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.
Generous donation enables purchase of bicycles for disadvantaged children in Cambodia.
For years, ngo avec and the WeCare Association have been working closely together. For some time now, go avec has been running a school project in two schools in Battambang. These two schools are regularly visited by representatives of ngo avec, who then distribute relief supplies to the parents of the supported children, who are also present. The goal is to create an additional incentive for the parents to send their children to school regularly. This project is very successful, and the author of this article has been present on site several times during the distribution of the supplies.
At the end of 2021, the WeCare Association received a generous donation from the Diethelm Foundation and, in consultation with Theavy Bun and Patrik Roux, we agreed to provide some of the children supported by the school project with additional bicycles. The school project supports a total of 100 families, but Theavy Bun decided to give bicycles only to those students who regularly attend school and work hard there.
This resulted in a need for 77 bicycles plus 12 bicycles needed for the children of the Safe House in Battambang. Furthermore, all 89 bicycles were equipped with locks. In addition, 2 mopeds were purchased for two older girls from the Safe House who are already attending university.
Nowadays, a bicycle is not necessarily something special for children in Switzerland. Not so in a third world country like Cambodia. What does a bicycle mean for a Cambodian child?
The child gets to school faster.
In Cambodia, a bicycle is not only a means of transportation for a child, but it can also be used to take a brother/sister or another child from the same village to school.
The recipients of the bicycles have a low absenteeism rate. This makes them role models for the other children, who hopefully produce fewer absences as a result.
Owning a bike also makes it easier for these children to attend the additional English and computer training offered by ngo avec. The training center on the grounds of the ngo avec is very remote and can only be reached on foot, by bicycle or by car. There is no public transportation there.
The bicycles then allow the students to later attend a secondary school in Battambang, which is also not accessible by foot because they are too far away and no, there is no public transportation there either.
Having a bicycle in the family benefits the whole family. For example, the mother can use it to go to the market or to town to do shopping or to get medicine for a sick family member. Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not.
Giving these bicycles also reinforces ngo avec’s message about the necessity and usefulness of regular school attendance. Those who try harder and work harder in school get more than the others who do not. The official handover took place in the presence of parents and local political celebrities on the premises of the ngo avec in a ceremonial act.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Dietrich Foundation once again for their generous donation. Without this contribution, the implementation of this project would not have been possible.
After a two-year corona induced break, on March 13th, 2022, I boarded my flight with Singapore Airlines and flew to Siam Reap with a stopover at Singapore’s Changi Airport. After an unforgettable antigen test at Siam Reap airport, I was given a hearty welcome by Theavy Bun and Patrik Roux. Two years ago, I had been the last foreign visitor to avec Cambodia and now the first foreign visitor after the pandemic. The trip to Battambang went buy very quickly not only because the newly built highway reduced travel time by an hour, but also because we had lots to catch up on.
Reunion with my goddaughter after two years
“Schooling Days”
The dense program started the very next morning. Upon arrival at the Safe house, the three assistants Thida, Lida and Sanya were already loading the small truck – together with the bigger children – for the Chrapkrasang Primary School. The first “schooling day” after two years of pandemic absence! NGO AVEC has be running this schooling program for a couple of years and the aim is to make sure that underprivileged children attend school on a regular basis. The teachers support this program, and they get teaching materials as well as a little thank you. Already before the visiting day, the school hands out vouchers to the children and makes sure that the parents concerned are being informed as they must be present at school on this day.
Theavy and Patrik emphasize the importance of regular school attendance
Parents and children sit on the floor and Theavy controls if they are all present. Then, the children with a lot of absences are called and their parents are asked to explain why their children have missed so many days at school. Theavy points out the importance of education and then the distribution of goods starts. Every family is given 6 bottles of fish and soja sauce, 10 kg of rice, a carton of instant noodles and the students get a bag, a school uniform, a soap, and stationary utensils including exercise books. Even though I participated in this “schooling day” already two years ago, I was overwhelmed by the perfect organization including the distribution of the goods to more than 100 students and their parents. The next morning brought us to the Salabalat Primary School which is also attended by the children of the Safe House for another “schooling day”.
