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Filed under: Solar Lantern, Tana River Life Foundation | Tagged: Education, kenya, projects, self-sufficiency, solar | Leave a comment »
Greetings,
Thanks you for your continuous support. It is the second term in Kenya and students just began the second term. This period instead of just giving the solar lanterns to the students, a small team of youth volunteering at Tana River Life Foundation was selected to give an encouragement talk to the students. By doing this, the youth could also get a better insight of what the Foundation does as well as give a chance for them to share their experiences to the students. We were at Onwardei Primary School and donated 24 solar lanterns to the class 7 students.
Although we will continue giving out solar lanterns to the students, in the next month we will be revisiting the schools where we donated and check whether the lanterns are still functional as well as monitor the impact it has on the students performances as well as their families.
The foundation is very grateful to your contributions and we do hope you can continue sharing about the project so that we can be able to reach the goal of lightening the lives of many students and families in the county.
Regards,
Oscar – Volunteer and former beneficiary
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Students from Kulesa Primary School receiving their lamps
Rural schools in the Tana Delta have been usually left out from development plans. The communities live off the grid as the power infrastructure doesn’t reach their villages. Without light, students are unable to study nor do homework when the sun goes down. Providing solar lanterns will be enable students to do their homework in the evenings, providing them the opportunity to do better in national examinations. Beneficiaries are upper primary students in Class 7 & 8, aged between 12-15 yrs.
The foundation is working with schools to offer the students in the nearby villages with lighted classrooms, as well as take home lamps to do their homework and evening self-study. Many of the villages lack electricity and as a result students are not able to do their homework at night. The solar lanterns will provide electricity for lighting classrooms at night. Students in these rural communities are able to study and compete with students from other parts of the country who have better facilities.
Since 2017, we have been helping more than 200 students per year who are preparing for their primary school leaving exams. This will improve their results & chances to advance to secondary school.
At Bubesa Primary School, the solar lanterns had a tremendous impact on the performance of the students in the national exams last November. The graduating class emerged top for the first time in the Garsen North Zone which comprises of ten schools. The mean grade obtained by all the graduating students showed an improvement of 20.44%.
It has been shown that young people who have had more years of education are less likely to engage in behaviors detrimental to their communities eg. Join tribal militia that engage in tribal violence, teenage pregnancies but help their families. Health of these families will also improve due to less smoke inhaling.
Read about the progress of the project :
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/solar-lanterns-for-tana-students/reports/#menu
From 9pm Wednesday 18th July ( Singapore time ) funds raised will be matched. Be the light !
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Gabriel Teo, founder of Tana River Life Foundation was featured in the 10th June 2018 edition of the Sunday Times.
Here’s a link to the article:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/from-corporate-jungle-to-charity-work-in-africa?xtor=CS3-20
Watch a short video of his work in Kenya : https://players.brightcove.net/4800266888001/default_default/index.html?videoId=5793664935001
If you would like to find out more, please contact us at : tanariverlifefoundation@gmail.com
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Dear friends,
We are already in March 2018, but I hope it is not too late to wish all of you a good start to both the New Years. We are grateful for the year behind us, which provided much opportunity for learning, and greater development for many. Thank you all again for helping us create hope and opportunity for so many families here in the Tana Delta.We are now at the onset of the short rains, and as while we look forward to the expected showers, we are also taking precautions to mitigate any problems that may arise from flash floods and roads being cut off.
Mitumba Project
I will be in Singapore by 18th April to start the Mitumba Project collections, details of which are attached here and in our blog at www.tanariverlife.wordpress.com. Over 60 needy families benefited from the sale of used clothes, shoes and bags, enabling them earn extra household income to cater for their children’s school fees and other needs.
School Furniture from Singapore for Tana Delta
The used school furniture donated by Singapore schools last year was refurbished by TRLF youth and distributed to over ten schools in Tana Delta, bringing a huge change to the quality of learning for many students. We are grateful to all at PIL Singapore Pte Ltd and PIL (Kenya) Ltd. Mombasa for arranging the freight forwarding and clearance of the shipments in 2017.
Plans for more Infrastructural Development Support for Tana Delta schools
Many schools in villages along the only tarmac road in the Tana Delta have developed over the years with input from the various education stakeholders, including Tana River Life Foundation.
There is however, still a great need in villages off the tarmac road and in the most interior locations. In 2018, we hope to continue assisting in the infrastructural development of these remote schools in the Tana Delta.
Fabrication and Welding Workshop at Emmaus Community Centre
In 2017, we employed a mechanic-cum-welder and started fabricating most of our furniture and fittings, e.g. security grills for windows and library shelves. Beds fabricated in our workshop were donated to the students’ dormitory in Idsowe Primary and Sane Girls Secondary schools in 2017.
We also built the dormitory roof at Idsowe Primary School and a twin-chamber toilet for the girls at Buyani Secondary School.
Lighting up children’s future with solar lanterns
In 2017, we provided 50 children from three remote primary schools with solar reading lights. This has enabled them to read and write at night as well as allowed their parents to continue with income generating activities such as weaving mats, carpentry, and tailoring, even after nightfall.
Children from Bubesa Primary School are mostly children of subsistence farmers, who sometimes have to miss school to help their parents in their farms especially during the harvest period. The students themselves organized study groups and met to revise and do their homework under the light of a solar lantern hanging from a tree. It was most gratifying to note that for the first time in history, Bubesa Primary emerged top school in their zone in the national examination. We hope to be able to assist more students this year.
