Protecting Girls from Genital Mutilation in Kenya

Last August, all supporting teams’ leaders from the USA, Germany and Austria met together with the Kenyan team at Tareto Maa. This was the moment to get to know each other better and to make great progress so we all leapt at this rare opportunity.

Highlights of the time we spent with the children

We were incredibly happy to meet with the children who seem to be doing really well. We were hoping to take them on a safari but the weather conditions did not allow it. Instead we went hiking on the nearest mountain called Pirrar. It took us two hours to reach the top before we could enjoy the amazing panoramic view.

Sigfrid, the treasurer of the German team organised an athletic event including running, jumping and throwing. It was great fun!

We brought lots of new games and some music instruments for the children.

We also managed to repair the seesaw on the playground.

In exchange for dancing the Macarena with the children (see the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1Kyz86HPmc), we had raised money which we spent buying fruit baskets for the children. We also cooked Mexican food for everyone and provided fresh popcorn one evening with a movie in the new dining hall.

Many of the older children jumped in to assist the younger ones with the letters they were writing to their respective sponsors.

New road map with a stepwise approach

There were many points on our agenda so we shared the work whenever we could. For instance, 10 children were sent to the city of Kisii for medical check-up.

We also met with another NGO representative and agreed to stay in contact as we are both serving the same cause of eradicating FGM.

We had reserved the last days of our visit to discuss about the current projects and tasks and to agree on what the priorities are for the future.

One of the greatest challenges is the rapid growth of Tareto Maa since the project started five years ago. Given the circumstances, we have managed extraordinary well until now. Fighting FGM and forced marriages remains our priority. There are also young orphans who have found a new home at Tareto Maa.

We are confident that many people are willing to support Tareto Maa, once they know about it. It is essential to continue promoting the project to recruit more sponsors.

Also, it is clear that the team in Kenya is doing a wonderful job. Just think about Helen, Sarah and Lilian who cook every day breakfast, lunch and dinner for so many children! Pastor Daniel, Joel, Tonje, David and many others are all contributing to the well-being of the children and the success of Tareto Maa.

We gained a much better understanding for the many challenges they face on a daily basis. We look forward to find adequate solutions to strengthen their situation.

The neighbouring community is still very enthusiastic about Tareto Maa and people have reaffirmed their support to the project. The idea that Tareto Maa can generate one day its own resources and gradually gain more independence from the help from abroad is not too far-fetched. The training centre which we spoke about in our previous report will start very soon with the sewing school. We also plan a vegetable garden and an orchard soon after.

Thank you for helping us promoting Tareto Maa and for your generous support!

Links:

• Dancing the Macarena
• Travel reports on Facebook
• Playing time at Tareto Maa

Celebrations – Our first volunteer – Construction of the dining hall

Tareto Maa welcomed its first external volunteer: Nate Demers from Michigan. He arrived at Tareto Maa early in April, and the first thing he had to do was: to celebrate! On April 9, 2014, we celebrated Tareto Maa’s 5 Year Anniversary. Five years ago Gladys Kiranto started to shelter orphans from the local community and girls escaping FGM. In the beginning, 7 children were sheltered in the houses of Gladys and her family and friends. Five years later, the Tareto Maa Girls’ Refuge provides for the needs and the well-being of 106 children who have sought out our assistance.

To celebrate this anniversary, the Tareto Maa teams in the USA, Germany and Austria sent a thank-you letter and small personal presents for each team member in Kenya. The presents were manually recharging “dynamo flashlights” (a hot commodity in a village without power).

On the occasion of the anniversary, Philippe and Fynn from Austria started a charity run at the Vienna City Marathon. Thanks to many supporters’ contributions they raised around $2,500 which will be used to pay for the school fees of six girls.

After the anniversary celebrations, it was time for our first volunteer, Nate, to share his practical skills and to join some hard works. The construction of the dining hall started! This building is one of the major projects at Tareto Maa this year. We are happy and proud that this project successfully started, and after 3 months it is nearly completed now. At the moment, we are building the roof.

A current food crisis

While we mastered one challenge with building the dining hall, unfortunately another huge challenge emerged. It saddens us to report that the corn crops in the community of Kilgoris, Kenya were once again destroyed this season by a plant disease (a viral infection named “Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease”). After last year’s destruction, we thought we had the problem resolved via a harvest of a new breed of corn. Now, we see this was not a final solution. Tareto Maa leaders are reaching out to agricultural experts to gain insight on possible causes of this issue. Subsidiary farming is how we help mediate our expenses and losing our entire crop is a great loss. Due to the support of many people worldwide we were able to buy food for the children now to provide sufficient meals in the months to come. However, this food crisis is a severe setback for Tareto Maa, and any support to buy further food would be greatly appreciated.

Send us your pics – A Photobook of the Tareto Maa Community

We are creating a photobook to “introduce” the members of the Tareto Maa community to the girls of the Rescue Center. When the presidents of the Tareto Maa groups from the USA, Germany and Austria will meet in Kenya this August, they want to hand over the booklet to the children.

Please send pictures of yourself (at work, with your family, with your favorite pet, lounging at home or partaking in your favorite hobby) along with a brief description to jadams@tareto-maa.org by Friday, July 22.