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A Fresh Start

A Fresh Start

As we look ahead to the new year, I think we can all agree that a fresh start is needed. However, I’m not so sure we want to begin from square one. We’ve all been somewhere this past year and returning to January 2020 to start over again is not at all what I am recommending. But a new beginning is a welcome thought.

An Extended Vacation

The pandemic wreaked a special kind of havoc on children all over the world this past year. Kenyan students were sent home in mid-March for what turned into months of an extended vacation. This led to widespread apathy, a rise in crime and teen pregnancies, and other issues resulting from sheer boredom.

Everyone’s Child took action soon after the schools closed. Starting in April, we redirected funding for the student sponsorship and orphan feeding programs to purchase and distribute enough food for 600+ orphaned students so they could eat during the months of lockdown.

A group of 8 students at Bishop Donovan Secondary School in Kenya with bags of food
Students from Bishop Donovan Secondary School receiving their monthly food distribution in December 2020

A Fresh Start

Thankfully change is in the air. The number of COVID-19 cases in Kenya has been decreasing since November. Furthermore, after nearly a year of being closed, Kenyan schools will reopen on January 4th. EC is looking forward to seeing students return to classrooms once again. A fresh start is in store for students all over the country, and especially for those returning to the Miruya Primary School in western Kenya.

Building Project Progress

For the past two months, William Aludo has been making the two hour trip from his home in Rongo to track the progress of a building project at this school. The development has been remarkable. To date, a security fence has been installed, a gatehouse has been built, three foundations have been laid and a new classroom is on its way to being built.

Stones arranged on the ground for the fresh start of a new classroom foundation
Three foundations at the Miruya Primary School
A grey sone wall of the new classroom at Miruya Primary School
The beginning stages of a new classroom at Miruya Primary School

A New Beginning

Enrollment is rising in the area and will continue to grow in years to come. The exciting news is that current and incoming students will have an indoor space to learn and grow. Kenya’s warm climate might cause some of us in northern latitudes to prefer an outdoor classroom, but the heat and rain in Kenya are both reasons to bring education indoors. This new classroom symbolizes a fresh beginning for the students and their teachers, and will allow them to move ahead with their studies safely in the new year.

students in Kenya sitting at rough hewn desks under a tree. There is no fence, so securing the perimeter is needed here.
an outdoor classroom for students at Miruya Primary School

Adding Your Support

We are as pleased as can be that the classroom we raised funds for in 2019 is finally being built. Our plan is to continue sponsoring and providing daily meals for orphaned students between preschool and high school. If you are interested in participating with us in this effort, please click here to add your support. All contributions are tax-deductible, used for and appreciated by the children we serve. 

As always, thank you so much, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and very new New Year.

Blessings,

Ruth

Report from Kenya

Report from Kenya

Dear friends and trusted supporters,

For the past several weeks, I have been following the news in order to provide our supporters with a report from Kenya. At this writing there have been seven cases of the virus discovered in their country. So far none of these cases have been reported in rural areas. As the link above points out, when and if this occurs, the results could be devastating for millions of people in Kenya.

I have been in touch with William Aludo, EC’s Kenyan Program Coordinator, who has confirmed that all schools and universities have closed and all students have been sent home. While this may be good news in terms slowing the spread of the coronavirus, it also presents a challenge for the students who rely on a daily meal through EC’s Orphan Feeding Program.

Everyone’s Child is currently working with our Kenyan colleagues to develop a plan to safely distribute food to children who will be negatively affected by the nationwide school shutdown. I will do my best to update you on their efforts as they unfold. Our goal is to ensure that the most vulnerable children will receive some form of nutrition on a regular basis. If you have questions or thoughts about this please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Above all, I solicit your prayers and continued assistance as we work through this global challenge. Your concern and support for Everyone’s Child is valued and welcome.

Blessings always,

Ruth

EC’s Annual Appeal

EC’s Annual Appeal

The end of the year is here and EC’s annual appeal has been sent out far and wide.  So far the response has been tremendous! Our goal is to raise $25,000 by the end of 2018.  As of this writing, our supporters have contributed over $14,000 in the space of one month.  We are well on our way to meeting our goal!

