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Burkina Faso, Zambia and Kenya… girls everywhere! The Foundation has accomplished a lot with your support in a very short space of time… and we are continuing our work. From the projects completed to our plans for the future, I want to share some of the results we have had and give you a quick glimpse of what I saw during my recent visit to the Masai Mara and to Nairobi, Kenya. Burkina Faso I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting a delegation of the government of Burkina Faso in Montreal in April. The representatives included the Minister of Education. The visit was organized by UNICEF Québec which kindly invited me to meet the delegation along with some of the UNICEF Burkina Faso staff who coordinated the 2005 satellite school project construction.
The school was officially inaugurated in November 2006 and has had a major impact on the community of Sarfalao. Over 220 children are now attending school in new buildings with school supplies and furniture and with access to latrines and clean water from the newly installed water pump. The daycare center enables young girls to safely drop off their younger siblings in order to be able to attend classes. The Minister of Education was very grateful for the support of the many donors and volunteers from Montreal who made this project possible. The UNICEF Burkina Faso staff echoed those feelings and went on to tell many stories of the positive effects the school has had in easing overcrowding and enabling so many new students, and girls in particular, to attend classes. For more information about this project, please click here: http://www.60millionsdefilles.org/english/project_2005.html The Project will support the creation and operation of a school support programme for younger female orphans and younger vulnerable girls. This component was conceived after a team of external consultants reported a gap in services for young girls aged 10 to 13. The Umoyo Training Centre will assign guardians, when needed, and provide for school fees as well as other basic necessities, while making necessary referrals for services such as counselling, victim support, and HIV testing. 80 girls between the ages of 10 to 13 will benefit from this programme in 2007. Zambia The Umoyo Training Centre received $100,000 from 60 million girls through our donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation in 2006. Hundreds of young girls from 14 to 18 years old, AIDS orphaned for the most part and heading the household of their younger siblings, will be able to attend the many outstanding programs of the centre to give them a chance to restart the lives with hope for a future because of their new found skills and abilities. For more information about this project, please click here: http://www.60millionsdefilles.org/english/project_2006.html A touching documentary on the Centre was screened this past March at the National Film Board here in Montreal. Our thanks to Rebecca Levere from University of Toronto Schools (UTS) and her team for sharing it with us…. http://citizen.nfb.ca/onf/info?did=2061
Kenya I just returned from 14 days in Kenya (a self-financed trip) visiting a number of extraordinary projects in different parts of the country. The main part of the trip was to see first hand the work of Free the Children, our partners for our education project for 2007 in the Masai Mara. Seeing the schools, meeting mothers, fathers and the children of the community, speaking with teachers and the school principals, community activists as well as Free the Children staff was an amazing opportunity to learn even more about what programs work in ensuring children and specifically girls get to school and as importantly stay in school. We know our investment this year will be going to an effective, efficient and well run project in a deeply committed community. For more information about this project, please click here: http://www.60millionsdefilles.org/english/project_2007.html
The Foundation is continuing to work hard to discover the best practices and programs around the world that are getting girls into school. We have been fortunate to have met so many people heading projects in different parts of the world and hearing what makes them successful. Sustainability and effectiveness of the projects remains the cornerstone of the projects the foundation supports. Our all volunteer committee is strong and growing as well. We now have close to 25 regular members on our subcommittees along with dozens more waiting for the chance to welcome you to this year’s conference with guest speaker and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Craig Kielburger on November 20th at HEC Montréal. We are proud to see the projects we have supported having a profound impact in the regions where they are located. Together we are literally changing the world for several hundred of the most vulnerable and marginalized children and unleashing the potential that will ensure strong communities for the decades to come. Thank you for being part of this reality! Wanda Bedard A brief introduction to Kenya
The Republic of Kenya is located in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north, Somalia to the east, Tanzania to the south, Uganda to the west and Sudan to the northwest, with the Indian Ocean running along the southeast border. Kenya gained its independence from Britain in 1962, due in large part to the rebellions by the legendary Mau Mau movement. This movement has gained iconic stature among many Africans across the continent and around the world as it represents a highly successful struggle by Africans against imposed colonial rule. Modern day Kenya is a diverse country with differing geographical and cultural attributes. It is the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa. Kenya’s highly cosmopolitan capital, Nairobi, is one of the continent’s most modern and bustling cities. The country enjoys a booming tourist industry – who has not heard of Kenya’s first-rate safaris? Tourists can also choose from wilderness, coast, mountains, forests and lakes. Kenya is still struggling with high unemployment rates, poverty and debilitating rates of HIV/AIDS. Despite efforts made by the government, free and universal primary education is still not accessible for all Kenyans. My first trip to Africa: Kenya!
