Up, Running and Saving Money Already!
With the great support we received from you through Global Giving, plus some outside sponsors, we were able to reach an amount that allowed the purchase of a mini-van for medical and community support purposes.
It is with great satisfaction and excitement that we can close this project on Global Giving because Olalo of Hope-Kenya has successfully purchased a vehicle!
With the great support we received from you through Global Giving, plus some outside sponsors, we were able to reach an amount that allowed the purchase of a mini-van for medical and community support purposes.
The purchase came late last month and within days was put into life-saving action. Already it has been used multiple times to transport people from Oyugis to receive medical evaluations, surgery and treatments into both neighboring cities of Kisii and Kisumu. It has also been used to deliver food products to several families in need of basic support.
We are so very thankful and grateful for your support through this project. The money that has already been saved by not having the need to hire a taxi or renting a vehicle to transport urgent medical care patients has been left in our Urgent Medical Care Fund to help others in need.
When you supported us in the project to purchase a van, you didn’t realize it, but you joined with us to help others receive urgent medical care and much needed food basics. One good thing leads to another.
Thank you for being part of the Olalo family, and for making a difference in the lives of those in Oyugis, Kenya!
Merry Broughal
Olalo of Hope-Kenya
Education Opportunities are Expanding!
Children and students are learning basic computing skills. Others are learning marketable employment skills by learning the Microsoft Office Suite. Others are learning other skills to improve their lives and how they do business.
When we learned that most of our 4th year students had absolutely zero experience with computers, we knew something had to be done…Expand our Education program!
We purchased some computers, rented a small space in town, and began offering classes to not only the students, but we opened it up to the community at large.
We discovered a woman we knew in the town had a lot of experience with computers and asked if she would be interested in teaching classes. Her name is Bianca and she is AMAZING!
Bianca immediately began to dig into our server which held thousands of files and lessons on every subject you can imagine. She saw possibilities beyond just teaching the basics and started to develop classes for more segmented groups, such as the local midwives to learn about the latest medical advances, and farmers with agricultural advances.
Immediately a waiting list popped up for classes. (at this time we only have 4 computers so the classes are small).
Children and students are learning basic computing skills. Others are learning marketable employment skills by learning the Microsoft Office Suite. Others are learning other skills to improve their lives and how they do business.
The successes we are seeing are not only because of the amazing people we have, but also because of a company called World Possible and their development of a 2-pound server that contains all of these education files and programs – RACHEL – Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning.
RACHEL is a self-contained unit that has downloaded all the current information from their sources on the internet so there is no internet access to the students. Olalo can plug RACHEL into the internet and download all the latest, most up-to-date information so we are always offering the latest information to our students. It is amazing and opening many doors to the people of Oyugis.
Check out RACHEL on World Possible and you will see the great opportunities it offers to people not only in Kenya, but around the world. www.worldpossible.org
We are heading off to Kenya this week and are anxious to meet with some of our students to see how access to our community computer lab is making a difference in their lives.
Thank you for making this all possible! Education is truly the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and YOU are helping Olalo of Hope-Kenya make it happen!
Nyasaye Ogwedhi!
Merry
Olalo of Hope-Kenya
Urgent Medical Needs Are Met!
To our Amazing Donors...a special “Thank You” goes out to you for supporting Olalo of Hope-Kenya’s Urgent Medical Care project.
In just the last month, there were 14 babies, kids and adults recovering from a multitude of illnesses and injuries because You cared enough to support Olalo in our efforts to provide the means to get the urgent medical treatment needed.
Whether it was surgery following a miscarriage, covering the cost of medications, dealing with stomach ulcers, malaria, typhoid, loss of eye sight due to infection, x-rays for a stabbing victim or a child with a growth on his foot, each one got the urgent care they needed and are on the road to recovery!
One very recent case really stands out and I’d like to share it with you.
While out visiting a friend in a town 5 hours away, Sonko, one of our amazing Kenyan volunteers, noticed a child on the side of the road. Her legs were scabbed, crusted and turning colors. Upon further investigation, he finds she is two-and-a-half-year-old Shantel and she is no longer able to walk due to the condition of her legs. Shantel was abandoned by her mother when she was just 6 months old and no one knows who her father is. A neighbor has been looking after her since she was abandoned.
We got her into a local hospital where she was evaluated and kept for several days while they attended to her legs. To avoid any possibility of her catching something from the other children in the hospital she was sent home with medications and instructions on how to care for her. It was determined an infection had gotten deep within her leg bone which was causing all the issues and rendering her unable to walk.
