Category Archives: St. Monica’s School

News from Kenya, April 19, 2012

News from Kenya, St. Monica's School, Water

Dear Lois,
It is good to hear from you after quite a long silence. My family and I are doing very well. The two girls I was supporting in High School did their final exams and passed their exams well enough to go on to middle college. I am happy because they were not very bright.
It has taken me a bit of time to send in my completed reports. This is because of the loss of Maria Amolo. Our funerals last for a long time. People who were not able to come for burial keep on coming to Maria’s home and I needed to avail myself for them. It has eased up now.

woman in front of water tankThe water tanks project has come to a fine completion and I have finished compiling the report. I will send it along with the Chicken coops report. For water it is simply exiting and many St. Monica women have recorded a life changing water situation in their families. I am waiting to record the impact of this on their farming and small businesses.
You surely have some good news for all of us. Thanks be to God for all the changes that are coming our way.

Please let Tina know that that we are doing well with the grinder. The fact that we have the grinder now means that in social gatherings, people can now be served with groundnut soup. This is a traditional special dish. Quite a number of families also come to buy small quantities of grounded nuts for the very young children. I want to thank her in advance for choosing to send me a video camera.
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Serphine and I are in close contact with the stone cutter right now because God has blessed her family with a catholic priest. One of her sons, Ayub Ochieng was among the 5 priests ordained as catholic priests on March 22nd this year. That was a +++ for the St. Monica Women. We celebrated mass with him at the parish and are waiting for the big occasion on the 1st of June when he shall have a home mass. Serphine and I are on the committee for this celebration. I believe the said window will be a face lift to Teresa’s house. I always take my visitors to her home to see her home, quarry and the house she built with the stones she curved out. Please say a big thank you to Vicky.

About the priorities we set out, I wish to assure you that we do not take any offence at small projects interjects the status we set out. There are many worthy causes that we did not address. Teresa’s cause is definitely our cause too.

Mary O

News from Kenya January 4, 2012

News from Kenya, St. Monica's School

by MaryO on 2012/01/04 11:48 AM

Dear Friends,

I do wish you all a very fruitful 2012 and continual cooperation with us in the projects we undertake. The Christmas season was wonderful. We had family reunion and also arranged many visits to the old folk in the community. The new year has started and we are now busy thinking about school. At our shop, we are making school uniform and we find the demand for cheaper school uniform higher now than ever.

The Schools have increased the tuition fee and quite a number children from low income families and orphans are stranded.

On behalf of the Consociates, Grandmothers, St. Monica, Marit Women Group and others I wish to convey our sincere thanks to you all for what you are doing to make our projects a reality. This last Christmas was the best for the Widows of St. Monica Women Group. Each one of them received a water tank(3,lts) complete with gadgets for installing it and workmanship paid. I will make a tour to each home, confirm the installation of the tanks and send a report with pictures. Together with the chicken project, they are a very happy lot!

We also want to thank you for the support we got last year for education. With assistance from other sources, we were able to support the following:

1.Berlyl Ogola 10500              2.Sharon Okoth 14,000

3.Winny Ounda 20,000          4. Lea Wabwire 20,000

5.Lillian Odhiambo 20,000    6.Joan Oburu 10,000

7. Modester Achieng 10,000   8.Mary Agumba 7,000

9.Lucy Akinyi 7,000               10. Mary Simbe 20,000

11.Caroline Oyongo 5,000      12 Godfrey Simbe 30,000

St. Lucy’s Raruowa 35,000

The girls with the higher amounts are total orphans. The one boy is at university.

We have received from you for this year 27,000 and will see who to assist.

After discussion, we decided it is better to support a few students enough to keep them at school than give small amounts to many of them.

Our tentative list of priorities is here below:

1. Koliech, 4 large water tanks (5,000lts)    2. Marit Women 16 water tanks (3,000lts)

3. Oriang Pottery 4 water tanks (5,000lts)    5.Kagola Youth farmers- a watering system

6. Marit Women Group – 100 chairs and four tents for hire

Marit Women Group has appeared twice. They support school children by giving cheaper uniform, sanitary towels and pants for the girls. So they need an income generating project.

We also have a new project (Aloys, Serphine and myself), for the support of the elderly.

I will be writing soon giving the accounts for the chicken coops and the water tanks

Peace,

Mary

Water Tanks

St. Monica's School, Water

First set of Water Tanks Purchased
by LoisM on 2011/12/17 9:53 AM

Thank you for your ongoing support.  We through your efforts to support our the NGO in Homa Lime have been able to raise the money for the first 16 water tanks.  The grandmothers pictured on our home page now have water tanks to collect the water during the rain season.  They collect the water of their tin roofs.  These 16 grandmothers are raising over 100 orphans in addition to their own grandchildren.  Typically girls must walk to the watering hole about 1 & 1/2 miles to the watering hole before they go to school.  They carry the water in a ten gal pail on their head. Each water tank we provided is 5,000 gallons.  You have just made their world a little brighter!  On behalf of the Saint Monica’s women’s group and all the children. We say Thank you!

Mary has asked us to continue raise money for at least two more sets of water tanks.  Water is crucial.  Each water tank system cost about $480. US.

Can you and your friends join the circle of support and sponsor a water tank? How about part of water tank?