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Dear KEF Friends and Family,
We are excited this month to be able to share with you the first of a two-part series which tells the unique story of one student/sponsor match. Jacqueline and Mark Newman began sponsoring Fatuma Omar Ismael, a refugee girl who was raised in Kenya's Dadaab Camps in Northeastern Province, at the end of 2008.
Fatuma, who was the highest female performer on the secondary school exit exam in her entire region, is now a Form Two (grade ten) student at the prestigious Kenya High School in Nairobi, thanks to her own determination and the continued support of Jacqueline and Mark. On New Years Eve 2009, the three had a chance to meet in Nairobi, together with Brad Broder, the KEF's executive director, and Fatuma's brother. We are thrilled to share their story with you, written from the perspectives of both Jacqueline (this month) and Fatuma (next month) as an example of how powerful and mutually rewarding KEF connections can be.
From left
to right: Jacqueline Newman, Fatuma Omar Ismail, Fatuma's Brother, and
Mark Newman  | We are also delighted to announce that the Kenya Education Fund has been recognized by GreatNonprofits as a Top Women's Empowerment Organization! To read our reviews and learn more about this distinction, please click here.Wishing you all a relaxing, fun summer. With care, The KEF
Team www.kenyaeducationfund.org
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On Sponsoring Fatuma Omar Ismael--And Getting the Chance to Meet Her
Recollections by Jacqueline and Mark Newman
When the opportunity to positively influence someone's life from afar came about it was a very easy decision for us to make. We realized that instead of being in awe of the philanthropy that others were gracious enough to partake in we wanted to do our part. After discussing sponsorship options with Brad we practically ran home to make good on our verbal promise.
Soon after committing we received notification that our student was a refugee who was entering her first year of secondary school in Nairobi. By excelling in her exams Fatuma was able to separate herself from her peers and become a role model for her fellow refugee students in earning a scholarship through the KEF. We were both
saddened and inspired by Fatuma's tale and when we received a letter from her thanking us for our support it was obvious to us that we had actually made a difference, albeit from afar.
A Typical Home in the Dadaab Refugee Camps, Where Fatuma Was Raised  |
After getting engaged, Mark and I decided to plan our honeymoon in East Africa, flying in and out of Nairobi. The end of our magnificent trip fell on New Years Eve and Brad had setup a wonderful surprise for us. Fatuma was in Nairobi and we were going to be able to have dinner with the young woman who we were fortunate enough to sponsor.
My husband and I were both anxious to meet Fatuma and her brother with whom she was traveling. Her smile was as welcoming as one could imagine and her nervous grace was admirable and heartwarming. We spent well over an hour with Fatuma talking about her likes, and dislikes, her goals and her experiences. She had questions for us as well and her giggle and shy nature was similar to that of any 15 year old girl we had ever met. She enjoyed swimming, math and her studies. Her dedication to her work was not a front for the benefit of her sponsors; her brother playfully teased her as being a work-aholic which was met with pride by the hard working Fatuma.
We talked music, her classmates and the food at her school which she said was rather good. She spoke of her desire to go to Harvard and to become a doctor, lofty goals which I do not put past the dedicated
Fatuma.
As we finished the meal we asked Fatuma if she could go anywhere in the world where would it be. She replied immediately the United States. When we asked if she wanted to go to Boston, she replied that she wasn't sure where that was. When we said, "That's where Harvard is...", she responded with a tremendous smile...."Most definitely yes."
You too can
sponsor a student like Fatuma and help him or her to achieve their
dreams. Click
here for more information or to donate.
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Thank you to Janover Rubinroit and Donna Terrazziano!
In addition to donating office space to
house the Kenya Education Fund's New York headquarters, in May, Janover Rubinroit LLC generously gave
over twenty desktop and laptop computers to support the KEF's Kenya Computer Initiative.
These computers will be shipped
to Kenya, where in addition to boosting the infrastructure of KEF-partner
schools, they will be offerred in return for tuition coverage of needy
students. A win for the schools/a win for our KEF students! For more on the Kenya Computer Initiative, click here.
Thank you
to Janover Rubinroit, and Donna Terrazziano especially, for your continuing support!
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Thank you to Mrs. Kessler, Mrs. Ciabattoni, and their 5th grade students at Glen Rock School!
The KEF is deeply honored to receive a
generous $400 donation raised by Mrs. Kessler and Mrs. Ciabattoni's
fifth grade classes at the Glen Rock School in New Jersey. These 42 students raised money by selling ices on Friday to younger students. As burgeoning community activists, they also held a toy drive, shoveled snow for elderly residents, and collected food for a local center for women and children.
Not only did the students raise money for Haiti but they also chose to give a portion of their hard-won funds to the KEF in recognition of the importance of
education. In doing so, they directly supported their peers in Kenya!
Thank you Glen Rock school and its outstanding fifth grade classes!
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