2011: Education and Health

At Chebukwa Primary there are no books, no computers, few notebooks and a handful of pencils. The roof leaks, the wind blows through the open windows and over 70 students cram into one dirt floor seeking a different life. The students are sick and there is no one to treat them. But it doesn't have to be this way forever.

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Animal husbandry:

The agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.

A Nafula Foundation dairy cow

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Clean water for 2,000 Kenyans

In June 2010, eight volunteers traveled to Chebukwa village to install a clean water system for over 2,000 people. Now, we want to expand our project to the local school. For more information, visit the Projects tab above.

VOLUNTEER STORIES

My very first class in Kenya

Send Me To SchoolMost children in Chebukwa village don't have the opportunity to attend school. Soon, The Nafula Foundation will provide opportunities to sponsor individual children at Chebukwa Primary. Stay tuned!
Kelsey Knutson's StoryFor me teaching at the Primary School was by far the most rewarding part of my time spent in Kenya. It gives you not only the experience to teach, but the ability to witness situations and events surrounding the children that are ...
Total Orphans To Star StudentsJohn Situma Wafula, Kennedy Sikuru and Aggrey Wanjala are orphans. But thanks to the financial and emotional help of Nafula Co-Founder Daniel Makecho, these three boys are now at the top of their class.
About us

The Nafula Foundation

Serving vulnerable families and orphaned children living in Western Kenya.

Chebukwa village

About UsIn June 2007, Kathryn Nelson, a student at the University of Minnesota, traveled to Bungoma, Kenya to volunteer with the local branch of the Red Cross. There, she stayed with Pastor Daniel Muyelele Makecho and his family who ran a church in the neighboring rural village of Chebukwa.The community Pastor Daniel worked in was deeply impoverished and lacked facilities such as access clean drinking water, medical care, educational materials, food and safe housing.In addition, an estimated 350 orphaned children live in this area, many whose parents died of malaria and HIV/AIDS. Pastor Daniel had been working on designs to create a healthier, safer and more educated community within Chebukwa for several years. The plan would include establishing a permanent medical clinic, housing for orphaned children, equipment to bring clean water to the area and micro-financing programs with local livestock. On a rainy night in late June 2007, Pastor Daniel and Kathryn discussed the possibility of creating a foundation, which would serve the greater good of the local Kenyan people.Kathryn knew, through her past work in the United States, that many people wished to help the African people but all too often they became disheartened by the lack of personal connection between aid organizations and well wishers. That night, Kathryn and Daniel decided to name the organization The Nafula Foundation, meaning she came in the rain in Bukusu, the local language.
Projects

