Support Quality Schooling of 250 Kids in Nguluni

Dear friends and partners,

Once again it’s my pleasure to report that we are making good progress on the project since we changed focus.

The following has happened since our last reporting:-

Three Classes Being Built Already

We redrew the plans to a simple 9 class school with an administration block and kitchen at a cost of $ 470. These were approved by the Town Council and the Public Health Department at a cost of $348.

The redrawn plans ensured we would be able to have classes at a cost of $53000 instead of the initial plans that would have been $ 200,000 as per Bill of Quantities estimates, a quarter of what we initially planned with.

 So far we have laid the foundations of three classes and completed the outer structure of one class up to roof level. (see pictures)

Total cost of the building part of the project so far has been approximately $1023, and includes digging up the foundation, laying the bricks, purchasing ballast 7 tonnes, sand 14 tonnes and 800 feet of stones and labour.

April 2014 Target

We have a target of April 30th to complete the super structures of the three classes and install windows and doors and complete the floors. And also begin the foundation of the kitchen and three other classes to be completed by end of August 2014.

Thanking You for Continued Support

I would like to thank you for your continued support in giving towards these projects. You are making a difference with every dollar given. At the same time I would like to encourage you to consider increasing your recurring giving by $ 20 to enable us receive disbursements monthly rather than bi-monthy  for that is how long it has been taking  for us to get to the disbursement limit of $200.

Also encourage friends and family to support the project to help us get to $588 a month for the building so we can have the classes standing by end of August 2014.

I want to thank you sincerely on behalf of the children and the Board of Acres of Mercy for your continued giving despite the many circumstances and all the things that clamor attention. Thank you for making Acres of Mercy and its work a key part of your life. We are honored and privileged to be part of such a difference making team.

Dear friends and partners, 

Thank you for keeping the faith and walking this journey with us. Your support is encouraging. As promised during the last report we have been able to put together a revised strategy on focusing efforts on helping over 150 Children Stay in School through building better classrooms and strengthening our education program at Acres of Mercy.

As you may well know the students within our Education program are either orphans, children from single parent led families, children from families with absentee parents, children from homes with abusive parents, children exposed to families engaging in selling illicit brews, children from very poor families with incomes of less than 2 dollars a day, children from homes where fathers are absent. These children face different vulnerabilities and risks when they drop out of school and even while in school due to poverty. These include early pregnancy for girls increasing vulnerable single child mothers, risks of contracting HIV, increased cases of child labour, increase in the number of girl children engaged in sex work, increased cases of child molestation, engaging in harmful economic activities. Our program seeks to help our children avoid the above situations so they can have a better chance in succeeding in education and breaking from the vicious cycle of poverty and thus have better lives.

 How does the Program Work?

The program carried out at Msingi Bora Learning Centre has three main components:-

Teacher Training and Capacity Building

• Internal trainings
• Supporting Professional development

Student Interventions

• Education and Literacy
• Mentoring and Counseling
• Health and Nutrition
• Talent and Skill Development
• Savings for transition into secondary school

Parent and Guardian Support

• Adult literacy
• Parenting skills
• Economic Empowerment

We believe that a holistic intervention program like this would greatly reduce children’s vulnerabilities and provide them with a firm foundation o which they can build better futures upon. This would enable breaking the vice that poverty has on poor families and vulnerable children. Our goal is 100% transitioning and starting life adults successfully. After three years the program will have reached a point of meeting 70% of its operation costs from its projects and services to other members of the community who can afford set fees. The program targets to enrol 40% of paying students.

We have obtained building plans and 3D rendering of the school. The Bill of Quantities has put the project at Ksh. 625,000 ($7352)  monthly over the next two years. (see msingibora.blogspot.com) for more details,nformation and progress stories

How do we do this?

We must mobilize about 40 partners who can commit to saving $7 daily, the cost of a sandwich, to make it possible to give these children an education for their lifetime.

For us to do this we are calling on all friends and partners to make a commitment to give in this way and to form giving teams of freinds and families to make this vision a reality. (see pictures)

Progress

On 9th November 2013 parents and  the local community will gather at Acres of Mercy in Nguluni for a fundraising event. Their target is to raise Ksh 100,000 ($1176) on this day.

Another supporting this event takes place on our Virtual Facebook Fundraiser for Kenyan Friends on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/583889798326600/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming) 

So far friends, and the community have raised a total of Ksh 257000 ($3023) for the building project in cash and Over 150 feet of stone and 1 tonne of ballast in kind.

Way Forward

I would like to call on you to rally with us on this project and to help push it to the end.  I will keep you posted on all events we are organizing and their results. We will put up a thermometer on our website at www.acresofmercy.org to help us track progress.

Ideas, suggestions and other input are welcome. Simply email on joluoch@acresofmercy.org or tweet #acresofmercy

Once again thank you and best of effort and great resolve as we embark on this great work of giving together.

"Lets Do it"

Links:

• The Education Project- Msingi Bora Learning Centre
• More stories and more on our work