Kids for Kenya

Opening Day!

2010-01-19T19:49:00.001-08:00

Hi, Polly and Trillium

We opened school yesterday HH was already flocked with parents and kids by the time I arrived there, everyone was eager to hear and know the way forward.

I was frank to tell them that we had been given just three months to vacate from the slum area according to information from the District Officer who represents the government

The parents not knowing where else to take their children agreed in unison that we should put up temporary structures for kids to continue with classes as we look for a way to solve the problem, parents and guardians immediately started raising money to buy poles while others went ahead to start construction. I was so shocked on how these people proved their love for the school.

The community loves and trusts HH so much that even with no proper classes right now we are getting new parents who are asking for vacancies for thier children who are either not in school or are in another school that is not performing well academically.

At HH we are putting up classes for the babies and small kids who cannot cross the road to the church that we haverented to hold temporary classes. Classes four,five,six,seven,eight,form one,form two,form three and form four are learning from the church, for us to create good learning class like environment, we need to do timber and ply wood partitions that will be put aside every Saturday to create room for the church on Sunday, the primary kids are learning from the church hall while secondary have been given each a room that is normally used by the Sunday school kids

The demolsion and the one to come in March has caused so many families to move,not all the kids have reported .I cannot tell who will be coming back but we can know this for sure at the end of this month. I feel hopeful to have had as many as we have return.

Am of the idea of us looking for land for HH, land that will not be in the slum and not far from the slums, it is difficult to get such land but we are continuing to scout around, then we can start fundraising starting with the money that has been raised for rebuilding HH, we need to look for a long term solution to this.

The present HH is made of tin roof and polythene wall we have made very temporary, we do not want to incure any cost then experience great loses later.

Am attaching photos of the school opening day now

Beatrice

Very Bad News

2010-01-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Dear community,

We have received terrible news about Humble Hearts, our sister school in Nairobi, Kenya. The school and surrounding neighborhood was flattened by bulldozers just a few days ago. It has been difficult to get information, but it has been confirmed that the school has been destroyed. The slum in which the school had been located, Sinai (Paradise), is a narrow, seven-mile long area atop a buried petroleum pipeline managed by the federally-owned Kenya Pipeline Company, to which all of the residents pay rent. There are no laws in Kenya protecting against forceful evictions, or even requiring that residents be notified before such evictions take place.

Below is the latest update from our dear friend, Beatrice Anunda, the director of Humble Hearts, who discovered what had happened to her school upon the return from her wedding. This is of tremendous impact for the surrounding community, as well as the students and their families. Humble Hearts had been the primary source of water for the neighborhood, and the source of the only daily meal taken by many of the children.

I will continue to post updates here on the blog. If you are moved to assist the Humble Hearts community, Kids for Kenya sends 100% of all donations directly to Humble Hearts. Checks should be made payable to “Kids for Kenya” and sent care of Trillium Charter School, 5420 N Interstate Avenue, Portland, OR 97211.

Peace and blessings this holiday season,

Thank You so much to the whole Trillium community for your support through our Shop Africa fundraiser. We were able to raise over Two thousand dollars, which we have wired directly to Beatrice. Through amazing timing of having this money available we were able to begin to provide some emergency assistance.

Peace in this holiday season,

Kids for Kenya

Hello friends of Humble Hearts,

The information you got is very true, the school was completely flattened while I was in the remote interior of Malindi coast where my husband George comes from after my wedding. When it all happened at 3am, my mum and my sisters were called and ran to the scene. They found the bulldozers and armed policemen streaming in - not even the wails of women and children could stop them. As they were demolishing the neighboring houses, people were helping to remove the desks and books. It is only the school that was allowed to removed some of the belongings in a hurry, but the residents were not given even a second families were left homeless in a blink of an eye.

I am so mad at the government because they they now say all the demolition was done by mistake: the pipeline company has nothing to do with it. No one seems ready to tell the truth. We are being told to rebuild again with no compensation at all. All the affected persons have been called for a meeting tomorrow. Some residence have started rebuilding. I want us to wait and hear what the government officials have to say and am working on strategies of raising funds to rebuild by approaching local companies and banks to assist in which ever small way, unfortunately many offices are on Christmas break and they say we should try January.

Thanks so much for your encouraging words and concerns. The whole of HH is mourning. I am being asked so many questions on the way forward from both the children, parents and the e community, it is now that people have realized that HH has had a positive impact on many.

So far nothing has been done. Its just today that i have been able to get some money for internet. We will appreciate any help you can offer towards this. I will keep you posted. I continue approaching more and more people for help as school must open come January.

My wedding was great George's family helped in making the day a success we are grateful to God and all of you who contributed through gifts and well wishes.

A merry Christmas to you and your families

Beatrice

Letter from Beatrice, very sad news

2009-12-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

The school was completely destroyed, we are working on seeing if we can rebuild it again but after we know that their will be no more demolishes. The deaf children will continue school at the new building. I have attached photos of the demolition
Beatrice

Click the images to see a larger version

Shop Africa This Holiday Season

2009-11-29T11:49:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
Please take a moment to read our flier showing all the details of Shop Africa. Kids for Kenya has been doing this successful fundraiser for the past three years it has raised thousands of dollars for our partner school Humble Hearts in Nairobi Kenya. Please take a moment to peruse the beautiful Kenyan crafts and the Kids for Kenya artisans creations in the front lobby.
Thank you for for your support ,
Peace in this holiday season,
Kids for Kenya

Question ask Polly

Letter to Families

2009-01-19T14:57:00.001-08:00

January 19, 2009

Dear Kids for Kenya parents and guardians,

Happy New Year, happy Martin Luther King, Jr, Day, and happy Inauguration Day. We are entering the exciting home stretch in our preparation for leaving for Kenya in March and would like to share a number of activities and ideas. This is a very exciting time for all of us Kids for Kenya. Polly and I feel more confident and prepared for this trip than ever before, though ironically, I think we have done a poor job of communicating this thus far to families, something I regret. I realized through conversations with parents and students that as my personal comfort with the trip has increased, my communication around it has decreased. That is a foolish oversight on my part, and I apologize for it. I am grateful to the students and parents who kindly helped me see this perspective. To that end, here is information that we trust will help everyone feel more connected to the trip.

