Visit to Iloshon in July 2023: Successful parent meeting and positive developments
In Iloshon, a small Masai community in the Kajiado District, a successful parents’ meeting recently took place. The newly arrived school principal Mr. James invited Agnes Gitonga, a member of the WeCare Association, to this important meeting for the first time. The meeting was held in English and covered various topics including the work of the WeCare Association, the issues of FGM and teenage pregnancy, and girls’ achievement. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were discussed.
Meeting of the Parents’ AssociationAgnes talking to PurityRepresentatives of Parents and Community
WeCare Association takes action against FGM and teenage pregnancies
Members of the parents’ meeting were extremely positive about the work of the WeCare Association. In particular, the issues of FGM (female genital mutilation) and teenage pregnancies were discussed in depth. The meeting agreed that these problems must be fought to give girls a better future.
New demands for the program and rising food prices.
Another topic discussed at the meeting was the girls’ ability to perform, which is required to be accepted into the school’s program. It was decided that new girls must have both a certain level of achievement and come from very poor backgrounds. In addition, due to the sharp increase in food prices, an increase in the cost of staying at the Nasaru dormitory was discussed. This issue will likely lead to further discussion in the future.
Food prices increase due to high inflationKids are queuing for their mealMost likely her only meal for the dayPurity with girls – the aprons are part of a school project
Higher administrative costs require a printer
Due to the newly introduced curriculum of the Kenyan government, the school needs a printer to cope with the increased administrative workload. This was addressed by the school administration during the meeting and will be implemented in the near future.
Chief Petro as elected representative against FGM and teenage pregnancies
Chief Petro, the elected representative of the community, also spoke out against FGM and teenage pregnancies. His presence at the parent meeting underscores the importance of these issues to the community.
Repair of the entrance gate and completion of the fence
The entrance gate to the school was destroyed by elephants in search of water. The school is now planning to repair the gate with the help of the community. Another issue was the fence, which is still not completed. The needed material is already on site and the meeting decided to mobilize some men to finish the fence.
Appreciation of teachers and maintenance work
Parents expressed their displeasure that teachers receive useful gifts such as rice and ugali flour during visits to Iloshon. However, Agnes Gitonga was able to explain that this appreciation to teachers is done for the benefit of their children. In addition, positive developments were mentioned regarding the maintenance work on the drainage pipes of the toilets and the orderliness in the rooms of the dormitory.
Our matron The rooms are tidyDorm
Installation of a rain gutter planned
During the construction of the dormitory, the installation of a rain gutter was omitted, which leads to stagnation of water in the courtyard when it rains and does not collect the valuable water. To solve this problem, it is planned to meet the two companies that offer rain gutters during a next visit to Kenya at the end of October 2023. There, the possibilities and costs for the installation of a rain gutter will be discussed.
The water is stagnating in the patio of the Nasaru dormitory
In conclusion, the visit to Iloshon was extremely positive. The parent meeting was successful and important issues such as FGM, teenage pregnancies and girls’ performance were discussed. The WeCare Association is actively campaigning against these issues. In addition, challenges such as increased food prices and the need for a printer for the school were addressed. Repairing the entrance gate and finishing the fence are other projects being worked on. Teacher appreciation and positive developments in terms of maintenance work are also worth mentioning. In the future, the installation of a rain gutter is planned to solve the problem of water logging. The visit to Iloshon shows that the community is engaged and driving positive change. The WeCare Association plays an important role in this and is committed to the education and well-being of the girls. With further support and collaboration, even more positive developments can be achieved in Iloshon.
We are currently working in Kenya in three different schools that are facing different challenges and problems. The new semester started in all three schools on 03 July 2023.
REHOBOTH SCHOOL
Since the beginning of 2023 we have been supporting the Rehoboth School. This school is located in Kitengela Noonkopir, the largest slum in the Kajiado District, right next to a dumping site, the “workplace” of many of the students’ parents. The school was founded by Jane Gitonga, a mother of five, in 2014 with the aim of giving poor children from the area the opportunity to attend school. Rehoboth is a public school and unlike Europe, in Kenya public schools are for the poorest of the poor as they do not have to pay school fees. The stories of the students are similar and are mostly of sexual and domestic violence, HIV, and abject poverty. Before Covid, the school had about 170 students, most of whom were financed through sponsorships. One consequence of the pandemic is that the school lost many its sponsors. As a result, teachers’ salaries could no longer be guaranteed, and some left the school. A considerable rent arrears accumulated, and the landlord was already threatening to kick them out. The number of students had dropped to 90 as the school had to ask for support from parents who could not afford it. In this emergency, the WeCare Association decided to take over the school’s fixed costs as of January 2023. The children now receive three meals a day, 7 days a week. In the last month alone, 20 new students joined the school, and the total number of students is now 170 again. The number of daily cases of illness has decreased due to the improved nutritional situation of the children. Since there is no caning in this school (a practice that is officially banned in Kenya but is nevertheless common in many schools), the children like to come to school because they not only get food there but also have a haven. As the pupils are also provided with school materials and uniforms due to our donation, the cooperation with the parents has improved massively. The motivation of the teachers has increased, as they no longer must fear waiting for months for their salaries. It was also possible to increase the number of teachers from seven to eleven, which has a direct impact on the quality of teaching and all school subjects can now be taught.
