Meet Margaret, along with just a few of her very proud family members on Margaret's graduation day earlier this month.
Margaret comes from a family of twelve, four brothers and seven sisters. She is the last born in the family. Her father is a casual laborer and was not able to take her to college after her form four. Margaret was born as a normal child, able to hear and talk. She went to her nursery class as a normal child. When she was in class two, she developed recurring headaches. She was hospitalized for three months, during this time the worst happened and she lost her hearing ability completly. Her parents could not believe what had happened to their daughter, but afterwards enrolled her into Ngala school for the deaf. During her last year of high school, she lost her mother, who had been struggling with poor health for several years. This left Margaret devastated. She says life has never been the same since losing her mother, until she came to Springs of Hope Foundation's Kijiji Mission project and now sees a bright future ahead
There is indeed a bright future ahead for Margaret, along with the other young women who recently graduated from our 12-month course earlier this month. They have all been offered jobs at a local company. That’s right…ALL of the young women, including our hearing-impaired students.
It can be very difficult for the deaf to find employment in Kenya, or anywhere else in the underdeveloped world for that matter, so we are thrilled to know that they will all go on to paid employment when they return from a very well earned Christmas break in January.
We are so very grateful for your continued support in 2019. As we look forward to a new intake of young women in the new year our wish is that you continue to include Springs of Hope Foundation in your charitable giving.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with Many Blessings.
Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom
CEO
Springs of Hope Foundation.org
Last Monday we completed what has become my favorite program. We were able to deliver free school uniforms to 26 kindergarten children at a school in an area called Slum Hill, which is a very poor area of Nakuru. Last week's delivery makes a total of 70 children that we have been able to assist with free school uniforms.
Unless you were here, It's hard to imagine what a huge impact this project has on both our students and the little ones they are assisting, who come from one of the most deplorable slums in our area and are forced to come to school in worn out, hand me down uniforms and shoes. Last weeks delivery makes a total of 70 children from desterapetly poor areas that we have been able to assist with free school uniforms this year.
As a supporter of Springs of Hope Foundation, we need your help this Giving Tuesday, December 3rd. Please create a fundraiser on our Global Giving project page and share it with your email, Facebook and social network friends. Creating a fundraiser is easy and we welcome with any goal amount.
Over this 24-hour period, Global Giving will be giving out $500.000 in proportional matching funds and $42,000 in bonus prizes. The project with the most unique (new) donors will win the largest portion of the bonus prizes!
Please hepl us win a large amount of the bonus prize money by starting a fundraiser amoung your friends and social media contacts here.
Thank you for your support,
Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom
Founder/CEO
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Wow, it will be two weeks today since my return to Kenya after a wonderful, but fleeting, three months spent at my Northern Michigan home in Big Bay. Returning to Big Bay is always wonderful. Being back with family and friends, sleeping in my own bed and just loving a long, hot shower...Ahhh, the comforts of home! Being able to just turn on the tap and drink the water, or go among the shelves of the supermarket with bountiful fresh produce and way, way too many choices for other goods :) all of which there are no comparisons to where I spend so much time each year.
A couple of years ago a dear friend asked me a question. At the time we were just enjoying the company of a few good friends and sharing thoughts.
The question we were all asked was: "Where in the world would want to be at this moment?" My immediate response was, right here, right now, enjoying this moment with you, sharing the blessing of your friendship and good company. No matter where here and now is, be it Kenya, Michigan or our home in Australia or wherever I may be, I always enjoy the moment, savor the experience and give thank to God for my abundantly blessed life...
FREEDOM OF CHOICE OVER HER LIFE AND HER DESTINY IS A LUXURY THAT
IS UNIMAGINABLE AND UNATTAINABLE TO THE MAJORITY OF
SUB-SAHARA AFRICAN WOMEN.
LETS WORK TOGETHER TO CHANGE THAT.
Our training project is coming along tremendously. Our students have had the opportunity to recieve invaluable taining from volunteers from all over the world. Each volunteer contributes a different, unique skill to our program.
Sophia from Isreal spent her time with us helping organize our office after our recent move.
Laura, a social worker from Germany focused on giving our students power point lessons on mental health, self esteem, self-talk etc.
Leila from Switzerland spent the majority of her time with us running our computer classroom and teaching an HIV/AIDS awarement course.
Mayca and Robin from the UK.
