Safety Action Underway:

National Academy of Hidden Talents

Slums of Dagoretti, Kenya

Imagine, right now between 600 and 1700 orphans, HIV positive & street children  call the Academy of Hidden Talents home.  At present, only one man claims full authority over their safety and provision.  We have identified serious safety issues and are currently working with Kenyan authorities to fill the gaps. 

Poised on the edge of the slums of Kenya, in Nairobi, Dagoretti Corner (at the edge of Kibera, the largest slum on the African Continent) this Center will soon offer: 

• food, shelter
• free education
• sports, music and arts training
• clean, supportive surroundings

The objective is to have the children become self-sustaining themselves, and in Kenya, by ensuring they have a Secondary School education, training in a trade, while appreciating their heritage. To do this optimally, the program has to be sustainable as well.  Project Thrive has been tackling targets for sustainability and achieving them. Now the biggest challenge is ahead: Bringing safety and fiscal transparency to the Center with the help of Kenyan authorities. 

Drop in on any class and you'll see  students appreciate the opportunity to learn.  Volunteer to coach and you'll see intensity.   Imagine what they could do with your help:

Target 1:  Feed the Children

 Purchase a sawdust burning stove (cooking fuel savings add up to more money for food) Thank you!

 Purchase a cow for milk (Friesian, 20 liters a day) Graduating orphans can take on the care. Thank you!

 Purchase goats to raise and sell to purchase school supplies. Thank you!  Just a few more to reach our goal.

Purchase chicks for eggs and protein, retaining breeding stock.

Purchase a second sawdust burning stove so kids don't have to wait in line until midnight for dinner.

Purchase livestock (cow, and goats)

Implement multiple trade school options for graduating students: Bakery, farming (more under development)

Acquire partnership with another orphanage to develop crops  (Kisii site)

Target 2: More Sustainable, Livable Campus

* Acquire land

* Build infrastructure

* Drill well

* Plant crops and trees

* Build campus

* Build dorms

*  Build library, arts and sports facilities

* Build trade school

What is visiting the Center like?

Quotes from visitors:

"The image that comes back to me is not the landscape or the animals of Kenya, but the children’s faces looking up at me. Their happiness and joy despite so many hardships in their lives.  I got to experience total love just because I am a person, appreciation… and bigger words than I can even express.  You feel appreciated, accepted and admired, not because of who you are, or what you give, but just because you are.  As soon as you meet these children you want to give, but being there gave me a bigger gift than I could ever give them.” – Sandy B. April 2008 Expedition

 "I expected to see desperation in the eyes of the children I met at the orphanage academy. Abandoned, so near the slums of Kibera, what else would I expect?  Instead, I saw and felt unexpected emotions: Gratitude and Hope.

The Academy of Hidden Talents is a remarkable place that left me changed. If their team can make quality programs happen with no support, little space and no surety, imagine the model they can create with sustainable programs for consistent food and supplies... and a safe new campus! 

When we waved goodbye to the children, we knew we had to help. While the children focus on building their talents, we are putting ours to work to create a sustainable model.  Please join us. We could use your talents too!  I encourage you to visit beautiful Kenya and while there experience the center for yourself.  In the meantime, please join us in making a large self-sustaining orphanage a reality."  

             -  Celeste Mergens    Director of Project Thrive

What Staff and Volunteers say:

The academy is fortunate to have a dedicated staff of volunteer teachers and are thankful for the roof over their heads, classrooms for the students, and shelter for the children.  When asked what their chief concerns were, the staff named:

• Inadequate shelter for the increased number of needy children left without parents due to HIV/AIDS epidemic in Kenya and throughout Africa
• Inadequate funds to run center programs effectively
• Inadequate food and physical facilities for cooking
• Functional but unsanitary conditions for water supply and plumbing.
• Expensive medical treatment and drugs for sick children
• Lack of teaching instructional materials (IM) including:
  books, notepads, paper, pencils, pens, and basic school supplies
• Inadequate clothing and sanitary pads for girls
• Unaffordable high school education running cost
• Need for relocation to a place with more adequate shelter and facilities.
• PROJECT THRIVE is working to fulfil these needs, thanks to you.

Ways to Support the Academy:     

• Monetary contributions
• Food, cooking supplies,
• Supplies, clothing, educational materials (though shipping can be difficult)
• Visit the center and volunteer to teach, read to children, etc. There are many opportunities to help.
• Be an International Talent Team member
• Help make the Center sustainable by donating to the Relocation Fund.

Our team travels twice annually to the Center, thanks to the Clay Foundation.  We can take a limited amount of supplies, though purchasing supplies in Kenya is generally more practical.  Center supply needs include:

    * Food and cooking supplies

    * Clothing and shoes

    * Instructional materials - educational textbooks, reference books, magazines, literature, etc.  Topics include: Science, Math, History, Social Studies, Geography, English, Computers and Music

    * Basic school supplies - notepads, paper, pencils, pens, tape, staples, paper clips, etc.

    * Medical supplies - bandages, first aid kits, antiseptic, etc.

    * Computers, accessories, and computer parts

    * Printer ink, copy paper, and office supplies

    * Sporting good supplies - soccer and basketballs, toys and games

Come meet the children, sit in or help teach a class, tour the Center, and see the facilities and conditions first hand. Whether you join us for a special service expedition, or are simply passing through Nairobi, feel free to contact the center to volunteer for weeks, days, or only a few hours. You are always welcome. Email support@clayforearth.org for contact information.

Nairobi, Kenya 

Upcoming  Events:

Golf Fore Good  Classic  July 17th, 2009  at Homestead Golf Course in Lynden, WA.  The kick-off for Lynden's Raspberry Festival. To download registration and sponsor forms visit www.lynden.org .  For more information email info@clayforearth.org.

Project Thrive Sustainable Solutions for Vulnerable Children Conference -  Sept. 2009  More information to come.  info@clayforearth.org