Emori JoiSPRING 2010 COMMUNITY REPORT

It has been a truly amazing season here at Free The Children and we could not have done it without all of your wonderful support. Changing the world is no simple feat. It requires the hard work and passion of change makers like you!

Not only are you helping build vital development projects, you are empowering the community members of Emori Joi with the tools and resources they need to become agents of change in their own communities. Together, we can build a brighter future so that all children can grow up to be happy, healthy and active citizens!

Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

LEARN MORE ABOUT...

KenyaKenya is located in East Africa, home to many different lan-guages, cultures and people. Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is one of the wealthiest cities in the entire African continent. The rural regions surrounding, however, tell a very different story. Free The Children works in a rural area located approxi-mately 280 kilometers west of Nairobi, called the Maasai Mara. The Mara is the traditional home of the Maasai people, who share it with other ethnic groups such as the Kipsigis tribe. Free The Children works with both Maasai and Kipsigis communities, both known to be traditionally semi-nomadic tribes who raise cattle as their main source of income.

Ever since the Kenyan government established game re-serves and nature conservation sites in the Mara, pastoral-ist groups have less and less land for their livestock to graze on. As well, the pressures of globalization and urban growth have threatened the traditional culture and lifestyles of the Maasai and Kipsigis people.

This past year, the drought in Kenya has been especially hard on children, livestock and crops. Although the rains finally

arrived in late October, 2009, it has nonetheless been an extremely difficult year for rural, pastoral and agricultural communities to recover from the effects of the drought. The heavy rains that came were not entirely good news for herders, as grazing land became flooded, which increased the likelihood of livestock contracting diseases. Additionally, rising food prices have made it difficult for families to make ends meet.

To add to the woes of rural Kenyans, the World Food Pro-gramme recently slashed a large portion of funding for nu-trition and feeding programs in Kenya. This has greatly af-fected the communities in the Mara. The Nutrition Program has been an integral part of the education system. Parents are more likely to send their children to school knowing that they will have access to a nutritional lunch there. For some children, this is their only meal of the day. Free The Children has since placed greater emphasis on our Nutrition Program in Kenya, which includes not only providing students with a daily lunch but also digging school and community gardens for nutritional supplements.

Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGEEducationThis January marked the start of a new school year in Emori Joi and the community members had much to celebrate! On February 10, the Head Teachers’ Forum arranged an awards ceremony, inviting all Free The Children schools in Kenya and their community members. The grade eight students from Emori Joi performed a play at the ceremony, sharing with their parents their strong belief that education is the key to improving their future.

Emori Joi Primary School was honoured with several awards during the ceremony. As a result of the of the students’ and teachers’ hard work, Emori Joi Primary School placed third

for the highest marks category, and placed first for both the award for best health and best school environment.

Last year, the Kenya Nutrition Program, which provides chil-dren with warm, healthy midday meals, helped increase en-rollment levels in our Kenya communities, driving us to keep classroom construction moving quickly in Emori Joi.

There are now 16 classrooms in total accommodating the stu-dents. In January, 576 students enrolled at Emori Joi Primary. Moving forward, we hope to build two more classrooms in the community in order to better support the education and empowerment of youth.

Students pose infront of Emori Joi’s beautiful new classroom!

Shiny new furniture awaits staff and students

in Emori Joi

Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

ADOPT A VILLAGE

Water and SanitationWomen and children used to spend hours fetching water, keeping children out of school and preventing women from focusing their energy on their small businesses to earn income.

Over the past year, water and sanitation projects in Emori Joi have moved along swiftly. Mamas from the community have begun installing safe water tanks used to purify water, reducing the inci-dence of water-borne diseases.

At Emori Joi Primary School, the rain catchment system’s pipes were rebuilt to increase the volume of water being collected. Also, a deep-water well is currently being constructed in a nearby community. Once it is complete, it will pipe water to a water kiosk located at Emori Joi Primary School. Another wa-ter kiosk will also be built in a central location for the rest of the community to benefit from. Community members have shown incredible commitment towards this project by playing an ac-tive role throughout the planning and building process.

Alternative IncomeFree The Children’s alternative income program aims to empower women, increase the base family income and promote greater self-sufficiency of the entire Emori Joi community.

Several women’s groups from Emori Joi received training on proper honey harvesting last year. Since then, over 40 hives have been colonized by bees and have produced more than 14kg of honey for harvesting! The honey produced is pasteurized, bottled and sold, providing the mamas with extra income. As more women join Free The Children’s women’s groups, the focus on generating savings, accessing loans and receiving financial literacy training will continue.

The men’s groups have also reported overwhelming success in their agricul-tural work. They have so far harvested over 170kg of onions! Both the men’s and women’s groups have demonstrat-ed incredible leadership, benefiting the entire community of Emori Joi.

HealthFree The Children’s health care program has continued to meet the health care needs of Emori Joi’s community mem-bers. Within Emori Joi Primary School, the students have been receiving nu-tritious lunches every day and were recently de-wormed. Members of the health club heave learned about harm-ful cultural practices, teenage pregnan-cy, peer pressure and common disease prevention.

Members of Emori Joi women’s groups have also benefited from health ini-tiatives. Last December, community nurses visited the groups and provided a workshop on harmful cultural practic-es and the importance of curbing the practice of early marriage. The women’s groups also received training on HIV/AIDS. They learned how to test for it and how to prevent its transmission.

Free The Children is now encouraging households to construct a chimney in their homes in order to decrease the incidence of upper respiratory tract in-fections. These infections are common among those who cook with fires in poorly ventilated homes.

Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

A WORLD OF IMPACT

Meet Jane Marindany!When she was young, Jane attended only a few years of school. Culture and way of life prevented her from continu-ing her education once she was married. Jane doesn’t want the same future for her chilldren, three of whom currently attend a school built by Free The Children.

A small-scale farmer, Jane is the leader of a local Free The Children women’s group that helps under privileged women. She is an encouraging role model for women both in her and in surrounding communities. She works hard to abolish the cultural norms that she faced growing up and hopes to cre-ate acceptance of men and women working together.

Over the years, Free The Children has introduced a safe, clean water tank, a latrine and hand washing station, a bathroom, hanging line, rubbish pit and dish rack in the Emori Joi com-munity as part of the health pillar of our Adopt A Village model.

Were it not for these practices and facilities, Jane would have to spend far more time on basic daily routines and would not have the opportunity to do her incredible work. She now has time to focus on helping her family and the women of her community.

Jane is so thrilled to work with Free The Children and says,

“I want to put an end to discrimina-tion against women; I wish all women could be given the same opportunities as me. With the formation of women’s groups, Free The Children has enabled us to live in peace by working, eating and sharing together”.

Jane, age 47, is a leader and role model for other women in Emori Joi!