Watch this film…… Teaching family values in Kenya

… from a classroom at Moi girls, Kamangu. 

 Hope you like it and sense the sincerity mingled with humour so the message can come across!

Merry Christmas!

Teresiahs and Sarahs debt paid today….

I am happy to announce that many families have contributed to these two girls schooling and I am very pleased, great relief for them and me.

Let me tell you a few of the stories behind the amount paid today!

One family had a fleemarket along with their children and raised 200 SEK in funds. At my school 2 students have been to an orphanage in Poland and were unable to carry all the clothes they had been given and they asked me to use my private channels distributing the leftover clothes. Some clothing were directly given to families with needs, and some clothes to families who knew families with needs. The families that passed the clothing on to families with needs have given me 1100 SEK for Sarah and Teresiah. There has also been 7 different families giving alternative christmas gifts, described in the leaflet (older entries) on this blog. The total amount from these gifts were 3750 SEK. As for the remaining amount to clear the debt, one family (not mine) has put in 1000 SEK as riskcapital to cover the sum of 5850 SEK (53 000 Kenya Schillings) wich was the debt, til succes and funds are seen in the projects during process at Sannarps High School Halmstad… (PA). There are three different projects for Kenya that will finish during 2009. Two of them have their aim to help out Teresiah and Sara, so they can finish High School for sure….

1. Concert and T-shirt sponsorship (Mainly La Unica as target)

2. Childrens discos, fundraising for Teresiah Kihuyu

3. Having evening dresses sewn cheaper in Kenya, shipped to Sweden and then getting funds from the persons ordering the dresses. Mainly fundraising for Sara Ombati

What remains in this fundraisin project for Teresiah and Sara is returning the riskcapital part (125 USD) already paid today and the school fees for 2009, last year in High school is  462 USD (4130 SEK), not impossible at all, If any leftovers from that, La Unica will benifit some even. I cant wait til the funds have come in, so I can focus 100% on La Unica for quality sponsorship paying things forward.

Thanks to all sponsors… Have a blessed Christmas…   Its good to feel alive….

LA Unica will be the main target after the two students at Moi

With the same entusiasm the greet visitor as they embark in their schooling.

This picture is taken behind the school. The landscape is dry and they soon need to build a pool to keep water and for fishes to grow to be sold for more funds to the school. You can add to their success!

This picture is taken in front of the main building. There is a small office and preschool classroom behind the group.

Pictures say more than words…

Kenya is struggling to get the tourists back after januarys post election violence. This picture is from February 2008

This is David, the executive director of LA Unica, the small school ….. He is in the fields where they grow veg, to get funds to invest in the school.

This is one of the classrooms at LA Unica. 38 orphans who enroll in the school for free. 57 with one parent (2 USD/month) and 97 with two parents (4 USD/month).

Most of the children have shoes and that is one of the good signs of a school with children that actually are on the way out of misery.

The founders of LA Unica is singing. The ladies, mothers of some of the kids.

These are the main figures in LA Unica. First I thought I only was a visitor, but they look to me as more than that. At times heavy burden for me, but not as heavy as they are carrying.

As they had been dancing and singing for me for one hour I thought I might as well give them a laugh by dancing as well. This is a monolog foxtrot.

This is the latrine built with the money my friends brought me for birthday present. march 2008

If you ask me what is needed in aid, just imagine…. !

Children have the same needs as everybody else in this world…. Some get these needs filled.

These two gentlemen are my best trusted friends in Kenya. Here we are (Feb 08) in Roberts kitchen sorting the pencils given by staff and students at Sannarpsgymnasiet Dec 2007

Robert is in the front, High school teacher at Moi girls High school. He is most trustworthy. Paul is in the back. He works at Equity bank in Nairobi and has been my friend for years, he is full of life and service.

To whom it may concern

My aim has been to build bridges between less fortunate and families fortunate to be able to help other families, my name is the guarantee of that the help reaches its target. This I intend to do all my life. I am a high school teacher with 6 student groups at the moment who is working towards sponsoring people and a school in Kenya. I call it KenyAID, even though I do not have an organisation, just excellent trustworthy contacts and have been to Kenya and met the people myself.