After just a few days it was reported that our little Shantel was healing and she was even trying to walk again. What an amazing fete and journey this young child has already been through at just 2.5 years old! The doctors are confident that due to her young age and getting treatment when she did, she will make a full recovery.
Thank You on behalf of this young child who may now grow up and have the use of her legs.
And on behalf of Olalo of Hope-Kenya, thank you for supporting us in this area of Urgent Medical Care.
You are making an impact on many lives…. saving lives and changing lives!
Thank you!
Merry Broughal
Olalo of Hope-Kenya
Graduation!
As we step into the new year, 13 of our Secondary School students won’t be returning to school in 2017.
Why? They Graduated in December!
Following four years of long hours, hard work and much studying they have achieved the next step to leaving behind a life of poverty.
They should be proud of their accomplishment, and YOU -Awesome Donor- should be proud of yourself for being the person who helped make that possible. Your support of our students gave them the opportunity to change their lives and the lives of their family and the community. Thank You!
As our remaining sponsored students begin returning to school to start the new year, there are still many kids waiting to see if they will get the opportunity to continue with their education past the 8th grade.
Richard was attending school until his father died. A relative picked up the school payments until he landed in the hospital and could no longer pay. Richard has taken to washing cars so he can eat.
Nancy was in her last year of Secondary School when her father died. She had to withdraw with only one year left to go since there was no one to pay the school fees.
Calvince fishes in Lake Victoria whenever he has a break from school to raise the funds to put himself through school. Last year he didn’t catch enough to sell, so he didn’t return to school. There are kids we know who leave school because they don’t have money to attend. That doesn’t stop them! They show up each day and listen outside the classroom to learn what they can…without getting any credit.
Most students attend school 6 days a week, beginning at 7am and ending at 6 pm. Many walk 40 minutes to and 40 minutes home from school. At the end of the day, they get home and still have chores, dinner and homework.
These are just a few of the stories of the kids that have asked Olalo of Hope-Kenya for help with their school fees. They are motivated and want to learn, to succeed!
Education is Key to breaking the cycle of poverty. The kids Olalo helps with your donations are working their way out of that cycle.
We hope you will share with your friends, your family and your coworkers that YOU have changed loves. You have helped pave the way to a new life of hope for the orphans and poor of Oyugis, Kenya. What an accomplishment!
Thank You!
Merry Broughal
Olalo of Hope-Kenya
Getting a Ride to Health & Life
I want to personally thank everyone who has joined with Olalo to purchase transportation for our Medical program in Oyugis.
We still have a long way to go and we will continue to raise the necessary funds to purchase a van. It may not be a glamorous or exciting project, but we continue because it is a noble cause.
In just the last four months, 35% of our medical costs have paid for car/van rentals to get those in need of urgent medical care to the hospital for treatment. Thirty five percent…money that could have been used to cover the medical or medication costs of an additional 18-25 people.
A recent video from Kenya highlights the transportation need to get people to medical help. Olalo volunteer, Sonko, has traveled 3 hours away to check on a mother and son who have been ill for quite awhile. The mother is having chest pain and the son is having vision problems and cannot see well.
The vehicles Olalo has access to rent aren’t always the most reliable or in good mechanical order. The car in the video doesn’t have lights that work well and they are in doubt of even making the three-hour drive back home to Oyugis that evening.
On occasion, people we help are referred to Kisumu or Nairobi for more specialized treatment. During trips into the cities, the van would be used to transport other paying passengers who need to travel there for other purposes. It is a much-needed service and would help to offset costs of running the van.
We certainly appreciate your continued support of our efforts. Thank you all for sticking with us.
Coming up in just a few weeks the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has generously provided $500,000 in matching funds for #GivingTuesday on Global Giving!
- The 2016 #GivingTuesday campaign will begin November 29th, 2016, at 00:00:01 EST and end at 23:59:59 EST on November 29th, 2016. (For us west coast folks, that is 9:00:01PM on 11/28 and ending at 8:59:59 on 11/28.)
- The campaign will run on GlobalGiving.org Our Van project is located here
- There will be $500,000 USD in matching funds on #GivingTuesday, applied at 50% to all donations of up to $1,000 USD per unique donor per organization to eligible projects while funds last.
- The previous 50% match bonus day for $110,000 ran out in the first few minutes…so if you plan to donate, then it’s best to do it right at 9:00:01 PM on November 28 for us on the west coast.
Your generous contributions are bringing so many people to better health and saving lives!
With Much Appreciation,
Merry Broughal
Olalo of Hope-Kenya