Your Donations!

Posted in Uncategorized by Lynn Ouellette on 02/01/2014

Maasai children with new backpacks

I am writing this post to let you know how your generous contributions enabled us to help the people of Kenya. Backpacks were sponsored at Tuko Pamoja events throughout the country and by individual donations at $5 per backpack. This enabled us to bring 470 new backpacks to children who needed them in the Maasai community! the Nyumbani community and other places. This made a lot of children happy. I was personally present when backpacks from all three children of the Taylor family of Brunswick , ME (Conrad, Spencer, and Jacqueline) were presented to 3rd graders at Nyumbani Village! We also brought many many pounds of both new and used clothing to several places but most especially Nyumbani village where they will be so appreciated. A special thank you to the Coulter family for the very needed underwear and socks!

The donations of yarn from my donors and from donors to all the volunteers will make many colorful baskets and made a room full of grandmothers sing and dance!

We have continued the sponsorship of the lunch program at PCDA providing a midday meal to all the Maasai children attending school there. In addition we made a contribution to the 2 non-government teachers who have devoted themselves to the school and live in the community so that they can get the proper training to get government certification and be salaried by the government. This will improve the quality of education and fund them by the government. I also left funding of 70,000 ksh to given to the Masaai self help group as soon as their group bank account has been successfully open so that they can build a workshop to provide some shelter for them to craft their products together.

Maasai women artisans of Tuko Pamoja

With monetary donations from my donors and my $1000 prize money from the Schwartz Center I was able to give a 316,000 ksh donation to Nyumbani Village toward helping to buy “farm kits” which will enable each family to grow a sustainable garden to have their own fruits and vegetables and improve independent food production in the village. That is $3672!

Receipt for donation to NV

added to the donations from other volunteers this will enable more than 50 families in the Village to have farm kits and thus gardens! You may recall that last year we were raising money for chicken coops and this year when we returned every single house in the village had a chicken coop? Next year the Village will be filled with beautiful shamba (gardens) and people will have variety in what they eat, better nutrition and best of all pride in being more self sufficient!

All of the Tuko Pamoja Board who went to Kenya on this trip collectively participate in the educational sponsorship of students at all grade levels up to the university and together sponsor educational expenses for over 25 children. We are thrilled and most grateful that you have joined us in giving generously to the wonderful people of Kenya whom we have come to know and love and from whom we receive more joy, love, gratitude and lessons about what is important in life than we ever give.