The Mission of Hope Children's Center Detailed Concept

                                               

                                           Organizational Information:

Aid Kenya Foundation (AKF)  is a nonprofit humanitarian aid and development assistance charitable foundation founded in January 2007 with a mission of ‘Changing Lives, Impacting Humanity’.

The Foundation focuses its feel-good programs and projects through the Humanitarian Aid & Development Assistance Program(HADAP), a program focusing on orphaned & vulnerable children, teenage mothers, women and youth at risk and the disadvantaged populations in rural-urban Kenya in the area of mobilizing food, sanitary towels, organizing medical camps, and civic education on community issues.

The Foundation also promotes artisans, handcraft makers, and farmers, under the Foundation's Fair Trade Initiative Kenya Project. The Foundation also  co-founded, Centre for Orphaned Children(Wanalea Children’s Home), a children center caring and supporting OVC kids from Kajiado and Nairobi’s urban slums and rural Kenya. The Foundation is working to establish  The Lifeshield Community Resource Centers in Kitutu Village, Kisii County; Nairobi; and in the Maasai heartland of Kajiado- a project aimed to protect, rescue, mentor, rehabilitate and offering vocational training and occupational skills to in and out of school girls and youth. The Foundation hosts and posts international volunteers to it’s projects under the Experiential Learning & Cultural Exchange Program, as well it conducts Stop FGM Now Campaigns Project, aimed at combating female genital mutilation on girls and women, and mobilizing sanitary towels for distribution to school-going girls.

Management: The Foundation is accountably, professionally and transparently managed by an Executive Management Council headed by the Executive Director, and Board of Trustees headed by the Chairman. The Foundation has an excellent team of staff and taps the talents, and services of volunteers and Goodwill Ambassadors who are qualified to design, develop, implement, evaluate and monitor a program, project or any assignment, research or undertaking.

Office Headquarters: The Foundation is headquartered in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, at General Conference Building, Riverside Drive, Westlands, as well it maintains three field offices across Kenya with Coast Regional Office located at Serena Road, Off Mombasa-Malindi Road

Our Board of Trustee is composed of the following:

Dr. Ezekiel Okemwa (Chairman);

Dee DePriest;
Joost Van Berkom;

Juddy K. Anyona;
Gabriela Chioveanu;

Stephen Kinuthia;

Erastus Mong’are, HSC

Humphreys Okumu;

Rose Nyanchoka;

Armstrong Ongera II (Secretary/Executive Director);

Official Contact Persons:

Mr. Armstrong O. Ongera, Jr.,

Executive Director, Aid Kenya Foundation;

Tel. +254 708984030;

E-Mail: <info@aidkenyafoundation.org>

Or

Juddy K. Anyona,

Administrator

E-Mail: AFKpwani@gmail.com

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PROJECT PROPOSAL ON BASIC EDUCATION SUPPORT TO ORPHANED AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN MILALANI VILLAGE IN SABAKI LOCATION, MALINDI, KILIFI COUNTY IN KENYA

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The HIV/AIDS pandemic; poverty; and drug and alcohol abuse at Milalani Village in

Sabaki Location, Malindi, in Kilifi County in Kenya has caused untold suffering to the

people of Milalani Village. There are over 5000 people who have been directly or

indirectly affected by HIV/AIDS; and drug abuse in Sabaki Location and their lives

have been impacted by this scourge for now over 20 years now. Most of those affected

are children and women. The areas where the children are settled are poor, isolated

and rural where employment opportunities are scarce and difficult to come by.

The mode of livelihood remains chiefly subsistence farming, selling Mnazi, and fruits.

The children have therefore found themselves trapped in this situation of poverty,

insecurity and general unemployment. Fathers, mothers and guardians find it difficult

to feed their children, paying school fees, school dues and medical expenses are not

possible.

Having realized this situation many parents have resorted to self help employment

and self help project to redress the situation. For instance OVC and People Living

HIV/AIDS; guardian parents started have teamed up with Aid Kenya Foundation to

establish an orphanage, Mission of Hope Children’s Center, to shelter orphaned,

homeless and vulnerable children from Milalani village, and surrounding communities

across the Coast; as well a school- Milalani Community School, to offer basic education

to Milalani village children who have never been enrolled in school since birth. For the

community’s children, the school will boost of an increased school enrolment.

