KidsLibs Trust update!

 Have you looked at our blog recently?www.kidslibskenya.blogspot.com

KLT now has SEVEN libraries open in slum and rural areas of Kenya! Very cool! And still no funding for KLT itself (like for staff!).. but still the libraries come! Above is Gacharageini our latest rural library out in the Aberdare hills!

AFK books will go into our next library.. Kinamba or Sosian- both rural again!

Little Hands, Big Steps launched by KidsLibs Trust in Kenya!!

At last Little Hands Big Steps is running!


We launched yesterday at Mathare North MYSA library with four Mums and one Dad!! Our youngest is 3 months, and out oldest 4 years!! We started by giving the books to each chil- one immediately stopped crying! The four year old had been running around, and he sat SOO well on his Mums knee!


I explained how the book bags are exchanged every week for a period of 10 weeks. Also about the little logbook inside each bag, which they must complete every week (this says how often they used the books, if any other family member helped, if the children liked or disliked the books, etc). Steve explained how there will be a certificate at the end of the 10 weeks, and that each child will be given some books to keep at home after the programme.



If this works we will introduce LHBS to other centres and start a trend of reading in Kenya with under 5 year olds!!!



Many thanks to AFK and Norwich Rotary club in the USA for their donation of funds to purchase some of the books for this... cant do it without you guys!!!

KidsLibs Trust in Kenya!!!

See our updated Blog on http://kidslibskenya.blogspot.com/! LOTS has been happening!!!! Photos of proposed new library room for Kawangware centre, reports on each centre's achievements (Mathare North is teaching hip hop!), Laikipia 's neighbour the School for the Deaf performing a drama in sign language for us... GO ON!!!! HAVE A LOOK!!!!

Anne

Crisis in Kenya: Emergency Relief Fund

As you all may have heard, the situation in Kenya is critical, with ethnic violence and unrest followed by the Kenyan election on December 27th.
We have communicated with all our partners and they are safe at the moment, although some, mainly the ones in Kibera slums, have lost their homes to fire.

We have set up a page in our website with more information on News about the crisis, our partners updates, and what you can do to help.

PLEASE keep our Kenyan friends in your thoughts and prayers.

We have set up an "Emergency Relief Fund" to specifically help those that will need to rebuild their homes and others in other areas with great needs.

If you are able, we urge you to please help us by making a safe, tax deductible, online donation to the EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND.

Thank you for your continued support.

Marisa and all at American Friends of Kenya (AFK)

New Partnership with Doc to Dock!

AFK wishes to express its sincere appreciation to Dr. Bruce Charash, founder and CEO of Doc to Dock and to his staff and his organization.

Everyday in the United States thousands of tons of unused medical supplies are either incinerated or sent to landfills. At the same time, in developing nations, thousands of patients are turned away from hospitals and clinics due to a lack of these supplies. Doc to Dock’s mission is to correct this imbalance.

Doc to Dock was created as part of a commitment to improving global health, put forth at the inaugural meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. The initiative is a non-partisan catalyst for action bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Doc to Dock collects monetary donations and medical supplies from participating hospitals, in addition to carrying out collection drives at medical conventions. Volunteers from all parts of the medical community sort, label and pack the supplies in warehouses and set up inventories or items from which recipient hospitals may select needed items. Arrangements are made with the receiving developing nations and the supplies (which include diagnostic equipment, electronics and general hospital supplies) are then shipped by either air freight or ocean transport.

AFK has as one of its goals a focus on issues affecting public health in Kenya. To this end, we take in our medical teams to Kenya and constantly collect medical supplies to send to the rural clinics. While we have been doing this for two years, it is not sufficient to provide the supplies needed to the vast number of hospitals and rural clinics in Kenya. Doc to Dock is able to be a highly effective force in our public health initiative and help our medical teams have the supplies and equipment they need in order to be effective in their roles in the rural clinics and slum areas where AFK’s partners live.

We urge you to check out the Doc to Dock web site and spread the word to your friends in the medical community to help Doc to Dock in its efforts, efforts that will in turn, help AFK. Doc to Dock has access to warehouses in different areas of the U.S. if you have supplies to donate. You may contact them via their website.

We have invited Bruce Charash to join us in Kenya in 2008 as part of our medical mission and hope he will take us up on it so that he can see firsthand what wonders his organization can work for the people of Kenya.

Thank you Bruce and Doc to Dock, your mission is making our mission a realizable dream!

Thika Regional Library

The Thika Regional Library

We are currently raising funds to build a new regional library in rural Kenya that would serve over 900,000 people around Thika. The goal= $20,000

Two high school girls from Tampa, Megan Adams and Danielle Rodriguez, two wonderful high school young women, are hard at work raising the money to build the Thika Regional Library. The first fund raiser is set for August in Miami, Florida. Danielle's aunt is hosting the event in her Coral Gables home. If you wish to be invited to the event or would like more information, please contact Emely at Director@afkinc.org.

It's amazing that two high school students have undertaken such a big project, which is to culminate in their going with us to Kenya in 2008 to help put up that library. The parents deserve a good deal of credit also for supporting Megan and Danielle on their project. Of course, Carrie Adams and Evelyn Rodriguez will travel with us also on the adventure to Kenya.

We ask our readers and supporters to help their efforts by making a donation to AFK marked "Library Fund".

Also, please visit the website they set up for the project, staying tuned to their news and events and/or making a financial contribution to AFK Library Fund.

http://www.literacyleadstohope.org/

Thanks!

We Need Donated Laptops!

Please help us get laptops!!!

If you are upgarding your laptop for a new one, know of somebody getting rid of one (in good conditions, of course), or work at a school, library or any organization that changes their computers frequently, PLEASE see if you can donate these to this very special cause.

Our partners in Kibera slums, Nairobi, Kenya have just started a project that will prove to be succesful! They started the "Kibera Women's Computer Program" teaching women of the slums computer lessons, database entry and other clerical but very important skills in order to improve their chances of getting an administrative job and to learn to handle the computers for Internet use in education opportunities, literacy and knowledge.

The program started with two computers sponsored by AFK, but as the program is growing rapidly they need many more!!!

Please help us make their dream come true and help these women get the knowledge they want.

If you wish to donate or make a connection, please email me at Chicago@afkinc.org. and THANKS!