Walking through the African Bush for Education

Meet Elijah Kirrokor and his little brother. They both are Maasai children from one of the villages we serve in Nkoilale, a small village in the Masai Mara Rift Valley.

Last year their father was walking the many miles he would every day with his goats and cattle when a flash flood swept him away. Elijah's dad was never found. Because of the Maasai's rich and ancient culture Elijah's mother then had to move to the village of her husbands father which is approximately 5 miles away from the only school in the area. Elijah, understanding the value of education, would walk 10+ miles per day through the African bush just to go to school. He would then return home and tend to his daily chores as well as sharing what he had learned that day with his little brother.

On less than 800 calories per day, the norm for the Maasai, you can imagine how tired Elijah and children like him would be by the end of the day. Malnutrition along with parasitic disease and lack of clean drinking water are normal to these children. However, they love to learn (and they learn fast!), they laugh, they hold hands, they play and are super curious. They love life and their families.




 When we learned of Elijah's story we were able to find him a school sponsor. For $150 USD per year Elijah now goes to boarding school in one of the best schools in Kenya and it's not terribly far from his village. He spends the week at school, guaranteed an education, a safe place to sleep, three meals per day, clean drinking water, safety from not having to walk 10+ miles per day through the bush, and he has many friends. He still goes home at break to share what he has learned with his little brother and the other young children of his village.





There are thousands more children just like Elijah in Nkoiale alone, just a small part of the Rift Valley. They all know that the education is there but it's just out of reach. If you are interested in sponsoring a student at Nkoilale Maasai Boarding School or our Little Giants Primary School you can make a huge difference in a child's life as well. You can be a true hero!

For more information on how you can sponsor a student at Nkoilale Boarding School in Maasai Mara

For more information on how you can sponsor a student at Little Giants School in Ruiru

For more information on volunteering

www.TabibuAfrica.org

What can I do? Little Hands Making Big Differences, how?

So many of us ask this question, "What can I do?". We tend to think that humanitarian work or volunteering is strictly for Doctors, nurses, or adventurous teachers. This simply is not the truth. We all can do something and we all need to do something. We all have something special we can offer and no job or amount is too small. 

Our Vice President of Tabibu Africa, Inc explains his initial struggle with that exact question. 

"Why is humanitarian work important to me? I believe that we owe it to ourselves to do something to help our fellow brothers and sisters, our communities, our future.

Through education and empowerment we can give people the tools and knowledge to change their future and the future for their children. With my background in plumbing I often ask myself what can I do?  How can I help and make a difference? I’m not a Doctor, Nurse, or educator. Or so I thought. I now can say that I’ve worked in numerous health clinics in anything ranging from organizing medications, helping to clean wounds, and holding hands. 

Because of my plumbing background I was able to help develop a hygiene education program that covers personal hygiene, sanitation and waste disposal.  I have also found myself in the “Teacher” role heading a few of these sanitation classes. My next goal for the organization is to help the people get access to clean water or how to make the best of the water that they have.  One of the latest workshops I held was how to make your own water filter out of supplies you can find around your home and village. To see the sense of empowerment come over all of the women when they found they had the power to make clean drinking water for their children was priceless.  I next hope to raise enough awareness and funding to place a well at our Little Giants School which will give them an abundance of clean and safe drinking water. I also hope to have more sanitation workshops and programs in place.

Seeing the conditions the people we are trying to help will change anyone‘s perspective on how we live our lives. We are on this earth for such a short time we owe it to ourselves to make the most of it. So you don’t need to have a specific degree or career in something in order to help. We all play a role and we all can do something. We all should do something." ~ George Msingi Olonana Mattena

Little Hands Making Big Differences!

If you would like to learn more about volunteering or what you can do please click here.  

To donate to George's water projects please click here.

What is so great about a Hippo Roller?

What is a Hippo Roller and Why is it so Great?

Every day, millions of women & children in developing countries are forced to carry heavy loads of water for long distances, typically in heavy 20L (44 pounds/20 Kg) containers on their heads or backs. In just one day, 152 million or more hours of their time is consumed for the most basic of human needs — collecting water.

Have you ever had to walk outside to a well to get clean water? Imagine how people feel in Kenya, for instance, who walk a round trip of up to 100 Km (62 miles) just to fetch water? Then also imagine doing this in temperatures up to 40˚C (104˚F) through dangerous areas of drought, wild animals, and human threats all with a giant container on your head or back - just for water.

Good news, there is a solution! Welcome the Hippo Roller. Designed in Africa for Africa the Hippo Water Roller enables women, children and the elderly to collect 5 times more water than a single bucket by simply rolling it along the ground. The savings in time, energy and reduced suffering are immense and the positive social-impact benefits are far reaching.

 An effective and efficient way to carry 90 liters (24 gallons) of water, much more easily and in less time by simply rolling along the ground. It was specifically designed to be maintenance-free and for use in tough rural conditions, with a long lifespan of 5 - 7 years, often much longer. It reduces long-term injuries caused by carrying heavy loads of water and gives women & children more time for education and economic activities.

