Not Loud . . . But very Busy!
“The majority of positive change and good deeds in the world happen "under the radar," meaning they are not widely publicized or recognized, but instead occur quietly through the everyday actions of individuals in their communities, often going unnoticed by the larger public. “
Krista Tippet, On Being
This resonates deeply with us because we have observed it to be true. The impact of hard, everyday work done together with communities is often difficult to communicate, certainly beyond the description of raw statistics. This is particularly so with work that is done among those trying to survive in the margins. And yet, what a privilege to be able share how your support has enabled so much good! For us, 2024 was undoubtedly one of our busiest ever and we’re thrilled to share with you our progress, program by program.
Everything begins with “KUTANA,” here meeting together in the Chalbi Desert with the Ola Rangi community
KUTANA
And meet together we did! Under trees, interacting as groups in seminars for capacity building, cross-culturally between partners and communities and with our board to chart ways forward. Our chosen method of participatory community development takes time and is hard! On the one hand we’re asking communities who are already stressed to bring what they have to the table, to recognize that even they have gifts to share; on the other hand we’re inviting individuals and partners who are blessed with abundance to share of themselves and their resources in a manner that uplifts and honors while remaining open to being changed. We’re asking communities that are enduring conflict with neighboring groups to bridge the gap by bringing their young children to learn together.
Change for Children
A Year of WASH!
WASH refers to Water Sanitation and Hygiene. Our challenge was to bring all of our Integrated Child Development Centers into “Wash Compliance.” And we’re 90% there! Handwashing stations everywhere, water filters where needed, plus oral health pilot projects to name a few.
New Curriculum
Simon, our Change for Children Coordinator, introduced educational resources in the form of curricular materials consistent with Kenya’s new Competency Based Curriculum. The “CBC,” provides our teachers with current and relevant methodologies for early childhood education and development.
Scholars Retreat
At the other end of the spectrum, graduates of our programs gathered in April under Mark Okello’s guidance for an impactful annual Scholars Retreat with the theme “poverty alleviation through leadership and entrepreneurship.”
Our nine TVET (technical/vocational education and training) and university scholars received laptops for the first time thanks to a generous gift from a very special donor!
Development Initiatives
Facilitating our WASH compliance efforts involved upgrading two kitchens and a water source
Integrated Child Development Center Expansion in Arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) regions
Ola Rangi, under construction
We have an ambitious goal to add three Integrated Child Development Centers in the Chalbi Desert region by the end of 2025. The first one is nearing completion and is slated to open in January! Ola Rangi ICDC will serve 45 households in this Gabra village by providing early childhood education services for 40 children. Stay tuned for more!
Keeping Earth
As part of our Trees for Life project, we added three new tree nurseries this year. Each nursery facilitates the growth of seedlings that supply a respective Integrated Child Development Center with trees for community planting each term.
The projects highlighted above represent but a fraction of the good work being done in communities across Kenya. We maintain support and guidance in 14 communities, providing nutrition, education, WASH, malaria prevention and other health related services in each community. Our focus on capacity building in Arid and semi-Arid Lands is critical to scaling integrated early childhood development as we provide a critical “proof of concept” for county education departments in each location.
WILL YOU BE A PART of enabling us to continue these services in existing and new communities in 2025?