An opportunity of a lifetime! Going to Kenya (with my Mom, Wanda) made me discover a whole new world. I learned about different cultures and a completely different look on life. Yet the people we met weren’t all that different deep down. Kids were doing things all kids do: playing, laughing and being silly. Kenya is beautiful. I was stunned by the sights that surrounded us. I always pictured Africa as being a dry and desert kind of place, but it was lush with green vegetation. Everyone was so friendly. In the Masai Mara, everyone waved and smiled at you, no matter how busy they were. That’s something I miss, because back here in North America, and even in Europe, when you look at a stranger and smile at them, they don’t always smile back in a friendly way. Being in the Masai Mara and with Free the Children, I learned first hand how important education is to any society. We were lucky to see a community that had a school for a few years now, and we were able to see how empowered that community became. The women were starting clubs and support groups. Parents were attending medical clinics where they learned the basics of health so they could take better care of their families. The children were obviously being enlightened at school and bringing back buckets full of knowledge to their homes. The community was coming together and growing stronger. Most importantly, they did not lose their culture. Free the Children built the schools, but it was only with the help of the communities that they were able to make the schools effective. I realized that education really is the only answer to all their problems. It is through education that they learn how to stay healthy and prevent sickness and disease. It is with education that they can break the circle of poverty and become successful in life. It is through education that they learn that maybe some of their traditions are harmful to their children (ex.: female circumcision). Going on this trip and being exposed to such harsh realities made me realize how many tools and opportunities we have here in North America. We were not the ones who chose to be born in a rich country. Nor did anyone in a poor country choose to be born there. We have the wealth and knowledge to make a difference in their societies. Going back to Nairobi was another adventure on its own. Nairobi is a city with no middle class and you can tell. On one side of the road you have huge buildings and fancy hotels, and on the other side, hidden by a fence, is a huge slum where hundreds of thousands of people live. We got the chance to walk through the Mathare slums guided by a member of MYSA. I couldn’t make someone understand how it felt to walk in those streets. Not with words, not with pictures, not even with video can anyone feel what its like. I got the smallest taste of it, with only walking through. With that I was disgusted. The smell, the lack of space and privacy were overwhelming. There were cows, goats and pigs living amongst people. I would hardly consider the conditions suitable for the animals let alone families! No drinking water, no toilets, no way of maintaining hygiene; these are privileges for those with money. With an unemployment rate of about 60% no wonder a quarter of the population live in the most extreme poverty. The very day after visiting the slums, we went to a meeting with UNICEF. We talked about projects they were working on- very positive things are happening. Also, we visited AMREF and heard about the amazing things they do. There are great projects and great people doing wonderful things around the world. They have experience in the areas they are working in and are the best people for the job. For us, living in the rich countries and not being able to make a difference hands on, what we can do is to support the people that are making a difference. We have the easy job. All in all I loved the trip. My eyes are now wide open and I’m ready to take action. I will try my best to convince people that education really is the best solution. It is the answer to so many problems! I saw the results! How to support 60 million girls… The first thing we usually think of when asked to support a cause or organization is: "I need to write a cheque". However, there are many ways to leverage your skills, talents, contacts and creativity to help us ensure that hundreds of girls, each year, have the right to a quality education. While donations are the basis with which we can finance truly outstanding projects, your time can turn into the equivalent of a valuable cash donation. Let us explain… In order to get the word out to other potential donors, we need to expand our network, send out information, maintain an up to date website, provide pictures and stories about what we do. We also have to look after the administrative side of keeping up to date and confidential records for tax receipting and information purposes among others. We have banking and accounting to do to deposit those cheques and donations we receive. We have to prepare all the activities related to our fall conference including finding unique items for our silent auction. We must sell tickets to the conference and publicize it. We have to answer donor and volunteer inquiries. We are always on the lookout for suppliers of goods and services to keep our operating costs at an absolute minimum. There is often research that needs to be done – to evaluate projects, for our newsletter articles and potential links with other like-minded organizations and groups. We need people to raise money for the foundation through their own fundraising initiatives, getting a group of friends together, suggesting an activity to an organization or association they belong to, getting their local school to participate in getting other children to school. And the list goes on, limited only by your creativity. So, your particular talents and contacts can have a multiplier effect in helping the foundation surpass its goals. This is what we do every day. If you have an idea or would like to propose helping us in a certain way, please contact us. We are all volunteers who are extremely determined and we are sure that we can indeed change the world. |
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