We are going to Kenya! In this letter you will find information about:
• A Mandatory Parent Meeting
• Our trip itinerary
• Our daily schedule while there
• What to pack
• Information about vaccines and medicines

Mandatory parent meeting.
On Friday, February 13th, at 6:30 in Ken’s room, we will discuss the trip as a group. Students are not required to attend, but are welcome. We will discuss all of the below information, discuss preparation, and answer questions about the trip.

Balance due.
The $500 balance of payment for the trip is due on or before March 1st. Checks made payable to Trillium Charter School can be given directly to Polly or Ken.

Flight information.
We have purchased tickets! Hurray! We will give each parent an official itinerary at the meeting, but here are the basics:
• The way there:
o We depart from Portland on March 7th at 4:18 p.m. on United Airlines.
o We arrive in San Francisco 6:05 pm and depart 6:53pm.
o We arrive in London March 8th at 1:20 pm, and depart on Kenyan airlines at 7:00 pm.
o We arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at 6:30 am on Monday, March 9th.
• The way back:
o We depart from Nairobi on Kenyan Airlines at 11:59 pm on March 21.
o We arrive in London on March 22nd at 6:25 am, and depart on United Airlines at 9:25 am.
o We arrive in San Francisco at 1:30 pm, and depart at 3:57 pm.
o We arrive back in Portland at 5:40 pm on March 22nd.

Hotel and contact information. We will be staying at the Rusam Villa Guest house, a trusted location which we personally know and with which we have developed a good relationship. In the event of an emergency, the simplest way to get a hold of us in Kenya is to contact the guest house. They will at all times know where we are and how to get a hold of us. The Rusam’s contact information:
Rusam Villa Guest House
P.O.Box 4327 Nairobi-Kenya.
Telephone: 254-02-799979/0733893915
Fax: 254-02-799979
Email: rusamvilla@yahoo.com
Website:www.rusamvillanairobi.50megs.com

Day to day itinerary
In general: For the majority of our time in Kenya, we will be engaged in service at Humble Hearts or Angel Cottage. Except for our safari in southern Kenya, we will spend each night at the Rusam Guest House, where we will take both breakfast and dinner. The close proximity of the school to the Rusam allows us to walk to and fro each day safely. Each morning, we will leave just after breakfast, at about 8:30, to begin our day of service. After our day at the school, we walk back to the guest house, and have a forty five minute mandatory meeting to check in about our next day’s plan and process the day’s events.
• 7:30 am – breakfast.
• 8:30 am – leave for our day of service.
• 9:00 am – 5:00 pm: Service. See more detailed descriptions below.
• 5:00 pm – Arrive back at Rusam Guest House.
• 6:00 pm - Dinner.
• 7:00 pm. Mandatory group meeting.
• 7:00 – 10:00 pm – Student free time at the Rusam.
• 10:00 – Lights out.

Day by day:
• March 9th: Arrival.
o We arrive in Nairobi at 6:30 a.m. We will go to Humble Hearts School and spend the morning meeting the teachers and students and getting a lay of the land. We will leave school in the afternoon making it a short day after all of our travel.
• March 10th: Service and study.
o We will focus on building, painting and gardening projects in the morning. In the afternoon, our students will join their Kenyan counter parts in a social studies lesson co-taught by Ken and a Humble Hearts teacher preparing the students for a field trip we will go on the next morning.
• March 11th: Field Trip.
o We will go on a field trip to the Nairobi History Museum with high school students from Humble Hearts.
• March 12th: Projects.
o Arrive at school early and spend the day working on projects.
o Student’s can:
 Do building projects with Ken.
 Help Polly teach art classes.
 Work in the school kitchen.
 Work on painting projects around the school with humble hearts students.
• March 13th-15th: Safari.
o We leave Nairobi at 8:30 on Friday morning. We will travel for the early part of the day and arrive in the afternoon. We will go on different safaris on Friday, Saturday and early Sunday. We will arrive back in Nairobi in the afternoon on Sunday, March 15th. All details and accommodation information will be available at our meeting.
• March 16th - March 18th : Angel Cottage.
o We will be going to Angel Cottage Orphanage and the new location of Humble Hearts School, currently under construction. We will help paint and prepare the rooms for the students to move in the coming months. We will work on building a chicken area, put in a water collection system, and begin work on a garden for the school and orphanage.
• March 19th -20th : Last Days.
o We will spend our lasts days at the school:
 Participating in Humble Hearts girls and boys groups.
 Finishing projects
 Having a celebration with our friends.
• March 21st – Departure Day.
o Spend the day at the hotel preparing for travel.

Money needs.
Costs of all travel to, from and around Kenya, as well as accommodations and food, are covered in the cost of the trip. Personal spending money is not included in the cost. During the majority of our time in Kenya, we will be engrossed in service and there will be no need for personal spending. During travel, and during a trip to the market, students will have the opportunity to purchase items.
London: Students may want spending money for the London airport. We will be there twice for several hours. An ATM card or prepaid Visa card is ideal to avoid having to change money. (If this is difficult to obtain, Polly and Ken can exchange money for the students while there.) London is very expensive currently and it will cost about twenty five dollars for a meal.
Nairobi: When we arrive in Nairobi, we will go to the grocery store a few times for supplies and snacks, twenty-five dollars will easily cover these. All meals are covered in the cost of the trip, this is for any extra wants. We pay a small fee to use the internet. Average use will cost about fifteen dollars for the whole two weeks. The only other money need is buying souvenirs. We will go to the market once or twice; fifty to a hundred dollars will get you lots of scarves, jewelry, bowls, masks and more. I have also gone and spent twenty dollars and come away very happy. It really depends on your child’s expectation, and your shopping wants. All money for Nairobi should be in the largest, newest bills you can get. It sounds bizarre, but newer, fresher American money gets a better exchange rate than older, tattered bills.
Polly and Ken are happy to personally carry and manage student money. There will be a safe in the guest house in which to leave valuables once we arrive.

