I am shown here with Fiona Braund.  She is 10 years old in grade four at King George Public School in North Bay.  She is presenting me with a cheque for $36.50 that she raised at her schools recent street fair.  She made notepaper with hand drawn pictures that she sold for 50c.  We discussed what I could do with the money and decided that she would purchase 2 school uniforms so 2 girls in Kenya could begin school.  Elementary school is free, but uniforms are costly when you may make only $1.00 per day to look after an entire family.
My heart was singing when I left her school and I had tears in my eyes.  It is amazing that children here can see beyond themselves to help those who are less fortunate.  Thanks to Fiona for caring.

Speaking in Salem, Ontario

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to a group of 40 people in the village of Salem.  The talk was sponsored by the Salem Valley Quilters and was a wonderful evening.  They have a Grandmothers group in that area called the Apple Grannies and they came out to hear about the work we do in Kenya. 

 I was able to sell some of the Kenyan crafts that we bring back with us that are made by craftspeople that we help sponsor.  Before I began the talk the women crowded around the table of crafts and they purchased quite a bit of our products.

I was so delighted with the reception I received and the funds we were able to raise.  Between sales, the raffling of a quilt by the Quilters group and donations we raised $1150.00.  That will certainly go a long way in helping the elementary school we are building become a reality.
Thanks so much to the Salem Valley Quilters and Lenna Broatch for making the arrangements for this event.

The Next Trip to Kenya

Another trip to Kenya is coming up in September.  Kathy Hallett who was on last years trip, is again returning and Ken Perrin from Sturgeon Falls will be a new member of our small team.  We have several things to accomplish this year but our main goal is to try and get the school we are building in Kasavai Village close to completion.  There are 3 classrooms finished and all the outside toilets are done.  There are to be 8 classrooms and a teachers room and library.  Several families and groups have contributed to this project and without that support we would only be talking about building a school, not actually building one.  Neema School and the new home for the girls is now complete and we look forward to visiting it and to see what these young former at risk girls are accomplishing. 
There have been torrential rains in Kenya after the horrible drought last year.  The rains have caused so much damage that again many Kenyans will not have food so we are doing another food distribution this year for the widows and grandmothers who are the poorest of the poor.

I am off to Brighton next week to speak about our work in Kenya to a group who are interested in what we are doing.  Steve Dreany will be accepting a cheque from Harriet Madigan's Living Fit Group next Thursday.  This group has been our most consistent supporter since Hope2kenya was formed and I am so grateful to each and everyone of the women who make up this group.

Education

I haven't written a blog since November. A lot has happened in that time. We received a cheque from St Hubert School in North Bay for $940.00 that the students and staff raised by collecting change. What an excited time for us since these funds will help build a classroom at our new school in Kasavai village. A couple was at the school Christmas assembly when we received the cheque and called me. I met with them and they gave me a cheque for $1250.00 from their family. The funds will help with school supplies for the new school and another classroom. While I was at their place his mom called and when she found out what the family was doing, she and her husband sent a cheque for $1000.00 and another classroom is on the way.

The picture above shows the beginning of the building of the new school. This school will have 8 classrooms, a teacher's room, a library for the school and community and hopefully a community room. I feel so blessed that people have responded to help this village in Kenya. We take education for granted here and it is such a priviledge in so many other parts of the world.

This is the new Neema Vocational School that was completed recently and on January 15, 2012 several at risk and street girls started. They will take reading, writing and mathematics to gain basic skills, three days of intensive sewing classes, 1 session each week on how to begin a busisness from nothing plus counselling sessions and basic life skills classes.

This is such an exciting project that we helped fund and is being run by Transformed International. This will give many young women a chance to have a decent life.

What can I do?

I spoke to a Women's Coffee group yesterday in Powassan and this morning I was at a grade 4/5 class at Trussler School in North Bay. I love talking about the work Hope2Kenya does and enjoy answering questions about how people can help.

With Christmas coming up it dawned on me that there are many things that could be done to help the children in Kenya. A uniform costs $20.00 and that will enable a child to go to school. Many families can't afford that money so many children do not have the priviledge of attending school. Most of the families we work with are headed by widows or grandmothers and a chicken can be purchased for $5.00 and if it is a "layer," it can give the family eggs to eat and the rest can be sold. $25.00 will purchase school supplies for an entire classroom and $10.00 will purchase corn meal to make ugali and feed a family for a week.

There are so many things that we can do at Christmas to help make someone's life a little easier. Think of the people in our own communities who might need some help as well. Taking baking to someone who can't get out of the house; shoveling snow for a neighbour when the white stuff arrives; or visiting someone who is housebound. Remember it doesn't always have to be about money it can also be about giving of our time.

Think outside the box this holiday season and help others in some small way.

Another great craft show

Today was another great craft show at the Best Western in North Bay. We did extremely well and that means more funds for the craft co-operatives that make so many of the articles that we bring back. It was great to share with so many people today what we are doing in Kenya. Thanks to everyone who came for a visit or purchased something from us. Thanks to team members Ada & Steve Dreany and Sandra Brownlee. A very special thank you to Brigit, Ada and Steve's daughter from Ottawa, who helped us out for several hours before she left to go back home. It was a wonderful day.

Another craft show

This is a photo from the craft table at the Davedi Club last weekend. Today Kathy Hallett and I had a Hope2Kenya table at Trinity Church's Tea & Bazaar. We had a great afternoon and it is wonderful when people stop and talk and we are able to share with them about what we did in Kenya on this past trip.

Tomorrow is our last big craft show at the Best Western Hotel from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. We have saved a little of everything for all our craft shows and we have some wonderful things that would make great gifts for Christmas while benefitting the groups in Kenya.

Thanks to everyone who has purchased crafts from us.