New kids at Rehoboth SchoolNew desks at RehobothChildren are sometimes very tiredTeachers’ conference at Rehoboth School
Iloshon
We visited Iloshon four times in the first semester of 2023, but in April 2023 the visit ended halfway due to a closed road. The “normal” road, on which we have also visited the school in Iloshon several times, had been closed by the landowner due to disputes with the local population. This had a dramatic effect on the primary school in Iloshon, which is attended by 430 pupils. The teachers did not come to school, the pupils also had problems in some cases and of course our aid delivery also had to be picked up halfway by the pupils, as the alternative route was not passable. We contacted the local authorities, but unfortunately the mills grind very slowly in Kenya. The government is working on finalising the new route. Just for understanding: It is not about road construction in our sense, but the roughest stones are being removed to create a “road”. In addition, Iloshon has a new school headmaster named Mr. James. According to Agnes Gitonga, he is an older Masai, but very open. He has promised to motivate parents in terms of having their girls attend the Nasaru Learning Centre. We also organized and carried out the long-needed renovation of the drainage pipes and connection of the washbasins in the “bathrooms” of Nasaru through the vice-director Purity. This was urgently needed as the drainage pipes in the outdoor toilets had holes in them, causing a massive health problem. There is also good news from the sewing studio: the sewing teacher Lilian has managed to sell some bags. We are not sure if these sales were profitable. But it is a very good start. However, Lilian is currently pregnant again and will soon stop working. We will try to find an acceptable interim solution.
WeCare-Girls IloshonThe alternative route is not alwas accessibleVisit in the classroomAgnes visiting with Purity and former head teacher PaulAgnes with new head teacher James
Mperrishi
We visited Mperrishi four times in the first half of 2023. According to the budget, only three visits were planned for this period, but we were able to win a sponsor for an additional 10 girls from Mperrishi. The donation now covers the higher frequency of visits that has become necessary as a result, which will of course also benefit the girls already supported. There has also been a change in the school management in Mperrishi: Mr. Immanuel has been replaced by Mr. Reuben. In addition, the number of teachers has been increased to a total of 9, which will have a positive effect on the learning success of the students. Another positive development is the arrival of a young Masai teacher named Charity, who can act as a role model for the girls.
Reuben – new head teacher of MperrishiThe complete faculty of Mperrishi Primary SchoolThe new role model and teacher Charity surrounded by “her” girls
You can download the entire Half Year Report 2023 here:
Mpirrishi Primary School is located in Kajiado County, Keekonyokie Central, Kisamis Zone, about 90 km southwest of Nairobi and about 20 km from Oltepesi Trading Centre.
There are currently 217 students enrolled, 107 girls and 110 boys. Enclosed is the number of students per class:
Class
Girls
Boys
Total
Pre-Primary 1
20
15
35
Pre-Primary 2
33
21
54
Grade 1
15
20
35
Grade 2
10
11
21
Grade 3
14
7
21
Grade 4
6
7
13
Grade 5
1
11
12
Grade 6
4
6
10
Grade 7
5
6
11
Grade 8
2
3
5
Total
110
107
217
Number of students Mperrishi Primary School 2022
Several conclusions can be drawn from the student numbers. From the 4th grade on, the number of girls per class decreases dramatically. The reason for this is called FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), the girls are mutilated and thus considered women and marriageable. Also, from about 10 years on, the number of students also decreases, as they are then old enough to take care of them.
The absentee rate is high. There are several reasons for this:
1. illnesses especially with smaller children
2. necessity to look after the animals of the parents, especially in times of drought
3. distance from school
4. lack of food in the family
The water supply of the school depends on the rainfall. Due to the drought that has now lasted for more than four years, the parents have to pay for it. However, since the parents are already burdened by the death of their animals and the ongoing famine, it is almost an impossibility for them.
There is no aid program for the Mperrishi Primary School so that the children can get something to eat at school. Students arrive at school hungry after a long walk to school without breakfast. Hungry, thirsty and tired, they are then almost unable to attend classes.
Many students also do not come to school at all now because they are looking for a plant whose seeds are eaten by goats and the bitter tasting plant is chewed by people against thirst.
Since 2021, the WeCare-Association has been a regular visitor to Mperrishi. We have repaired one of the two existing water tanks there and purchased two more 5,000-liter tanks. Since the beginning of 2023, the school has been supplied with 20,000 liters of water per month. Since we have been regularly supplying water and food to the school, the number of students who regularly attend the school has increased.
These are members of the Maasai tribe, who are traditionally herders and live from cattle breeding. A large proportion of them are women and children, as the Maasai still live polygamously. Men marry up to 10 women and there is no form of birth control. There are about 500 bomas (mud huts) there.
There is no medical care in Mperrishi. The nearest health center is 20 km away.
Drought in MperrishiBroken water tapGirls are happy about beans that have fallen out of a bag.
The nearest shopping opportunity is also a three-hour walk (one way!) away.
We are currently the only organization that comes regularly to bring water and food and to do education about FGM.
Keren Gitonga with S. SylviaGroup picture with “our” girlsS. R. distributing fruits
During our visit in November 2022 we noticed the desolate condition of the school. The classrooms are made of corrugated iron that heats up under the sun. They are in terrible condition and snakes are often encountered in the classes and ants build their piles there during the vacations. Termites eat the textbooks.
Desolate condition of classroom How to use drugs? – But there are no drugs available Head teacher Mr. Immanuel with Agnes Gitonga
The long arduous journey to school, hunger and thirst also have a negative impact on the performance of the students. Enclosed is the overview of the performance of the six oldest girls from grades 7 and 8 supported by us. The last three girls have been attending secondary school since the beginning of February 2023, where they also live. We are sure that this will have a positive impact on the girls’ school performance.
Name
Term 1/22
Term 2/22
Term 3/22
Development Term 3/Term 2 (in %)
L. Florence
289
285
267
-6
L. Emily
282
249
231
-7
Y. Victoria
247
237
229
-3
S. Rhodah
291
257
239
-7
N. Emily
283
283
256
-10
S. Abigail
302
268
221
-18
Old grading system, maximum points is 500
Unfortunately, the picture is similar for the girls in the lower classes. The grading here is done according to a new system, since in Kenya a change of the curriculum and thus also of the grading system is currently underway.
