|
|
 |
|
|
|
| |
An informative and captivating FREE electronic newsletter
designed to equip you with powerful tools and timely
information to achieve new heights in your professional
and personal life.
Privacy Statement:
Kituku & Associates will not distribute your
address to
anyone in anyway. Period!
WWW.KITUKU.COM
(208) 376-8724 or
(888) 685-1621 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Writing pulls me. Regardless of what’s happening, putting
thoughts and ideas into readable format is a force I don’t
know how to stop. It has taken me from the deepest pain of
grief. It has riveted my thoughts when I am at the peak of
a mountain. It has rescued me from boredom.
|
 |
When we do things that pull us we take
risks. We are courageous, confident and determined. We
don’t even think as employees. We own what “pulls” us,
thus we feel like we own the organizations that provide us
with a place to thrive. We enlist anyone who might help in
our inspired decisions and actions.
Do you love what you do or do you feel pushed? When you
are inspired you become a lifelong learner. You are
self-initiating and you don’t care about job descriptions,
you do what needs to be done. You are willing to tap the
richness of other people as a contributor and team player
and to turn obstacles into opportunities. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Christmas in Kangundo, Kenya, in my youth was simple and
meaningful. It was Chapati (a tasty wheat fried bread),
goat meat, attending Christmas services and free
entertainment from drunkards.
The Christmas spirit started with a song, “Kilisito
nusyaiwe, ukai tutanee…” Christ is born, come we rejoice,
sung by The Salvation Army.
Their singing marked the beginning of a special day, a day
when the rich and the poor ate alike. In almost every
home, there was one meal, Chapati. The day before
Christmas was when we slaughtered Christmas goats, but on
Christmas day, roasted or cooked the meat before neighbors
and relatives from afar arrived. My father used to invite
all to share our feast.
|
|
|
From dawn, Chapati’s aroma filled the
air. There was no isyo (corn and beans) or ngima
(cornmeal). Everything seemed to look or sound new, even
though brewed in the same African pots. Men who had
little or no exposure to the English language, after
sipping a few calabashes of traditional liquor spoke
English—to the best of their abilities. You could hear a
man say, “You me blood” that is, you are a relative, or
“You play don’t no more me with” you, don’t play with me
anymore. My favorite was when someone, pointing at
Chapati said, “Son, chapati eat?” Son, have you eaten a
chapati? The structure of the language didn’t matter. It
was Christmas.
Christmas was the only day each year we tethered cows
and goats because their keepers were where the action
was. The deserted rivers and other water sources
attested to the importance of this day.
Christmas Mass was a welcome relief. Bishop Albanus
Kioko conducted mass absolution sparing me the agony of
burdening a priest with my indulgences. I longed for his
last line of the mass, “Inukai misa niyathelaaa,” go
home, the mass is over. It was a sentence welcomed by
those with a date.
|
|
I lived for Christmas—the only day my
family had Chapatis in the 60s. In 1966, Christmas
events took an unexpected turn. There was no Chapati—essentially
becoming the only 24 months in my life when Christmas
didn’t happen. In 1967, as my mother was cooking the
first Christmas Chapati, steaming cooking oil splashed
from the frying pan and landed on my bare chest. The
burn created a constant physical reminder of the
vulgarities of impoverished living.
I recall the Christmas I celebrated a few weeks after my
mother bought me my first underwear at 13 and another
when my mother gave me my first shoes when I was 17.
What more could a young Kangundo man ask for on
Christmas? Chapati, goat’s meat, underwear and shoes and
mass followed by active dating, the elements of
Christmas memories time cannot erase. |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
In some parts of Kenya, there are children who will not
have Chapati (fried tasty wheat bread) this Christmas.
Many children and their parents in Kenya are starving to
death as a result of a famine brought about by three
consecutive years of drought.
My earliest recollection of the hurtful experience of
hunger was in the mid 1960s. We ate one meal a day at
night. It was Ngima ya muvya, dough made of millet
flour. It tasted like soil. But we had “food.” In 1972,
there was another famine that again relegated my family
to one solid meal at night and porridge for lunch.
|
 |
PHOTO CAPTION:
Children watch their mothers receive corn and beans.
The food was bought by the Boise based Faith Evangelical
church members. |
|
Both famines were short lived and families were able to
return to reasonably diverse dietary portions. The
current famine catastrophe has brought bad memories of
students fainting in class because of hunger. I recall a
woman who had to go to a neighbor’s garden at night to
steal bananas after her son had starved to near death.
This 2007-2009 famine has reached a new, albeit
devastating height. It’s killing my neighbors. I was
born and raised is an area with average to above average
rainfall, I have never heard of anyone dying of hunger
like in drier parts of the country. My father just
informed me a neighbor I know died. I went to school
with his children. By developing nation’s standards, his
family was a middle class.
In some parts of the country, schools have had to close
to allow pupils to scavenge for food. Johnston Kiseve, a
pastor I have known for twenty five years talked of how
hunger has forced women, even churchgoers to unthinkable
acts of prostitution to save their children. It is
heartbreaking to think of the repercussions of these low
acts in areas where deaths from aids are more common
than births.
What, however, is humbling is to know how possible it is
to save lives. The congregation of the Boise based Faith
Evangelical Church has donated about $4,000 this year.
People have given $5, $10 or whatever their heart feels
moved to give. That has fed over 1,000 people. Mothers
are spared the agony of watching their children die or
becoming prostitutes.