A Year of Growth

I am amazed when I look back at all that has happened in 2018. This has been an expanding year for Everyone’s Child.  With your help we have provided over 500 children with a daily meal in five different locations, given an education to 15 orphaned secondary students, and sponsored a Mentorship Program for orphaned and vulnerable teens.  Together we also built Kateri’s Kitchen and dug a well for an impoverished village in northern India.

This year we saw the establishment of the EC Kenya Board of Directors, and welcomed Jedidah Kuria – a graduate of our sponsorship program to our Kenya staff.  We received a grant from CBN allowing us to pay teachers at Miruya Primary School in western Kenya.  Those of you who follow this monthly blog have seen the photos and read the stories. Hopefully, you’ve felt the hope and love that emanates from each posting.

a good year: providing a need for a meal for a child in Kenya
providing a meal for a child in Kampi Ya Moto

Your Support

It takes a lot of effort to build something – whether that “thing” is a physical building, a program, or a relationship.  EC’s Board of Directors and I spend a lot of time planning, praying about and discussing the direction for this non-profit.  I believe that the same can be said for those of you who support what we do.  Your contributions are not something we take lightly, so it is with great heart and much gratitude that I offer my thanks to you in this season.  We understand that there are many organizations doing wonderful things for children all over this world, which makes your support that much more meaningful to us.

EC's Annual Appeal: Where we are: World map of EC locations
World map of EC locations

During this season of giving

I am writing to ask you to please continue working alongside us as we serve the orphans and vulnerable children who are counting on us for their education and their future. If you have not already given, you can learn how to make your contribution by visiting our donate page.

All donations are tax-deductible, used for and appreciated by the children we support. With your help we will continue changing a generation through education.

With warmest wishes for a blessed holiday,

Ruth

EC – the year in review

EC – the year in review

Dear friends,

It has been another exciting year for Everyone’s Child! EC’s programs have grown in Kenya as well as India this year, resulting in the needs of orphans and vulnerable children across the world being met. The Board of Directors and I owe a large debt of gratitude to you, our faithful contributors, for your steadfast support for our programs. Here is a brief synopsis of what has happened this year:

Orphan Feeding Program

EC now partners with school administrations in five different locations to provide over 550 meals a day to orphans and vulnerable students across Kenya. This year we added 138 students from the Miruya Primary School in western Kenya to our numbers. The average monthly cost of this program is $1,500.00.

Sr. Kateri feeding the hungry children in Kenya
Sr. Kateri feeding the EC children in Kampi Ya Moto

EC Scholarships

This past year, the Kenyan government made the wonderful decision to provide free education to secondary students. Families are still required to pay for their children’s lunches and uniforms, but costs are now lowered to $150 per student. In the coming year this change will allow us to help orphaned preschool children who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend preschool. The cost to give the gift of an education to an orphaned preschooler or secondary student is just $150 per child per year. Our goal is to offer scholarships to at least five orphaned preschoolers and 15 secondary students during the 2019 school year, for an annual cost of $3,000.

EC students sitting in a classroom in Kenya
EC scholarship students at Bishop Donovan Secondary School

Partnerships

Miruya Primary School: This year, we were blessed to receive a sizable grant from Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). We combined this funding with our own to cover needs at the Miruya Primary School, the newest school in our program. We were able to pay for a lunch program, uniforms, teacher salaries, three latrines and a kitchen, as well as books and equipment for the children and staff at this primary school. In 2019, our goal is to continue supporting them and also to provide them with a well and an Administration Block. The total cost of this endeavor is $30,000.00.

EC Kenya Board of Directors: This fall, a group of eight people from eastern and western Kenya met to establish the first official EC Kenyan Board of Directors. The formation of this board allows EC to register as an NGO in Kenya, making it possible for them to raise funds and increase their operations throughout that country. This group is made up of people from different tribes, making this an exciting and historic event for EC. Everyone’s Child is now becoming a national program that encompasses the whole of Kenya.

exciting developments of a new board of directors in Kenya
EC Kenya Board of Directors

Northern and Southern India

“When the water gushed out of the pump … we saw joyful tears in the eyes of the children and families. These children were thirsty and starving, and were suffering without water, but you met their needs. Truly the Lord is great.”