Improving access to a better quality education
Students sponsored by TRLF | 2017 Partial | 2018 Partial | 2017 Full | 2018 Full |
Primary | 0 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
Secondary | 800 | 600 | 30 | 54 |
Youth | 0 | 0 | 22 | 22 |
College | 5 | 5 | 24 | 20 |
University | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Total Beneficiaries | 805 | 605 | 88 | 106 |
Integral Formation of Youth and Students
The TRLF formation programmes at different levels help youth beneficiaries discover themselves in a deeper way, so that they mature and develop not only intellectually but also physically, psychologically and conscientiously.
A large number of the fully sponsored students live in our community homes and assist in TRLF development programmes. This arrangement, while preparing future community leaders, also helps sustain TRLF programmes as it greatly reduces administration and project running costs.
Delta Mustard Seed Academy – Nurturing Knowledge with Integrity
We made huge strides at The Delta Mustard Seed Academy (DEMSA) – the nursery and primary school owned and managed by TRLF – after moving to the new premises that were completed in 2016. The premises were funded equally between Jonaron Foundation of Malaysia and our many donor friends and partners. We have improved record keeping at the school through a computerization exercise and also started to operate library facilities, and provide IT training for teachers as well as Grade 4 students.
We have continued to emphasize a more human and integral formation of the children, breaking barriers of tribe, religion and economic background. Our teachers are also constantly reminded to narrow gaps in terms of academic performance, and to ensure that no child is neglected. We have today an enrollment of 260 children, comprising 133 boys and 127 girls and expect this number to reach 400 by January 2022.
TRLF Youth – Giving Back
Evans Chikanda and Manase Maro were sponsored to study sustainable agriculture. During their holidays, they helped us start a vegetable plot and fruit orchard at the TRLF Emmaus Community Centre. With their help, we now implement sustainable techniques more suited for semi-arid areas, including planting in deep pits, multi storey vegetable plots, and composting of kitchen waste, among others.
We opened the Computer Lab at the Emmaus Community Centre in 2017. The lab was set up entirely by TRLF staff and youth under direction by Oscar Raha, who was the first TRLF-sponsored student to do degree studies at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Malaysia. This saved us a lot in terms of contract and consultancy fees. Oscar completed his degree in Business Information Technology in 2015 and is now the Tana River County ICT officer. Nevertheless, he continues to volunteer his time and expertise willingly.
Alice Shauri is in her fourth year of medical studies and on her way to becoming the first lady medical doctor from Idsowe. She is also our organizer and resident tutor for all secondary remedial tuition programmes during school holidays.
Conclusion
As mentioned at the start of this letter, it has been a full year, but not only in terms of activities and progress, but also in terms of a deeper appreciation for God and his blessings. We thank each one of you for journeying with us and making so much possible for so many.
I will be back in Malaysia and Singapore from 15th April to 19th June 2018 with two of our youth, Solomon Makwola and Kingstone Madyera, and look forward to meeting up with you once again.
God bless.
Idsowe, Tana Delta, Kenya
15th March 2018
If you would like to download a PDF copy of the report. Please click here.
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TRLF Pte Ltd supports projects of the Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF), a Kenyan registered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) (Reg:OP218/051/2007/0440/4836). TRLF works towards the integral development of local communities in the Tana Delta of Kenya.
TRLF has been running the Mitumba (or “recycled goods” in Kiswahili) Project where specific used items that are in very good condition are collected, sorted and shipped to the Tana Delta in Kenya. Furniture and equipment go towards the educational projects run by TRLF, while clothes, shoes and bags provide a group of women with school going children the opportunity to earn additional household income through the sale of these items. Shipment costs have been underwritten by PIL Singapore Pte Ltd since 2015.
In 2017, more than 10 public primary and secondary schools all across the Tana Delta as well as over 60 households in Tana Delta benefited from this project.
TRLF Pte Ltd invites friends wishing to support the community development projects of TRLF to donate goods as listed in the attached REQUEST LIST
Collection Details :
Collection Period :
Notices :
Thank you for your support and God bless.
Gabriel Teo Kian Chong
10th March 2018
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Gabriel was featured in the press yesterday, 18th June. Here’s the link if you can read Chinese : http://www.zaobao.com.sg/zlifestyle/culture/story20170618-772093?xtor=CS2-8
Here’s an English translation. Thanks to Sarah and Patrick Yong.
Life takes a turn in Kenya – translation of Lianhe Zaobao article June 2017
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For the past 12 years, TRLF has been running the Mitumba (or “recycled goods” in Kiswahili) Project where specific used items that are in good resalable condition are collected and sorted by TRLF staff and volunteers over a period of a month or so. These items are sent to the Tana Delta in Kenya to assist beneficiaries earn additional household income through the sale of these recycled goods.
In 2016, over 60 households in Tana Delta benefited from the project as beneficiaries were able to cater for their family’s development needs, including paying school fees and medical bills from sale of items collected. By providing the women with a supplementary income over a period of 6 months, this project nurtures self-reliance and dignity. It also gives our youth volunteers an opportunity to assist members of communities who are at a disadvantage to overcome the many challenges they face, especially in educating their children.
We will be collecting once again this year and we thank you in advance for your generosity.
Collection Details :
If you would like to download a PDF copy of this letter, click here.
Thank you for your support and God bless.
Gabriel Teo Kian Chong
23rd February 2017
If you need clarifications, please contact us using the form below :
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