LATEST FROM NAIROBI AND THE WKW CENTRE

LATEST FROM NAIROBI AND THE WKW CENTRE

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LATEST FROM NAIROBI AND THE WKW CENTRE.  Unfortunately as we were getting ready to send out the March Update we have had terrible news from the Centre which has now had to close its doors to our families and children. We have still attached the March update but things are changing daily at the centre.  COVID is raging and out of control in Kenya and once again Nairobi is in lockdown. The children are home on school holidays but cannot come to the Centre so have no where to go. The Universities and Colleges are again online, but Leonida and Staff are concerned because our many post secondary students may not be able to come to the WkW Centre to use the computers and these students do not have the luxury of a home computer, not that it would be safe for them to have one anyway. Food parcels for all the families were given out yesterday and more will be given out on Monday at the gate.  Last week Women for Women in Africa sent over the remainder of the money raised last year for food, accommodation rent and medical care for the families. So once again the people are struggling, not able to work and so not able to feed and support their families. WkW is grateful to all our donors who supported the ‘Special Fund’ last year as it means they can, once again feed the families and support anyone ‘at risk’. However, we do not know how long this pandemic will exist and how long it will be before families can be assured of life support and normality.  My thoughts are with the WkW staff who battle every day to ensure that our families and our primary, secondary and post secondary students are safe, healthy and have a home to sleep in.  I would just like to thank you for your wonderful care of these families and I do wish you all the blessings of Easter.     Assante Sana,    Marguerite  LATEST NEWS FROM KENYA PRESIDENT.       https://mcusercontent.com/1cae0a2d36a985b876026e80b/files/74f5e7f4-f45b-49b8-9245-019c3192481e/The_Fifteenth_Address_White_Copy_26032021.pdf We have opened the Disaster Relief Fund once again. Unfortunately we have sent over the last of the funds collected last year to support the families. These donations saved lives and enabled the staff at the centre to purchase food and medical supplies to support our families.  We appreciate any support you may be able to give us. We do not know how long the Pandemic will last but can only hope we are able to assist the hard working team at the WkW Centre who are bearing the burden of supporting our families anyway they can. We thank you for any donation you are able to make.  Click here to donate to the Disaster Fund Derrick is doing what he has seen other children doing. They read books. All he needs to learn now is that they don’t read them upside down! “They have nothing except us!”    (Sr Leonida Kwamboka, March ’21) These are the words of the Director of WkW when speaking about the children, of all ages and classes, going to primary, secondary and post secondary school. Below are the photos and profiles of two of those children. They do not have a sponsor but their education is paid by WFWIA out of the special education fund. This fund was set up to ensure any child, from Kibera, who needs to go to school is not turned away. The needs for that child might be they are an orphan, abused at home, living below the poverty line, needing to get to a safe environment, needing to go to school as the parent/s might not have the funds to made this possible. Whilst children can be sent to school via the education fund, it does diminish it and would mean that the number of children will have to be restricted. It is very hard to say ‘no sorry we can’t help you’ to a child desperate to go to school. A sponsorship of a child provides everything from the toothbrush to the education in a good boarding school – so it includes bedding, uniforms, shoes, day to day essentials; transport, medical care and full education for one year.  For primary children who may not go to a boarding school, usually because of health issues it includes all the above except the accommodation, as they too are given what is needed to be a student in a school. There is never any discrimination against being a ‘Kibera kid’ as Leonida and staff ensure that the children have the best uniforms and support. We have many children this year who are not sponsored and it would be wonderful if we could offer these children the opportunity of having an Australian family, someone many miles away who does care and would like to share their family with them. The sponsored children love their sponsors, they write to them as often as possible and they say ‘thank you’.  They often say that they have nothing to give the sponsor but their love and their thanks.   Most of the children do succeed in their primary and then secondary education and have the opportunity to continue to do post secondary.   They do this in many ways from building, catering, IT and computers, mechanics, plumbing, accounting, nursing and many more exciting programs. The sponsor is given the opportunity to continue to support their child or maybe take on another or terminate their support. So, if you know of anyone who can help the students to have a sponsor or if you would like some more information please contact me on info@womenforwomeninafrica.org.au or Catherine on admin@womenforwomeninafrica. The website www.womenforwomeninafrica.org.au also features profiles of some of the many children who are available for sponsorship. Thank you for your consideration. Your support is always appreciated. Marguerite Marguerite A Ryan AM Name: William Ekesa. Date of Birth: 26.01.2011 Favourite: Subject: Social Studies. Favourite: Colour: Blue Favourite Food: Beef and Ugali. Hobbies: Reading and playing. Biography William Pala is the fourth born child in a family of six children. The 10-year-old William lives with his mother who is a single parent in the Kibera slums. William is at grade 3 at Raila Education Centre. William’s father abandoned the family and disappeared into the wind. It is not known where he is and so his mother struggles on her own to cater for the needs of her six children. William’s mother does casual jobs to earn a living, which is very little compared to the needs of her family. The income can only sustain to put one meagre meal a day on the table. Every day, the hope of living with a bright future diminishes considering the abject poverty they live in. Most of the time, they sleep on empty stomachs and endure the risk of the landlord sending them away from their home due to lack of rental fee. William’s family live in a tiny room which does not promote reading at home at all.  The room acts as the sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and storage room. There is no space and the house has no window to provide more natural lighting and ventilation. They have to use electricity, if it can be connected from nearby poles,  both day and night as it is always dark. Though William loves playing football, this has to take place in school environment only because at home the neighbourhood is congested and very dirty. People dump waste near their door step and this makes the place smells horrible William ambition is to become an engineer. “Will I achieve this dream?”  he often asks himself this question. His mother cannot afford to pay his school fees. He has been home since the schools resumed after corona break. William’s desire is to continue with his education since this will help him to better his life and his family.   Name: Cydinah Nyabeta Momanyi Grade: Class 5 Age:  12 years Favorite Food: Vegetables and Ugali Favorite subject: Science Hobby: Singing Cynidah has had rather unfortunate family background history shrouded in immense miseries and suffering. At her young age, she has been staying at home more than she has ever stayed in school. At home, she has been acting as a young adult woman accomplishing every household chore and living like an adult while still a child. It is such a confusing thing to her.  For us as an organisation, Cynidah is a case of rescue and she needs the counselling services at the Centre because her life as a child is at stake. Cydinah is a brilliant girl aged 12. She is very disciplined and jovial. She is on the verge of dropping out of school due to abject poverty in her family.   She has lagged behind her class by two years due to her fees not being paid. Her Mom, a single mother, left for the village, leaving Cydinah and her 3 younger siblings in the hands of their grandfather. Sadly, she is also vulnerable to abuse as the grandfather works all day as a guard so she and her siblings are often at home alone, not even able to go to school.  The grandfather paid WKW a visit and requested for assistance. A boarding school will be a safe place for her. She is currently in grade 5 and wishes to be a Nurse in the future.