Also through the Foundation’s Education For Orphans Scholarship Program the

Foundation project to work with individuals, corporations, foundations, churches, and

religious institutions, hotels, and other well wishers to sponsor 0ver 10,500 children

and students from the community, across the Coast Region and at large so that they

can have an education over the next 10 years. Education in Kenya is simply expensive

going by the poverty levels of the people in Milalani village. Parents can’t afford the

fees for regular public or private schools.

It is in the context of the above situation that as Aid Kenya Foundation, we are focused

to promote education in the Coast Region of Kenya under the Foundation’s Education

For Orphans Scholarship Program through local and international collaboration and

partnership. By promoting education, the Foundation shall be working toward

achieving UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); the Government of Kenya’s

Vision 2030; and the Foundation’s Humanitarian Aid & Development Assistance Strategic Action Plan 2012-2022.

 The provision of scholarship, and scholastic materials to orphans and vulnerable children is geared towards improving on their retention at school.

This project will raise the status of those orphans, poor and vulnerable school drop

outs and enable them to access education once again.

Aid Kenya Foundation is seeking for US $ 1,500,000 to fund the project.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MISSION OF HOPE CHILDRENS CENTER

The dream of Mission of Hope Children’s Center (The Mission Center) was initially

born out of the Malindi Hope Project research that was conduct by Aid Kenya

Foundation under the leadership of the Foundation’s Executive Director, Mr.

Armstrong O’Brian Ongera, Jr., who had done similar projects in Nairobi’s urban

slums of Kibera, and Kitui Ndogo; Kware Slums in Ongata Rongai in Kajiado County,

in the Rift Valley just outside Nairobi; and in Kitutu Community in Kisiii County.

After meeting and interviewing parents, guardians, the community elders and seeing

many parentless children whose parents died of HIV/AIDS suffer, and many o the kids

going to the Beach in Malindi to waste themselves, Mr. Armstrong convinced the

Foundation’s Board of Trustees to work towards establishing the Mission of Hope

Children’s Center and the Milalani Community School. Based on the experience of  Mr.

Armstrong’s leadership, experience, passion and believe in the education of the

children and teenage mothers, he was tasked to work towards achieving the

Foundation’s dream for the people of Coast.

Due to increased child suffering and abuse and rampant illiteracy in the Coast Region

of Kenya, the two projects will help empower the children with education and skills.

Vision

To bring lasting and a positive change to the young children and the community they live in.

Mission

To make a real lasting difference to the lives of children through provision of quality education, care and support.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

An educated Child is an empowered child. We believe in the philosophy of Nelson

Mandela: ”Education Is The Most Powerful Weapon Which You Can Use To Change The World”

BACKGROUND

HIV/AIDS is not just a serious threat to our social-economic development; it is a real

threat to our existence. It has reduced many families to a status of beggars in Sabaki

location and the entire Kilifi County whereby in Sabaki location alone we have about

3000 Orphans and many more destitute and vulnerable children who are at the mercy

of God. There is no family in Sabaki location and the entire Kilifi County which is left

untouched by the sufferings caused by the HIV/AIDS which is increasing rapidly.

Many children whose parents die of HIV/AIDS lack the basic necessities in life.

Traditional extended family structures are overburdened, most vulnerable being the

working age which die and leave their families impoverished. Also, there is no birth

control in the region, so an average woman can give birth more than ten times.

Achievement of literacy is undermined due to lack of finances. Many children drop

out of school to seek for food. Poverty and unemployment add salt to injury. Many

families suffer and lack the basic needs and victims of the circumstances are children.

It is in this state of depravity that at the Mission of Hope Children’s Center was

initiated by the Foundation in coordination with concerned members of the

community in a rural village at Milalani, in Sabaki Location of Malindi, Kilifi County

North Coast of Kenya to give hope to these innocent children.

INTRODUCTION

HIV/AIDS is a deadly pandemic occurring in every County in Kenya. It is responsible

for the death of 2.5 million Kenyans since 1990’s. These deaths have left behind more

than three million orphans. About 1,000 Kenyans die daily from AIDS. There is still

no straight cure for AIDS; estimates suggest that over 3 million out of 40 million are

infected.

Due to poverty and unemployment, the responsibility of providing to the sibling has

become a burden to many parents. As a result of neglect and such harsh conditions

many children opt to go to the streets to beg for food to survive at very tender ages.

