Project: Kesho Leo Children's Village | See Photos
Location: Arusha, Tanzania
In January 2008 our committee member Janelle was due to fly to Nairobi to visit our current project and source assess others but her plans had to change due to the violence that resulted from the Dec 08 Kenyan elections.
At the invitation of this Australian organisation, Food Water Shelter, Janelle spent three months volunteering at the first of their "children's villages" Kesho Leo (tomorrow, today in Swahili) based 7km outside Arusha in the village of Sinon. It was due to this involvement that we fell in love with this project and have recently provided $36,000 to build six sleeping bomas, each housing one mama and five children.
Kesho Leo Childrens Village provides an eco-friendly home for 16 house mums and orphaned children (40-80 children). These women are local African women who have been widowed or abandoned by their husbands and show that they are committed to providing children with a loving home environment, a family atmosphere and an income. Together, this family unit, will share a sleeping room and daily activities. Each house mother will take responsibility for the day-to-day care of their five 'Kesho kids'.
Importantly, this set-up will not only benefit the kids but also enables us to employ local women who may not easily find employment or acceptance in the wider community. For these women (and later for our neighbours), FWS will also establish micro-financing opportunities, where they are able to borrow small sums of money to work in their chosen fields.
The Kesho Leo structure will include:
two sleeping bomas under one continuous roof designed to maximise rainwater collection. Inside the bomas, there will be separate sleeping rooms, each accommodating five children and one house-mum.
a live-in manager's residence
a nurse's medicine room (which will eventually become a health clinic for the wider community to use)
an African-style kitchen area (complete with biogas cookers and passive cooling cupboards)
composting toilets, water-saving shower rooms and a grey-water laundry
a secure lock-up container and computer storage room
an open-air communal dining room
FWS will also establish a permaculture garden and farming plot (so each child can maintain their African culture by learning to grow and harvest local crops) and they will have a small compound for livestock.
FWS is constantly looking at energy solutions such as solar power and biogas, and also looking at ways we can reduce Kesho Leo's water consumption. We are using our local contacts for advice as well as professionals in the area of international aid and the environment. Initially the Kesho Leo early-learning and community centre will be used to educate Kesho kids, but it is our aim to offer a number of education programs to the local community as soon as possible.
Aussies for Orphans is proud to support this Australian organization and the children and communities they assist.
Fundraising Projects
Coffee for Life
Give the cost of a cup
of coffee a week ($12.00 a month)
to save the life of an orphaned or
disadvantaged child.
AFO welcomes any ideas you may have for fundraising. We would love it if you would life to host a fundraiser for us (with our help if you need it).
Our committee members can be made available to give your fundraiser a personal touch by presenting photos and providing details on our projects and the children we support.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PHONE US ON 1300 887403