Name
Term 1/22
Term 2/22
Term 3/22
S. Lilian
23
18
18
S. Sylvia
31
27
28
T. Rose
31
26
not available
K. Joy
27
24
not available
L. Susan
24
22
23
S. Purity
7
7
7
New grading system, maximum points is 50
Rose and Joy attended 6th grade last school year and their results are not yet available due to the system change.
Purity’s poor performance is due to her almost complete blindness. We have also already discussed her case with several ophthalmologists in Switzerland. She would need a corneal transplant to be able to see again. Unfortunately, given Purity’s circumstances, this is not possible.
Purity eye of Purity Her vision is unfortunately very poor!
We are currently clarifying with Agnes Gitonga whether there is a perspective for Purity somewhere.
Of all three schools we had visited on our trip to Kenya, Mperrishi is really the worst off. It is imperative that we secure a water supply for 2023. This is not a final solution to the problem, but at least for now it is a viable solution. The presence of water in the school is also a strong motivating factor for parents to send their children to school.
The water deliveries and the support of the girls through the WeCare Association should encourage the other girls and the whole population to renounce FGM. During our visit, we had contact with the circumciser, who also acts as a midwife. We brought her disinfectant, disposable gloves and disposable blades for births and held out the prospect that we would take over the education of her youngest daughter in return for her no longer performing mutilations.
We are looking for sponsors for a well project for Mperrishi, in order to be able to secure the permanent water supply for the nearly 5,000 people living there.
We are asking for donations for our water project in Mperrishi and guarantee that every cent goes directly to the project, as all administrative expenses are covered by a private donation.
Our trip to Kenya this year took place in November 2022. It was a very intensive and touching stay. Due to the prolonged drought, the situation on the ground is dramatic, in all three schools. Especially Immpirrishi worries us a lot, as we are the only organization there that at least comes by from time to time and takes care of the students.
School Iloshon Iloshon is located in the Rift Valley about 10 km from Mile 46. The elementary school of Iloshon is attended by 423 students. The population of Iloshon is suffering extremely from the drought, however, several international organizations have already taken action there, including drilling a borehole and providing a 100 m3 water tank and washing stations for the school. Nevertheless, also in Iloshon the animals in the savannah do not find enough fodder anymore and straw bales have to be bought in as feed for the animals. The price for the very emaciated cows and goats has also dropped. The weak animals currently fetch price of about 1,000 KES and earlier between 40,000 and 60,000 KES could be fetched with them. In contrast, the prices of staple foods such as ugali, cabbage, cornmeal, beans, sugar, salt and cooking oil have increased massively due to inflation. Transportation prices have also been affected by inflation. At the request of the Deputy Head Teacher and the Head Teacher, we are now sponsoring a daily lunch at the school for the last few weeks of the semester, which will help keep the children coming to school regularly. According to the teachers, the children arrive at school completely dehydrated, hungry and tired, and some of them are unable to teach. During the farewell tour of all the classes, in PP1 and PP2 the children were sitting there with the empty bowls in their hands, as they were already waiting for the upcoming lunch. This meal is often the only meal per day that these children currently receive. The elementary school of Iloshon is attended by 450 students. The introduction of the new curriculum makes changes necessary in Iloshon as well. For example, an Italian NGO is working to build two classrooms for the junior high school and there is a plan to build a needed secondary school. However, there is currently no budget for the construction of a laboratory. Government regulations, however, require the existence of a laboratory in order to officially register the secondary school. The school has boarding facilities in Iloshon for about 70 girls at the Nasaru Learning Center for Masai Girls that we built. We also offer sewing classes for students and moms there, which are also very well received. Currently 53 girls are enrolled for boarding, of which we support 25. Our goal is to also set up an infirmary and a hairdresser/barbershop there in order to show and also teach the schoolgirls further career prospects. In addition, we would also like to show a perspective for the male students and plan to send individual students to the Masai Technical Institute in Kajiado. There are also some boys boarding in one of the former teachers’ quarters and under very questionable hygienic conditions. The community of Iloshon is supported and cared for by various non-profit organizations. For example, in the last two years a borehole has been constructed which, among other things, feeds a 100m3 water tank for the school. The permanent presence of water helps a lot. The problem, however, is that the actions of the organizations are not concerted, but selective and seemingly erratic.
Immpirrishi School Immpirishi Primary School is located in Tinga, Kiserian. Around the school live about 800 families, i.e. about 5,600 people. There are currently 217 students enrolled at the school, however only 169 come to school semi-regularly. This area is suffering greatly from the drought that has now lasted for over 2 years. The parents and also the children have to walk further and longer distances with their animals in search of water. We are currently the only organization that goes there regularly to provide water, food and education about FGM. We have been active there for two years. The school has no water, and the classrooms are made of corrugated metal that heats up under the sun. They are in terrible condition and snakes are often encountered in the classes and ants build their piles there during the vacations. Termites eat up the school books. We are currently supporting 12 girls in this school who have been victims of FGM, with the aim of making them ambassadors against FGM and role models for the other girls. Three of the girls will enter secondary school next school year, and we will support them in this. In addition, one of our employees comes by every other month with a food delivery for the parents. On the occasion of our visit we also brought food and gifts for the teachers (beans, rice, oil for cooking, salt, sugar, soap, washing powder), writing books for the children and a water delivery. This school was in dire need of a well or a large water tank. In addition, the nearest store is a 3 hour walk away – it is located in Tinga. The medical care for the population there is non-existent, FGM is practiced and the hygienic conditions are inhumane. We are also in contact with the cutter/midwife and have brought her disinfectant, disposable gloves and disposable blades for births.
