2010-2014 Projects Continued

We also met with the local leaders to start with; building rapport and exploring ideas for the beginning of training programs for children in the area not likely to go beyond their primary educational experience-providing useful and needed skills, investing time and funds to increase the skills of the local midwife, etc. Our goal for this small community is to make it possible for all of these plans and ventures to grow to the point where they become financially self sufficient and empowered to create change a positive forward movement of their own accord.

It is with all of these past influences that we have begun a new set of projects in the Dago community in Ranen. The projects stem from Karen’s initial work at the Dago Della Hera orphanage. In 2013 she began to train the women working there with the many skills needed to successfully and efficiently achieve their goals with a better model of organization and computer literacy. From this intensive introduction and proven worth the community has "adopted " the skills that they learned and set the stage for the future programs. The most recent addition was introducing "creative arts" by Phil and Kathy on the February 2014 visit and a trained teacher into the Dago Kogelo primary school to continue this addition to the children’s education. This teacher is now being funded by Sawa Sawa.

2012-2013- HOREC- Our team arrived in February and began repairs to the orphanage water supply and dormitories was the main focus. We anticipated the delivery of a container with supplies and materials to be converted into a local medical clinic that could provide a laboratory to monitor the children’s aids medications as well as a source of health care for the surrounding community.

The container became a saga...loaded with medical, school, agricultural and building supplies it was detained in customs without any promise of release. It sat for months due to regulations, bureaucracy and corruption while Karen confronted scores of government officials and those that claimed to be able to help.  Tenacity and a refusal to accept defeat led to a head on battle that eventually secured the container and delivered its contents to the communities the donations were intended. Due to Kenyan government interference we were not able to set it up but it arrived 4 months later. The container became the clinic at HOREC and is now accepting patients and treating the whole community.

Karen Smith worked thru Village Volunteers for a full year with numerous connections to several villages and with notable projects focusing on sustainable, self sufficient, revenue generating ideas.

Three villages were visited by Karen in 2012 and 2013. Projects that she coordinated were as follows: Teaching First aid to teachers and older students

Building a first aid clinic at Sirua Aulo Academy-Moving 200 cubic yards of ground on a hillside to make a flat volleyball court with students, teaching financial literacy to 750 rural women, running a  critical thinking glass for  8th graders, setting up a management plan for a 3000 Aids orphan program with 70 local women doing the community follow-up, planting many trees, wrangling with the Kenyan government to get the container released etc

2011-2012 Worked with HOREC(Help Orphans Rescue Center) to establish a local medical clinic and laboratory at their Aids orphanage. We spent time with the children and assessed what we could do. Remodeling kitchen facilities to be safe and less polluting was one of our goals.

2010-2011-Developing medical screening clinics, medication distribution with local public health officials and visiting nurse teams in the village of Niavasha. We also worked at the AIDS orphanage and did new construction and repair of existing facilities. Partnering with Kenyans was the key so we could learn about the culture of Kenya to better assist them with what they need not what we think they need. Art projects at Mogra Rescue Center were started