Dear friends,
2006 was an exciting year of grassroots development for Village Volunteers. We saw growth and change in our partner villages as opportunities were created for self-sufficiency, education, and healthcare. Volunteers brought the villages their gifts of time, enthusiasm, and skills, as well as the critical and much-appreciated donations of medical and school supplies.
Although it’s difficult to list all the remarkable things from the past year, the following is a list of notable highlights from 2006:
- In Kisumu, the Kenyan Village Volunteers Consortium (VVC) – composed of leaders from our Kenyan partner village organizations –- met for the first time over a full day to develop ways for collaborating to create sustainable change in their communities. Read more about Village Volunteers’ Consortium.
- Architects without Borders designed a medical clinic for Mama Maria Kenya which will be built in 2007.
- An educational sponsorship from a volunteer made it possible for Emmanuel Tasur, the Namunyak Maasai Welfare Executive Officer, to graduate from college this year. Congratulations, Emmanuel!
- 81-year-old Gloria Bragdon from New York City, VV’s most senior volunteer, had a wonderful time teaching at Common Ground Program’s Pathfinder Academy and simply delighted everyone. Congratulations, Gloria on being an inspiration!
- Steffi Rahn (’05), an alumnus of Village Volunteers from Tittmoning-Asten, Germany, published a beautiful book, Tafadhali Tabasamu!, about her experiences while volunteering.
Together, our network of volunteer alumni, small grants, and VV supporters helped fund micro-enterprise training and distribute resources to foster sustainable development. The following are a few examples.
- In four Kenyan villages, solar ovens were distributed and trainings were held on how to use the ovens for cooking traditional Kenyan foods.
- Julius, VV’s first college fund recipient, continued to receive support for his medical education through partnership with Angel Covers. Congratulations Julius on your stellar grades!
- A volunteer hosted a workshop on how to build solar food dehydrators at Common Ground Program. For communities that are without electricity, solar food dehydrators make it possible to preserve foods that would otherwise spoil.
- A grant made it possible for Joshua Machinga, Common Ground Program Director, to conduct trainings and distribute printed materials on bio-intensive organic farming methods in several villages. In addition widow’s groups received supplies needed for organic farming.
- Funding and trainings were provided to many youth and widow cooperatives to support micro-enterprises, such as bee keeping and poultry raising projects. Other donations in support of income-generating projects included 60 milking cows to a widows group assisted by Namunyak Maasai Welfare and a sunflower seed press for Rabuor Village Project.
- Pathfinder Academy at Common Ground Program received funding for school books, a new kitchen, a rainwater cistern, and furnishings for the new girls dormitory. Shining Star, a school near Mama Maria Kenya, received funding for desks, benches, and the construction of new classrooms.
- Over 75 exceptional youth in need received educational sponsorships.
In addition, VV successfully funded or secured the donation of in-kind gifts which made differences in people’s day to day lives. These included:
- medical equipment and school supplies procured by volunteers and donated to all partner village organizations;
- soccer equipment for youth in six villages;
- 475 pairs of flip-flops so children would have shoes to wear to school;
- a total of 50 new bicycles donated to Namunyak Maasai Welfare for transportation and to help rural couriers travel for medicine and supplies;
- new classrooms, benches and desks built for several primary and secondary schools.
Finally, we can also never discount the benefit of the hospitality fees from volunteers that support the social needs programs run by our partner organizations.
We invite you to join us in making 2007 a year of continued progress towards a sustainable future for rural communities.
Best wishes,
Shana Greene
Founder and Executive Director