School Kings & Queens of Rehoboth This school is a private school in the slums of Kitengela (Noonkopir). In contrast to Europe, private schools in Kenya are for particularly poor children whose parents cannot afford the school fees. This school is located directly behind a large garbage dump, where some of the children’s parents search for recyclable material during the day. This garbage dump stinks beastly and vapors rise, which are certainly not healthy. Next to it, skinny cows are looking for something to eat and the vultures are also waiting for their chance. There are currently 170 children in this school, including refugees from Congo and children from the surrounding slums. The absentee rate is very high, and there are several reasons for this. One of the reasons is period poverty, meaning that the girls do not own underpants or have access to sanitary pads and therefore have to stay home for the duration of their periods. In addition, the children’s parents often do not even have money to provide regular water and food for their children. Many children come to school very dirty and some of them even wash themselves at school. Not all children wear school uniforms, although this is compulsory in Kenya and in case the school is inspected by the authorities, this would reflect very badly on the school and also be a reason for further inspection. It is a private school recognized by the state, but it does not receive any support from the state. Recently, a new curriculum was introduced in Kenya, which means that the students need new textbooks. Furthermore, practical subjects such as keeping chickens and knitting are part of the new curriculum. While this is very welcome, the money for the necessary materials (knitting and crocheting needles and wool) is not available here either. Some of the children are also unable to take their final exams – despite doing well in school – because they do not have birth certificates. The school has a water tank, but not regularly the financial means to buy water. Regular meals at school also increase parents’ motivation to send their children to school. Furthermore, the government requires a large room for the final exams, as an external person supervises the exams and the desks have to be placed more than 1 meter apart.
Problems in this school
Absences
Period poverty
Parents who are illiterate
Lack of birth certificates
School books and teaching materials are not available
Availability of school uniforms, underpants, socks and shoes
Money for food and water at school
Lack of a regular sponsor/supporter to pay for fixed costs (rent, teachers, school uniforms, breakfast and lunch for the children)
Domestic violence in many families at home: no wonder given the more than cramped and really terrible housing conditions.
There are a lot of problems in the schools located in the remote savannah, but they are present to the same extent in the slum of Kitengela, where in addition the extremely cramped living conditions lead to even greater tensions in the families than in the savannah, where people actually spend a large part of the time outdoors. The school in Kitengela is financed exclusively by donations. Before Corona, there were many volunteers who would sponsor a child. Due to Corona, many of these sponsors have dropped out and the school’s existence is massively threatened. We will therefore take over the fixed costs for the maintenance of the school in Kitengela from 2023.
After all these great and touching encounters, we are aware that we have a Herculean task ahead of us. But, we also know that we get an incredible amount of love and above all: We will be back!
Lucy is a 15-year-old girl from Mperrishi – a very remote Masai settlement, which politically belongs to the Oltepesi municipality. In Mperrishi, time has stood still and the people there live completely isolated from modern civilization, i.e. they have no access to running water or to a toilet, there is no electricity and no medical care.
Lucy has rarely attended school in the last two years because she was in constant pain. She broke her foot about two years ago and this fracture was not treated medically and was only supported with branches according to Masai technique. This led to a faulty closure of the fracture on the one hand and to a chronic inflammation of the wound on the foot on the other hand.
How did we meet Lucy?
When Lucy turned to us, she was wearing two different shoes because her left foot only fit into one open shoe due to the severe swelling. Lucy’s mother passed away a few years ago and Lucy lives with her grandmother. When Lucy’s badly inflamed foot developed a pungent and foul smell over time, the villagers wanted nothing to do with her, saying Lucy smelled like death and would soon die.
Saving Lucy’s foot
Our local contact, Agnes Gitonga, organized the transport of Lucy to a hospital in Nairobi, where the doctor was at first not sure if it was cancer or not. After an anxious week, the findings were available and a severe chronic inflammation with benign ulceration was diagnosed. However, the doctor immediately made it clear that it would be impossible for Lucy to return to her village with the open wound, as the necessary hygiene for changing the dressing was not in place there.
Agnes therefore put Lucy up with a woman she knew and provided her with the bare necessities: Lucy was given clothes and food.
Culture shock for Lucy
Apart from the fact that Lucy now finally has a glimmer of hope for a pain-free future and will definitely not lose her foot, there were a lot of things for Lucy this month that she experienced or saw for the first time:
Visit to Nairobi.
Stay in a hospital.
Use of a toilet, although at first she did not know how to use it.
Light that can be switched on and off – the first encounter with electric current.
Eating sausage and chips for the first time, although she was very skeptical at first, especially about the sausage. Its appearance did not correspond to her idea of meat.
In summary, it is no exaggeration to say that Lucy has had a real culture shock. Agnes will now also provide her with school books so that she can use the time wisely. In addition, Agnes will talk to her grandmother and try to convince her that Lucy can be sent to the Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center to help her catch up on the school material she has missed and, most importantly, to protect her from FGM.
What’s next for Lucy?
Saving Lucy’s foot has cost approximately 2,000 SFR so far. This is interesting in that even in the Western world, the question of the value of a human life has arisen again and again in recent years. What is the value of a foot?
Lucy’s foot is better, but she will remain in Nairobi until the wound is fully healed.
We will continue to support Lucy in any case, but we need your help. We are urgently looking for a sponsor for Lucy. If you are interested, please contact us at: hello@wecare-association.com
We would like to point out once again that 100% of donations to the WeCare Association go to the recipients. All expenses for administration and marketing are fully covered by us personally and privately!