Communication.
Students will have the opportunity every other day to send emails. We will send out an e-tree message every other day with trip updates. Parents needing to contact students can most easily do so through email. In the event of an emergency, parents could call the Rusam Guest House, who will be able to call Polly or Ken directly. It will not be possible to dial our cell phones directly from the United States, but the Rusam will answer their land line at any hour of the day or night.

Emergency plan.
Both Ken and Polly will have cell phones at all times. Our friends and partners at Humble Hearts are extremely considerate and conscious of our safety. After three years of partnership, we have developed many trusted contacts and advisors in Nairobi. We have registered with the US Embassy in Nairobi. Kenya is currently enjoying a stable political time. In the unlikely event of any problems, the Embassy will directly and immediately advise us on an appropriate plan.

Documentation.
Students will need a valid US passport and birth certificate for travel. If possible, please bring passports and birth certificate to the meeting so that we may make copies of them for our records. We will travel with two copies of these documents in case an original is lost or stolen. If you have not received your passport yet, we must have two copies before we travel. A
Visa is required to enter Kenya. We will fill out the Visa forms at the meeting. Polly and Ken will file and pay for them as we enter the country.

Packing list.
Students will bring to Kenya only what they can fit in their carry-on. Yes, really. We will pack all of our checked luggage with clothing and supplies we will be donating to Humble Hearts. It will be summer when we are in Kenya. The temperature ranges from seventy to ninety degrees. Students will wear pants each day to the school. They can wear long shorts or skirts when we go on safari or at the hotel. All clothing should be modest and not flashy. Kenya is a conservative country, and we should dress accordingly. We will have the opportunity to hand wash and hang clothes at the hotel.
We suggest:
• 3-4 pair of pants.
o Jeans are ideal for the school, but light weight pants are also good for packing, washing and the climate.
• 5 light weight t-shirts.
• 1 light weight jacket or sweat shirt.
• 2 pairs of shoes. One pair should be sturdy and good for walking on rocky, muddy ground. The other pair can be sandals or sneakers for the hotel or travel.
• Socks and underwear for five days.
• Toiletries and health supplies.
o When students go to the doctors for vaccines they should ask about travel clinic supplies for Kenya. This will include Imodium, one broad spectrum antibiotic, and re-hydration salts.
o Pain killers with which the student feels comfortable.
o Sun screen.
o Bug repellent (Deet free).
o Polly and Ken will have extras of all of these things in our first aid kits, but it is important that students do not rely solely on us for these supplies.
o You will not need to bring a towel.
• Backpack or bag.
o You may choose to carry your clothing in a back pack or small rolling bag. You can also carry a small personal bag for plane needs (your ‘purse’); this bag will also double as your everyday bag to carry water, jacket, and daily supplies around Nairobi.
• Money bag.
o Students will need a small money purse to wear under their clothes. It is very important that students keep all valuables put away. There are many different types to wear around your neck or waist. Look for one that feels comfortable for your child.
• Camera.
o Theft is an issue in Kenya, anything students have out in public can be at risk. It is, however, an opportunity to get some amazing pictures, so any camera your child takes will be an asset, but will also run the risk of not coming home.
• Healthful packaged snacks .
o Nuts, dried fruit, and protein bars (Cliff, Luna bars) become somewhat of a commodity between students on the trip. We will spend long days at the school. Our only opportunity to eat will be the school lunch. Your child may want to have an additional snack or a substitute. After a week of relying on your peanut butter Cliff bars, you will be thrilled to trade another student for some dried strawberries.
• Water bottle.
o One refillable, wide-mouth, Nalgeen-style water bottle.
• Laptops, iPods, video cameras.
o We suggest bringing the absolute minimum of what your student needs in this category. Kenya is a poor country. Flashy, relatively expensive items such as these are tempting even to honest people who are living in poverty. Students bring these items at their own risk.
• And, yes, you really can fit all of this into a carry-on bag.

Medical information.
This part has a tendency to sound kid of scary. Please understand that many of these are routine precautions taken when travelling to developing countires. Most of this information is take directly from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov. Links listed below will take you to more information on their site.
Routine Vaccinations. Before travel, be sure your child is up to date on all routine immunizations according to schedules approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP). See the schedule for adults and the schedule for infants and children. Some schedules can be accelerated for travel.
See your doctor at least 4–6 weeks before your trip to allow time for shots to take effect. If it is less than 4 weeks before you leave, you should still see your doctor. It might not be too late to get your shots or medications as well as other information about how to protect yourself from illness and injury while traveling.
Recommended Vaccinations. The following vaccines are recommended for travel to East Africa. Discuss your travel plans and personal health with a health-care provider to determine which vaccines you will need.
• Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG). Transmission of hepatitis A virus can occur through direct person-to-person contact; through exposure to contaminated water, ice, or shellfish harvested in contaminated water; or from fruits, vegetables, or other foods that are eaten uncooked and that were contaminated during harvesting or subsequent handling.
• Hepatitis B, especially if you might be exposed to blood or body fluids (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11–12 years who did not receive the series as infants.
• Meningococcal (meningitis) if you plan to visit countries in this region that experience epidemics of meningococcal disease during December through June, (see see Map 4-9 on the Meningoccocal Disease page).
• Rabies, pre-exposure vaccination, if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas, such as might occur during camping, hiking, or bicycling, or engaging in certain occupational activities.
• Typhoid vaccine. Typhoid fever can be contracted through contaminated drinking water or food, or by eating food or drinking beverages that have been handled by a person who is infected. Large outbreaks are most often related to fecal contamination of water supplies or foods sold by street vendors
• As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria, measles, and a one-time dose of polio vaccine for adults.
• Yellow fever vaccination may be required for entry into certain countries in East Africa.
Malaria. Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. Humans get malaria from the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Your risk of malaria may be high in all countries in East Africa, including cities. All travelers to East Africa, including infants, children, and former residents of East Africa, may be at risk for malaria. Prevent this serious disease by seeing your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites. All travelers should take one of the following drugs:
• atovaquone/proguanil,
• doxycycline,
• mefloquine, or
• primaquine (in special circumstances).
For additional information on malaria risk and prevention, see Malaria Information for Travelers to East Africa .