Some children due to neglect by parents who are sometimes torn apart in broken

relationships resulting from poverty and unemployment.

Aid Kenya Foundation, founded and established Mission of Hope Children’s Center

which is a project geared towards providing a secure environment for the HIV/AIDS

infected and affected orphans, destitute and street children, feeding, clothing, medical

care, education, spiritual nourishment, love, a listening ear to their cry and a home

away from home. It majors in care, support and education program.

OUR COMMITMENT

The Mission of Hope Children’s Center does not receive any government funding to

support its programs. We are dependent on individual contributions which account for

the majority of our annual budget. Without your support, our mission of educating,

protecting, and caring for these orphans could not be fulfilled. These are all our

children - when you contribute to the Mission of Hope Children’s Center, you

become a member of the Mission of Hope Children’s Center family.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The large numbers of orphans in this country are resulting from the combination of

HIV/AIDS. Kilifi County in Kenya is an extremely poor area with tremendous

inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial resources,

agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well

developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development.

Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture.

In a situation where parents themselves are poor and cannot get employment, it

becomes even a greater difficulty for their children and orphans to access quality

education and other scholastic materials. The state of abject poverty facing the

orphans and vulnerable children needs to be addressed. The orphans and vulnerable

children themselves have become increasingly concerned about their own poverty.

They have felt for the need of some sort of action by either themselves or benevolent

agencies to redress the situation. For example, seeing that nothing was forthcoming in

regards to their education, some orphans and vulnerable children have started going

to the beaches to beg from the tourists. It is on this spirit that some group of

individuals formed themselves into a project (basic support for children education

project) to try to revive the hopes of these children.

The project therefore addresses the following problems and benefits to orphans and

OVCs;

The school dropouts find themselves in a vicious circle of poverty and helplessness,

they cannot afford basic necessities for school, they barely have enough to eat, and

they cannot buy school uniforms. The success of this project will address these issues.

Most of the beneficiaries are orphans and family heads as children living in a

challenging world and environment, they are marginalized. This project will empower

them.

Aid Kenya Foundation has started offering scholar materials for some needy children,

but the scheme requires financial support for procuring items such as exercise books,

pens, pencil, geometric sets, uniforms, supplementary food for weak orphans’ and

some IGA for OVCs. There will be no financial returns.

IMPLEMENTATION

The project team will be directly involved in all phases of the project. The team

however from time to time requires technical and specialized services such as that of

financial management and project management. The group has formed a local

management committee from amongst themselves, consisting of chairperson,

secretary, treasurer and two others members.

The committee is responsible for the running of the project, it also reports to the

founders during meetings Aid Kenya Foundation is the umbrella organization

rendering general supervisory and management role. The Foundation shall continue

to support the project up to the time it attains self reliance.

The Foundation’s staff include: The Executive Director, International Goodwill

Ambassador, Regional Coordinator, Project Manager, Community Development

Facilitator, Accounts Assistant and Seven Board members who shall also monitor and

report on progress of the activities of the project.

Implementation time table is attached

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION

 -Orphans & At-risk Children have a right to shelter, food, clothing, medical care,

education and other basic needs.

 -Orphans& At-risk Children are the future generation of which a big percentage

is now orphaned, destitute, vulnerable and at risk because their needs are

deprived.

- The higher level of girls’ education the longer they postpone marriage, child

bearing and are more likely to safe guard their health.

 -Provision of education has a direct and positive impact on maternal and child

health survival.

 -Universal education not only give children an opportunity for better life but also

help reduce community’s rate of infection and death from avoidable health

hazards like AIDS.

 -Spiritual, social and emotional guidance help bring up more sober and

responsible persons in the society hence reducing the breeding of dangerous

rebels who will endanger the peace and development of the community.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

To promote education, health, quality life for the orphaned, vulnerable and the destitute children while endeavoring to develop the whole person for positive contribution to society.

What we do.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

-To support orphans and vulnerable children in the maintaining them at the Mission of Hope Children Center and as well as providing psychological support;

-To support  350 orphans and vulnerable children in maintaining them in guardianship of their extended families in every possible way from the provision of food to payment of school fees. Currently, 154 of the kids are at the shelter and we seek to renovate a new compound donated to the Foundation to relocate some of the most vulnerable to be under protective care.

