Stop Loss of Cash-Transfers Meant for Most Needy

Equal Africa in the month of October continued to provide direct services to people who are very poor and vulnerable. This month's report is dedicated to our Managing Trustee, Mr. Prabhudas Damji Pattni who passed on to be with the almighty lord on 8th October 2015.

One of Equal Africa beneficiaries by the name Gladys recently said, “I am so grateful to Mr. Prabhudas Pattni and his Sister. With a salary of 13,000 shillings and my kidney medication costing 7,500 monthly, I would not have managed to buy my monthly medication. My children would be going without food and we would have no place to stay due to inability to pay house rent. I am very thankful to them for helping me purchase my monthly kidney medication. May God bless each one of them and their families” This message was received by Equal Africa on 6th October 2015.

Another group of elderly beneficiaries who are meant to be recipients of government cash transfers came to Equal Africa to report how sixteen of them had been made to scrub and wash their fingers with stone for 7 days consecutively - apparently to enable the electronic biometric machine to sense their fingerprints. One of them who is 81 years old had got his finger injured. They requested our organisation to intervene. Equal Africa officer walked into the said government office and requested to know from the civil servants why the elderly people were being made to scrub/wash their fingers with stone; and why their payments had been withheld for 7 days yet they are all holders of genuine bank cards that were issued to them by Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) under the government’s cash transfer programme. Surprisingly, after our intervention, the government civil servants telephoned all the 16 elderly people to immediately collect their cash transfer payments. Many other vulnerable people whose funds had been irregularly withheld for the month of October 2015 were also telephoned to immediately collect their cash transfers. The elderly people thanked Equal Africa and illustrated how they could have lost their October cash transfers had they failed to report to us about their predicaments.

See our October 2015 activities report which is attached and includes pictures taken during the month.

Links:

• Equal Africa Website
• Equal Africa Volunteers

• Equal Africa Activities Report - October 2015 (PDF)
  

Equal Africa would like to specially recognise the generous support of each one of you friends, donors, wellwishers, and partners! We take this opportunity to say a Big Thank You!!!; and invite you to read the attached progress report of Equal Africa's activities that include photographs taken in the month of August 2015.

In the coming months, we will give you another report, specifically on the progress realised in the Databank Monitoring System. 

Our organisation continues its work of helping orphans and vulnerable children. These children are rejected and later abandoned by their families for having mental and/or severe disabilities.

Equal Africa also continues giving help to some of the most disadvantaged women and girls, the elderly, and those with terminal illnesses. These are very needy people lacking sustenance due to extreme poverty. 

Our target beneficiaries have remained those who are among the most needy and predisposed to conditions that make them highly dependent on the assistance of others.

Equal Africa receives multiple requests to help vulnerable people constantly, who are reffered to us by government offices, hospitals, human rights organisations, media houses, and local charitable groups/institutions. 

In order to provide direct support to these needy people, the organisation is working in collaboration with 2,200 charitable groups and institutions of vulnerable people in the country. However, we have narrowed down the immediate assistance to 6 out of the 48 most desperate charitable groups and institutions. This is due to lack of sufficient resources to help all the 2,200 charitable institutions and groups that care for the very needy children and adults. As a result, the officials of our organisations continue to visit prospective donors for food donations and other essentials that are needed in the remaining charitable homes and institutions. 

Using the funds received from a local foundation and 2 Kenyan donors, the organisation has in the month of August 2015, worked with 6 charitable homes to give assistance to the very needy orphans and bedridden people in the following ways:

1. Purchase of very basic food items for their daily meals. 
2. Payment to carers who give the bedridden children and adults personalised care to avoid getting bedsores. 
3. Purchase of vital materials that assist them to easily manage their toiletries and personal hygiene. 
4. Money that helps the house mothers and volunteers to provide daily support, which enables them to live with dignity.
5. Provision of transport and cash for emergency medical treatment in government clinics for the sick; and purchase of prescribed medication. 
6. Assistance to some of the families that look after their own bedridden people in the purchase of essential food and materials that they require for daily use. 
7. Purchase of prescribed life saving medication for 3 terminally ill persons who are extremely poor and unable to afford their medication. 

The above very needy and vulnerable people are also being assisted to gain access to Equal Africa's Databank Monitoring System; and to take advantage of its benefits. The next report will give comprehensive information on the operations of this amazing Databank Monitoring System. 

Please see the attached detailed report that includes activities photographs and financial report for the month of August. 

Links:

• Equal Africa's Website

• Equal Africa's Activities Report of August 2015 (PDF)