court at Monica Munyaka Girls Secondary. Much-needed new girls and boys toilet blocks at Simbara, Laburra and Mahiga (thank you Central Texas Rotary!) Joslyn’s beautiful library and computer lab at Simbara Secondary the new library at remote Mugaka Primary (where 1,000 people came to celebrate!) and a look at construction progress on the beautiful new Dick Clark 3 Legacy Library at Mahiga Hope High School. I also made many stops to look at proposed projects we hope to build in 2019, continuing to work alongside communities, creating partnership not charity. Thanks to all for helping make this and much more of our work a reality. Let's bridge the gap.