For donations to the WeCare-Association please use the following account numbers: WeCare-Association Credit Suisse AG CH – 8070 Zurich IBAN: CH92 0483 5212 0106 4100 0 (donations in CHF) Swift Code: CRESCHZZ80A
IBAN: CH58 0483 5212 0106 4200 0 (donations in EURO) Swift Code: CRESCHZZ80A
Yesterday, I had the honor to be invited to the monthly talk of team members of Nokia Brazil to speak about our projects and activities in Kenya.
I spoke about our collaboration with Agnes Gitonga to educate women and girls in remote villages about the dangers and consequences of FGM (female genital mutilation). We showed pictures of our Nasaru Learning Center for Masai Girls and explained how it came into existence.
Opening of the Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Centre in 2019Boarders supported by WeCare-AssociationVocational training provided by Lilian
The dorm was a request from the Iloshon School Teachers as they had noticed an important dropout rate of girls in higher classes as they became pregnant on their way to and from school. The girls and boys of Iloshon primary school must cope with a walk of up to 10 km one way to get to school. Consequently, adolescent girls face a higher risk of getting pregnant.
Dorm provides social control
The boarding not only gives the girls more time to study but also protects them from being subject to FGM – at least to some extend as the school presents a social control and girls whose lower teeth have been filed as sign of their readiness for FGM are easier identified. FGM is a coming-of-age procedure for Masai girls and even though officially forbidden by law is still being practiced. It is the official end of the girls’ childhood and marks their transition from girls to woman. As women they can get pregnant and can be married off…which is the end of their education. And this triggers a vicious circle of illiteracy and poverty.
Great participation
It was beautiful to see and hear how interested the Nokia team members participated. One team member’s daughter had done research on Masai customs at school, and had discovered that via the PLAN INTERNATIONAL organization there have been some initiatives in the Kajiado County to substitute the FGM procedure with a less harmful celebration providing the girls with books. As the schools we are working with are in the same district we are trying now to get into touch with this group of young men.
Another learning of the talk was to emphasize the importance of spreading the word. We need to talk about FGM, and we also need to talk about the poverty of these communities in remote areas.
Thank you very much to all participant Nokia team members and to Vanessa Iglesias for the invitation!
After two years we were able to return to Kenya in October 2021 to visit our ongoing projects. As the Swiss direct flight is not available yet, we flew via Frankfort to Nairobi. After a quiet night at the airport hotel we, which is my dear friend Marcia and I, were picked up by Agnes Gitonga and her brother James.
Rehoboth Learning Center for Kings & Queens at Noonkopir
We went directly to the local mall in Kitengela to buy basics for the students of the Rehoboth Centre and the Mpirrishi Primary school. On our shopping list there were apples, cookies, hulo hoop, skipping ropes, sugar, salt, cooking oil, sanitary pads, and soap. Then we went straight to the Rehoboth Learning Centre for Kings & Queens in Noonkopir, one of the slums of Kitengela. This is a private school but contrary to as is the case in Europe, Kenyan private schools are meant for the poorest kids whose parents cannot afford to send them to a public school. There we received a warm welcome with a variety of performances by all grades.
The Rehoboth Learning Centre is a particularly good example of how effective outside help can be. The “teachers’ room» features a board with a set of rules and regulations which are internalized by the students. Teachers refrain from beating the students which is still very widespread and common in these schools.
Four generation of power women
The school for currently 160 students has extremely limited space and resources available but boasts an overall positive and amical atmosphere. As the Kenyan government has changed its curriculum in the meantime, we have donated once again schoolbooks for the school.
Mpirrishi Primary School
On the next morning we left Kitengela to visit Mpirrishi Primary School in Oltepesi. The “mere” 104 km required a travelling time of three hours as in particular the last 30 km do not necessarily qualify to our definition of a road and at some point, we even asked ourselves whether we would manage to arrive there at all. And it was not even rainy season! The only means of transport available for people in this area is a so called Picky Picky Boy, a motorbike taxi, which could take them to the next dispensary. The price for a round trip is about 12.000 KES (about 120$). To put this price into perspective: a cook at the school earns around 60 $ a month. What this really means in an emergency we should learn later in the day. Agnes and her daughter Karen have been to Mpirrishi a couple of times before our visit to fight against the illegal but still practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). Their work was only possible thanks to the support and openness of the local principal, Manuel. The aim of our visit was to get an idea of the parents’ attitude towards this delicate topic and to meet the girls who had undergone FGM at the end of 2020 and who we are supporting. Little did we know as we witnessed an incredible performance. In front of the parents, the village elders, the teachers and the students, this group of girls prepared for their performance. One of the girls started to put on a pair of plastic gloves which took my breath away. I moved closer and started filming and yes: These incredibly brave girls performed the act which had traumatized them only a couple of months ago, their mutilation. This is one of the most intense experiences I have lived, ever, and not just I, but Marcia, Agnes, and her daughter as well. We all had tears in our eyes.
We had planned a private meeting with those girls following the end of the “official” part of our visit. On the way there, Agnes pointed out the “circumciser», an elder woman who makes her living buy performing FGM. Even this woman was obviously touched by the girls’ performance, and she promised to put down her razor. To make her promise become true, we will have to provide her with another source of income. Suddenly, an excited Marcia pointed out a little girl who had hurt her wrist about two weeks ago whilst playing. The girl’s arm was tightly bandaged with a cloth and her hand was extremely swollen. After a lengthy discussion with the mother, we managed to convince her to take off the bandage and to accept our offer to have her taken to the next dispensary with our driver. This was the moment I realized how far reaching the consequences of FGM really are: It is the reason for illiteracy. If the little girl had not been taken to the dispensary, she would have likely lost her hand which, consequently, would have been interpreted as her being possessed by evil spirits.