I feel good working with these issues, it fills my inner soul of doing my part in society to fight poverty by working towards scholarships, but I am not with means to do it the way I have been doing the last two months. I need a fresh new start and in this I am all open for ideas and help. I have met with the right people in Kenya, people trustworthy and eager to help with what they can.

My last months service have been very stressful and have taken to much time in proportion to what I started out aiming at. It just happened that one of my friends in Kenya mentioned two girls in need, and I have not been able to climb this mountain. It would be a lot less stressing for me to have all my students finish their projects during next year and then look for good roads to take, sponsoring either persons or the little small poor school LA Unica that I visited, instead of having been given names first and then look for sponsors, as I have felt needed to do the last months.

Pure numbers:

Teresiahs debt 430 USD and next years costs are 250 USD

Saras debt 300 USD and next years costs are 250 USD

730 USD before new year and then for next year an additional 500 USD All in all 1230 USD

The donations that I have actually received so far totals in 230 dollars. Some more hopefully comes soon. Every dollar is worth a lot!

My contributing is meant to be service, not funds and I would be very happy to be able to start next year with just the challenge of building bridges and helping my students do their part.

Info sent from my contact/teacher friend Robert

”One is called Sarah Ombati, she is in Form 3 and she is 15yrs old. She is very bright but comes from a very poor family. Her father is a casual worker so he is on and off work with no stable source of income. Her mother is tailor who mends clothes and the job is unreliable.In her primary school exams she got 395 out of 500 marks. Since she entered this school she has maintained either position 1 and 2 despite the fact that she is often send home because of fees. She hopes to be a neuro-surgeon when she finishes her education. They live in a two roomed house with no electricity and running water. At the moment she has a balance of 22,000 kshs as school fees. As for next year when she is in form 4 she will be required to pay about 10,000 kshs and if she will not  have paid by January the balance then she will be forced to go home. If she continues with her good performance I am sure she will go to the university.

The other one is called Teresiah Kihuyu, age 17yrs and in form 3. comes from a very poor family where the parents are self employed and have a small land where they grow cabbages to sell. They are 9 children in the family but only 3 of the children are in school because the parents can’t afford school fees. She was forced to stay home for about six months because of school fees. Her father’s inability was a result of a hospital bill he had to pay of the sister who had gotten an accident in school while doing an experiment in the laboratory. Despite her being sent home often she often does well in class. Last term she had a B-. She hopes to be a lawyer or architect. Up to now, she has a fee balance of 31,000ksh. Next year she will be required to pay about 10,000 ksh for her form 4 exams.

Well Hans, sorry for giving you all this issues, but I hope and trust that out there they are good people who would be willing to assist the less fortunate. I believe you saw for yourself how people live and survive and any kind of help would be welcome. I know with your blog page the two students might just get some assistance.

By the way, our Red Cross Club won the national first aid competition. It was tough but we managed to defeat all the other teams from all over the country. This is our second year as champions. I hope next year we shall win and retain the trophy for good. I was also voted the most active patron and the most active club in our branch.Yours friend Robert“

I recieved following info 1/10 from my teacher friend Robert “As for the two girls, they normally depend on bursary if lucky given by the constituency development fund which gives assistance to needy student. The bursary normally ranges between 2500 to 8000 hence they are always left with a balance. This term they were not lucky to get the bursary. Fees per year is normally 18000kshs. As for next year, the girls will be required to pay 18000 but they pay in installments of 10,000 the first term and the balance divided between 2nd and 3rd term, next year will be their last so any assistance will only be for one year. I have faith that these two girls if assisted  can achieve they goals and become great people who can help others in future.  As for the information about the bank, its MOI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL, KAMANGU. Account no. 100-098-956 Savings account (Kenya Commercial Bank, kikuyu branch, kenya). SWIFT code: KCBLKENY “

I am all ears for any offer of advice or funds. I enclose a linc http://pappahans.wordpress.com/2008/11/26/the-leaflet-flyer/ to the flyer that I have made for the Christmas gift. Look through the blog carefully and see for yourself www.pappahans.wordpress.com Should I start an organisation? Please advice me

Yours Sincerely,

Hans Strandberg (Pappa Hans)

Picture of Teresiah and Sara, Principals office

How would you feel?  …..to stand there knowing that this picture might decide whether you can go to school or not, your last year….

Sara is short and dark, Teresiah is tall and light