Parents Salabalat Primary SchoolChildren Salabalat Primary SchoolOn our way to Salabalat Primary School
Village Visits
As part of this schooling program, spouses Roux frequently visit the families of the supported children at home to get an idea of the family situation and the problems the family are facing. As WeCare-Association recently provided a donation to support three families we visited potential recipients. Patrik and Theavy are very conscious about using donations in a sustainable way. Therefore, a lot of time and effort goes into choosing the right beneficiaries. The lack of property of the land where they live for instance, is a reason for them not being taken into consideration as the owner of the land might claim the donation. This is the reason why the first two families visited – unfortunately – can not be provided with a house. We visited these families whose already poor situation is ultimately aggravated by two handicapped persons. The man of the first family is paralyzed, and a bowl has been attached to him with a scarf. He lies on a plank bed. His 92-year-old mother squats in front of the cabin and has her lunch. She is in the shade and this is a small success as the last time Theavy and Patrik found her lying unshaded and unprotected in the sun at 35°C. Her grandson managed to provide her with a little bit of shade only after he had been asked to do so. We left some food with them and left. The next visit brought us to another paralyzed mother of 8 children – apathetically lying on a bare plank bed. There are human excrements under the bed. One of her daughters is present and cooking for the family.
Our next stop is a family with five boys who had been identified by Theavy and Patrik as potential recipients as the family generally had made a good impression. Not only do they own the land where they live but the father has a regular job as well. Upon arrival though we realized very quickly that there was something wrong. The mother was home alone with the five boys but already at the early age of eight years the eldest son shows massive signs of rebellion and disobedience towards his mother. Theavy has already tried to get more information about the family and there are rumours about the mother. Patrik and Theavy will continue to visit this family.
People on the landfill
Upon our return to the safe house the small truck was loaded again as we were to visit the people living on the landfill. There is a total of 32 families living on the territory of a garbage collecting company and I found out about their terrible living conditions two years ago. Therefore, I had decided that we were going to provide them with an emergency help to alleviate their lives at least a little bit. We arrived at a temperature of 35°C and very high level of humidity and the families arrived and helped to unload the truck. Theavy and her team had been there before and not only taken the names and numbers of family members but also given out vouchers to help for a smooth distribution of the goods.
Distribution of the goodsWash panLiving conditionsChildren living on site
The families all were seated on the floor, and we distributed sweating with masks food, wash pans, storage boxes, mosquito nets, blankets, and mats. Subsequently, the people invited us to visit their homes. As it had rained the day before, the ground was muddy, and a smell of humidity was in the air. It is really depressing to see how people must live.
Samlot
The following day brought a pleasant diversion. We drove to Samlot around 84 km from Battambang to visit a graduate from avec’s tailoring workshop, whom we financed the setting up of her business. She runs her tailor workshop on the premises of her parents together with her elder sister who is a beautician. The two young women made a good impression and seemed to be happy with their respective businesses. The elder sister was looking forward to her imminent wedding and the entire family was already busy preparing the upcoming celebration.
Ad for tailor and beauticianThe familie of the tailorVisiting the beauty salonIn front of the tailor shop
On our way back we drove by a wonderfully green landscape with manioc plantations, mango trees and cashew trees all bearing witness of the incredible fertility of this area.
Siam Reap
In the meantime, the excitement and anticipation of the children in the safe house had reached unprecedented heights as our planned trip to Siam Reap was coming closer. In particular, the smaller kids had prepared their clothes already days ago. Finally, the moment has come! The rented bus was packed and filled with most of the participants. Those kids suffering from travel sickness had to take their place on the loading area of Patrik’s pickup truck to get some fresh air.
We arrived around noon in Siam Reap and directly went to lunch. It is incredible how much Siam Reap has changed over the last two years. Many foot and bike paths have been constructed. But many hotels and restaurants had to close their businesses. Especially, the big buffet restaurants with traditional dance performances catering to big travel groups had to close and will not re-open any time soon.
Lunch in Siam Reap
Our first impression was proven right when we visited the temples: There were only occasional encounters with single foreign tourists and there were some Cambodian tourists. Unfortunately, this has a terrible impact on the local economy as they desperately need foreign currency.
One of the highlights for all of us was the visit to a local buffet restaurant where the children could fill their bellies as much as they wanted. Words cannot describe the joy with which they presented their full bellies and the happiness in their eyes.
Again and again, I am surprised by the discipline and consequence of Theavy and Patrik educating the children and the fruits their education bears: As the pool was officially closed upon our return to the hotel, the kids were still allowed to swim but they were told to behave and to be as quiet as possible in order not to disturb the few other guests present. There were around 25 kids in the pool, and one could hear not a thing.
The following evening, we visited the centrally located Pub Street and once again we saw many very happy faces when they were all offered some ice cream. Sadly though, the former center has been reduced in two years to one street only where there are few open restaurants and bars. They fight for the attention of the few tourists with very loud music. It will take a long time for tourism to recover. Saying goodbye, after a very intense and exciting time spent together, was very sad. The kids gifted me with crafted presents and even more touchingly with happy eyes and tons of hugs.