Projects

School and Education (2010-current)The Nafula Foundation hopes to further support the Chebukwa Primary and Secondary schools in a number of ways. By offering international volunteers to teach at the schools, raising money to revamp classrooms and providing training for teachers and school staff, The Nafula Foundation intends on building a substantial and fruitful partnership with local schools. Currently, we offer volunteer opportunities at Chebukwa Primary School in both general and special needs classrooms.Healthcare Research (2011-current)Co-Founder Kathyn Neson is planning on conducting her master's project in Chebuwa village in summer 2012 in order to complete her graduate studies in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Her research will be focused on the health and wellbeing of one classroom of students at Chebukwa Primary School, as well as a two-day teacher conference on malaria, HIV/AIDS and sanitation, and conducting a needs assesment for future heathcare inteventions. Grants for funding are currently being written.Cow bank (2008-current)The Nafula Foundation cow banking system consists of the construction of a livestock unit and the purchasing two dairy cows, which are artificially inseminated prior to obtainment. Each cow produces between 40 and 60 liters of milk per day, allowing the registered participants to collect one liter a day for consumption or selling at the market. In addition, 10 percent of the daily harvest is to be sold at the market with all proceeds going back to the program for the purchase or birthing costs of another cow.The Nafula Foundation provides training on how to care for livestock and depends on cow banking members to care for the cows around the clock. All cow banking participants pay a small monthly and daily fee, which allows the Foundation to continue the program.The Nafula Foundation Cow Bank currently has four cows (two calves and two adults) producing milk for the village of Chebuwka. Due to this unexpected growth, The Nafula Foundation is seeking to expand its livestock units to house the two additional calves as well as buy and plant additional grass for the animals. We are hoping to add the additional housing units by summer 2011, as well as purchase more land to grow napier grass for the cows.Costs:-One cow: $850.00-One cow unit that houses two adult cows, one calf: $600.00-One acre of land: $135.00 per year-Fertilizer: $75.00 per seasonWomen's corporative (2008 - current) The womens corporative is a group of approximately 30 women living in the village of Chebukwa, Kenya who are interested in bettering their lives through small loan development programs - chiefly through arts and crafts making. These women are trained in sewing and knitting methods, as well as provided beginning supplies and space to work, with the hopes of them selling products for profit. The women are also advised on financial savings and banking systems. Currently, the program does not have enough capital to sustain itself, but The Nafula Foundation hopes to get the program back on its feet in the coming months. Costs:- $25.00 for materials and training per participantAccess to water (2010 - current)In June 2008, The Nafula Foundation began preparations to design and install a rain water harvesting system in Chebukwa, Kenya. The structural plans of the rain water system were based off the University of Minnesota Engineers Without Borders group that installed a similar system in Uganda in the summer 2008. In short, the rain water harvesting system uses three large 5,000 liter barrels to collect run-off rain water from the tin roof of the House of Power church, located centrally in Chebukwa village. We chose the rain water harvesting system because of the high amount of rain water falling every year in Kenya and access to the large church roof.Furthermore, the ability to collect clean water in one centralized area will decrease the amount of water-borne diseases (boiling the water is still required), reduce the time used to collect water from faraway sources, and ultimately, raise the quality of life for those living in Chebukwa.The project is estimated to cost around $10,000 total, which was raised in part by the University of Minnesota Global Studies Student Association in 2010. In addition, Southwest High School and Ryan and Rachel Morgan raised additional funds for the project. Currently, we installed two of the three tanks and are awaiting more funds to complete the project. Costs:- $1,000 to complete installing final tank. Future ProjectsHousing:The Nafula Foundation will plan, construct and implement a housing initiative in the village of Chebukwa. The vision of our organization is to build a small orphanage in the area to house the 350 orphaned children in Chebukwa. The Nafula Foundation will construct homes in the Chebukwa area that will shelter 10 children each, with a team of paid single mothers to provide care for the children and act as their live-in family. The housing initiative would be planned, constructed and implemented by international volunteers as well as a logistical consultation from co-founder Daniel Makecho in Kenya.Clinic:The Nafula Foundation will build a medical clinic, which will be open several days a week and one weekend day in the village of Chebukwa, Kenya. The clinic will specialize in malaria treatment and HIV/AIDS testing as well as providing general education about sanitation and disease prevention tactics. Our organization plans on hiring one part-time doctor from the neighboring city of Bungoma, Kenya to run the clinic. We will also be sending international volunteers to the area with a background in medicine or public health to help bring new medical techniques and offer training to the doctor.Books for Africa:The Nafula Foundation will partner with Minneapolis-based organization Books for Africa to establish six libraries in Chebukwa village and Bungoma city. Locations for libraries include the Kenyan Red Cross office, Bungoma District Hospital and Chebukwa Primary and Secondary School (the others are to be determined).
Volunteer

Gisele
Dylan
Karen
Danny
Kathryn
Kelsey
Mama Esther
Grace
Aaron and Daniel
The team in Kenya
Mama Gladys
Kathryn Aaron and Kelly