The Hippo Roller is an appropriate technology widely accepted in many countries by undeveloped communities where there is no reliable water infrastructure. Approximately 44,000 Hippo Water Rollers have been distributed mostly in South Africa and at least 20 other African countries, directly benefiting in excess of 300,000 people (based on a typical household average of 7). To date, more than 7 Billion liters (nearly 2 million gallons) of water have already been ‘rolled’ over a combined distance of 500 Million km (310 Million miles!). Much more can and needs to be done!

Spring 2015 Tabibu Africa, Inc is proud to be taking over several Hippo Rollers for the first time. We will be introducing them to a Masai community in the Rift Valley that have never seen or experienced this marvelous invention. We are only able to do this because of the wonderful and selfless support from a few generous donors like you. Hero's are everywhere! 

Look for our post this summer when we write, share pictures, and stories of what the Hippo Roller did for women and children in one of the villages that Tabibu Africa, Inc serves.

To learn how you can help bring more Hippo Rollers to East Africa please click here. We can only bring these to those who need it the most because of people like you!

For more information about the Hippo Water Roller Project click here: www.hipporoller.org

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World Wildlife Day

March 3, 2015 WORLD WILDLIFE DAY. The world’s human race must make a conscious choice to play our part in conserving the world's wildlife.

“Walk in kindness toward the Earth and every living being. Without kindness and compassion for all of Mother Nature’s creatures, there can be no true joy; no internal peace, no happiness. Happiness flows from caring for all sentient beings as if they were your own family, because in essence they are. We are all connected to each other and to the Earth.” Sylvia Dolson

Empowerment & Sanitary Napkins

Millions of girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa are dis-empowered by the simple biological process of menstruation.  Affordable and hygienic sanitary protection are not available to girls in many areas of East Africa.  They resort to the use of unhygienic rags, cotton, cloth, and other materials which puts them at risk for infection.  Most girls either skip school when they have their periods or simply drop out completely.

Missing 5-8 days of school per month makes keeping up near impossible. A survey of menstruating girls in Kenya found that “the biggest numbers of school dropouts are girls because of inconveniences during their menstrual periods.”. To us, this is unacceptable.

Educated girls are more likely to become empowered women. They are more likely to take control of their lives, have economic security, and raise fewer and healthier children who will in turn be more likely to be educated themselves. Simply, the cycle of poverty can end when both girls and boys are educated.

The solution?  Reusable sanitary pads.  Reusable sanitary pads are a sustainable resource, allowing the girls to wash and reuse them rather than having to buy disposable pads every month.  In addition, they are comparatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly.  The social benefit of the implementation of this concept can greatly mitigate the disadvantages and challenges many disempowered girls endure during their process of maturing.

One of the programs that Tabibu Africa, Inc offers is a "know your body" maturation & empowerment program. Girls and young women join in a week long class all about them; maturation, changes, how to stand up for your self, making and keeping goals, hygiene, and how to stay healthy. Along with this workshop we also teach each young lady how to make their own sanitary napkin kits; complete with fabric, absorbent washable fabric, needle & thread, 2-3 sets of under garments, and patterns so they can make more. In addition we then offer a small workshop to those interested in entrepreneurship by making their production of reusable & eco-friendly sanitary napkins into a business.

The result? Girls are educated and empowered with knowledge and wisdom. They are armed with the tools they need to embrace the gift of womanhood. They go forward to get the education they need to make true positive changes in their families, communities, and the world around them.

These kits and education supplies are made from donations from people like you. We are always in need of fabric (linen, absorbent fabric) thread, needles, sew on snaps, girls and young women's under-garments) and financial support for teaching supplies. We can only bring this successful program to the young ladies who need it the very most because of you!

For more information on how you can help or donate to help us complete these kits  please contact us or donate now.   

www.TabibuAfrica.org

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A Healthy Outside Starts From the Inside

Hundreds of millions of children in Kenya are infected with parasitic worms. These worms are detrimental to children's internal health, their cognitive development, their education and their futures. Chronic illness caused by worm infections reduces literacy as well as adult productivity.

Yet, for $.50 a year per person, school absentee rates related to worm anemia and malnourishment could be sharply reduced. Tabibu Africa, continues to provide dewormer for all those seen in our clinics, as well as instructions on hand washing and sanitation. You too can help, for the cost of a daily cup of coffee or can of soda you can change a life!

 

For more information on how you can be a hero please check out our Donate Now Page

http://www.tabibuafrica.org/

 

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Facts you may not know

Facts you may not know.

• 70% of the world’s poorest people are women and girls.
• In some parts of the world a girl is more likely to be raped than learn to read.
• 1 in 7 girls in the developing world will be married before the age of 15.

Tabibu Africa embraces the need to empower women and girls in Kenya, through education and empowerment classes, you can help too.

Find out more about why we do what we do and how you can be a hero

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www.TabibuAfrica.org