We recently told you about a new Education project in Ambo, Ethiopia, which several of our MC members visited this summer on Mocha Club Trips. Here are some photos of the progress – it’s almost done! The structure is complete, and they just have to clean up the walls and minor details. Some of the rooms are already being used, and this is already such a better environment for the students!
We’re excited to welcome our first project in Ethiopia! Check out this video created by MC Member, Jacob Snodgrass, who was on our Mocha Club Ethiopia trip #4 in August. The video includes MC Director, Barrett Ward…
Ambo, Ethiopia is home to an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 orphans. 265 of those children are being educated and having their basic needs met by the Kale Heywet Church (“KHC”) in Ambo in conjunction with Compassion International. They are either single orphaned, double orphaned, or living with no/low income families that can not provide for their children’s education. With the growing number of children now at the KHC school, current classrooms do not provide enough room. It is not within the strategic plan of Compassion to fund the building of the school. There is also a demand by the government that the KHC provides appropriate educational facilities. Currently, a foundation for the new school building exists which had been built by the KHC, but they do not have enough funds to finish the project. This is where Mocha Club comes in!
>> Check out Jacob’s guest blog for his thoughts on the trip and how his life has been changed.
Are you a leader on your college campus…in your church…at your high school? Mocha Club is about to launch out a new initiative called Make Change that will equip YOU to activate your community by running a campaign to provide aid to millions suffering in Africa.
What is a campaign, you ask? It’s you using your VOICE and your LEADERSHIP to call others to come together and make change. You have the ability to engage your community to be a part of something bigger than themselves and make a huge difference! An initiative of African Leadership and the Mocha Club, a Make Change campaign is based on the premise that a little help goes a long way…and YOU have the power to influence your community to learn…to act…to give…to make change.
Just like in Mocha Club, you can decide on a specific project that gets you excited…like building clean water wells in Darfur, Sudan, or sending kids to school in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, or supporting Child Mothers at the Village of Hope in Gulu, Uganda. As you continue to read and learn about the different areas of injustice all over Africa, try and notice what gets you the most fired up—that’s where your voice and your influence will be the most effective! Once you decide on the project area you think others would get excited about helping with, we can get you materials and resources to run a campaign – which can be one night, one week, one semester, or one year!
Mocha Club is all about creating community, connection, and a long-term commitment to give, while Make Change offers a short-term way for others to get involved by giving their time and their money through a campaign.
If this sounds like something you would want to be a part of, email us at makechange@mochaclub.org. And look for the launch of our site in the coming month.
It’s time to Make Change for our friends in Africa.
African Leadership Director of Development and Relief, Gerry Wolf, traveled to Sunyani, Ghana last month to visit with the Grace Orphans that Mocha Club helps support at Odumasi Methodist Preschool & Primary School. You might remember the video of Prince, one of the children there who has AIDS. Thank you for helping us provide schooling, food, and hope for these children!
Here’s an update from New Dawn Kenya, where we are planning to help build a secondary school in the near future. Check out this video from our MC Director explaining how we’ve run into delays because of the post-election violence in Kenya.
THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR:
1. Provision of an English teacher who is very eager to serve with us.
2. Provision of sufficient funds to build a classroom and a multipurpose laboratory.
3. Our students continue to persevere in learning under very challenging circumstances.
4. Our faithful donors who continue to give sacrificially.
NEEDS:
1. Provision of a Kiswahili teacher soon.
2. Funds to furnish the Laboratory with equipment, the Classroom with desks and other teaching materials.
3. Support for about 15 students who often skip school because they are too hungry to walk to school or do not have bus fare to get them to school.
4. More funds to address our shortfalls- food prices have gone up significantly.
We wanted to announce a new project, New Dawn Education Center in Nairobi, Kenya, which Mocha Club is now supporting to help 9-12 year olds be a part of the HIV/AIDS-free generation. Thanks to you, we are providing $1000 per month for teacher salaries for August through December 2007.
New Dawn views the ages of 9 to 12 as the “window of hope” when young people are most open to educational intervention and learning basic facts and attitudes about HIV/AIDS, Biblical sexuality, love and friendship. New Dawn’s strategy is behavior formation and active and deliberate parent involvement of each participating child.
Most parents/guardians living in the low income and slum areas in Nairobi work in adjacent neighborhoods as night guards and maids/housekeepers. They often have trouble supporting their children in government or private secondary school. On the other hand, those who are orphans live with their extended family members who often feel burdened to support them in both education and general care.
Several visits done by New Dawn revealed that many young people wish to go back to school and others desire vocational education! Lack of opportunities to realize their dreams leads to hopelessness…which makes these youth high risk for exposure to HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, and drug abuse.
It is in response to this problem that New Dawn designed a program that provides an opportunity for secondary school education to children like these.
New Dawn seeks to:
Provide secondary school educational support to form one students
Provide moral guidance and disseminate information on HIV/AIDS to the students and Huruma/Githogoro communities at large
Equip the students with various life skills as part of the school curriculum spread over the four years with the purpose of being able to generate income in the future
Soon, we hope to share some testimonies of the children at New Dawn. Stay tuned!
A report from Sam Oppong, our Director in Ghana, and the orphans you are serving at Grace Orphanage…
“My stomach is always full. And I have books to study oh am happy. God will give you more money. Thank you.”
PHILIP OBIRI, 8 YEARS KG2.
“God bless you! I look happy and beautiful and always ready to come to school to learn. I want to tell you that God will be with you every day.”
MARY BRENYA, 7 YEARS KG 2
“I am not hungry any more. I am always happy to come to school. Please I want to ask you that always remember me and give me food and clothing. Thank you.”
AMOS ARTHUR KG 2
“It is very helpful because when my mother doesn’t give me money I know that when I come to school I will get food to eat and I am happy to learn always. I thank you and I appreciate all that you have done for me. God bless you.”
FREDERICK ASAMOAH 12 YEARS CLASS 6
“When I am coming to school I don’t get money or food but now because of your support I get food and uniform to wear and I also get books to read. Oh thank you, God bless you so much.”
FIAKU REGIM, 15 YEARS, CLASS 6
In a recent update, we introduced you to “Prince” one of the HIV+ orphans we care for at Grace Orphanage in Ghana. Today we’re excited to share some unique video footage of Prince himself, interviewed by one of our staff members. Is it worth giving up $7 a month to help a child like Prince? We think so…
Here’s some exciting news! Those of you who’ve been with us for awhile will remember the 14 orphan boys we’re supporting at the Calvary Youth Hostel in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, Kenya. In 2004, these boys were sleeping on the floor of the Calvary Christian School that we support. When we found them there, we decided to make an orphanage where they could live safely and attend school. Three years later, we are putting 7 of them in college.
Click on the image below to see a listing of where each boy will be attending school:
You can also go to this post from February 2006 where several of the boys talked about their career aspirations. This will now be possible for them to achieve, thanks to you!
