Last month the Catholic Women’s League held a Valentines fundraiser in support of the People for Progress Foundation. (PFPF). Their goal was to raise $250 dollars through the sale of chocolate hearts. They succeeded in selling them all and were further surprised by a matching amount donated by an individual from St. Gabriel’s parish! The CWL ladies were excited to present Mary-Ann Stushnoff, President of PFPF with a cheque that paid for a chimney and a sink. Both were installed in their school in the Dandora slum outside Nairobi, Kenya.
Raven Education Centre, is an Early Childhood Development School. It services 65 children, ages 2 – 6 years, providing them with security, 2 meals a day, hygiene and pre-primary education. Typically their mothers work to support their family by selling bananas or beans on the side of the road. Young children typically accompany their mom to work or are cared for by older siblings who are kept home from their own schooling to babysit. Raven Education Centre provides a safe environment until the youngsters start to attend public school. It employs three full-time teachers and three support staff: a caretaker, security guard and a cook.
The cook is very grateful for the CWL’s gift. She uses a “Jiko” which is the Swahili word for a coal-burning stove. It is basically a clay pot on a stand where the cook prepares all the food for the school, one item at a time. Her kitchen is a cement cinderblock room, approximately 8 feet by 6 feet. It has two small windows that provide limited ventilation from the coal smoke. The chimney is a welcome addition to channel the smoke out of that tiny room.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a small dish washing room where the cook washes the kid’s dishes and her cooking utensils. This is where funds from the CWL provided for a second sink installed at the kid’s level. It replaced a water filled basin that the children previously used after toileting. Mary-Ann reports that the kids are excited to wash their hands with running water!
People for Progress Foundation has a mission to empower individuals and communities in need, to achieve sustainability through education, leadership and partnership. Their vision is to expand the services at Raven Education Centre by creating a scholarship program for the student’s mothers. The aim is for the moms to attain further education while their children are at school, giving them a chance at sustainable employment. PFPF also has a student sponsorship program in Tanzania and various humanitarian outreach programs throughout East Africa. For more information or to donate, check their website … www.peopleforprogress.net.
The Catholic Women’s League was grateful for the opportunity to support other families in the world. A small amount donated here makes a huge difference in people’s lives elsewhere and supports the CWL’s wish to “share with others at home and abroad.” All ladies, regardless of denomination, are welcome to share in this sisterhood of faith, fun and fulfillment. Email cwl@saintgabrielparish.ca for more information.