Not a single penny is send to the corrupt officials or
used for administrative costs. All, 100% of the
contributions is used to help mothers feed their
children. We require and get the names of all
recipients, the number of the members in their families
and the quantity of corn and beans they receive.
|
 |
Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope
Idaho United Credit Union
P.O Box 2268
Boise, ID 83701
or to any group that is already helping with the
situation. To learn more about the situation, just
Google Kenya famine or call (208) 376-8734
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
When you purchase Overcoming
Buffaloes at Work & in Life (our best seller):
|
 |
Your will receive a free Chapati recipe and the recipes of
5
other classic meals we ate in Kangundo |
 |
30% of your investment will be donated to help the Kyumvi
families affected by famine |
 |
You will receive Dr. Kituku’s inspirational poster…
Top 45 Must Know Lessons for Top Achievers |
|
| |
|
ORDER Your copy NOW! |
|
To allow timely shipping and handling you need
to order at:
www.overcomingbuffaloes.com
BEFORE the 19th December, 12:01 p.m. Mountain Time. |
|
Or call (208) 376-8724, 1-800-685-1621.
24/7 FAX: (208) 323-7612 |
|
|
 |
Is having balanced life in chaotic times
important for you? |
|
|
Do you want proven strategies on how to be the
CEO of your life? |
|
|
Have you learned how to re-discover and use your
un-used talents? |
|
|
Do you want to learn how to be creative,
motivated and focused on
your goals? |
|
|
Is having a positive perspective on life every
Monday morning something you want? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
If so, Overcoming Buffaloes at
Work & in Life will equip you and your organization.
Overcoming Buffaloes at Work & in Life
provides practical tools to help individuals, corporations,
public and nonprofit organizations, teams and families increase
productivity, provide exceptional customer service, and stay
motivated and focused. The fresh ideas in this book will take
you to new heights of work experiences without leaving your life
behind.
Book specifications:
ISBN: 978-1-60585-958-3
Hardcover with glossy dust jacket, 5.5 by 8.5
112 pages
Retail price:
$19.99 US
$25.99 Canada
|
|
|
 Dear
Vincent…As a trainer, I truly recognize the importance of
stories. I am in awe of your gift to succinctly and
powerfully put words to a story or experience…I would be the
first in line at the book signing. Thank you
Shelli Elmer, Employee
Training and Development Manager,
Lumbermens Underwriting Alliance |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
Native of Kenya, Africa, and resident of
Idaho since 1992, Vincent has been a featured speaker
and trainer at numerous Real Estate conferences and
training programs. An award winning speaker and writer,
he is one of the less than 7% of all professional
speakers to earn a CSP (Certified Speaking
Professional), the highest award for professional
speakers. Dr. Kituku has worked with championship sports
teams and trained leaders on how to inspire productivity
all the time. What sets Vincent apart is his ability to
weave life experiences in Africa with corporate America
and culture in providing solutions for personal and
professional growth. |
|
|
Dr. Vincent Muli Wa Kituku is known as a research-based
motivational speaker. He presents motivational keynotes
and training programs on leadership, employee
motivation, overcoming buffaloes at work (change),
customer service and living and working with cultural
differences. Vincent is the founder and president of
Kituku & Associates, LLC, a business that is dedicated
to developing leaders and employees in business and in
life.
What has set Dr. Kituku apart is the ability to use his
experience in research to evaluate/assess client needs
and then tailor his keynotes/training presentation to
meet their objectives. Harold G. Delamarter,
President/CEO, Prestige Care Inc. said, "Before the
Retreat, Dr. Kituku gained as much information as
possible about our company and the industry we are
involved in. He made telephone calls to management team
members to tailor his seminar very closely to the needs
of our employees and the circumstances they face each
day in the present economy. Dr. Kituku was so widely
received in July, the decision was made to ask him to
return to again present to our company in October."
Vincent's clients list includes Cisco Systems, Micron,
Hewlett Packard, Genworth Financial, US Fish and
Wildlife, US Air Force, Women Council of Realtors and
National Association of Mental Health. He has been the
motivational speaker for the successful Boise State
Football Team since 1998. Dr. Kituku works have been
featured by numerous publications including the
Presentations Magazine, SkyWest Magazine, National
Speakers Association Magazine and many newspapers which
publish his weekly columns. Vincent holds the Certified
Speaking Professional designation that is earned by
fewer than 7% of all speakers worldwide.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
If results are important to you, then
Dr Vincent Muli Kituku is the speaker/trainer for your group.
Call
(208) 376-8724, or email Vincent directly at
Vincent@kituku.com |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Read Dr.
Kituku’s newest articles online at:
www.kituku.com,
Idahopress.com,
Casper Star Tribune
Idahostatesman.com, Argus Observer, Business IQ, Post Register,
Idaho Catholic Register, Idaho Press Tribune, Idaho Senior Citizen
News, and Presentations Magazine.
You can order Dr. Kituku’s books and tapes by any of the following
methods:
Telephone:
Call Toll free 1-888 685 1621 or (208)
376-8724.
Orders are mailed within 24 hours.
(Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted)
Mail order:
Send check or money order to:
KITUKU & ASSOCIATES
P.O. Box 7152
Boise, Idaho 83707.
Electronic Orders:
Order directly from
WWW.KITUKU.COM
while you are here.
Your information is confidential. Orders are mailed within 24 hours
after your information has been processed.
You can also order from
www.Amazon.com
(Note: not all books and tapes are sold at
www.Amazon.com).
|
|
|
|
|
|
To unsubscribe (and Dr. Kituku is sorry to see you go), please visit [list_unsubscribe_link]
or go to
WWW.KITUKU.COM.
You can unsubscribe from the home page.
SPECIAL NOTE: We learned that some emails were included in our list
by relatives
who
have enjoyed our newsletter. Please check with family and friends
before you request
us to
remove your email. Or write to us at
Kituku & Associates, 7761 W. Riverside, Ste 120, Boise, Idaho
83713 |
|
|