Pastor Kishor of Orissa, India

This year we learned about an orphanage in Orissa, which is in northern India. Their water pump had broken, and the children were suffering from dysentery and other water borne illnesses. Our supporters responded immediately, one in particular saying that high on their “bucket list” was giving a drink to those who were thirsty. In 2019, we hope to help fund a lunch program for these children. We also plan to continue partnering with Abundant Life Care Ministries in Hyderabad, India, providing education to the orphans in their care. With your help we can continue supporting these programs. Annual cost: $2,000.

EC Children Watching the drill and waiting for water
Watching the drill and waiting for water in Orissa, India

During this season of giving and gratitude,

I am writing to ask you to please continue working alongside us as we serve the orphans and vulnerable children who are counting on us for their education and their future. You can learn how to make your contribution by visiting our donate page.

All donations are tax-deductible, used for and appreciated by the children we support. With your help we will continue changing a generation through education.

With warm wishes,

Ruth

153 million children

153 million children

There are more than

2.2 billion children in the world today.  It is estimated that 153 million children of these are orphans (UNICEF).  That moves my heart.  But caring for all of those children is beyond my reach, beyond my capabilities.

Everyone’s Child serves over 500 orphaned and vulnerable students.  That’s a lot less than 153 million, but it’s still a large number of children to keep track of.  We rely on our staff, as well as the teachers and administration we partner with to let us know how they are all doing in their studies and in their lives.  Thankfully, whenever I travel to Kenya I have the opportunity to meet many of these children.  And there is always at least one who captures my attention each time I am there.

Simon Wanjala

This was the case with a young man named Simon Wanjala.  Simon was one of EC’s first scholarship students at Bishop Edward Donovan Secondary School (BEDSS) in Lanet Umoja.  This scholarship allowed him to complete his high school education.  I met him once or twice while he was enrolled there, but it wasn’t until after he had graduated that I began to learn about his life.

Simon was an orphan and was also a victim of the post-election violence that took place in Kenya in 2007.  He and his brothers were displaced five times in the span of four years.  He wound up living with family members who mistreated him as he struggled to complete his high school education.  Despite these hardships, upon graduating Simon found a job teaching in a primary school, and eventually was able to find a place to live.  He brought his two youngest brothers into his home, and gave them an opportunity to complete their education together.

young Kenyan man with a new t-shirt bearing the cross
Simon showing off a new t-shirt in 2014

His story

The overriding aspect about this young man is his attitude.  In spite of the difficulties he faced, the loss of his parents, his home, and his struggles to survive while completing his education, Simon has always been upbeat, positive and thankful.  After graduating from BEDSS he went out of his way to thank EC for the education he received.  That single act made a lasting impression on me.

a map of Simon's Story
Simon’s journey from 2006-2010

Today Simon is a successful entrepreneur who owns a shop selling kitchen wares in Nakuru, Kenya.  He also volunteers his time for Everyone’s Child, taking food to the orphans in Kampi Ya Moto and assisting in EC’s Mentoring program each month.

Simon Wanjala and William Aludo - dressed to educate!
Simon Wanjala and William Aludo in 2017

Last year I wrote a story about Simon’s life and mailed it to all of our contributors.  It’s a story full of hope, and shows the difference that supporters of Everyone’s Child make in the lives of those who count on our help.  The story can be downloaded here.

Caring for children

I’ve thought about caring for children for as long as I can remember.  As I grew into adulthood that transpired into serving the needs of orphans and vulnerable children.

There is no doubt that supporting all of the world’s orphans would be an overwhelming mission.  But I do know that each one of their lives is important.  And I’m grateful to be able to help even one of the 153 million who are alive today.

Everyone’s Child begins by focusing on the one.   But a task is always easier when others join in to help.  Please click on this link if you would like to help to make a difference too.

As always, thank you for partnering with us to make life easier for people like Simon.  I hope you enjoy his story.

everyone’s child.  changing a generation through education.