Please WALK, DONATE, SPONSOR CONTRIBUTE to the ORPHANS and VULNERABLE CHILDREN OF KITUI, KENYA.
Yes, it's nearly Good Friday and your chance to participate in the GOOD FRIDAY WALK and assist in what ever way you can to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable and poverty striken children in Kenya. For the past 3 years you have supported the needy children, their parents, carers and guardians by giving very generously of yourself and your contributions have made such a difference to their lives.
Claremorris Community Radio volunteer Janet Hinchion personally oversees that your monies are used appropriately in 4 projects. You make a difference in the lives of 2 families where she has initiated, with Muthale Home Care, a self-sustainability programme. This means that in the case of one family you are assisting them with sending 6 children to primary school, you have educated the 2nd eldest for the past 2 years to train as a dressmaker and who now is self employed and is assisting with supporting the family. This family are orphaned through AIDS and when Janet first came across them they had NOTHING, not even a bed to sleep in and they hadn't eaten for 3 days!!! This family very much appreciate your help.
The second family are not in a position to be self-sustainable because the grandmother is in her 80's and unable to attend to the needs of the 2 children who also are orphaned through AIDS. The young girl is 15 and was raped by a neighbour some years ago, thankfully she is not HIV positive and is undergoing counselling . Her brother was born HIV positive, he is responding to treatment and is doing well. On your behalf Janet has employed a local lady to do the cooking, washing and ensures that the young boy gets his medication and attends hospital visits. You also supply the food. To both of those families, on your behalf, a total of €2,400 has been donated to them and this will sustain them until June 2012.
Your other project Tulia Poly Tech, a school for disadvantaged girls, has benefited very much in the past through structural development, water harvesting, school supplies, assistance with school fees, provision of a teacher of English and Maths and improvement in the diet of the girls allowing them meat once a week and milk three times a week. This year Janet has only been able to support them with school materials, diet improvement and a supply of personal effects like soap, sanitary towels, toothpaste. Your contribution until June 2012 has been €800.
For this the management and the students are very appreciative.
The biggest venture of the year has been the opening of the KDC (Kitui Development Centre) Rescue, Therapy and Personal Development Centre. We in KDC, a Non Governmental Organization, have been involved in a Child Labour Eradication Programme with the assistance of International Labour Organization. Child Labour is a huge problem in the Kitui area and we are involved in both preventiona and withdrawl of children from the labour market. To date we have succeeded in assisting over 1,000 children to return and remain in school by supplying them with uniforms, books and school fees. Approx 350 children withdrawn form the labour market, some are in residential training and others in traineeships in beauty and hair care, tailoring and mechanics. This is the really difficult side of the work as some of the children are not ready to go back to formal education and this is where the Centre comes in as a necessity. Janet personally works with the children through group sessions, counselling and active learning so that they can become confident and self assured in order to take the opportunity of returning to school and training.
This will give them a wonderful opportunity of being employable, engage in self employment and become self sufficient. In turn this will be a motivational factor for further training of siblings and friends thus reducing the enormity of the Worst Forms of Child Labour. Of course there are other groups that have to be involved in the process: parents, guardians, carers, employers, Chamber of Commerce, Municipal Council and many Gov. Departments and much training and co-operation has to take place for the programme to succeed. The good news is that a building has been leased where all these activities can take place thus saving on costs and also it is a source of sustainability as they can also hire out the hall for trainings and meetings.
The process of purchasing land is ongoing but the progress is very slow and rather than let our concept and idea die it was thought better to lease a property, get active and working, so some of the funds raised are being used in this way.
As you can imagine this is a huge project but a very necesssary one and if you can assist in any way it would be tremendous.
"We are running the Centre on a shoe string at the moment, it is very sparcely furnished and equipped and as time goes on there will be many demands on us in providing the service. Capital expenditure to date includes furniture and fittings, office and educational equipment which amounted to €1,250 and monthly costs average about €200. This is working with minimal staff and my own contribution to the centre is free of charge as I work voluntarily on all the projects, finance myself and my flights there and back so you can rest assured that every cent goes directly into the projects.
I also keep a contingency fund so that contributions can be made to families in very special cases, for example a family of 3 generations live in a very limited space with no income whatsoever and are deserted by the father because the mother has given birth to the 7th girl child and there is no male child born to him!!!! other situations would be paying school fees, buying food, assisting with funeral expenses, medications, AND I never give money into the hand!!! there is accountability for what is given," says Janet
Please support this worthy cause on Good Friday by joining in the walk or alternatively you can donate money to the account in AIB Claremorris: KENYAN PROJECTS, A/C No. 08771096 Sort Code 93-74-44 or through Paypal on www.kidsofkitui.com If you would like a Sponsorship cards, they are available at Bláthanna Florists, Shine, Claremorris Community Radio Station and Janet Corbin Hinchion on 087 2683327.
The walk takes place on Good Friday at Hinchion's Stables, Caltra.
Free registration from 10.15 and walk begins at 11am through Castlemagarrett, Crossboyne and back to Caltra for refreshments and your Certificates.
Here at Claremorris Community Radio, we will be celebrating Peace Day by broadcasting a very special Peace Day programme on Friday September 21st at 5pm. 
