Tag: donation

Desks donated to Manjani Mingi Primary School in Rongai

Posted on by Jenn Winter

2014-04-03 11.51.07

Once again, Caring for the Kids of Kenya (USA) has assisted IDP children in by outfitting Manjani Mingi Primary School in Rongai with 82 new desks earlier this month. The  desks will serve the 246 children in attendance where they can now sit comfortably at 3 children per desk. To date, VICDA partners have donated close to 400 desks to school children at Manjani Mingi and have thus assisted in their education.

 

The Woman Behind “Caring for the Children of Africa”

Posted on by Jenn Winter
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Annie
Annie

Annie Copley of Adelaide, Australia first journeyed to Kenya as a GVN volunteer in 2006. Little did she know, the three months spent counseling HIV/AIDS patients in Nairobi’s slum areas would completely change the direction of her life. “This work has not only changed my life, it has become my life,” says Annie, ” I have a deep sense of gratitude today for the people of Kenya who, with their quiet strength and hope, teach me about real love, patience and tolerance.”

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Not long after her return to Australia Annie and her dear friend, Lauro Martire, hosted their first fundraising dinner at Lauro’s restaurant, East Terrace Continental. Held in November of 2007, that first dinner raised $11,000 – funds that were sent to VICDA at a time of great need, following the election violence of December 2007. With the money raised by Annie and Lauro’s dinner, VICDA was able to purchase mattresses, blankets, food and cooking supplies for recently displaced Kenyans in the Rift Valley.

Lauro on a visit to Kenya in 2011.
Lauro on a visit to Kenya in 2011.

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This successful dinner was the start of Caring for the Children of Africa, a registered non-profit run by Annie and directly benefited by several of VICDA’s projects. Annie credits much of the organization’s success  to the many donors and supporters who have assisted along the way but it was her collaboration with Lauro that started the wheel in motion. “Lauro has generously supported the work that I began in 2006 when he agreed to hold our first dinner in 2007. Like me he has fallen in love with the people of Kenya and I am sure he will return one day when his busy schedule allows.” Annie’s 2011 trip to Kenya was especially memorable as Lauro was able to come along and see first hand all of the good work the organization has been able to do.
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Since its inception, Annie and her donors have raised about $110,000. With these funds, Annie’s organization has helped tens of thousands of people in Kenya. They’ve funded mobile medical camps, major food drops, ongoing porridge programs in several IDP Camps, renovated classrooms, purchased desks and books and have supplied two orphanages (Shelter in Nairobi and Haven of Hope in Nakuru) with ongoing food and school supplies.
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Annie visits a family with AMKA.
Annie visits a family with AMKA.
Each dinner fundraiser is carefully thought out and planned by Annie and Lauro. She presents photos and stories of real Kenyans whom she’s met and discusses with her guests about the specific ways in which the funds will be allocated. “At our dinner last month, I presented one of the many recent stories where we were able to relocate a beautiful family, HIV patient Evelyn, with her 3 small children, from an extremely dire living situation in the Nairobi slums of Ngando.” Annie is full of emotion when discussing Evelyn. “They were living in a torn, leaking, muddy tent literally on the side of a railway track – so dangerous for the toddler who could have easily have fallen onto the tracks. We rented a one bedroom ‘shack’ for her near St Josephs, run by the AMKA project. It’s a clean, safe, and secure abode for her and her children.” Caring for the Children of Africa continues to support Evelyn and her children, along with other families Annie has grown to know and love over the years.
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A food drop for the 7,000 residents at Manjani Mingi IDP Camp.
A food drop for the 7,000 residents at Manjani Mingi IDP Camp.
The $13,000 raised at their most recent dinner held last month will go toward to construction of Lemolo Nursery School for the IDP children at Manjani Mingi Camp as well as continue a daily porridge program. “A lot of these kids in the camps still go hungry,” Annie explains, “the porridge program ensures that they at least get one nourishing meal a day.”
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Annie works with Irene, VICDA’s founder and executive director, to determine the greatest need and personally distributes the funds  and supplies on the ground – all the while keeping detailed notes to share with her donors. With her seven trips to Kenya Annie has been able to forge close relationships with many of the IDP residents and patients at AMKA, an HIV/AIDS counseling center where Annie first worked in 2006. Her obvious love for the people of Kenya is reflected in her ongoing dedication and commitment to the cause. “I know I’m going to die in Kenya someday with a big smile on my face,” says Annie, “because this is the work that makes my heart sing!”
Annie with Irene, donating desks for a classroom at Manjani Mingi IDP Camp.
Annie with Irene, donating desks for a classroom at Manjani Mingi IDP Camp.

Shalom Primary School

Posted on by Jenn Winter
Donors and kids at Shalom Primary School in Rongai near Nakuru.
Donors and kids at Shalom Primary School in Rongai near Nakuru.

VICDA was very excited to partner with World Teacher Aid, a Canadian organization,  to construct Shalom Primary School in the Giwa IDP Resettlement in Rongai, Kenya. The children living at Giwa have had a very traumatic few years as they were violently displaced after the 2007 presidential election. In addition to living in small tents in overcrowded IDP Camps these children had virtually no access to education for about 4 years. The construction of Shalom Primary School was an important project for the Kenyans living in the area and serves as an enormous step forward as they begin to rebuild their lives in their new homes.

Currently 567 students attend Shalom Primary School. Shalom was the first primary school to be constructed in the area and includes classes 1 thru 8, an administration block and 3 toilet blocks. The construction costs approximately $110,00 USD and will be in use for generations to come.

Students at Shalom Primary School celebrate the opening of their school.
Students at Shalom Primary School celebrate the opening of their school.

Both VICDA and the residents at Giwa are grateful for World Teacher’s Aid and the work that they have done in the community. Last year donors from World Teacher’s Aid traveled to Kenya to meet the residents of Giwa and to search out new areas in need of schools and donations.