-- Craig Garratt is a great friend of Tenderfeet from Australia who is always looking for ways to help the school. He visited Tenderfeet back in October of last year and has been working hard to raise funds and awareness.
For instance, Craig's graphic design company Gumption features news and information about Tenderfeet on the website and in company emails. He also is working with a local High School in the area to educate young people about the struggles of children living in poverty.
But perhaps his most innovative idea to date is to use sand sculptures to help Tenderfeet. It turns out Craig and friends are terrific sand sculptors and at a recent event his team was paid to create one of their masterpieces. They decided to donate the proceeds to Tenderfeet as well as tell the story of Tenderfeet to folks who came by to enjoy the sculpture. Here is a page about their experience.
Craig shows that fundraising doesn't have to be a horrible experience, you can have fun and make a difference at the same time. Would you like to do a creative fundraiser? Please let me know by emailing me at dmitchell@lahash.net and I would be glad to provide ideas, photos, video or any other materials that might help.
Craig writes about the day:
"We built a Marsupial Lion – an animal that used to live around our way until about 15,000 years ago. We have built it pretty close to life size too!The ‘rules’ of the art form are that you can only use the sand where you are, and water at hand (ie the ocean or river front you are on).
The whole team at work got involved and another local graphic designer and good friend joined us. We had six people building and pounding the pile of sand, and Stuart, Warren and myself carved it. Kate ran around spraying it with water all day so it didn’t dry out as we carved and Ally, Stuarts wife, went into a wonderful spiel about Tenderfeet to anybody that stopped and had a look.
Her throat was dry at the end as at one point we had nearly 30 people crowded around watching. During the day hundreds saw it under construction.Kids especially loved it, and many got right into it, giving us some serious advice on how to do it properly so it wouldn’t collapse (there are many budding engineers under 10 around here!!).We started at 6 am and finished up around 1:30 pm – everyone had a blast doing it."
-- Wickliff Wesonga is a 12 year old orphan who attended Tenderfeet when he was younger. Mama Margaret was concerned about a strange growth on his tongue, which started small and kept getting bigger and bigger.
Using some special donations, he was first taken to Kenyatta National Hospital on March 11th. Children are usually taken to local clinics for most medical concerns, but in this case he was taken to the National Hospital because of the unusual problem.
Let me describe in a bit of detail how things went to give you some idea of the challenges of helping needy children with medical issues.
Once he checked in with the first doctor, the doctor told Margaret she would have to retrieve his complete medical records from the clinic he would normally attend. This was required because Wickliff is HIV positive and had Tuberculosis when he was younger. So a trip was made to the other clinic, the records were fetched, Wickliff was taken back to the hospital again (see photo). At that point, they decided to schedule a biopsy.
The biopsy took place last week and we should get the results next week. We are praying that it is something easily treatable.
Altogether, this will have taken at least four trips (with public transportation) to the doctor and one to the clinic, each with long waits involved, plus about $100 in funds. As you can see, it takes a lot of time, energy and resources to help orphans like Wickliff. Stay tuned for updates on the biopsy results.
I visited Wickliff and his home in January. Wickliff lives with an aunt who is taking care of a large extended family. The living conditions, especially when it rains, are horrible. Wickliff is a bright and responsible young man who needs help to make sure he gets nutritious food (important for children like Wickliff who are HIV positive), and improved bedding, clothes, and help with school fees. If you would like to sponsor Wickliff, please contact me at dmitchell@lahash.net
Below is a video of Wickliff (wearing a pink shirt) leading Mama Margaret to his home in Kibera. Notice Margaret bringing up the need that Wickliff has for a sponsor.
During our visit to Wickliff's home, the coach of the soccer club Wickliff belongs to came by with a soccer ball. The coach was telling me what a good player Wickliff is and wanted us to see how well Wickliff could handle the ball. I took a video clip of Wickliff juggling the ball.
-- Mercy Wanjiru is a 15 year old girl who grew up in Kibera. Please see photo to the right. Her family had to flee for their lives during the riots and they lost everything. Now they live in Riruta.
We are really in need of a sponsor for Mercy. If you want to help this hard-working and responsible young woman to have a chance at a brighter future, please contact me at dmitchell@lahash.net
Mercy's father has serious health problems, and right now is almost paralyzed from a stroke. He's only recently regained the ability to speak. Her mother is only able to work odd jobs for very little money.
Mercy's parents are of the Gorino faith, a Christian denomination that believes men and women should keep their heads covered and does not sanction family planning. There are 8 children in the family. Mercy has 3 older sisters, none of whom has gotten past 8th grade.
When I visited Mercy in January, school had not yet started. She was supposed to begin the 8th grade at a public school in Riruta. The public school is supposedly free, but in fact charges many backdoor and hidden fees. We knew in January her family had not paid these fees, but did not expect the school to refuse to allow Mercy to rejoin when school began.
When I checked back with Mama Margaret in February, she told me that Mercy was not allowed to go back to school until she paid all the fees (less than $50, but way more than her family could afford). She also told me that Mercy's family was on the verge of being kicked out of their tiny home in the slums because they were behind on their rent (about $25 per month). Keep in mind there are 5 children (the 3 oldest have moved away) and 2 adults living in a tiny residence of iron sheet, that becomes hot as an oven during the day and can get quite cold at night. Here's a video of the approach to Mercy's home (Mercy is walking on the right):
Without intervention, Mercy's education was over and done with, completing only up to the seventh grade level. Even if she did return, the education she would receive was very low quality, especially a girl like Mercy who was way behind to begin with.
