thanks to so many of you wonderful humans, I fundraised quite a substantial amount of money for little ray of hope before I arrived here. I had an idea of how the money was going to be spent; new shoes, uniforms, stationary etc and that’s exactly how it’s been spent.
28 kids out of 75 desperately needed new shoes as theirs were falling apart, had holes or were inappropriate to walk to school in (think ballet slipper style shoe). there are a lot of nasty things on kenyan streets and roads, so covering up the kids feet as much as possible ensures their safety and less likely to step on something that could go straight through the shoe. so we had two men from the shoe company bata come to school and measure all the children’s shoe sizes and order accordingly as to who needed the shoes. for brand new leather and reinforced sole school shoes, it cost au$520, approximately $18 per pair of shoes. not bad considering how much parents at home spend on school shoes.
similarly, many of the kids needed new sweaters because theirs are frayed, have holes or simply because they don’t fit anymore. it’s kind of important for every kid to have at least some form of sweater, particularly because kenyans, infact probably all africans, feel the cold, even when it’s not cold. it’s not uncommon for me to arrive at school on a lovely 28 degrees celcius day and see the kids wrapped up in at least 4 layers: tshirt, school dress/shirt, sweater and jacket. it astounds me that so many layers are needed. so I went to the biggest uniform supplier shop in yaya shopping centre and purchased 25 brand new navy sweaters in three different sizes, as a starting point. that cost about au$240, and infact if I find that more children need them, I will purchase more.
stationary is always in need of a top up, and thanks to some wonderful people from home, I already had some colouring pencils and crayons to donate, but there’s always more to purchase, especially when buying for seventy five kids. chalk, modelling clay, grey lead pencils, sharpeners, erasers, masking tape, pens for teachers, learning posters for the walls… the list is often endless but it’s because everything gets used so often. and it is used right down the the very end. absolutely no wastage.
these photos can’t give justice to just how much new shoes, jumpers, stationary etc will assist the little rays of hope in school this year. and your continued support is amazing and will carry us through. even though so many of these kids are too young for school, their being here means they aren’t on the street trying to make an income. it means they get a head start at their schooling. it means they aren’t left at home to cook and clean while mum/dad/carer is out looking for work. it means that they get a chance to become whoever or whatever they want to be; that they aren’t just forced to merely survive. that they get the same chance you and I had when we grew up to choose what we wanted to be. that’s why I’m doing this.
anything that is not spent on this trip will be used to continue supporting the school: purchasing food for the kids throughout the year, school supplies, teachers upkeep and office items, as well as placed in savings for our ultimate goal of buying a block of land and building a school – somewhere where the kids than play and not be crowded.
that’s a dream which will take some time, but we will continue working towards until it comes true. x
travelling alone 