The taxi driver asked me to take a picture with him, as I was the first tourist, he drove to the airport in more than two years. The airport itself was almost empty and except for my flight to Singapore there was only one other flight to Phnom Penh on the display. Conclusion: I will be back, and these already very poor people will take a long time to recover economically from the corona measures. And I am extremely grateful to have the privilege to live such intense encounters and that I have the possibility to provide these kids with unforgettable memories which will strengthen their self-worth, and which cannot be taken away from them.
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 .
After more than 24 hours of travel, I arrived in Battambang on February 4th, 2020, tired but well. After a short rest at the hotel, I was picked up by Patrik Roux and we drove straight to the safe house, where I immediately started working with the seamstresses in the workshop. Dara is very pregnant and her baby (probably a boy) is due at the end of February.
The mammoth task ahead of us is to transform Esther Enkelmann’s generous fabric donation into different styles for our upcycling project. Since we had already defined the production of an upcycling coat before my trip via Skype, I was able to inspect the first finished model upon my arrival and we spontaneously decided to make a matching bag as well. My godchild, Heidi, had to quickly jump in to be our model for the bag.
After dinner in the safe house, it was my honor to share some news with the kids. Patrik and Theavy had not yet told them about our planned trip to Siam Reap. The children were absolutely thrilled and loudly expressed their overwhelming joyfulness about this very welcome change.
The next morning, Theavy and I went shopping in the various markets. We found two pretty green patterned fabrics and Vichy patterns in different colors. Unfortunately, the availability of fabrics remains an unsolved problem. We are staying tuned! At the market, we visited a young girl from the safe house who successfully completed the tailor training and is now working for a seamstress, as well as another graduate who runs her own business. As her sister sat pregnant on the floor and ironed, the owner’s little son crawled all around the floor. I wasn’t very comfortable watching!
Kimlai
Afterwards we got some local specialties like water cockroaches and silkworms (!!), tamarind and fish cooked in banana leaves. We also bought noodle soup-to-go from a woman with a mobile food stall. We then went to a grocery store specializing in foreign products, where we bought butter, flour, sugar and cocoa powder since we wanted to bake cakes and cookies together for the children.
Noodle soup to-go
A different form of protein
The kids loves this kind of protein
The next thing on our to-do list was to take a look at a booth which sells sugar cane juice as we needed some inspiration for the a project in Kenya.
Energy supply
Plastic orgy
Chrabcrosang Elementary School was on our list for the next morning. The hardworking assistants, Soklida, Saya and Thida, together with some of the girls had already loaded the small truck with approx. 100 kg rice, 600 soy bottles, 600 fish sauce bottles, 100 water bottles, 200 soaps, 100 uniforms, 100 packs of noodle soup, 100 bags and 100 packaged school materials. All of the bags and the uniforms were made in the safe house tailors’ workshop. In fact, the children’s uniforms were custom-made as the studio keeps a file with all of the children’s measurements. The decrepit and rickety small truck brought us to Chrabcrosang Elementary School, very close to the safe house. In this school, the NGO avec looks after 100 children from the poorest backgrounds. These visits, which take place every two months, are focused on preventing absences from school and motivating parents and students to attend school. Therefore, one parent or relative must also be present during the visit. The children sit in neat rows on the floor, sorted by class, and their relatives sit beside them. Theavy checks the absence lists and the students with the most days have to step forward with their relatives and justify their absences. A complex but also very effective process. In the end, the relief supplies are distributed. There are also school supplies for the entire school and small monetary gifts for the teachers.
Dream team from avec
Rice for the parents
Unloading
In the afternoon, I was able to take a look behind the scenes when we visited some of the families of these students in their own homes. One mother had a completely swollen foot. It was green and her toes were discolored. The injury was already three weeks old. Despite severe pain, she could no longer go to the hospital because after two weeks it is no longer considered an emergency and she cannot afford regular treatment. This woman has a total of five daughters, with the oldest being an accounting student. She does not know how she will finance her daughters’ education, so it is quite likely that the eldest daughter will soon have to drop out of school and go to Thailand to earn money for the family. All of the houses are extremely fragile and in poor condition. The house of one grandmother, who takes care of her granddaughter since both parents work in Thailand, is in particularly bad condition. But she seems very satisfied and content. Just watching the silent agreement between grandma and granddaughter was very moving. The puppies crawling around and wagging their tails added to this positive impression.