Girl with hand injury
Picky Picky Boy takes the entire family to the dispensary
Much better after a couple of days
On the way to our meeting with the girls, we bumped into two 23years old women, each of them mother of four children, whom Agnes had identified as potential FGM victims. Spontaneously, we invited them to our meeting. The message of the girls was unanimous: Had they known what happened to them they would have never agreed, and they were all willing to do anything in their power to save their sisters and other girls and young women from this horrible procedure. Some of the girls are extremely traumatized and could not even talk about what had happened to them.
The two potential victims were listening carefully and incredulously. When asked about their motif to undergo FGM they both answered that they wanted to be “real” women. They were put under pressure by the husband and mother-in-law as well as by the midwife, who very often happens to be the circumciser, who threatened not to help her with future births. They did not show any comprehension for us reasoning that by bearing four children they already had proven their “being a real woman.” We do hope that these two young women will not succumb to the pressure of people around them. We left Mpirrishi with mixed feelings. The positive attitude of the teachers and the village chairmen make us hope that this community will refrain from FGM in the future. But this will be an exceptionally long and winding road as there is a total lack of local infrastructure.
After four hours’ drive it was already night when we arrived back in Kitengela.
Nasaru Masai Girls Learning Center
Next on our list was the visit of our project “Nasaru Learning Centre for Masai Girls” in Iloshon for the next day. Before Kitengela, we made another visit to the Kitengela Mall where we shopped – once again – for basics such as soap, detergent, sugar, salt, oil, sanitary pads, and toilet paper. As we planned to spend the night there, we also bought mattresses, which were safely stored on the roof of the car. Packed to capacity we started our way to Iloshon and noticed that the quality of the dust road – at least to Kudu Hills Project – hat improved significantly – or was it our lowered expectations?
Anyhow, shortly before arrival at destination our car broke down and we were lucky enough that the head teacher Paul and Geoffrey, the constructor who is building the fence around Nasaru, came to our rescue.
Paul, the headteacher and Paul, the builder (whose name actually is not Paul)
Unfortunately, the ongoing drought has taken its toll and many parents cannot or do not want to pay for the boarding of their girls. The price for cattle has dropped and the parents are lacking money for food and water. This was also one of the reasons why we had asked Geoffrey, who as constructor gets to different villages, already one year ago to identify twenty-five girls who are even worse off than others, to be sponsored by WeCare to board and thus to finish their education. We have discussed the reason for the parents’ reluctance with all people involved, the teachers, the cook, the matron, and the watchman. The fee structure has been named as the main reason and we discussed this with the head teacher. Eventually, we reached a compromise to lower the fee for the parents. We also pointed out that it is also the teachers’ responsibility to promote the boarding among the parents and thus convincing them about the importance of school education. Finally, we had some time with the girls, and we checked the presence of all the girls supported by us. Except for one sick student, all the students were present. We were surprised to discover that – except for few students – most of the girls did not know their birthday or at least their birth year. The following rope skipping competition was an enjoyable break for all.
After having had a meeting with the personal in our “bedroom” far beyond 10:00 pm, we were incredibly surprised and above all tired when were awoken at 04:30 am as the girls got up with a lot of noise. The following day we toured all grades and distributed pencils, pens, and exercise books to all 450 students.
Unfortunately, our too short stay has ended and it would have been nice to have more time to spend with the girls and to interact with them directly. Agnes had only identified potential victims of FGM as «designated girls” have filed down lower incisors. On our way back we made a little detour and Agnes pointed out a piece of land which she had rented thanks to WeCare-Association’s last year’s feeding program and which now provides the students of the Rehoboth Learning Centre with vegetables.
A small water reservoir next to tthe field
The bottom line of our visit to Kenya: Corona has worsened the situation for the poorest people and there is so much to do. So, let us do this: We are looking for godparents for our girls to make sure that these girls will be able to finish school and will be offered the opportunity for further education beyond primary school. As godfather/godmother of a girl, you will have the chance to establish a relationship with the girl and to follow up on her development. There will be progress reports three times a year, a Christmas letter written by the girl, the annual activity report of WeCare-Association as well as a small gift handmade with love in our workshop in Cambodia. More information will follow soon on our website: www.wecare-association.ch as well as on social media Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wecareassociation/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WeCareAssociation). We are grateful for very tiring and intensive day which touched and motivated us. We have met wonderful people who deserve a better future. “Education is life.” Only now do I understand the real meaning of this catch phrase.
2020 was an extremely challenging year and we had to adapt our projects to the collateral damages provoked by the Corona pandemic. Enclosed you find an overview of our current projects
Emergency Aid – Feeding Program As many children in Cambodia and Kenya could not attend school because of national lockdowns, we supported local feeding programs in the Slums of Kitengela together with Agnes Gitonga who bought food and distributed it locally to her community.
Food distribution in Kitengela
Cambodia In Cambodia we collaborated with local ngo avec and we were able to provide 30 families with emergency kits containing mosquito nets, rice, noodles, fish and soja sauce, soap and bast fiber mats. We had met these families who literally live on a dumpsite the year before and were shocked to see their living conditions.
