EXCHANGE STUDENTS KENYAN PEN PALS' LETTERS ARRIVE.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders  Staff Writer

NORTH HILLS - Third-grade students at Vintage Magnet Elementary School got an early lesson in world geography and cultural affairs Wednesday, reading letters and watching video footage from their pen pals in Africa.

Last February about 100 students at the school sent letters and beaded bracelets to third-graders at Nthunguni (pronounced Thoon-goon-ee) Primary School in the east African nation of Kenya. The replies came back Wednesday.

``I think it's really cool,'' said 8-year-old Ian Martin Arujo of Mission Hills, holding his letter from 8-year-old Mwangangi Philip, which included a drawing of a school, elephant and a monkey.

``And I think they're good draw-ers, especially this elephant.''

The exchange was organized by the nonprofit group Project Jambo. Jambo director Sue Gilbert recently returned from a trip to the African school and delivered the letters and video showing the Kenyan students singing and dancing.

``It's fabulous,'' said Vintage Principal Esta Herman. ``It exposes them to something beyond their little world and it teaches them about kids from other cultures.''

Arujo said he planned to write his pen pal in the summer.

``And I'll send stamps so he can write back.''

For more information about Project Jambo (``jambo'' means ``hello'' in Swahili), check out the Web site at www.projectjambo.org.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

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3 photos

Photo:

(1) Vintage Magnet third-graders Richard Arreola, Khalil Semien and Devon Hawkins, from left, read a letter that arrived Wednesday from a pen pal at Nthunguni School in Kenya, part of Project Jambo - an international program for kids.

(2 -- 3) Ian Martin Arujo, right, shows off the letter he received from a Kenyan pen pal. Sue Gilbert of Project Jambo, below, shows a picture of a Kenyan kitchen to Vintage Magnet students.

Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer