Dear Readers,

Whenever people ask me how it is in Kenya, I tell them that whatever I say, it sounds too much like a cliche. Every experience at Madago School is different and brings with it lessons for life. We have started out small, but have contributed to changing lives of hundreds of children to the better, in a country where extreme poverty is overall present, and access to quality education is still a dream for many. I am concluding with a quote that sums up my gratitude towards your involvement: “We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes.” – Fred Rogers

Thank you, most sincerely!
Timeea

Our Year in Figures

The first year of YOUng Steps Kenya has brought many changes to Madago Primary School. Together we have managed to change a lot for the better and meet some of the needs of the students and teachers.

The year 2024 meant the following in figures:

  • hundreds of notebooks, pens and pencils
  • 30 desks for students
  • renovation of the water source from which also the village dispensary is supplied with water
  • dozens of watercolors and hundreds of paint brushes
  • 6 soccer- and volleyballs
  • 20 skipping ropes
  • 2 Twister games, and many other games for the young ones
  • 10 laptops
  • 1 multifunctional printer
  • 8 cell phones
  • 50 uniforms for the school sports teams
  • 12 salaries paid to an additional teacher to partially cover the lack of government paid teachers
  • 2 first-aid kits
  • renovation of the girls’ toilets, equipping it with tiles, running water and sinks
  • 8 school uniforms for the children who needed them most
  • 11 sponsored children
  • hundreds of toothpastes and basic medicine, such as Paracetamol

It also meant the following experiences at Madago:

  • 1 Games Day for Madago students – with whom we jumped, played, laughed and had tons of fun
  • 4 workshops for the little ones – where we drew, painted, told stories, asked questions and answered even more questions
  • 4 workshops on Menstruation with the schoolgirls
  • 4 workshops on Sexual Health and everything related to it with teenage students of the school (girls and boys)
  • 1 teacher trained on menstrual health
  • 1 team-building event with school teachers
  • countless valuable moments and simple and unforgettable life lessons 🙂

 The year 2024 brought us also the following:

  • 154 Teaming team members
  • over 50 people who redirected the 3.5% of their income tax
  • dozens of one-time donations, and recurring donations from some:)
  • a charity event at Aquagym – thank you, Diana Mavro
  • a participation at Street Delivery Brasov – thank you, Timea Hont
  • a story in Unfinished Love
  • some inspiring articles on the website blog
  • one podcast – thank you, She is Mom
  • one charity concert – thank you, Acoustic Friends
  • partnerships that support us by promoting our cause – thank you, Kortbus-Stoian, RDCC, DO Studio, Un Pic Mai Buni, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brasov, Manole Coffee

The Madago School Clinic

In Kenya any medical service must be paid for. No matter how big the emergency or how serious the medical condition, if the sick person’s family doesn’t have the necessary funds, they will not be treated. This, combined with extreme poverty, leads to a significant mortality rate among children under five. Around 64,000 children die every year in Kenya (the rate is decreasing every year – a good sign), mostly from preventable or treatable causes: AIDS, dehydration from diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia.

The Madago School Clinic is our highest priority project at the moment. Our dream is to be able to provide basic health services to children and their families in the school, thus contributing to the well-being of the whole community, early identification of health problems, their treatment and prevention. 

Education and health are topics that cannot be separated – an educated person is more aware of their health and how to maintain it, just as a healthy person can focus more on what is relevant to the social and financial well-being of their family.

In addition to our health education initiatives focusing on topics such as hygiene, menstruation, sexual health, consent, as part of the ‘Learn Like a Girl’ program, we want to introduce basic health care.

We have 5 volunteer doctors who are looking forward to offering their services at the Madago School Clinic. Thus, our efforts are currently focused on renovating the administration building and setting up the clinic in one of the rooms, equipping the building with electricity and water, changing the roof, renewing the grills, doors and windows, painting the walls, etc.

We aim to start the renovation project in January 2025. The amount needed to fully renovate and equip the building is approx. 10.000 EUR, of which so far we have managed to raise 7000 EUR. If you want to support this project, you can donate here.

Together we will create an equitable reality for those in need!


Our Plans for the Next Year

Building a water fountain

Imagine if the entire Madago community could have access to fresh water every day, without depending on rainfall or having to walk kilometers to a clean water source. This dream is a bit closer now, as we have started talks with an NGO to support the funding of this project. Once operational, the well will serve hundreds of families. Its benefits are countless and obvious. Keep your fingers crossed, we will make this happen as soon as possible!

Continuing sexual health and menstrual health workshops and spreading the word in the community

We will continue the series of workshops for teenagers, both girls and boys. We want them to become an integral part of the school curriculum. And to extend the model to other interested people in the community. Because health is as important as education!

Prevention & treatment workshops for the most common diseases

We are working with one of our volunteer doctors on materials to address the topics of the most common diseases in the community (AIDS, malaria, enterological diseases, pneumonia) – how they can be prevented, recognized, treated, and other adjacent topics. We will hold these workshops in the community, especially for mothers, who play a key role in maintaining good health.

Sustainability at Madago

The school’s teachers have long dreamed of planting a vegetable garden in the schoolyard. This would not only provide fresh vegetables for the students to prepare their meals, but the surplus could be sold, and the money used in the school’s interest. Along with this, we will reorganize the school kitchen, which is now nothing more than a small room with a wood fire to cook food in a pot, without a stove, access to water or other equipment. A first step towards sustainable development, and important agricultural lessons for the students.

IT courses for teachers

There are so many online resources that can be used by teachers to improve the quality of their classes at Madago. We aim to teach the school’s teachers how to make the most effective use of laptops and the internet for educational purposes. This step will bring a totally different and modern perspective on education for both teachers and students.


That’s All for Now

Stay informed about what we are doing, by reaching the Blog on our website, following us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Donate here if you wish to further support our projects, and spread the word about us to your friends and relatives.

Share your good ideas with us anytime, we are happy to hear out good ideas and explore how we can implement them.

For people working in Romania – remember that starting January 2025 you can redirect 3.5% of your income tax to us at this link.

And enjoy the Holiday Season with your loved ones, stay safe and cosy!

Thank You again for your invaluable support throughout this year!

POSTED BY admin | Nov, 24, 2024 |