We then entered hell in the front courtyard. Several families live on the site of a garbage company, which stores their large equipment as well as garbage here. A fish is hung up to dry at the entrance gate and there is a strong smell of garbage everywhere. Patrik ventured a little further into the interior of the dwellings and said that there was an overpowering, terrible smell which he could not identify but was sure was unhealthy, if not toxic. This visit left me shocked and speechless because the surrounding area was so much worse that what we had seen previously. The children, however, played happily and everyone happily posed for photos together. No one should have to live in such conditions!
Our next project was called “We bake cookies and cakes”. I naively assumed that it was an easy thing. Not even close! I hadn’t counted on the Cambodian stove. It was an older gas stove, which you could see. Of course, the furnace also had no temperature display and so we simply put it on high. We had already got the missing ingredients the day before and so I happily went to work. Another major challenge, especially when dealing with ingredients such as butter and chocolate, is the temperature, which is well above 30 ° C. The butter melted within a very short time and the chocolate soon melted as well. After Theavy and I got the cookies ready for baking, the moment of truth came: Usually, i.e. in my Swiss oven, the cookies have a baking time of 15 minutes. Well, in Cambodia it was 45 minutes … The next almond ring cake was partially a victim of the oven. Although I had put it on the lowest level and left it inside twice as long as in Switzerland, I failed to turn the mold … which led to a partially charred result. We then cut the burnt part out, which Patrik claimed was still edible…. With the second cake, I knew better. I positioned it in the middle of the gas oven and turned it several times. The result was a visually more appealing and, above all, completely edible cake.
Theavy and Patrik had decided to make educational use of the weekend trip to Siam Reap and announced that on Friday evening, the names of the children that were allowed to go with us would be announced. Over the course of the whole week, the children had been mulling over whether they would be allowed to ride or not, sometimes even packing their things. S. and M., 6 and 8 years old, had even expressed their concerns at the table every day about whether we would take them because they did not always brush their teeth. Theavy had drawn up a list of the names of vulnerable children that she was willing to take with her, but she expressed her dissatisfaction with certain behaviors and announced that she would hold one-on-one meetings the week after. In the end, only one boy fell through the grate: Unfortunately, he always stands out due to his aggressive behavior, and he has also injured other children. I felt sorry for the little boy and tried to put in a good word for him – to no avail. Patrik and Theavy insisted on the need to set an example of him, especially towards the other children, and not because they were convinced that this would change the boy’s behavior. In view of the fact that they are raising 35 children, I had to accept their decision, albeit with a heavy heart.
The excitement the next morning couldn’t have been greater at the safe house. The bus was already ready to leave. The majority of the children had boarded the bus and those who feel usually sick when driving had to find a place on the back of the pickup truck. Cambodian pragmatism!
More than three hours later, we reached Siam Reap where we went to a simple but clean place for lunch. The children spent the afternoon at the hotel pool. In the evening we went to a so-called Apsara restaurant, i.e. a huge restaurant for tourists with Apsara shows and a buffet. The restaurant was almost completely empty, as Siam Reap also lacks the large number of Chinese tour groups that are not granted travel permits due to the corona virus. One man’s joy is another man’s sorrow! Theavy was able to negotiate a very good price … especially for the smallest children. Patrik said with a smile that they had no idea how much the small children in particular could eat. This prophecy also came true and resulted in the smallest girls breaking the greatest records in eating ice cream: 10, 7 and 6 pops!!! I was already aware that with 35 children, you have to exercise a different form of discipline than you so with only two. And yet I was so impressed by the exceptionally good behavior of the children: not only was the noise level in the hotel kept within limits, the children thanked us for each meal individually and the adults looked after the children in an exemplary manner, e.g. all small children were each designated to an older child and the two then walked hand in hand and there was no hint of a problem with this. While I was having a glass of wine at the pool with Patrik, a huge surprise awaited me: Some of the older girls handed me some presents that they had made for me. It was sooo touching … The next morning we first went to Angkor Wat and then to Bayon Temple. Again, I was amazed by the children’s incredible discipline.
Since I had several pieces of the Femmes des Rizières collection with us, we decided to combine the Sunday trip to the temples with a photo shoot for Femmes des Rizières. I had distributed the clothes the night before. It was so great to see how committed and eager the girls and young women were to preparing for the photos, posing and taking the pictures!
Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye. It was wonderful! We all had a wonderful time together and not only the children have wonderful memories – but I do too!
Note: We had discussed in advance whether it would make more sense, for example, to buy a small motorcycle for one of the older girls rather than to go on this excursion. In the end, I decided that we would make the trip. These children all have such terrible backgrounds and we wanted to create some positive childhood memories. Of course, there was a trace of selfishness on my part when taking the decision. In any case, the memories of this trip with live on in everyone’s minds for a long time. The expenses for the excursion were privately covered!