Additional information and forms will be available at the meeting, including:
• Medical release form
• Medical history forms
• Notarized medical consent forms
• Notarized travel letter

Ways parents, relatives, and friends can help.
We will be bringing a tremendous amount of donated clothing, educational materials, and art supplies in our luggage to Nairobi. We have already secured many, many donations, but are still looking for:
• Packs of paint brushes
• Packs of pencils
• Rulers
• Pens
• First aid supplies to donate to the school.
• Old bags or suitcases into which we can pack our donated materials.
• Help packing the clothing and supplies.
• Help picking up donated goods from around town.

We look forward to seeing all of you on Friday, February 13th. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Best,

Ken and Polly
Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Update and Sponsorship Opportunities

2008-12-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

December 26, 2008

Dear Kids for Kenya Supporters,

Happy Holidays to you all. We hope this letter finds you safe, warm, and healthy this holiday season. We are excited to be able to relay some of the news and updates from Kids from Kenya and our sister community in Nairobi, Humble Hearts and Angel Cottage.

Trillium was delighted to host Beatrice Anunda, founder and director of Humble Hearts, for 4 weeks earlier this fall. Kids for Kenya raised funds to sponsor Beatrice’s visit. The leader of a progressive program that integrates deaf and hearing students, Beatrice was able to visit schools that serve deaf children in many parts of the United States. The Kids for Kenya students, past and present, were thrilled to meet Beatrice in person. A number of the founding members of the group, who were not able to go on our earlier service trip, were particularly touched to meet Beatrice, seeing her visit to the United States as the realization of their hard work and vision. We look forward to continuing this exchange in the years to come, hoping to sponsor other teachers, and students, from the HH community to live and study here in the United States.

Trillium Kids for Kenya have been preparing for our upcoming trip to Nairobi in March. The twelve students who will take part in our biannual service trip (three of them trip veterans) have been attending a twice-weekly early morning class focusing on the history and culture of Kenya, and the realities of international travel and service. On top of each student’s work to raise money for his/her own travel expenses, students are working to raise money for the projects we will undertake while we are in Kenya.

To that end, the Shop Africa drive has brought in over $1000 in two weeks, despite Trillium being closed for the three days just before holiday break due to snowy weather. Shop Africa allows Kids for Kenya supporters to purchase hand-made Kenyan crafts such as scarves, jewelry, and dolls with one hundred percent of the proceeds going directly back to Humble Hearts and Angel Cottage. Despite some logistical difficulties in getting the operation running this year, the Kids for Kenya Coffee Cart has brought in about $150 as of the beginning of December. Our largest fund-raiser, Africa Night, features performances, speakers, and food and will be held at Trillium in mid-February.

During Beatrice’s visit, we were fortunate to be able to spend many hours discussing the goals and future of Humble Hearts, Angel Cottage, and Kids for Kenya. Beatrice laid out the current state of her home community and helped us design the goals for our upcoming service trip. (A letter directly from Beatrice is posted below.) Beatrice helped us to understand some of the new obstacles her community is facing, including water shortages which frequently leave residents without access to water for three to four days at time. The high cost of food continues to be a challenge in providing proper nutrition for the students. The construction of the new school building and orphanage has come to a halt as the cost of supplies, particularly concrete and steel, has dramatically increased in the past year. Completion of the new building is crucial for Humble Hearts. The property has already been purchased and the structure is over fifty percent finished. Beatrice’s plan for creating a lasting, sustainable program depend entirely on being able to move into this terrific new space.

Beatrice, Polly, and Ken have designed several programs that we believe will help address a number of these issues. Trillium students are currently working on models for water collection systems that would be inexpensive and sustainable for the HH community. We look forward to implementing such a system during our upcoming service trip. We will also work with our HH community members to design and install a garden, chicken coop, and housing for a cow. These resources will help provide needed nutrients for the community as well as generate a small income. We hope to support HH in developing a solar water heating system for purposes of health and sanitation in serving such a large population of young people.

With the help of Kids for Kenya, and other international supporters, HH will be able to complete their new building to provide a safer, drier, more reliable facility that can accommodate many more students, and allow for such facilities as the garden and farm. Currently the orphanage sleeps three children in beds designed for only one, with a total of 40 boys and girls in cramped quarters. The new building will have space for 120 beds, a kitchen with electricity, and room for the kids to play outdoors. Angel Cottage is the only orphanage in all of Kenya that serves deaf children. Abandoned and living in the slums, from toddlers to teens, deaf Kenyan youth find nourishment, safety, and hope in this compassionate institution.

