A good education has a direct correlation with life chances for children everywhere in the world. In many African societies it is still a luxury that has a low priority when daily life can be hard. CF are proud to have been able to help the Maasai Health and Educational Fund bring education to Oldarpoi Camp near Narok in Kenya, which is right on the edge of the Maasai Mara.
The Maasai Health and Educational Fund is a small charity dedicated to improving the lives of the people of Oldarpoi, using the school as a focus for projects aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the whole village.
The charity was started by Moira Holt and Mark and Jenny Welch, who, following a visit to the area, set about raising funds to build a classroom, employ teachers and provide desks and other materials. This led to a longer term commitment to the village which has led to a number of community initiatives including:
- Assisting with a child who had an eye illness that would have otherwise gone untreated, paying for his medical examinations, eye drops, his glasses and then subsidising his school fees so that he could continue his education.
- Subsidising other children to continue their education who otherwise would have to have finished their education at an earlier age.
- Ovens for creating a local bakery
- Building toilets for the school.
- Providing school uniform and football kits for pupils (assisted by Tesco and Football to Africa and beyond).
- Building a solar powered bakery to allow the community to be more self-sufficient.
- Food for the school children.
The fund reviews all requests from the local community and assesses which ones will give the most benefit to the community as a whole. Current projects include looking at how wheat can be produced for flour production, as well as ensuring the school continues to have all the equipment and staff needed to provide a good education for the children in the area.
In a world where large charities can sometimes appear faceless and corporate, it is refreshing to work with a smaller charity where every penny has a visible and direct impact on people’s lives.