Despite all the progress, there is still so much work to be done both to improve the school and vulnerable children as well as continuing to empower the community and reduce poverty. We really need all qualified volunteers to come and help the teachers with teaching since the classes are quite big and small children can be a lot of work. We also need volunteers to continue organic farming training in the community as well as people who are interested in working with youths on a variety of different topics (e.g. HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, gender issues etc.) We also need people who are interested in working with youth on events which bring them together such as sports tournaments it may not seem important but it can really make a difference. Volunteers who are capable of fundraising will also be essential to the success of WEPOGA, as right now we are really dependent on donations for continuing farming loans and sponsoring events. We really want to begin establishing small scale loans for farmers to begin their own kitchen gardens and organic farms. To get a more encompassing view of all the work that still needs to be done, here is a list of some of our top priorities.
A. Construction of new classrooms for older students which is very urgent since starting next year they have nowhere to go,so please who ever wants to help think about it.
B. Expanding the WEPOGA farm, which is currently too small to be completely self sustaining. We want to be able to completely supply all the food for the school children and have a better demonstration plot for farmers.
C. Fundraising for more projects that will make WEPOGA more self sustaining and not so dependent on donors.
D. Eventually purchase a truck to transport animal feed, food, surplus produce to sell (e.g. milk, eggs) and to assist other farmers in delivering their produce to markets and assist them in marketing organic produce.
E. Purchase a school van that would carry children who must currently walk a long distance to school everyday, by themselves. There is also a river that is close to the school, some students, because they are very young, cannot cross the river so must take a long walk around to cross it.
F. Fundraising for teachers’ salaries and other workers so we can continue to staff the organization and school with competent, reliable workers.
G. Fundraise for more school supplies (e.g. more desks, chairs, books, shelves, computers, printers a photocopier and a generator since we do not have electricity).
H. Establishment of the medical center, to treat the most vulnerable children and families in the area. We do have a government run medical clinic in the area but it is falling short of serving everyone in the community.
So these are a few, but certainly not the only, future plans for WEPOGA in our continuing effort to support our community in need. As an organization we are really committed towards working for a common goal, to see the community benefit from our programs.
We would really appreciate any and all support, whether that means coming to Kenya to help us on the ground or sponsoring one of our many projects from home, anything and everything helps! Remember, many things can be done much cheaper here than in the developed countries, a little money can go a long way. WEPOGA will also help in anyway we can to assist in tax write-offs for donations as well as constant updates on exactly what your money and time is going towards. Hope to hear from you soon, thank you so much.
As well as continuing to educate our growing number of members by providing up to date training in organic farming, WEPOGA's aim is to become self-sufficient as an organisation. We want to be able to provide our members with a full range of services from education and advice, to transporting their goods to markets both here in Kenya and abroad. We want to be able to offer micro-finance and agro-credit schemes to farmers and to provide them with a full range of products from organic fertilizers and pesticides, to superior seeds and seedlings. We also aim to establish a multi-purpose tree nursery.
We want to be able to offer more children a place at the Amani Academy school and to be able to provide them all with school uniforms and stationery equipment. We want to see these children graduate to class 1 and even to eventually be able to sponsor them at high school. We want to be able to provide the children with more than just their cup of porridge a day and to be able to pay our teachers a salary for all their hard work and efforts. We want the Amani Academy School to be recognised by the Ministry of Education here in Kenya as a worthwhile and excellent institution. We want to be able to provide a daycare centre for children under the age of 3 so that they are not left at home alone or in the care of slightly older siblings (who in turn are then unable to go to school) whilst their parents go to work.
We want to be able to reach all members in our community to offer them access to basic medical care, education on HIV and AIDS and support for bereaved families, who often have to take up the responsibility of caring for orphaned children. We want to be able to offer these children proper counselling and support.
We want to be able to provide our services throughout the whole of the Western Province, not just the Bungoma and Butere Mumais districts. We want to raise the standard of living for all.