Our work in Africa relies on donations from our supporters. Please consider giving to Kids for Kenya in order for us to continue our work in Nairobi. Below is a list of ways in which supporters can sponsor our sister community in Kenya. All donations are tax-deductible and contributions of any amount are sincerely appreciated. Whether you choose to contribute $8 to purchase a warm blanket for the orphanage, or $3000 to finance the cow project, your generosity means a great deal to the people we are able to help.

As always, please feel free to contact us with questions or comments. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.

Warm regards,

Polly Christopher, Ken Gadbow, and the Kids for Kenya

Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org, Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Kids for Kenya
Trillium Charter School
5420 North Interstate Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97217

Helping Humble Hearts

2008-12-31T14:40:00.001-08:00

Helping Humble Hearts
A fundraiser for the Humble Hearts School and Angel Cottage Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. 100% of proceeds go directly to the school or orphanage.

$8 will purchase a warm blanket.
$10 will provide a hygiene pack (toothpaste, toothbrush, sanitary products, etc.)
$10 will provide a school supply pack (paper, pencils, notebooks, etc.)
$12 will provide a feminine hygiene pack
$12 will provide new clothes for a child at Humble Hearts or Angel Cottage.
$12 will provide a pair of shoes for an orphan.
$15 will provide a new mattress for the children at the orphanage.
$20 will provide food for a child for one month.
$25 will provide fruit for a whole week for every child in the school.
$50 will provide bricks to build the orphanage.
$85 will provide food for five children for one month.
$150 will provide food for ten children for one month.
$250 will fund the chicken project (chickens, shelter, water, feed)
$500 to fund the garden project (tools, plants, fertilizer, perimeter)
$1,000 will fund a water collection and filtering system
$3,000 will fund the cow project (cow, shelter, water, feed)
$20,000 will finish the new building (move in ready)

Kids for Kenya is a 501(c)3 non profit organization working under the umbrella of Trillium Charter School, tax ID 93-1310936.

Beatrice letter to supporters

2008-12-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

December 20, 2008

Dear friends of Humble Hearts:

I wish to pass our warm Christmas greetings and wish you a Happy 2009 as I also share with you brief highlight events of Humble Hearts 2008.
We have currently 250 children out of which forty are deaf and mute. These children learn and happily play together. HH was initially founded on the grounds of educating deaf children from the poor of the poorest Nairobi slum dwellers’ families. It was after thorough research that we realized that there was lack of communication between the deaf children, the community, and even their families. That is when the concept of bringing in their siblings to learn sign language came up. As we opened the door for their hearing siblings, they came in with their neighbors and friends, resulting to the current total number of 250 children.

Angel Cottage
Angel Cottage houses 35 deaf children. The house in which the children live was meant to be a temporary one-year solution for fourteen children as we looked for land to construct a better place in which to house them. With the 35 needy children, space for even playing cannot be seen. The children sit squeezed together when it is time to doing their homework. Instead of jumping around like other children, you will find them seated in groups signing stories to each other. No word is heard from them except for giggles which always tell they are enjoying each others company.
Rainy days are a nightmare since the children have to be alert to ensure that the water does not get into their rooms by draining out the water with buckets since there is no drainage to let the water out.
The challenges faced at Angel Cottage are just overwhelming. We have incidences of the children falling down from their beds. This is because the beds in which they sleep three are just meant for one child. Airborne diseases spread easily and very fast amongst them. We are always on the look out for any such crisis and seek temporary solutions.

Angel Cottage Construction
Constructing a permanent home for the children is the best solution. The construction has now been going on since 2006. The initial estimated funds to finish the construction were 3.5m Kenya Shillings, but the estimates have doubled with the inflation. Construction materials are going up every day. For instance, when we started building, cement was $5.8 right now it has gone to $11, which is almost double. We have currently built up to the wall plate. Our next major step is to construct the slab, do the finishing and have the children move in.
Sadly the construction has stopped due to lack of funds. The hopes of ever finishing the building are dwindling away each day.

Humble Request
We are kindly calling for urgent help from our friends all over the world to help us give these children a better place to stay, study, play and call home.
We thank God for help to pass us through 2008 peacefully. Our hearts are restless as we look forward to entering 2009 with the issue of the construction not yet solved.
Kindly let us put our heads together and think of ways and ideas that can help raise funds towards finishing the construction. We all at the end say we have run a good race, for this home will help many generations to come even after us.
I finally wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Two Thousand and Eight.

Your Friend,

Beatrice Anunda
Director Humble Hearts School
Nairobi,Kenya

Beatrice Reflects on US trip.

2008-12-26T22:10:00.000-08:00

My Trip to the United States of America 20th October -17th November 2008

After putting together all the right papers needed for this journey the big day finally arrived on the 20th of October which is a Kenyan public holiday. It all started like an idea from the teachers of Trillium Charter School in Portland Oregon when they paid us a visit in June of 2007 an idea that became a dream and finally a reality.

The Trillium team worked hard to get funds for air ticket and basic needs for me while there, I had been told by many people that the US is a developed country I was dieing to see it all for myself. The purpose of my trip was to get ideas that could make Humble Hearts School a better learning place and honestly my trip opened my eyes to a lot of things, I got ideas that could work well in our educational institutions.

In The Plane
The excitement was felt by everyone at HH we had never had anyone travel by plane to a far away country everyone was in prayer for my safe travel, good health and Gods favor in the foreign country. As I entered the plane I couldn’t help looking around as the plane was so huge and the services were great! I was in even more shock when I arrived at Heathrow Airport it was from there that everything just started looking different and I realized that I was indeed in the first world country the technology at the airport was amazing.

My first stop over was at Heathrow then Chicago and finally my destination Oregon Portland. I was met by Stephanie the director of Trillium Charter School we had dinner at a restaurant then later met with my host Polly who is also a teacher at the same school.

