Sponsor a Maasai child through primary education
Comments from sponsors:
"Thanks for the video. We had lumps in our throats watching it."
"Thanks so much for the amazing DVD. We were all moved and it made everything so real for our children. Its amazing how they feel such a connection" (A UK school that sponsors a child).
"Thomas (aged 7) and Georgina (5) were so concerned that Maasai children could not go to school that they have committed £1 from their pocket money every month ....."
Case study 1
Dadio Mpaira and his brother Titan are both orphans. After their parents died their elderly grandmother looked after them although she was unable to work and relied on the generosity of the community for food. Until the charity became involved, Dadio and Titan did not go to school as there was no money for school-fees. Now they both have sponsors and they attend school.
Unfortunately, the grandmother has since died. Dadio and Titan now live with two new families next to each other. (This is the typical Kenya Maasai way. Children are looked after by family or friends if their parents die). Sponsors continue to pay for their school fees.
Case study 2
Hellen aged 16 is in her final year at primary school. In a letter to her sponsor she writes about her mother, Simaron:
“She was forced into marriage aged 14. There is very little that is good (in her life) – only to be a mother. She cannot own any property, cannot get employed, is not educated. She does a lot of work eg fetching water, fetching firewood. She takes care of me by providing food, shelter, security and clothing”
Simaron wants a different life for her four daughters but with two daughters in secondary school she was struggling to raise enough for Hellen to attend school regularly. 18 months ago we found a sponsor for Hellen. Here is an extract from her letter:
“Thank you my sponsor for paying school fees for me. I am now in school all the time and the teacher does not send me home like before. I hope to work extra hard. May God bless you.” Hellen tell us proudly she has been top of her class since being sponsored.
Dadio, aged around 7 had never attended school until the charity arranged a UK sponsor
Selecting children?
In Kenya, everyone wants to be sponsored so we have to be careful who is chosen. Children are selected on a needs basis. Orphans or children from a single mother are automatically considered and next, children from parents where neither have a job. The charity employs a Kenyan sponsor administrator to select the children and monitor their day to day needs and progress. The very needy are given full sponsorship, and the not so needy have half sponsorship.
Cost?
Full sponsorship is £16 per month, which covers school fees and a mid day school meal for the child. Half sponsorship is £8 per month. With half sponsorship, the sponsor pays half the school fees and the child's parents pay the other half. The child's family pays all other expenses such as uniform, although the charity will cover these in cases of extreme hardship.
Contact
The children make regular contact by writing letters quarterly. All school teaching is in English so the letters are in English from about age 8 and they give an interesting insight into the Maasai culture and lifestyle. The younger children keep in contact through drawing and school work. The new school will have email, so the older children will use this for contact. We take photos or videos each time we visit (every 3 months or so), meet the headteacher and inform sponsors on attendance and progress.
How is the sponsorship money used?
From the £16, 70p goes to the Kenyan sponsor administrator. 100% of the rest is used to support the children. Nothing is deducted for any UK expenses (unlike most other charities) as we are a 100% charity.
From the £8 half sponsorship, about 35p goes to the Kenyan sponsor administrator. All of the rest is used to support the child. The child's parents also pay approximately £8 per month to the school for school fees.
At school, the children receive a mid morning snack and lunch. For many of the poorer children, this is the only solid food they will receive during the day. During the school holidays and at weekends, they will only have milk from their family's cattle.
Some months, depending on the exchange rate, the fees are slightly less than the £16, some months they are more. At the end of the year, any surplus will be used for improving the school to provide a better education for all.
New sponsors required
To complete our 2012 intake, we are looking for 10 people to half sponsor a child at £8 per month, or £16 for two half sponsored children.
For the new school year starting January 2013 we are looking for 25 full sponsors. If you would like to consider becoming a sponser for 2013, please contact helen.pannell@osiligi.org who will provide further details.
See the facebook page for the latest pictures of the new school and comments from other sponsors.