Emergency aid dumpsite Battambang – Cambodia
Slums Kitengela School and Women’s Vocational Training WeCare-Association has been actively supporting Masai communities in the Rift Valley southeast of Kenya’s capital Nairobi for more than ten years. Our primary goals are to provide needy people with the ability to help themselves and to help them develop their self-esteem. We began to support two projects by a wonderful mother-daughter team in Kitengela. The mother, Jane Gitonga, has been running a private primary school in Kitengela since 2014. The kids in the 10 grades originate from the slums of Noonkopir (Kitengela). These children are facing abuse, domestic violence, illness (HIV) and perpetual lack of financial ressources. Currently, 180 children attend her school and the the entire system depends on donations. Often, there is not enough money to pay for the teachers’ salaries and the rent. The school desperately needs furniture, teachers, schoolbooks, electricity, computers and food. Jane Gitonga who also acts as the principal of the primary school in Kitengela was very worried when her school was closed due to the lockdown. All of a sudden, 180 children were without a daytime structure, without education and above all without the only fix meal per day. And there were even more dramatic collateral damages: We heard from young girls willing to sell their bodies for a meal. Consequently, the number of teenage pregnancies was rising which always results in the end of the school education for the moms-to-be. As the social sanctioning mechanism of the school went missing, more cases of female genital mutilation were reported as well.
Daughter Agnes Gitonga runs a vocational training center for young women and strives not only to provide them with a training which will potentially provide them with a source of income but also to improve their self-esteem. So far, she managed to organize the training of 100 tailors and 40 hairdressers. Her project is also entirely financed by donations.
Femmes des rizières – Social Brand This project aims to provide young tailors with a perspective to become financially independent by supporting them to develop and market products under the “Femmes des rizières” brand. Please visit www.femmes-des-rizieres.com .
An eventful and exciting year is coming to an end and we have lots of news to tell you!
WeCare Association membership In 2019, we added the item “Become active” on the website www.wecare-association.ch, whereby there are options to either become a member or to give a membership as a gift. It would be great if you could advertise it a bit. We’re happy about every new member! In addition, in 2019 we focused fully on the further development of our projects and intensified the collaboration with the local contacts.
Femmes des rizières After the launch of the launch collection, we are now working feverishly on the improvements and further development of the project. We were able to deliver the products ordered from Bazaar 2018 and held three sales events in 2019. Susi was in Cambodia in March and visited some projects and potential fabric suppliers on site and worked with the studio. The craftsmanship of the tailors is very high and they already work very precisely. We definitely still have to work on the processes, but we’re also very confident in this regard. The acceptance of the collection was very positive. However, we are still struggling with various problems, such as the local availability of fabrics and their quality, which unfortunately is not constant. Logistics is another challenge, as shipping to and from Battambang (Cambodia) is very time-consuming and cost-intensive. We are currently very open to various options as we have to be flexible in our orientation due to existing restrictions. We made several samples for a Swiss start-up company, which the customer liked and also satisfied in terms of quality, but the startup then reoriented itself. A Swiss designer made a wonderful fabric donation that is currently on its way to Cambodia, and we want to use it to make some upcycling models. We are also planning to launch a home and animal collection. Sales events are planned for 2020, the first being participation in the Atelier Days in Erlenbach in early April. We would kindly ask you all to follow Femmes des rizières on Instagram (femmes_des_rizieres) and on Facebook (Femmes des rizières)! There is not only news and information about the project, but also the data for the sales events. We are of course also looking for potential sales partners – so if someone knows somebody, please contact us!
THANK YOU!
Meeting with potential fabric supplier. c
Lunch with the children in Pailin – a highlight!
Poster variations for the sales events
Sales event Zurich
NASARU – Learning Center for Masai Girls Manuela and Susi inaugurated the learning center during their visit at the end of June and were there when the 80 girls moved into their new home. It was a very impressive and emotional event. The girls are incredibly motivated and delighted. It also appears that the opening of the learning center will give the whole community a real boost. The tailoring teacher Faith started teaching in September, her students are the residents of Nasaru and their mothers. There were also a few young men! We have equipped them with a basic set of sewing utensils such as fabrics, threads, needles … but the idea is that in the future they can finance this by selling their handmade products. One of the products they are supposed to manufacture are period hygiene products for the girls. This would solve two problems in one fell swoop: A major problem for Kenyan girls is the availability of sanitary sanitary pads – they are often forced to buy them for sex! Unimaginable in our world! Sad reality in Kenya! We are still looking for volunteers to give the girls from NASARU additional English skills! We are also planning to set up a chicken coop in Nasaru in 2020 – we are currently evaluating the right organizational form and are still looking for the right project managers.
Opening of our NASARU learning center in Iloshon.
Masai women at the meeting in Iloshon
Textbooks for a primary school
Fountain Project Iloshon The geological report was unfortunately negative, which means that we have no guarantee that we will encounter water when drilling there. For this reason, no drilling is carried out. Alternatively, the construction of a pipeline from the nearest location is currently being evaluated. We are looking forward to the answer …
Business Hub Kitengela Agnes Gitogna founded a so-called SACCO Society. SACCO stands for Savings and Credit Cooperative, i.e. it is a savings and loan association. This group consists of 26 women and 4 men. The group meets with a trainer every Monday afternoon and each member pays 260 KES (approx. CHF 2.50) every week. The money saved in this way can be given as a loan to a member, with the monthly interest rate being an incredible 10%! The WeCare Association will cover the costs of the training for 6 months with the aim that we can then set up such a SACCO ourselves and accordingly have learning effects. We will then also have to discuss the correct interest rate. In this group, the participants also get a basic knowledge of commercial trade. For instance, they are about to develope a business model for selling sugar cane juice. Susi is in contact with Agnes every week to give input and also to understand where the problems are and what questions the participants have. Based on the sugar cane juice experience so far we realised that local conditions are not very business-friendly: To be able to sell the juice you need a health license, a health certificate, a sales license, an apron, a hat and rubber boots, electricity, refrigerator, benches and chairs… .. we are curious to see how this develops! The weather in Masailand has been quite capricious in 2019 and the rain has unfortunately failed to materialize at first. The drought paired with a certain lack of understanding for priorities unfortunately led to several cows in Olpirikata having died. The few remaining cows were brought to the northern part of Nakuru, where they are currently being nursed up. The WeCare Association has also paid the costs and we hope that the emaciated and weakened cows will recover! We regularly post on our website www.wecare-association.ch or on Instagram (wecareassociation) and on Facebook news and updates of our activities and project progress.