The first thing I noticed that amazed me were the good state of the roads that had minimum traffic if not any, something that we just wish and dream of here. Driving in Kenya is a nightmare the roads are full of pot holes and one can sit for two hours on the jam not forgetting motorist who are always ready to break the traffic rules. So you can now imagine it when I say the roads in America are in good state I really enjoyed them.

At Oregon Portland
The Trillium team arranged for me to go round the class and see how they teach I was even welcomed into most of their staff meetings I felt so much at home among these friendly community. As I watched the classes I realized that the children had a lot of freedom of speech they were very confident to air out there thoughts both in written and in spoken they related on very friendly levels with their teachers something that I really loved that is not common in Kenya I thought it would be a good idea to introduce this kind of system in our schools as way of that would help bring up a better generation that would then produce good leaders that would voice out the rights and needs of our country helping in eradicating poverty.

The Trillium teachers in this school were so committed to their work they worked tireless on both holidays and even extra hours on working days. They were always looking for better ideas to making the school a better.
The Trillium School has great technology I wished I could just carry some of these wonderful things back home, the classes have computers and on top of that they also have a computer laboratory, smart boards, spacious classes, kitchen where the children were served with lunch everyday I actually think the educational system there is well arranged.

At Trillium I had a chance to teach Kiswahili to the kids for Kenya these is a group in the school that organizes different children to visit Africa Kenya as they come they always do projects to better the situation at Humble Hearts School they have in the past made desks, shelves and gardening it is always a good time for kids from both schools to learn from each and makes long term friends.

I had a chance to visit the Portland Saturday Market, the Malls and Mt. Hood. I had a wonderful time in Portland it is actually at the courtesy of Trillium Charter School that I was able to travel all the away to the USA am forever grateful for their generosity.

My second week on the 3rd of November took me to Colorado Denver where I met with Kari Fillmore who runs Angel Covers foundation for needy children all over the world. Angel Covers has been working with Humble Hearts since 2004, it has raised funds to build classes, buy books and start the new angel Cottage construction which will be a better living place for the Needy deaf children that are currently living in a very pathetic state. Many of HH children have gotten sponsors through the Angel Covers Foundation
it was really exciting to be finally meet with other sponsors that work with Kari we had dinner and talked more on how to improve HH.

Kari arranged for me to have talks with different People so my visit was a really busy one, our first meeting was with the director of Colorado Association for the Deaf that is where I learnt of Gallaudet University that gives scholarships to the deaf people, we actually thought that these would work well with our deaf teachers.

Adam of 10/10 project an organization that helps with poverty eradication in Africa arranged for both Kari and I to meet with the director of Rocky Mountains School For The Deaf where we had an open discussion session with the pupils of the school and teachers the pupils were so amazed by how Kenya sign language was different from their American sign language we had a wonderful time their. Kari also arranged for a talk with the church where she fellowship and we had dinner invitation from one of the church members who was excited to help with micro financing the HH parents as why of eradicating poverty.

My appreciation goes to the Fillmore family were wonderful hosts and of course to the Angel Covers board members who took their time to come and have a word with me with me.

At Pennsylvania
The third week took me to PA Scranton my host was Sandy who is the director of Scranton State School For The Deaf here is where I got the most shock. The Scranton School is run by the state it has everything that you can never imagine could be in a public school in Kenya. Every class has smart boards and projectors, classes have wall to wall carpet the and a cafeteria where the children are served with milk, juice, fruits, tea, coffee, baritos, humbergas, saladas the variety of food was just over whelming and just like at Trillium the teachers really loved their work they work in all ways to ensure that the pupils understand what is being taught it is also a kind open communication system where the pupil/student are allowed to air out their views. Being a school for the deaf everyone communicated in sign language.

I had a chance to visit the dormitory area and was in more shock with our lucky this children were no one was sharing a bed the rooms are nicely decorated with pleasant homely colours their staff on stand by to assist the children in the dormitories these dormitories sincerely speaking look like five start hotels with every single technology that you can think of.

At the Scranton school I learnt new ways of teaching different languages to the deaf children our major challenge at HH right now is how to help our deaf children like and understand Kiswahili which they are finding very difficult, they have to learn three languages Kiswahili, Sign Language and English which makes it so confusing, we have now introduced teaching Sign language making sure that the children understand that it sign language then help them read it out in English then Kiswahili getting the right spellings and punctuation and understand their use we are using three mats to remind children when to sign and when to read the words as English or Kiswahili, This is an idea that I learnt and borrowed from SSSD.

From all the schools I visited I learnt that team work helps people share their ideas and work had to ensure that they performed well it actually gives them a sense of belonging. I had two of the SSSD write one year cheque as sponsors to a child at HH by the time I was leaving. We have currently formed team work departments at HH the teams are spilt in five different categories:
_ Academics
_ Extra Curricula Activities
_ Catering and Accommodation
_ Security
_ Administration.

Every depart has been structured to have a lead persons/teachers who are responsible for calling meeting to discuss on how to make their areas better and a teacher is allowed to be in more than one department. Leads persons of every department can call for their own meeting then later call for their teams to meet and talk about what was discussed.

I was fortunate to see the Halloween we do not celebrate here in Kenya it was really interesting to see orange pumpkins on almost every door step and scoopy stuff hanged outside and the children were really excited about it.

I had been to eight airports by the time I left the US namely Heathrow, Chicago, Colorado Denver, Portland Oregon, Newark, Scranton, Phoenix and of cause Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi. And stayed in NewYork, Scraton, Denver and Portland Oregon.

New York was the most amazing city of all I visited the Time Square where night and day were the same due to the flashy bright lights on the tall building, the population looked higher than in the other three states I had been to. I saw one naked man with a guitar in his hands he called himself the naked cowboy he was getting money from anyone who wanted to take a photo with him!