Why was she behind? Because she didn't receive the preparation a school like Tenderfeet provides. When she began public schools in Kibera in first grade, she could barely understand what the teacher was telling her (and the other 90 students in the class).
Mercy was expected to know basic English, the alphabet, basic arithmetic, and have a foundation of simple reading and writing. She had none of that because her family was too poor to send her to pre-primary. In primary school, there was no individual attention, and so she was confused from day one.
She never caught up and was forced to miss school for long periods of time because her family got behind on the fees. Here is Margaret at Mercy's home explaining "free" education in Kenya.
If Mercy missed the introduction of a topic, it was never reviewed or explained to her. So she attended school for 7 years like that, never comfortable with what she was learning because she had so many gaps. If she had attended Tenderfeet, which didn't yet exist when she was young, she would have been ready and could have even excelled.
So when it looked like Mercy's education was at an end in February, it was just another sad chapter in a tragic and pathetic experience. We decided to intervene and try to turn things around for this mature young person. She was evaluated by Bensesa primary school, a school that Tenderfeet partners with for children that have moved to the next level beyond Tenderfeet. The results confirmed our fears -- she was assessed to be at a 4th grade level.
We have decided to enroll her at Bensesa at the 8th grade level, but supplement her learning with large amounts of personal tutoring. Because she has a great attitude and work ethic, we expect her to make a lot of progress. Already, Mama Margaret is encouraged to see Mercy smiling and is so happy to have this opportunity. Mercy has explained the difference between the public school and Bensesa, and it is like night and day.
Margaret's niece Faith (an orphan who began living with Margaret last year) was very much like Mercy and received the same kind of catch-up tutoring. Faith was able to progress enough that she qualified for high school, and that is what we are hoping will happen for Mercy as well.
If you would like to partner with us to help Mercy, please become a sponsor and change this girl's future forever in a very positive way. We need about $40 per month -- which is very reasonable in Kenya considering the tutoring and education she is getting -- to pay for all of her educational expenses. If we could find two sponsors willing to donate $20 per month each, that would be great, too!
-- Shadrack is a sweet young orphan boy who had a life-threatening brain abscess. Because of friends who joined together to raise the funds, he was able to have brain surgery in 2007. -- He has made great progress from the time before he had the surgery. But he has been diagnosed with mild retardation as a result of the effects of the abscess. His biggest challenge is short-term memory.
Shadrack is now at a special school for mentally challenged children in north Nairobi called Treeside. We are blessed to have a terrific sponsor for Shadrack -- a Houston youth group called Corby's Castle.
I was able to visit Treeside in January and saw what a wonderful environment it is for special kids. Mama Margaret had been telling me for a long time what a great job they were doing for Shadrack and how it is an excellent environment for kids like Shadrack. When I saw for myself, it was clear why she was so enthusiastic about it.
The teachers at Treeside know how to deal with children who are eager to learn but need extra patience and love. Whereas a regular school would scold Shadrack for forgetting, Treeside understands his situation and can work to improve his retention.
Here is a picture of Shadrack with some of his school friends.
Treeside is a government school, which means it gets funding from the Kenyan government. Unfortunately, the amount per student is woefully inadequate. To make up the difference, Treeside has to charge school fees to feed, educate, and board the students -- adding up to several hundred dollars per year. As you can imagine, these expenses are too costly for most poor families. Yet the school does its best to make sure as many children can attend as possible, and tries to work with families that struggle to pay.
The director of the school is also named Margaret. She is standing at left with some of the students
Yesterday, I spoke with Jennifer Cheserek, who is a blind woman that receives assistance through our sponsorship program. Jennifer has a 26 year old daughter named Sarah that is mentally retarded and has been since birth.
Jennifer was telling me the struggles her family went through trying to find a good place like Treeside for Sarah. Once, long ago when Sarah was young, the family managed to borrow and save 10,000 shillings so that Sarah could go to a special school in Eldoret. But the school was not patient like Treeside, and after about a month, said that Sarah could not continue because she needed too much extra attention. Imagine, a brand new student and they gave up on her just like that!
Sadly, like the vast majority of children with special needs in Kenya, Sarah never attended another school and missed out on learning the life skills that only can be taught by an educator with the specialized training needed.
That is why we are so thankful for Treeside, and how they are helping children become more independent and grow up to have a fulfilling adulthood as well as contribute to society. If you are interested in learning more about Treeside, please email me at dmitchell@lahash.net.
Here's Mama Margaret in one of the dormatories with a Treeside student.
The Tenderfeet Education Center is a school for orphans and other vulnerable children of pre-school through second grade age in Nairobi, Kenya. Tenderfeet children are victims of extreme poverty, living in households making $1 or $2 per day.
The school has two locations. The original location is in Kibera, Africa's largest slum. Earlier in 2008, part of the staff and students relocated to nearby Riruta, about 5 miles from Kibera. This was necessary for safety reasons due to the ethnic violence following the riots of the December 2007 elections.
The school was founded in 2000 by Margaret Nyabuto and currently has 30 students in Riruta. In addition, 32 students from the former site in Kibera are being sponsored so that they can continue to attending school.
Tenderfeet in Kenya partners with the Tenderfeet Foundation, a U.S. non-profit charity. U.S. donations are tax-deductible under article 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.
Contact Information
To find out more, please contact the Tenderfeet Foundation coordinator Dax Mitchell.
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