A couple of requests

In our context, we often see asking for help as a form of failure and inadequacy. We were recently reminded when Joel’s parents came to visit that people around the world DO want to help in some way shape or form. While not everyone is called to come to Kenya for 10 months and serve grassroots leaders, there are other creative ways that we can come together to assist in people’s needs around the world. So, in light of our new-found revelation that people around the world are seeking ways to make a difference, we invite you to consider how you might come alongside some of our contacts that are facing pressing needs at this time.

• One of the community centers that we work with has been without electricity for nearly a year now. When they last had electricity, neighboring houses and offices tapped into their supply and raised their monthly bill from 500Ksh/month ($8) to 8000Ksh/month ($125). While this may be a small amount in our eyes, the absence of electricity has taken away any income generation that they might have previously had. We have tried to build a case for the community center to take to the power company. Unfortunately, after 4 months of working hard to figure out the situation, we are left with one alternative-to pay 8000Ksh ($125) so that the power company will move the power meter inside the community center and will turn the electricity back on again. If we can move beyond this initial barrier, we are confident that the community center can continue to be a beacon of hope in the Mathare community.
• The post-election violence took its toll on many of the schools set to begin their academic year in the beginning of January. Dagoretti 4 Kids, one of the organizations that we work with takes street kids into their community for a year, reunites them with their families and works to make connections in sending kids to school. Due to the nature of their background and pressure from their community, these kids are often sent to boarding schools. In January, these kids went to their respective boarding schools around the country. Due to the post-election violence, many were boarded at their schools in January, but did not start classes because some of the teachers and other students were unable to get to the school. To make a long story short, 6 of the kids were charged for boarding during the month of January and the schools have forced them to stay during the month of April (which they would otherwise have off) in order to make up for the time missed in January. Instead of being charged for 3 months of schooling, they are being charged for 4 months. Since, school fees cost 3000Ksh/month ($50) per student, we are looking to assist them with $300 to get them through this predicament. While these costs may seem minimal, these are the types of situations that can make or break small organizations when they are forced to deviate from their annual budget.

There are countless needs that we come across on a regular basis. These are two of the more pressing needs that have a widespread impact on two communities around Nairobi. If you are interested in learning more about these situations, helping out or learning of other needs that we hear of, please let us know. It is incredible to think about how far a dollar can go (even if it is getting weaker by the day!)