ember kenya - nov. 2011
TRANSCRIPT
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,
[email protected] Mary Fish, website developer,
Thank you for your support!