Mayca focused on teaching the students many new sewing and craft skills. The most popular one being crocheting. The young ladies now spend their evening leisure time chatting, laughing, joking and just being teenage girls...while crochet needles are at full speed. They love this new skill and I must say, their work is very good.
Robin was kept very busy during his time with us. I think he will agree that his most important contribution to our project was assisting our hearing impaired students, who will be graduating in December, with the paperwork and filing needed to apply for a small business startup government grant for the disabled.
The girls have a well thought out business plan
and this grant will set them on their path to success.
Melissa from Brazil was with us for a couple of months and taught our students so much about the delicate environment we all live in. Among the many things Melissa taught our students was how to make Ecko Bricks out of plastic bottles. Melissa's most enduring gift to our students will be the time she spent teaching them how efficiently compost their organic waste into rich soil that will nourish a fertile and productive family garden plot.
Every volunteer contributes their own unique and valuable talent to our program and leaves a lasting impression with our students. If you would like more information about becomming a volunteer with us please email me at jenniferhughes@springsofhopefoundation.org or visit our web page www.springsofhopefoundation.org for additional volunteer information.
Asante Sana,
Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom
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After a very long 12 months of hard work, sacrifice, and long periods of time away from their loved ones, our young ladies graduated at the beginning of this month. There was a great deal of excitement in the week leading up to graduation but on the day of graduation many tears of joy and sadness were shed as we all came to the realization that this brave group of young women who had become part of our family for the past 12 months would be leaving us and venturing into the next exciting stage of their lives. As the certificates were awarded each student made a very moving speech, expressing how much their lives had changed during the time they were with us, how much they have learned and how very grateful they were to be given this life-changing opportunity...More tears...followed by beautiful singing, dancing, and rejoicing.
During the 12 months that the young women are with us, they not only learn every aspect of tailoring, our volunteers also teach beginner computer skills which included working with Word and Excel, preparing their resume, creating their own personal email account and sending an email with an attachment. I know this sounds very mundane to most of us, but our students have not touched a computer when they first arrive. With shaking hands and sweaty palms, the young women are introduced to a whole new and exciting experience that they never dreamed they would be exposed to. This is not only a huge confidence builder for them, but it is also a great help when applying for work at one of the local manufacturing facilities or setting up and running their own business. By the time they graduate, they are quite confident and always eager to take their turn on our computers.
Empowering one young woman not only makes it possible for her to feed, support and educate her family, but the trickle-down effect will also continue for many future generations.
Please help us to continue to empower underprivileged young women by spreading the word about our project and our work. Please share this report on your Facebook, Instagram and other social media pages and encourage your friends to consider becoming one time or monthly donors. We have no office overhead, travel or salary expenses in Australia or the US. 100% of your donation goes directly toward our work in Kenya.
Asante Sana, thank you so very much.
Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom
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At the beginning of the month our tailoring students had a very special experience. We had gone out last month to a primary school in a very poor rural community within Nakuru county. Our girls each selected one young student to measure for a brand-new school uniform. I'm sure that at the time, the young children, who were accustomed to coming to school in torn, ill fitting, threadbare clothes and worn out shoes (if they were fortunate enough to have shoes) weren't quite sure what was going on. Our students made uniform dresses, blouses, shorts and shirts for the young girls and boys they had each chosen to assist. We returned at the beginning of the month to deliver the new uniforms to some very surprised and delighted young children. The young girls also got an added surprise, some pretty new dresses out students had made for them. The project was such a positive and uplifting experience for our students. When I suggested that we could do it again they eagerly agreed. Five girls were chosen from the group that will be graduating at the end of this month to go back to the region. This time they took measurements for 30 children. I’m not a dressmaker!!! I wouldn’t know where to begin measuring 30 children for pants, shirts, skirts, dresses, blouses, and shoes. The young women started working very hard to get the task finished before graduation at the end of this month. I’m proud to say that, after working all day Saturday, they have the uniforms ready to take to the children this coming Wednesday. A joy our students didn’t want to miss before returning to their rural communities after graduation. I learn from these hard working, determined young women every day and every day that I get to spend with them is truly amazing. Watching marginally educated girls, who come from life experiences that are unimaginable to most of us, develop into confident young women during the twelve months they live with us is a great joy and true blessing for me. I thank you so much for your continued support of this great program. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at jenniferhughes@springsofhopefoundation.org, Asante Sana, Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom
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