On June 30th, 2019 we were ready to go on another adventure. Susi and Manu left towards Zurich airport in order to catch the by now familiar flight to Nairobi, Kenya. As usual, we were travelling light with a mere 120 kg of luggage evenly distributed in four suitcases.
Our suitcases were filled with lots of donated clothes, wool, crocheting needles, colours and drawing blocks and about 100 t-shirts featuring the WeCare-Logo surrounded by depictions of the four extracurricular activities we want to launch for the girls at the NASARU- Learning Centre for Masai Girls.
Travelling light
We arrived in Nairobi in the evening and spent a quiet night in a hotel close to the airport. Early in the morning of the following day Giorgio came to pick us up and we left towards Kitengela where we had a meeting with Agnes Gitonga whom I had met via Facebook thanks to Elizabeth Leuenberger – Kajs. I was very much looking forward to this meeting. On our way there we stopped at a big supermakret to get some gifts. We bought a big carton of apples and oranges, 50 kg of rice, sugar, toilet paper and buiscuits for « Agnes’ children ». We also got a thermos for chai and for chapati for Agnes from Iloshon who last year had indicated that this was what she expected us to bring her. Whilst browsing through the household department we noticed two heavily armed men and Giorgio -kindly enough- reminded us that supermarkets as well as churches were the preferred targets for terrorist attacks in parictular when owned by Somalis as was the case with the supermarket we were in. As this news had a very soothing effect on us, we tried to leave the supermarket as soon as possible. With a rather full car we reached Kitengela. Agnes Giltonga had told me that she was in Noonkopir and that we should call her upon arriving in the vicinity. As we were lucky enough to have an internet connection in this very moment we were guided by Google Maps. We left the main road and came onto a dust road and the area became less and less welcoming. I called Agnes and with the help of a passer-by we managed to establish where we were. Agnes told us to meet her at the mosque. We only had to ask about five times in order to get to where Agnes was expecting us. She then guided us to her centre which actually consists of two different parts: On the one hand there is the Gibon Women Empowerment centre where women are being trained to be tailors and -above all- learn to develop self-esteem. On the other hand it is a school for grades 1 to 3 and a dormitory for up to 100 children. These children all come for extremely underprivileged families with parents who cannot afford to pay for public school. The small children already have to babysit their younger siblings and therefore cannot go to school.
In this really very impoverished environment there is a very positive atmosphere and you can sense change. You can literally feel the motivation to change which has been planted by powerhose Agnes in the heads of the women and children present. She is a wonderful role model for all the women in the centre and with her incredible determination she has managed to plant the seed for a very important change. We would like Agnes to come to Iloshon to convince our Nasaru Girls how important change is. We believe that Agnes as a local and « one of them » will have much more impact than a Muzungu (white foreigner) who does not have a clue about the way they live.
Moreover, we are striving to enter into a collaboration with one of the tailors trained at Agnes’ Center to come and teach our girls at the NASARU Learning Centre for Girls.
Handing over the gifts
The kids are happy with their gifts
After an emotional goodbye and our promise to come back we headed towards the next library to order the promised schoolbooks for Agnes. The librarian was very competent and promised to order them right away.
Agnes, you are not alone!
Our next stop was Olpirikata where we got a very clear demonstrations of one of the major problems: The community had been waiting for us and therefore was more than ready for our first meeting. The meeting started with a short prayer and then it was the turn of the village elder who did not only welcome us but made it clear that there were a number of urgent problems within the village that we were supposed to solve. Among these problems mentioned were: The farm’s neighbour sent her goats into the vegetable garden to graze the vegetables. A woman from the women’s cooperative had sold her jewellery in a different spot than was agreed upon. The lack of a doctor when they had already scared away two doctors. When it was my turn to address them I told them that we consider ourselves as project incubators and we accompany them until they are «grown-ups». Then the local population has to take over and assume the responsibility for the projects themselves comprising the solution of all problems that may arise.
Subsequently we went to pay a visit to all our projects to see their progress. The result was a little sobering but in all fairness we have to admit that new beginnings are difficult everywhere and there are no problems only solutions. We called on the local project owners to solve their problems on their own but promised to be at their disposal for any kind of input they might need.
We provided the project owners with clearly defined, quantitative objectives/goals and asked them to provide regular feedback on the project progress.
In this context, I had a very conclusive and interesting talk with three young Masai men. When asked about their visions for their future on of them wanted to become the boss of a big company and the other two dreamed of being future shop owners. Only one of the two future shop-owners had a very clear vision of what he wanted to sell in his shop, namely spare parts. The other man did not have any clue what he wanted to do with a shop. There is need for a lot of change, above all in the people’s heads!
The same evening a young Italian volunteer named Rosaria joined our little group. Rosaria will spend the next couple of weeks to visit the different villages together with Giorgio and to treat the children’s skin with soap as they very often suffer from a fungus that can apparently be cured rather easily. They will also wash the childrens’ eyes with a saline solution in order to prevent or to ease eye infections caused by the fine dust of the Savannah.
On the next morning we left Olpirikata in direction Iloshon. The atmosphere there was overwhelming and we were welcomed in grand Masai style as the excitement and want for change was tangible.
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