So you've heard about The Nafula Foundation and want to help. Great! The Nafula Foundation is all about using passionate people who want to make a difference in rural Kenya. Sponsor.The Nafula Foundation offers an sponsorship project, a flexible program that allows international donors to adopt key parts of our organization including individual families, orphaned children or projects. Want to send one child to school for a year? Or build an orphanage for 150 children? Everything is possible with the flexible and accountable sponsorship project. Be a Leader.Create a Nafula Foundation club. You can do it at your school, church or community center. Make a plan for how you envision changing Kenya. Raise money, raise awareness, set goals and lead a group of movers and shakers. Use your talent to raise money for a clinic, school or library in Kenya. Maybe even coordinate a trip to Africa to come see what The Nafula Foundation is all about!Talk.So you just found out about The Nafula Foundation. Now its time to spread the word. Many people are unaware of poverty in East Africa, and its your job to tell them about it. Every time you share The Nafula Foundations story, you come one step closer to saving the life of a person in need. Trek.Wanting to do something more than just fundraising? How about traveling to Kenya to see The Nafula Foundation is action. Currently, we accept volunteers 18-years and older who are passionate about changing the lives of rural Kenyans. Were always looking for doctors, public health officials, engineers, photographers and videographers as well as college students and beyond to come to Kenya and learn about our work. All volunteer positions (local, national and international) are posted on Idealist.org
Photos

A new baby
A refugee in Kenya
Siblings
A Chebukwa girl
Co-founder Daniel
Carrying water
A Chebukwa girl
Eating sugarcane
Preparing beans

Chebukwa children

At the hospital

Chebukwa siblings

Chebukwa boys

Preparing a meal of beans

Co-founder Kathryn

Stories

Kelsey's Volunteer Story Aug. 17. 2011
For me teaching at the Primary School was by far the most rewarding part of my time spent in Kenya. It gives you not only the experience to teach, but the ability to witness situations and events surrounding the children that are relative to the environment and situations that are simply attributed to being young, regardless of upbringing. However these children did come from lives of significant poverty and had demands that differed from children I surrounded myself with in an elementary school in Minnesota. Teaching gave me a more personal relationship with each child, and the ability to witness their vulnerabilities along with their strengths academically, which often correlated with the demands of living in a Kenyan village without running water, or sufficient finances or even clothing. Gisele Bolton had the idea to have each student write letters for us every week so they could express how they're doing in and outside of school. Many of the letters we received explained the lifestyles of these children, the stress of working on a farm. Some expressed desire to leave and explore other places outside of Chebukwa village, some expressed that they struggled in school, specifically in English, and some letters were written in English as clear as I am using now. There was a range of skill levels and needs and yet the cultural norm within some classrooms in Kenya is not to individualize anyone, unless for punishment purposes. The children often acted very non-confrontational about things they were very shy to ask for help on assignments they didn't understand and didnt want to stand out among their peers when I praised one for being right. I brought this up to one of the other Kenyan teachers and he explained that in Kenyan society emphasis on individual skills and growth is put on the higher level classes, like grade eight, and not the lower level classes. He said he believes their should be a lot more attention given to students within these lower levels, especially when they struggle in English, yet there usually isn't enough staff within this specific school to do that.I do believe teaching for any amount of times makes you walk away with a larger grasp on the relationships among children and adults, and among children themselves, and you definitely learn more about yourself and what role you play within the society as a guest, a teacher, and as a volunteer. Kenyans are some of the most outwardly polite people I've ever encountered. All of the children line up to shake your hand when you first meet them, and stand when you enter the classroom and greet you until they receive permission to sit back down. Gisele and I of course, witnessed a lot of hardship among the relationships between adults and students as well, much of which we tried to address within our time there. Some days we struggled with witnessing this, because of our attachment to the children. They have two words I would often hear buzzing around me. I was to be addressed as "Mwalimu" which means "teacher" in Swahili, and I would address specific students as "Mwanafunzi" which means "student." However, the time I spent with the students, they showed me so much about their lives. And within every setting, watching them play outside in the field, or when Gisele and I watched a regional track meet, or even within my own crumbled classroom with a mere piece of chalk. I realized more and more I should be called Mwanafunzi, because I feel it was not just a one-way channel of learning, from teacher to student, it was it was always a constant exchange.

Donate

DONATE
Checks can be routed to:The Nafula Foundation5118 Wentworth Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55419The Nafula Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and all donations are tax-deductible with processed receipt.

Contact

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