Brief Updates
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Find Us On Facebook You can also search on Facebook for Lift Up Africa and we're a registered FaceBook Cause, too.
Some Upcoming LUA Events August 15, 2009 San Carlos, CA Birthday Party Fundraiser for LUA Joseph
Fangon is turning17. He has chosen to make his 2009 birthday celebration
a fundraiser for Lift Up Africa. Funds raised will benefit LUA's solar cooking
projects that help school feeding programs. LUA will demonstrate
solar cooking at Joe's party.
August
20, 2009 Gresham,
Oregon Boeing
Portland's Employee Safety Fair
September
13, 2009 Bellevue,
WA First
Presbyterian Church of Bellevue Mission Fair
September
15-16, 2009, Olympia and Tukwila, WA 11th
Annual Combined Fund Drive Charity Fairs
September
29, 2009 Seattle,
WA King
County Givingworks 2009 Kickoff
October
1, 2009 Seattle,
WA
Combined
Federal Campaigns of King County and North Puget Sound 2009 Kickoff at The
Convention Center _______
LUA's Employee Giving Campaign Registrations
Microsoft
Matching Gifts Program Combined Federal Campaigns of King Cty and North Puget Sound (ID #53027)
King County Employee Giving Campaign (ID #9206)
Washington State Combined Fund Drive (ID #1478602)
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Greetings!
Here's the fifth issue of LUA News. If your friends or colleagues might appreciate learning about what we do to help African people, it's easy to forward this issue using the link at the bottom of the page.
Asante (thank you) and enjoy!
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Oloika Solar Cooking Distribution
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Helping Maasai women in Southern Kenya
Since July
2005, Solar Cookers International (EA) has been working with women's groups in
Kajiado to promote the use of solar
cooking as a means to help poor women save their meager resources for other
pressing needs. The women are generally widows or single parents who need group
support to move forward with their lives. Many are engaged in petty trade like
selling vegetables, beads, milk and eggs.
Several
groups devised a way to purchase solar cooking materials for each member. Thus far,
some have been able to purchase CooKits--a small, individual solar
cooker. (See photo) However, this system is slow and many women are still waiting to
receive the materials they need to either begin or fully realize the maximum benefit from solar cooking.
Because the
purchasing process has dragged on for three years, SCI approached LUA. They
asked us to partner with several of these groups so the women could more
quickly enhance their energy savings, thus improving their living standards.
On May 22,
2009 the first of these partnership distributions took place in Oloika. At the
distribution event, SCI's Stella Odaba informed the women that through Lift Up Africa (LUA) they would now receive donations of the equipment
they still needed, including hay basket fireless cookers.
Although the weather was a bit cloudy,
some CooKits were set up to demonstrate pasteurizing water using the WAPI (water
pasturization indicator.) The use of the fireless cookers was also demonstrated. While the members
watched and timed the process, some rice was simmered for 5 minutes. Then the
rice was transferred to the hay basket. Half an hour later a member went to
check and found it cooked.
At
the meeting Agnes Osoi, one of the group members, said:
"... solar
cookers have been of great help to us....We can pasteurize our drinking water and
our children don't suffer from diarrhea because of taking dirty water. Furthermore,
it's safe around the child; I can leave the food to cook while I go to sell my
beads in the market without any fears of fire accidents at home. Now with the
addition of fireless cookers life will be even simpler for me. I will warm
water at night, pour it in the ten liter plastic container then put it in the
fireless cooker. In the morning my children have ready breakfast and warm water
to bathe before school. I will not be exposed to smoke for so long; I will use
firewood only when there's no sun and save some wood."
Other participants chimed in saying:
"The fireless cooker will bring peace in my
home; my husband will always find hot food whenever he comes late. I don't have
to wake up to light a fire to warm the food for him."
"...I
am so excited and grateful to SCI and Lift
Up Africa for their support in making our lives better!"
A
vote of thanks was given by Esther Sekeyian, the group's chairlady. The women
then gave gifts (beaded ornaments) in honor of Lift Up Africa and adorned Ms. Odaba with beaded ornaments, too.
The distribution to the 17 women who
attended the event cost $700 (USD). This small grant will help an
estimated 150 people.
Information on all of our solar cooking projects is available on LUA's Solar Cooking Wiki.
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Project Focus: Kenya Community Centre for Learning
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In
2001 Kenya Community Centre for Learning (KCCL) became East Africa's first
middle/high school catering to the unique educational and social needs of
students with learning disabilities and a variety of special needs. It operates
as a non-profit trust with income generated through school fees and donations.
KCCL currently serves 28 students from diverse cultural, religious, and
economic backgrounds with a variety of educational problems including autism,
cerebral palsy and blindness. In addition to educating these special students,
KCCL is training Kenyan teachers to work with students with learning
difficulties so that its model can be replicated throughout Kenya.
KCCL
follows the GED American curriculum. It offers students a chance for a college
education or an apprenticeship program in which students gain experience in
different trades and skills. In
conjunction with the KCCL Board and a trained special education expert from the US, KCCL's Principal Ciriaka Gitonga set a program in motion to make the school self-sufficient. The first step was
to move the school to a more affordable facility. Future plans call for
increasing the student-teacher ratio to 1 teacher per 6 students.
KCCL's
15-year vision provides for a comprehensive facility that will include nursery,
primary, secondary, post graduate and adult continuing education programs.
Community services will include:
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teacher
training,
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assessment
centre,
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vocational
programs,
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sports/music/library
and drama centers, and
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career
placement and employment opportunities.
To
house students and staff, KCCL will provide boarding and residential facilities
including an assisted or transitional living program.
KCCL
receives no support from the Kenyan government, so it is totally dependent on
donations and fees from the parents, many of whom cannot afford to pay full
tuition for their children. KCCL
needs funding so it can continue catering to the needs these special
children.
Lift
Up Africa agreed to support a 2-year program to help KCCL put its sustainability
effort firmly in place. The priority funding needs for this period are facility
rent for 2010, scholarships (24 needed), classroom expenses, principal and
teacher salary support, and a heavy duty photocopier.
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Scholarship level #1, $100 student/month (10)
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Scholarship level #2, $225 student/month (9)
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Scholarship level #3, $300 student/month (5)
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Rent subsidy, $500 per week
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Principal's salary, $425 per week
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Teacher/classroom expense, $100 per day/class
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Heavy duty photocopier, $2,500
Please
help Lift Up Africa help Africa's vulnerable special needs children! Just let us know you want to support KCCL or a specific KCCL need. Thanks!
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Please
support Lift Up Africa's critical efforts to help African people by making a secure on-line donation.
And because
our board pays for all administrative expenses, 100% of every dollar you contribute
goes directly to help African people.
Asante (thank you)!
Lift Up Africa is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. Our tax ID is 74-3116756.
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LIFT UP AFRICA DIRECTORS & STAFF Bill Longbrake (President) - Rick Levy (Secretary-Treasurer) - Sam Muinde (Vice President) - Larry Donahoo Anne V. Farrell - Kenneth G.Y. Grant - Linda Alband, CFRE (Chief Administrative Officer)
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