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Kawangware Street Children & Youth Project
Nairobi, 29th December, 2009
PO Box 35497-00200
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel +254-721-761107 or +254-733-926929
E-mail: africabags@yahoo.com
RE: Appeal for Donations Kawangware Youth Project
Dear Supporters;
I am kindly writing to request for support and funding of the Kawangware Street Children & Youth Project, which I founded in 2002. The aim of the project is to create social and economic opportunities for vulnerable children, orphans, and at-risk youth in Kawangware, one of the largest slums of Nairobi, Kenya. In Kawangware, which is has a population of over 400,000 (of which 65% are children and youth), there are no strong social and economic community structures in place, and basic needs are scarce. Unfortunately the Kawangware community has no organized capacity to assist these children, or in discovering, developing, and utilizing positive talents in them. Most people live in shanties and in broken families. Many kids are out of school since they can't afford to pay the fee or buy school uniforms and learning materials. Those who are lucky to be in school only get to primary school and do not have any chance to pursue secondary, college or even university level. Many kids go school hungry and depressed.
In Kawangware there is no adequate clean water supply. The local council only supplies the community with water once a week, and at times they only supply water once a month. Many go without taking a bath for days at a time, since water is preserved for drinking and cooking. Controllable diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery kills many due to poor hygiene and sanitation.
Every day the number of orphans or kids with single parents increases due to HIV/AIDS in the community. Many youth are at risk due to lack of skills and jobs. The Kawangware project is one-of-a-kind; assisting orphans, vulnerable kids and youth at risk by helping them gain education, as well as acquire skills which allow them to earn a living.
One of our success stories is Peter Kahara, who was once a kid living in the streets and eating from the garbage. I found Peter living on the streets at the age of 10, and invited him work with the Kawangware Project. Peter's parents had died when he was 4 years old, and when I rescued him from the streets, he was sick, malnourished and had little desire to live. He had lived in the street, begging, scavenging from the garbage and sleeping in back alleys for 6 years. Had it not been for the KSYP, today Peter might still be leading a life of hopelessness, or possibly even dead. Now, courtesy of one of NextAid's donors, who supports his education, he is a happy young man and will be graduating to the next grade this coming year (2010). Sadly, there are many kids are like Peter and their only home is here at the project & and like our generous donor, you too could save a life of child and fill it with hope and happiness. Many kids and youth are flocking in to our Project daily.
At the moment the Kawangware Street Youth Project needs support from people and organizations to further our work in the community, and offer positive opportunities for the ever increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children. The project is in dire need for expansion and we have already identified a piece of land which we are hoping to purchase and build an eco-friendly workshop and community center. This premises will house all the activities of the project (ie: workshop, training room facility, feeding program facility as well as an administration office), and will greatly allow us to increase our functionality and capacity.
We have a micro-business which employs youth in the community to make boutique tourist bags out of recycled paper. The project caters to and advocates for the welfare of vulnerable children and youth at risk. At our current workshop, 40 older youth (boys and girls) earn their daily income, and increase their vocational skills by making these paper bags. The handles of these bags are outsourced to local mothers who are single widows and are hand made from banana fibers. Our increasing clientele and market for the bags is so big that we have trouble satisfying the demand. Our current workshop is too small that we are forced to use corridors and alleys to continue our business. In the case of rain or very hot sun we put on plastic bags to protect ourselves. Many more youth want to join us but I always have to turn them away because of space. It breaks my heart to do so. We do the best we can.
It's my believe that given an opportunity to expand, the project will be able to recruit many more street youth; most of whom are at the risk of being shot by police due to indulgence in crime. Obviously, with a new workshop we would earn more income and be able to put many more kids in school, furthering their education to secondary and even college or university levels.
Ideally, we would be able to open up a cybercafé and train children and youths on basic computer literacy and graphic design skills. The computer centre could become a very ideal IT center for the community members, and would serve as a new income generating opportunity since graphics and designing, typing, scanning, photocopying and printing services could all be offered.
The project will provide great long- term benefits to the community through creating more awareness on the need to take care of the orphaned and vulnerable children as a result of more expanded facility.
My visit there in the USA has left me with great marks and wonderful memories! It exposed to me the reality of things and disparities of people and governments. It was unimaginable for me to see and meet people who were so happy and they embraced me and appreciated my work with children in my community. I was so motivated and encouraged to see that many people in the USA were so concerned about Africa and the poor children of the world. I got to know and experience how the US and Kenya were to different worlds! It was shocking for me how almost everything was different from life down here in Kawangware. It was so saddening to hear that some children there didn't want to go to school and yet the opportunity was there. We don't have enough food and schools here and many kids want to go to school and it is very disheartening.
I would like to thank all the people who hosted me during my visit. I also want to thank all those people who attended and participated in both the GO Campaign Funding Gala and the NextAid World AIDS Day Events and for all their contributions, time and efforts. You are highly appreciated in our hearts and we will always remember you in our daily lives. You are far from us to see the smiles you have put in many faces here in Kawangware as I narrate everything about you to the children and the youths and what life will be in the coming years because of nice people like you.
ALL OF YOU ARE GREAT PEOPLE WHO ARE CHANGING LIVES POSITIVELY!
You have uplifted me and given me more power and spirit in my work. Thanks a lot NextAid and GO Campaign and everybody who made possible for organizing and making this education trip for me a success. You are in my daily thoughts and in my community you left a mark of history! Through me and the trip my community benefitted more. The trip has made a very different person and it has made me to love and appreciate my work and to be more focused in the project work and management. It was a window of opportunity which doesn't come so easily.
Again a lot of thanks to you all!
Yours Sincerely,
Agasto Githaiga
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