Traveling to Kenya: Creating and Checking In

In a few weeks, Kitechild’s co-founder, Jacqueline Herrera, will be going to Kenya! We’ve made a lot of progress since the last time we visited Kenya several years ago and now have future projects on the horizon. Here’s a look at some of the projects we’ll be visiting:

Welcome to the Family Home, where we’ll be running a water purification project.

Welcome to the Family Home, where we’ll be running a water purification project.

We are currently working on a water purification project at the Welcome to the Family Home. Jacqueline will be visiting the home, as well as meeting with the surrounding community to see how they will be involved in the project. This project involves setting up the home to purify the water from their borehole, through a reverse osmosis process. The water will then be bottled into reusable containers and sold to the middle-class community that surrounds the home. The 44 children living at the home will now have access to their own clean water and the income generated through selling the water will pay for additional long-term staff. As many of these children come from abusive or traumatic backgrounds, the hiring of caretakers and social workers will be very important to the proper care of these children. Check out the project here. And stay tuned from live updates from Jacqueline, including her visit to a reverse osmosis treatment plant to show us the ins and outs of this innovative process.

The greenhouses and crops at the Fiwagoh Home.

The greenhouses and crops at the Fiwagoh Home.

Jacqueline will also be checking in with our greenhouse projects, while in Kenya. We have two greenhouse projects already up and running, at the Fiwagoh and Watoto Wema Homes. She will also be visiting the St. Catherine’s Home, where we are currently fundraising for a similar greenhouse project. This greenhouse project benefits 43 children living at the home in Nairobi. The vegetables grown at the greenhouse will first go to the kids to supplement their diets. The excess will then be sold in the markets and the income generated will pay for the school fees of the older children and to hire a social worker, who will help reintegrate the children back into the community. Learn more about this project here and check out our live updates from the home in the coming weeks.

The children at the Good Samaritan Home, receiving the LED bulbs.

The children at the Good Samaritan Home, receiving the LED bulbs.

Another home that Jacqueline is looking forward to visiting and updating you on is the Good Samaritan Home, located in the Soweto slums of Nairobi. We recently switched out 44 traditional light bulbs at the home, for LED lights. With the money saved on electrical costs, the home has been able to hire an additional caretaker for the infants and children at the home. We’re really proud of the change these light bulbs have brought and are looking forward to their bright futures.

With all of our projects, we’ll be keeping you posted with live updates, live videos from the field and more photos! We’re looking forward to checking in with you from Kenya!

In the Clear: The Value of Clean Water

Did you know that 783 million people do not have access to clean water? That figure, given from the UN, is a sad reality for many on our planet, but a problem that Kitechild is addressing and has already helped hundreds of children have access to life-sustaining water.

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Our clean water project in Kenya has provided clean water to over 200 children and the staff of the Fiwagoh Mission Home, located on the outskirts of Lake Naivasha. We installed 5 Lifestraw Community Filters at the home, which allowed them access to their own water. Since these children have had access to clean water, the number of waterborne illness has decreased and as a result, they have missed fewer days from school. Being able to succeed in the classroom is important for all children, but especially those in impoverished circumstances. Education is the key to more opportunities, to brighter futures and to empowerment.

fiwgoh clean water

The home can now save $2,400 USD per year, since they are no longer purchasing their own water supply. As a result, they have re-allocated these funds towards the salary of an additional caregiver. Our field liaison has kept us informed on the new caregiver, saying: “The savings from the process of purifying water through boiling or buying have been used to hire an extra caretaker called Beatrice Wanjiku. She previously worked on casual basis but now has been hired on permanent basis.” This is especially important for the home, as it is understaffed, and children thrive when given more adults, who can care and supervise them.

water fiwgoh

Like all projects, there are challenges that come up that need to be addressed. In this case, the well at the home was contaminated, which the home was able to fix through the use of the water filters. We’ve known the struggles, and also success, of partnering with this home, as we also have a greenhouse project, which provides the children with fresh produce and helps funds their education. Water, food and schooling are important human rights every child should have access to, and thanks to Kitechild supporters, there are now hundreds who do!

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Planting the Seeds of Education and Nutrition

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Our greenhouse project in Kenya is expanding! The greenhouse workers are now planting even more produce, in addition to what they currently grow: tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, kale and onions. From those vegetables, they have generated nearly $6,000 by selling the produce they grow- income which has been reinvested into the farm, keeping it sustainable. They have installed irrigation drips, which is even more eco-friendy and creates more productivity for less cost. They’re also working on opening a grocery stand on the highway to bring in even more funds!

As the farm continues to progress, the funds the greenhouses generate pay for the education of the older children living at the Fiwagoh Home. In addition to being provided with fresh vegetables everyday, the older kids can also have their schooling fees covered. Let’s keep planting the seeds of nutrition and education!

Monday Motivation: Pursue Your Dreams

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“All our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” -Walt Disney

This #MotivationMonday let’s shoot for the stars and dare to dream. If you give it your all, you can achieve amazing things. What if we all had the courage to try and change the world? Let’s see what happens!

Checking In With The Chickens of Change

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Chickens at the farm at the Ashirvad Home.