-Providing Food, Health care, text books, school uniform accommodation, education, basic rights to HIV/AIDS infected and affected orphans & vulnerable children.

-Empowering HIV/AIDS infected and affected orphans at risk children by sponsoring them through scholarships to acquire quality education through university/vocational levels.

-Dig a borehole and provide water to HIV/AIDS infected and affected orphans &vulnerable children use and use water for irrigation and plant vegetable to be used at the orphanage.

-Develop 3 green houses to provide food to the orphans& OVCs and the community.

-Providing micro-finance services to widows and widowers living with HIV/AIDS to start small income generating businesses to sustain themselves and their families.

-To provide healthcare facilities to the communities especially the orphaned children.

-Sponsorship for school fees and other educational requirements.

-Providing clothing and all that can place the orphaned and vulnerable children to the comfort of a home.

OUR PROGRAMS COMPONENTS

-Reading and writing program.

-After school tutorials.

-Health and Nutrition especially to those suffering from different ailments and need special care and attention.

-Physical education

-Social interaction and Development

-Youth leadership and Development program

SELECTION PROCESS

The next question we will tackle is who or how do we pick or determine who to benefit from the programs available.

The whole process is initiated by Aid Kenya Foundation through a letter to the District Children’s Officer (DCO) in each district through Kenya. The DCO is the secretary to the Area Advisory Council (AAC) in each district, an assignment with the responsibility of distributing the application form to schools and other institutions in the district within a given duration is vested on the DCO.The forms are made available at Kilifi District Education Office and the officer in charge of that office convenes the board where the nomination list is prepared. The list and minutes of the board meeting are forwarded to the organization who then in conjunction with the Government authorities/Administration verifies the legitimacy of the list of the intended beneficiaries of the scholarship program.

Students meeting the definition of orphaned and vulnerable children are nominated by the District Education Board using the following criteria;

-Applicants should be able to produce death certificates or burial permit(s) of guardian or parents. In the absence of the required documentation the applicant’s status as an orphan or vulnerable child must be confirmed by the District Administration and School Principal

-The Administration and management of the scholarship is carried out by Aid Kenya Foundation, The Board of Trustee, and The Sponsor (s)

MONITORING, EVALUATION AND PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

 To ensure project objectives are in place project monitoring will be done from day to day this will therefore be achieved through;

-Center visits

-Center reports

-School enrollment, both primary and secondary

-School reports

-Physical and Emotional changes.

Evaluation will be done termly to determine project progress and reports made to donors.

The organization will use the following monitoring and evaluation tools based on the project activities and expected outcomes:

1) Quarterly Reports,

2) Minutes of Executive committee meetings

3) Receipts and vouchers

4) Records for inputs/outputs.

On issues regarding project sustainability it really depends on the free will donations the organization receives. This donations are basically from the community and those who are well off or well doing in their different doings in life also companies and different sectors of both private and public sectors willing to make the mission a success. Apart from the mission relying on well wishers out of the project that it will be running with different individuals that will allow and ensure the programmes run smoothly and for a long time.

THE FACILITIES NEEDED AT THE MISSION OF HOPE CHILDREN’S CENTER

 The organizations aim is to better every child’s living, health and education situation therefore any items given with the will of help in achieve the organizations goals will be appreciated in kind or cash but in order to have the home in place the organization has come up with a budget to build the home and items that will enable the children feel home. The List of Item and Budget is hereby attached or submitted upon request.

In the future the organization hopes to reduce illiteracy and reduce level on government aid from the marginalized community especially families with children and those suffering from deadly terminal illnesses. Summarily the organizations dreams and objectives with the help of several partners are;-

1 )Sponsor children in different levels of education through the scholarship system.

2) Integrated farming

3) Innovation of computer and IT skills

4) Hire professional personnel

5) Start income generating projects and production units to boost the centers income.

CONCLUSION

In concluding we will attach some stories and photographs of some of the beneficiaries of the center that the organization wishes to extend to enable a larger holding capacity so as not to leave other children out of the program. The organization really appreciates the will and wish expressed to be part of making a difference in the community.

Our  website provides forms and information of how an individual  or sponsor can be of help to the Foundation to meet its objectives. 

Changing Lives, Impacting Humanity!