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.
A history about fashion…
A history about humanitarian and humanity…
A history about loving and sharing
Briefly: A wonderful history
Today my five months volunteering as the first designer for the brand «Femmes des Rizières» (Woment from the paddy fields) come to an end. «Femmes des Rizières» is the brainchild of the Cambodian NGO avec in close collaboration with Swiss based WeCare-Association.
Early in July 2018 I left Paris to travel to Cambodia. Already before this adventure began I was full of ideas and thoughts, I dreamed about it and I tried to imagine how it would be ….as I am a naturally optimistic person, my head was full of idylic images which even to me did not seem very realistic. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned how extraordinary and exciting this mission was going to be.
Upon arrival at the Safe House of the NGO avec in Cambodia I found myself in the middle of a small paradise which has become home to 34 children and 3 substitution mothers over the course of the last 10 years. A safe heaven for these children who had to live through dangerous situations, injustices and fear in their earlier lives.
Between myself and the children things clicked immediately and the five months were filled with lots of fun and laughter and many very spicy dishes were shared as well – which occasionally were a huge challenge for me.
The close contact to these kids taught me that there is something that cannot be taken away even from poor people and that is joy. Joyfulness cannot be bought and you cannot loose it either. It might get out of sight occasionally but is always lingering somewhere close, somewhere inside the person.
Moreover, I am convinced that one of the main reasons for the SAFE House of the NGO avec being such a magic place is that upon arrival you perceive above all this joyfulness.
Then. My adventure as woman from the paddy fields…
In the beginning there were the tailors, the name of the brand, the logo and more goodwill than I had every seen before.
The tailors, who above and foremost are women from the paddy fields, have an incredible power and inspiring force. They are young, beautiful and often have at least two young children and they are fighting like lionesses about their survival now and never loose their smile when thinking about tomorrow.
Together we have developed a collection of a total of 27 models with 2 or 3 color variations for each model. An incredible achievement ! Every time I think about this collection I am overwhelmed by joy.
I would like to tell my former colleagues: Women from the paddy fields, you are beautiful and like Apsaras, those goddesses of feminity with their incredible force and their glow. I would like to thank you four for these five intense months: We have been working a lot but we also had a lot of fun and I just loved it !
Of course I hope, that this project will be successful and able to achieve its goal to provide young Khmer women with a work that is fairly remunerated and they can rely on. Those women really deserve it !
In particular, I would like to mention Susi (WeCare-Association), Theavy and Patrik (NGO AVEC), the three guardian angels of the project who were closely accompanying the mission and all people involved – and there were a lot of people ! Without the three of you the mission would not have been as extraordinary! You are witty, openminded, patient and interesting – I have to stop here as Patrik has told me often that too many compliments are boring😉. I consider myself very lucky having met the three of you and above all that I have been given the opportunity to participate in the development of this project.
Last but not least I would like to thank all those wonderful people I met over the last five months. I am leaving very proud of all our joint efforts and achievements. It was a wonderful story and I am completely overwhelmed.
Since 2012 October 11th has been marked by the U.N. as the International Day of the Girl Child. This year’s theme is With Her: A Skilled GirlForce and aims to expand existing learning opportunities, chart new pathways and call on the global community to rethink how to prepare them for a successful transition into the world of work.
Internationally, there are 600 million adolescent girls that will enter the workforce in the next decade, more than 90% of those living in developing countries will work in the informal sector with very often low or no pay, abuse and exploitation.
Under the theme, With Her: A Skilled GirlForce, International Day of the Girl will mark the beginning of a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate for, and draw attention and investments to, the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability.
We are trying to contribute to this global effort with two projects in particular. First of all the construction of the Nasaru Learning Center for Masai Girls in Iloshion, Kenya. Secondly, with the development of the social brand «Femmes des rizières » together with the Safe House in Battambang, Cambodia.
Nasaru should give young Masai girls the possibility to finish school and to qualify for higher eduation whilst being offered add-on training opportunities to improve their perspectives to provide for themselves and their families in the future.
The creation of « Femmes des rizières » will give young Cambodian women a potential source of income and job opportunity by producing handmade and sophisticated garments which are inspired by the beauty of the Cambodian temple dancers. « Femmes des rizières » not only is an opportunity for the women from the paddy fields but also for the women everywhere to dress themselves in an ethical and social way.
Stay tuned for more information about both projects….
Having fun during the fotoshoot for Femmes des rizières
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