I realized that we are far from getting the technology that the American schools have but we can borrow knowledge that does need technology to be carried out. I still have fond memories in my mind of the beauty and technology of the US its my prayer that one day the whole of Africa will have the same, the right direction to these I realize is giving our children quality education so that they can become better tomorrow leaders.

Many thanks to all of you that made my trip a success and my stay comfortable, may God richly bless you.

Beatrice Anunda
Director Humble Hearts School

HUMBLE HEARTS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
P.O.BOX11721-00400
NAIROBI KENYA

Summer 2008 Trip a Tremendous Success

2008-10-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Kids for Kenya Supporters,

We are so pleased and fortunate to be able to write you about our time spent at Humble Hearts School in Nairobi this past June. With your generous contributions we were able to give back to the community which has opened up to us so warmly. We were able to use our time to better understand the history and vision of Humble Hearts, foster important relationships with staff and students, and to engage in the service of the whole Humble Hearts community.

Humble Hearts once again made us feel so welcome. We are truly fortunate to have found such a supportive, open community with which to partner. Traveling this year as an educator-only group, we were able to dedicate more time to understanding the history, philosophy and culture of the school. What began as a small social work outreach program to serve the marginalized and often misunderstood populations of deaf children has grown into a K-12 school and orphanage that fully integrates deaf and hearing students. Humble Hearts emphasizes inclusion and fosters respect. We came away inspired by what we learned. Director and co-founder Beatrice Anunda has created an environment in which staff seeks effective new strategies to engage their students in learning. Across ages and subjects, Beatrice is looking for a variety of ways to introduce concepts and material to a diverse body of learners.

The Humble Hearts community, and all of Kenya, is recovering from the political violence that followed last December’s presidential election. Despite the devastation, many people are now more hopeful for unity between neighboring groups than they have been in a generation due to the power sharing compromise in the national government. The shutdown of schools and businesses during the violence, and the subsequent flight of refugees have made it more difficult to meet daily needs. The disruption has contributed to a six hundred percent increase in the cost of food since our visit twelve months previous.

Despite these challenges, the Humble Hearts community is in many ways thriving. We visited the future home of the new school and orphanage now under construction. The current orphanage can hold 45 children. The new building will be able to accommodate 120 and feature improvements such as concrete floors, running water, electricity, and green space in which the children can play and ultimately raise a garden. We are delighted to see Humble Hearts developing sustainable programs that directly support the nutritional and financial needs of the community.

Beatrice will be visiting Trillium this fall. She is coming to study how American society supports students with disabilities, and to learn what tools and techniques could translate to supporting the deaf population at Humble Hearts. Trillium looks forward to being able to repay the kindness, affection, and generosity of the Humble Hearts community as we play host this October.

One of the most rewarding parts of our trip this June was to be able to see the work we did last year. It was truly a pleasure to witness how each and every thing we supported Humble Hearts in building or developing is being well used and well cared for. All of the plants around the perimeter are thriving. Tables, benches, and shelves are polished from much use. The girls group which we supported in developing last year has been meeting weekly since then. We were able to add to our body of service to Humble Hearts this trip by contributing, among other things:

Benches, tables, and desks.
200 reusable feminine hygiene pads, “glad rags”, as well as other feminine hygiene supplies.

(A special thanks go out to all the volunteers that lovingly sewed all the glad rags.)

A sewing machine and surger which will allow the Humble Hearts community to sew more glad rags, make their own school uniforms, and train students with a marketable skill.
One year’s worth of uniforms, boots and shoes for 25 students.
Massive amounts of school supplies, including paper, pencils, crayons, paint, chalk, scissors, and pencil sharpeners.
Math training with manipulatives and curriculum.
Two months worth of food for the entire school (Thank you Coffee Cart!).
Literacy supplies, including games, charts and tools to help get kids engaged, moving, and excited around literacy.
Clothing, from infant size to adult, to over 100 Humble Hearts community members.
More accessible, accurate record systems for administrative staff.
Plans for sustainable future projects.
An electric drill, planer, and assorted hand tools for mini-grant recipient, carpenter, and all around great guy Ray Ayaya.
Supplies with which carpenter Ray can build additional shelves for each of the baby rooms, allowing teachers to keep supplies and materials clean and dry by getting them off the ground.
Two new stoves, pots, and utensils for the kitchen, effectively saving the kitchen matron Mary an estimated three hours of work per day in preparation time.
A boys’ group, composed of all of the male teachers, and boys ages 11-17, to support young men in working through issues of mental and physical health.

It is truly an honor and privilege to be engaged in such work. We deeply appreciate the support of our community here in the United States that helps make this work possible. We are enthusiastic about our relationship with Humble Hearts and look forward to cultivating a long, caring, and supportive relationship. Kids for Kenya will be returning to Nairobi this coming March with about a dozen high school students from Trillium. Students hoping to travel to Kenya must first successfully complete six months of study and fundraising in order to be eligible for the trip. We will henceforth be changing our annual trip to March. If you are considering supporting Kids for Kenya again in the future, please contribute your tax deductible donation by then. Attached please find your receipt for your previous donation. Do no hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about our program. Thank you again for the support.

Warm regards,

Polly Christopher and Ken Gadbow

Founders and Directors, Kids for Kenya

Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Ken@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Supporting Humble Hearts

2008-06-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2008

Dear Kids for Kenya Supporters,

As we are preparing for our trip to Nairobi this June, we are reflecting on the accomplishments of Kids for Kenya over the past year and are looking forward to contributing to the Humble Hearts community in exciting new ways. We were incredibly fortunate to travel to Nairobi as 16 students and 5 adults in the summer of 2007. We formed lasting relationships and came to better understand the strengths and needs of the program there. Together with our Kenyan counterparts, we built desks, tables, and shelves, planted a garden, painted the building and outhouse, helped build the foundation for the orphanage, provided 38 suitcases of clothing and books, cooperated in staff development, and helped initiate and facilitate a group to deal specifically with the problems facing young women.