Chickens bringing change to the lives of children? That’s exactly what’s happening in India. There have been exciting new developments at our chicken farm at the Ashirvad Home in Tuni, India. There are now over 100 full-grown chickens and 62 new baby chicks.
The farm has 60 chickens known as “country chickens,” and they are the ones that gave birth to the new baby chicks in the last 12 weeks. The other half of the adult chickens are known as Vanajara chickens. While the home lost some of them to a heatwave and nearby dogs, the remaining 51 Vanajara chickens will be laying eggs within the next month. Losing some chickens will probably always be an inevitable part of the chicken farm, but with enough to keep breeding, the project will remain sustainable and productive.

Kitechild funded the purchase of the chickens, the construction of the coop, labor for the farm and the cost of caring for the chickens, such as vaccinations.

Kitechild funded the purchase of the chickens, the construction of the coop, labor for the farm and the cost of caring for the chickens, such as vaccinations.

The home is now preparing to sell the country chickens in the marketplace, while keeping a portion of the birds to keep the breeding and the project going. They are expecting 250 rupees, or around $4, for each country hen and 500 rupees, or about $8, for each country rooster. The money generated in the marketplace will be used to get the children fresh fruits every other day starting in June.

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Chicken shed at the farm.

Last year, the farm constructed a shed that used palm leaves to keep the chickens cool in the summer heat. However, they found the leaves wore out quickly and will need to replace their roof. Instead of utilizing leaves, this time they are looking for a longer-term solution with a tarpaulin sheet, which is a heavy-duty waterproof cloth. This way they won’t have to keep changing out the leaves and they can better protect their shed and chickens.

Some of the children living at the Ashirvad Home.

Some of the children living at the Ashirvad Home.

This chicken farm takes place for the benefit of the 79 children living at the home. The income generated by selling the chickens is used to supplement their diets with fresh produce, which is an added nutritional benefit along with the fresh eggs now available to the children, as well. As we watch this project grow, the home will eventually be able to afford to purchase computers and hire a teacher for the children. It is really valuable for the children to learn computing skills for the Indian job market and will help secure their futures and break the cycle of poverty. To learn more about this project and the chickens of change please click here!

The children of the Ashirvad Home, whose education and nutrition is benefitted from the chicken farm.

l The children of the Ashirvad Home, whose education and nutrition is being improved from the chicken farm.

Water Wednesday: New Project in Kenya

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We have an exciting new project we just launched: Water Purification in Kenya! This income-generating project is happening at the Welcome to the Family Home, where 44 children live. Through a reverse osmosis water treatment plant, the home will treat water from their own borehole, which has already been approved for quality and safety by the local Water and Sanitation Services. Since the home is situated within an upper-middle class community that has a high demand for purified water, there is a huge potential for income-generation, which will be used to pay the salaries of caretakers and a social worker. This is real change in action! To be a part of this project please click here.

 

Motivational Monday with Maya Angelou

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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A little ‪#MondayMotivation‬ from the late, great ‪Maya Angelou‬. This quote is ‪inspiring because it reminds us that our actions majorly impact others. Let’s make sure to make this week one centered around ‪kindness, compassion and generosity. ‪

Solar Powered Solutions

Some of the 36 children benefitting from the solar project.

Some of the 36 children benefitting from the solar project.

The first thing most of us do in the mornings and the last thing we do at night is flip a switch. Yet, we very rarely put much thought into how much this modern convenience improves our lives. With the flip of a switch we can eat, read, walk to the bathroom at night and put to rest our fears if we hear a strange noise.  For 36 children in Rajamundry, India, this is something they’ll be able to have for the very first time. And some added bonuses? It will be through the sustainable energy of solar power, so it won’t negatively impact the environment. Additionally, since the home doesn’t have electricity, they can save the money they would be spending on having traditional electricity installed and on those monthly electrical bills. And those savings can get passed onto providing the children with the best care, access to nutrition and educational needs.

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The exterior of the children’s home.

This year, we were fortunate enough to visit India and the LAMP home for the second time, where these kids live. One thing we realized is that the home was in need of some repairs, which they could not afford. One of the things they needed was to have their roof reinforced. The good news is that the roof construction is now complete, thanks to a private donor working with Kitechild. The roof is now strong enough to support the solar lighting installation, which means that the children will now have a better roof to live under, as well as electricity.

Construction is underway at the LAMP home.

Construction is underway at the LAMP home.

The lighting installation consists of a total of six lights- three indoor and three outdoor lights. The indoor lights ensure that the kids will be able to do schoolwork during the evenings, which will improve their learning and potential performance in school. We all know how important education is to future opportunities, and the indoor lights can be a stepping stone to helping these children break the cycle of poverty. The outdoor lights are also really important, as they will keep the home safe and secure after the sun sets. The home is located in the northeast jungle of Andra Pradesh, near Rajahmundry. The area around the home has snakes and other potential hazards, so the safety of the children will improve with the outdoor lights and will help to eliminate injuries by improving visibility.

One of the children living at the LAMP home.

One of the children living at the home.

Here’s a little background on this home, as there are often misconceptions and misinformation about children’s homes. 36 children reside at the home, 20 of whom are true orphans, in the sense that they have no parents to care for them. The other sixteen are children whose families are living with extreme poverty, which makes it difficult for them to provide for their children. Through the home, the children have three meals everyday, are able to attend school and are under the care of long-term caretakers, who live with them at the LAMP home. The families of these children visit them whenever they are able. We’re hoping through this solar light project that these children will be one step closer to rising above poverty and will one do be able to provide for themselves and their families.

Some of the 36 children living at the LAMP home in India.

Some of the children living at the LAMP home in India.