Stage One of the Fencing is Complete!

The first stage of the great fence building project has wrapped up at Kinyambu Primary School. The money we sent to them covered materials to fence a good portion of the school area, it's quite large as you can see in the photos.

A group of parents and teachers volunteered their labour to cut trees and brush, pound in the metal posts and attach the wire. It's not a work of art but it certainly will keep the goats from roaming over the school yard, eating the trees the children are nurturing. It will also help the children who are boarding there to feel safer when dark comes.

When we send them our fundraising efforts in early January again they hope to finish the job.

Cardinal Leger School is Building a Library!

$9,942.36

That's how much money the students, parents and teachers at Cardinal Leger School in Saskatoon raised towards a library at Kinyambu Primary School! I was amazed at the amount that they presented to us on April 21st at an assembly just before Easter.

Steve Buttinger, nephew of Alphonse Gerwing, spoke briefly about the foundation that has been set up in his name which is helping with the fundraising for Kinyambu. The money then goes to Rainbow of Hope, a registered charity headquartered in Wainwright, Alberta which is set up and has the experience in sending money to various projects in many parts of the world. Alphonse Gerwing worked with ROH extensively and they generously consented to help with Kinyambu.

Cardinal Leger School present the first cheque to build a library!

The first library cheques for a total of $9, 942.36 

Another bit of news about our fence-building project. 
 Simon Muendo Ngumbi, one of the project coordinators from Kinyambu, said that the fence building effort at Kinyambu Primary School is about to begin. Supplies have been secured and the parents will be the ones volunteering to build the fence. They will fence the area around the boarding students building and then start on the rest of the area and do as much as they can till we send more money in the new year. 

It will be great to see something physical soon. Simon just received a camera to take some pictures for our blog, so we shall be able to watch the process.

Update . . .

Things are moving along nicely with the school resources project. Simon met with a group of parents on Saturday, March 26th to tell them about the work that was being considered and to gauge their interest and support for different ideas that can be done with the money that is available. The local Member of Parliament, Mr. Philip Kaloki, even attended this meeting to lend his support.

The fence received their approval. Due to costs they will likely put a metal posted and barbed wire fence around the building that houses the boarding students and develop a live fence for the larger area composed of tough shrubs.

Mr. Kamenzi, the school headmaster, is very skilled in drama and music. The students at the Kinyambu Primary School won the provincial level of competition in drama and are now going to the national level. They did very well in this last year also. Congratulations to them.

The paperwork is done!

It's amazing how complicated sending money to a group in Africa can be. In order for those who donate to get charitable receipts we need to have a registered charity, The Alphonse Gerwing Foundation, and then a group that has the track record and Revenue Canada reporting ability, Rainbow of Hope, and then the group in Kenya has to have a bank account in a bank that can receive international money, Kenya Commercial Bank.

And all this has to be done by email which sounds fast but isn't when much of Kenya outside of Nairobi doesn't have service and they have to use USB satellite sticks and travel by matatu (small vans authorized to carry passengers) and bus to get anywhere like the bank or get together for a meeting.

It's phenomenal that it happens at all. Too bad the mail system can't be trusted. I mailed a camera more than 2 months ago - luckily not that expensive - but it's not arrived yet and I expect someone helped themselves to it!

Lets build a fence!

Through the wonders of Skype I (Jan Schmitz) was able to meet Simon and his son Francis today. I was so excited I could hardly think of anything to say! We talked a bit about computers and how lucky we were to be able to see each other and talk this way. Getting a laptop to Simon has opened up so many possibilities for communicating, not to mention how it can help with his work as a district school officer.  I think this is the first time I was so struck with how computers can make the previously impossible, now possible.

I talked to Simon a bit about the needs of the school. The first thing they want to do is build a fence around the school land. The children have been planting trees on the otherwise more barren land. However, their hard work has been deterred by the presence of unwanted visitors. Animals have been coming onto the land and destroying the new trees. This is something concrete we can do! We can raise the money they need to build that fence. Simon will be letting us know just how much that fence will cost. Together, we can make that fence possible!

 You will see the addresses you can send donations to on the right side of the blog. Large or small, any contribution is welcome. Join us and become a Friend of Kinyambu today!