Our sister community in Nairobi has had an extremely challenging year. Widespread political violence and soaring inflation have made resources even scarcer and pushed food prices higher. We were fortunate to be able to support our friends in Kenya during this very difficult time.

During the 2007-8 school year, the Kids for Kenya students worked hard to produce many successful events, and laid the groundwork for long-term sustainable support for our Kenyan community. Students put on the Autumn Harvest Festival, the Crab Feed, the Shop Africa campaign at holiday time, and established the student-run Kids for Kenya coffee cart here at Trillium. Altogether, students have helped raise over $3500 that goes directly to programs at Humble Hearts.

Our original intention with our fundraising efforts was to support programs we had been working with when we visited in June of 2007: the building of the orphanage, expanding access to basic health products, and supporting teachers and students with educational resources. Given the crisis in Kenya over the past several months, the demands shifted radically. The cost of food and water has increased over 700% since then. The money we raised went almost entirely to providing food for the community.

Despite the high cost of food and water, the Humble Hearts community is grateful to regain some predictability in their lives as political order is being restored throughout the country. They have managed to continue construction on the orphanage and expand the high school despite these difficulties. With a little help we can support them in stabilizing the food program so that they can focus their energies on long-term, sustainable, improvements.

There are a variety of programs and projects that need support at Humble Hearts. Attached you will find a list of ways that you can contribute.

Thank you for the kindness and caring you have shown the Kids for Kenya program.

Peace,

Polly, Ken, and the Kids for Kenya

Supporting Humble Hearts

For the 2008-9 year, we are focusing on supporting Humble Hearts through four basic programs: Health, Sustainable Business, the Angel Cottage Orphanage, and the Exchange Program. You can contribute to these programs in the following ways:

o Directly support the health of the students:

§ Food:

· For 1 month for 1 student: $6

· For 1 month for all 170 students at the school: $500

· For 3 months: $1200

· For 1 year: $4000

§ Wellness:

· Basic personal health and hygiene supplies for 1 student: $7

For 20 students (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, first aid): $100

· Supply re-usable feminine hygiene products for 1 girl at the school: $8

For 100 girls at the school: $500

o Support a start-up sustainable business:

§ Sewing for Health:

Girls in Nairobi stop coming to school when they start menstruating, as resources are too limited to buy basic feminine hygiene products. One sewing machine and supplies for making reusable feminine hygiene products: $475

§ Carpentry:

Currently the school’s handyman, Ray Ayaya, a talented carpenter who learned his trade from his father, helps the school when he can borrow or rent the necessary tools. We hope to provide Ray with the resources he needs to provide for the school and for his own family. A complete tool package would include basic hand tools (hammers, planers, saws, chisels, etc.) as well as a cordless drill, electric saw, and router: $1100

o Complete the orphanage:

§ More than half of the preK-12 age students who attend Humble Hearts are orphans. Currently sleeping in two rooms, 2-3 to a bed, the new building now under construction, Angel Cottage, will provide many new beds in a safer, more secure environment. Construction supplies for completing of the orphanage: $2600

o Fund the exchange program:

§ We have obtained funding for Humble Hearts director Beatrice Anunda, and star pupil Sarah to come to Portland this fall! We want to offer more students and staff the opportunity. One Humble Hearts teacher and one student to travel to Portland: $3400

Kids for Kenya is a 501(c)3 non-profit. All contributions are tax deductible.

Shop Africa

2008-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to everyone who donated money during the Shop Africa drive! We raised $1,600!!! Your contributions helped immensely!

Crab Feed Fundraiser

2008-01-11T13:58:00.000-08:00

There has been a political uprising in Kenya which has caused the price of food to increase greatly. In order to help pay for food at Humble Hearts we will be holding a Crab Dinner on Saturday Feb 22., from 4:30-7:00. There will be live music, a raffle, and entry prizes. To attend the Crab Feed, buy tickets in advance,

$15 Crab

$10 Vegetarian

$5 Kids (10 and under)

Tickets go on sale January 15th, and can be purchased at the front desk. Get more information from Polly at Polly@TrilliumCharterSchool.org

Shop Africa Wonderfullness

2007-12-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Shop Africa

2007-12-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

Current Projects

2007-11-30T14:44:00.000-08:00

Krizia is painting the sign for the coffee cart we hope to be starting soon. It reads "Kids for Coffee" where coffee will be sold to students for a dollar a cup and where other pastries and food items will also be sold. All profits will be donated to the Humble Hearts School.
Katerina is writing a list for presents that people will be able to buy for the children in Humble Hearts and Angel Cottage. The list includes: shoes, food for one child for a month, a warm blanket, and more.
Sarah and Marcus are writing a proposal to the staff of Trillium Charter School for the coffee cart.
Noah is writing his reflection from the last Kenya trip to be posted on the Kids for Kenya website.
Alex is fabricating giftcards for Angel Cottages and Humble Hearts, which is a way of donating certain products that are needed at the schools.

Expanding our Vision

2007-10-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

Kids for Kenya is currently expanding its vision:
-Creating a small sustainable buisiness to support the food program at the Humble Hearts School.
-Developing an annual community fundraising event to create a student exchange program between our schools.
-Writing grants and soliciting corporate donations to raise funds for needed goods and materials that Kids for Kenya will deliver to Humble Hearts School, including clothing, teaching materials, healthcare needs, and construction supplies.

As an overarching educational goal, Kids for Kenya will continue to provide students with the opportunity to travel to and work at Humble Hearts, every second year. In the spirit of service and exchange of learning, Kids for Kenya teacher-leaders will make trips to Nairobi in the interum years.