•  Mothers - The Mutulu Childrens Education Fund (MCEF)

The MCEF is a group ("Harambee") of women that raises funds for the education of their children.  THe Group intends to construct a house on their property (which was purchased for them by Child Focus Africa with assistance from Mrs. Harvey Tremblay of Smithers, BC ) which will be used as a base for their operations. 

Jim and Judy Senka (CFA Canada) have met, discussed and witnessed first hand the enthusiasm ingrained in these wonderful women. These women lack opportunities for work and development and have become very resilient in an effort to fill the gaps and unmet needs within their households. The group is comprised of female heads of households and single parents. A common factor among them is that they are all from very poor backgrounds; hence none of them can afford school fees for their children without the support of other group members. 

The situation is further compromised by Kenyan culture and these women have taken it among themselves to be the bread earners in their households and to invest in their children’s education which they believe will help end the poverty cycle. 

While some of their families can survive with one or two meals a day (when crops don’t fail), education is not a priority and these women are forced to engage in other income generating projects to offer education for their children which would (based on their poverty level and hierarchy of needs ) be considered a luxury. Only primary education is free in Kenya and free has been interpreted to be free from fee paying….though other payments suffice! A lot of cultural norms and practices prevent these women from being self sufficient.

Membership in this group gives them a voice and opportunity to fend for themselves and their families. By supporting this group, you are giving the Mutulu Women in Migwani a voice and a place in this patriarchal community.

The recent (fall 2012) visit by Dr. Bastian verified that the Group has been dedicated and hard-woeking and is beginning to become successful in meeting their goals.  Their property is very visible on the edge of town and it is anticipated that their success will improve the image of women as valuable members of society. 

Issues:

1. The women have pooled their funds (a form of micro-financing) to buy and care for laying hens and selling eggs.  For the present, each woman cares for one hen in her home. They have agreed to share some of these eggs with the Special Needs Unit which was lacking some dietary protein. Dr. Bastian has helped them with the purchase of additional hens during her visit.

2. The property purchased for the group ( a 100 X 150' lot ) will serve as a base of operations for the women.  They have built a kiln and will be making bricks for a building during the rainy season. CFA has the objective of raising funds for a second adjacent plot of land since the first plot is not quite adequate to accommodate everything they want to do..

3.  Len Vanderstar (Summits of Canada) and Dickson Wamgugu (Adventure AfricA) purchased 8 treadle sewing machines for these women and are currently looking for a means of teaching them advanced sewing techniques and to provide them with materials to make wares for sale.

4. The women also a long-range goal of establishing a dairy goat herd which has great potential for financial growth. 

5. At the suggestion of Dr. Bastian the group has drawn up a business plan. 

On Sept. 2011, a group of 8 Canadian women met for the first time as a group to devise some means of helping the Mutulu Women with the above issues. If you'd like to join this group, please contact Dian Cromer at diancromer@telus.net, or Mandi Story at mandiggc@yahoo.ca. 

Canadian volunteers are expected to do only what is reasonable and comfortable for themselves.  In our experience, this kind of work has always been fun, and more importantly, personally rewarding.