ember kenya - nov. 2011

Ember Kenya Grandparents Empowerment Project

created by: Mary Fish

Funyula, Samia – pop. 93,000 Subsistence farming Major truck route: Uganda –

Kenya AIDS and poverty Thousands of children orphaned

Grandparents taking in grandchildren

Food, clothing, education

Struggling themselves

No place to turn

Stigma of AIDS

Native Kenyan Anglican priest Doctoral

dissertation in US Travelled Funyula

to conduct basic research

Expected 200, received 500+

ROBERT BARASA

An Idea is Born Called by God Poverty - many old women/men used

all resources helping their dying children

Still grieving and having to start over raising 1-14 grandchildren

No hope - end of their lives, someone should be taking care of them

Just finding food a challenge – families left hungry, afraid, and ill

Robert - best way to help orphans is helping their caregivers improve their standard of living

The Birth of the Project

2006 - Ember Kenya Grandparents Project was created with funding from church in US

Major goal of the project: Show grandparents that by

working together instead of living in isolation, they could create economic opportunities for themselves and their grandchildren. 

Currently Ember works with 800 grandparent families caring for over 3,000 children.

Estimate: 1/3 of grandparents in the area

Small groups working together to make decisions Ex. Ember provides group with funds for one house,

group must decide who is most in need Group members have similar struggles, so can offer each

other important emotional support.

Grandparent Groups

MICRO-LOANS

Micro-loans are at the heart of the Ember Project.

Grandparents decide what is feasible.

Ember offers advice and counselling.

Small businesses include rope-making, raising pigs, growing mangoes, and selling paraffin.

MICRO-LOAN SUCCESS STORIESTheresa• 67 years old, two grandchildren• Received groundnuts & beans• Planted and harvested for food• Got a goat kid from Ember• Had twins – female died, male to Ember• Had triplets - sold one for school fees, one

for exam fees• Had quadruplets• Grandchild got into secondary school• Merry-go-round banking with group, buy

chickens• Also received mango seeds• Also received NHIF card• Now, has enough to sustain herself

Mary 60 years old, 2 grandchildren Micro-finance, NHIF card 500 KSH Business - selling small fish, soap, paraffin, oil,

matchbooks Profit of 1000 Ksh Bought piglet (700Ksh) and school fees (300Ksh) More profit - repaid loan to Ember Would like another loan to buy land for children as

won’t inherit (don’t know father) She is working hard, determined, and patient Got what she aimed for and feels that she should

train her grandchildren to work like her so they know if they want something, they should work for it

Before Ember she had difficulty in life because had no where to look and went months without money

“I was missing hope but I have hope now because I can get what I want from my business. I had no business before Ember.”

Winfred Born 1954 Married 1975 to a man with 7 year old boy Boy became alcoholic, eloped, and had baby Wife left him when baby was 5 months old Her last born 15 years old and suddenly has a 5

month old who is sickly No money for bedding, so baby slept with them She had to work and carry the child on her back 500 Khs loan and mango seedlings By and sell kangas (I bought one in 2009) Planted mango seeds Kangas – 3000 Ksh profit, Ember gave 2500 to

expand. Bought more kangas and started poultry Son married again, wife left again, 2 more children Sell mangos Bought 2 goats and hens for grandkids so they

know these are the plan for the future Recently, sold goat and bought uniform, so kids

know goat provided that Sold another to buy blanket to replace one Ember

had given

SOME PROJECTS

Rope making

• Selling fish

OTHER PROJECTS

VSO volunteer started counselling program

One group solves problems in community

One group targets youth and teaches how to avoid early pregnancy, drug abuse, HIV/Aids and abstinence

TUTORING PROGRAM

Teachers volunteer

Ember kids already at a disadvantage

Program offers free afterschool tuition

HOUSING

Mud huts with thatched roofs last only about four years as they dry out and crumble.

Ember would like to see them rebuilt with corrugated tin roofs so that they would last longer and be more habitable.

Cost approximately 800 USD

MY STORY

I went in 2009, as part of mission trip Impressed by work and vowed to help But how? 2010- Advisory board in US dissolved One need - a website Need to learn more Summer 2011 – Joy & I

Grace

Living in the cooking shack

The granddaughter - Citron

Grace returns – typhoid and malaria

Nephew grateful to Ember Ember helped another aunt

who was seriously sick too with NHIF card and hospital bill

Grace had no hope – HIV positive, husband deceased, house leaking, and no one to help put up a new one.

Also lonely – only speak to granddaughter

Now HOPE. Before always thinking what will I do if the house falls down.

Also, because of new shelter, people will come to see her new place and she won’t be so lonely.

THE FUTURE?

2006 – begins with backing of church 2010 - US Advisory Board dissolves Project now depends solely on private

funding Developing relationships with VSO and

Stephen Lewis Ember will continue to need funding and

support from a variety of sponsors – people like you!

Some Needs Include:

Funding for projects in areas of health, child education, housing, and micro-loans

Funding for staff salaries Most especially, a new vehicle.

Contacts

For information on how you can help, please visit our website or visit us on Facebook:

www.emberkenya.org Robert Barasa, project director,

rbarasa@emberkenya.org Mary Fish, website developer,

maryfish@emberkenya.org

Thank you for your support!