Text books for Boitang’are Secondary School

Boitang’are Secondary school in Igare, Bobasi constituency (Kisii area) was founded in 1971 as a community self-help project, a so-called Harambee school. Currently, most of the teachers are employed by the Kenyan Government but the school is still very much dependent on the community for all their other needs (including payment of the salary of three teachers). Apart from the local community, the school also receives support from the Boitang’are Old Students Association. This association was founded by a group of former students who started an ‘operation give back’ to the school that formed them.
One of the most pressing problems of the school is the lack of text books. The very few text books need to be shared among a large number of students, hampering their academic performance.
Elfu Bob relieved some of the pressure by stocking the school library with text books for all subjects, from Form 1 to Form 4.

Refugee programme Little Sisters of St. Francis

The Little Sisters of St. Francis are a congregation that first started in Uganda and has since spread all over East Africa. In their efforts to reach out to the poor and the needy, the sisters have amongst others set up a refugee programme in Kaserani, Nairobi. Through the programme refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia etc receive support in their efforts to deal with the hardships of living the life of a refugee in Nairobi. Apart from support in the form of food, clothes and school fees (refugee children do not benefit from the abolition of school fees for public primary schools) the sisters also offer practical classes to grown-ups, building skills that can help them to earn some income. Currently the programme offers classes in English, tailoring, computer and catering.
Elfu Bob supported the refugee programme of the joyous Little Sisters by buying a number of text books for the English class and an overlock machine and plenty of material (scissors, thread, needles, chalks, rulers etc.etc.) for the tailoring class.

Famine Relief in Ukambani

During the long dry season (December to April) in Kenya each year, many communities suffer from drought and some families face starvation. The situation has become worse recently, due in part to climate change, deforestation of key Kenyan watersheds and diversion of streams and rivers. In February 2006, Elfu Bob support went to the Kwa Mwaitu group, headed by Dan (a UN staff member) and Mary Malonza, to provide maize and beans to needy families in Katangi, Machakos District. Media focus of the drought centred on northeastern Kenya and government assistance to the Ukambani region was insufficient. The maize and beans went directly to twelve of the most needy families, benefiting approximately 96 individuals. This timely contribution of foodstuffs was enough to see the families through the worst of the drought until the long rains began. While this temporary measure was welcomed in Katangi, Kwa Mwaitu are looking to offer long-term support to the region, especially in finding ways to increase fresh water availability for agriculture during times of drought. Many thanks to all the Elfu Bobbers and Kwa Mwaitu who made this small intervention possible!