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Image (above): an educational visit to the Wildlife Warriors field lab, offering immersive encounters with wildlife.
To our friends and supporters from around the world! Welcome to our quarterly update, where we'll be sharing news and updates of our projects thanks to your support. Our vision has always been to empower our local communities through sustainable development projects in our region. With your help, we've been able to make a massive impact over the past few months, and we're excited to share our progress with you. Thank you for being a part of our journey and we look forward to updating you as our projects develop.
Greening Schools Program (Oloosirkon School)
The Greening Schools project is well underway, not only helping to provide shade and some greenery to the school, but to teach the students the importance of environmental conservation, where each student has the opportunity to 'adopt' a tree and raise it throughout the years.
Image (right): On August 18, 2023 - G. Kironchi and H. Boke visited Oloosirkon school and prepared a draft tree plan as indicated below.
On Sept 26, 2023 - Launched the Food Forest & kickoff for the ‘Adopt a Tree’ initiative – 110 fruit trees planted including 42 passion fruits, 20 banana trees, 20 lemons, 10 oranges, 8 mulberries and 10 pawpaw Our main objective of this project is to convert the current random tree planting site into a dense, diverse and intensively managed food forest i.e., to supply the school with fruits and vegetables for their kitchen. Other objectives include to empower the young generation with agroforestry knowledge and skills including naturing trees through our adopt a tree initiative. SEE OUR OPEN SOURCE FOOD FOREST DATA HERE “During the launch we met Javiel, a passionate and hardworking grade 4 student, who has adopted a banana tree (the most outstanding of all the trees in the garden today) he planted last year and has checked on his tree twice everyday at least (somedays he will check on it each time he steps foot out of class) since then and made sure it is well watered. As we launched the Food Forest at his school (Oloosirkon Primary) on the 26th of Sept, he adopted his second tree, a lemon tree that he committed to take good care of.
To inspire him and other like-minded kids, we got him a pair of shorts and shirts to add on the one shirt and shorts that he had to wear every school day. (His shorts were torn and the shirt was almost worn out). Today, he is probably the neatest student in the school. He got so excited about the gift and has started to mobilize some of the other students to get involved in growing trees and we are looking mentor him into the role of leading the other students.” Image (left): Cynthia (an Agroecology enthusiast) and Ben (A gardening expert from Ololo) helping Javiel plant his lemon tree.
St Johns School Updates
St Johns School is located in the heart of the Kibera slum - the largest slum in Africa. It's roughly the size of NY Central Park and is home to almost 1 million people. St. John's primary school was started by Josiah Munyutu in 2002, with the aim of helping the orphans, street children, and the poor. It now has over 400 students. We partnered with St Johns School in 2017, and have injected over $120,000 USD into it's development since. Currently, we are funding the following:
13 full time teachers salaries
24 high school scholarships for those selected to continue onto high-school
Ongoing construction projects
As you can imagine, out of 400 students, we want the majority to continue onto further education. However, with limited resources and with many families coming from very poor situations, this dream is often not the reality. We would encourage for anyone who is passionate about education, to help sponsor a high school student for just $30/month.
Image (right): school feeding program at St John's School Sponsor a high school student
Arts and Crafts Program
In Q3, Ololo Foundation successfully executed a dynamic August holiday program. This program was meticulously planned and offered enriching experiences for children. The activities included interactive practice sessions, art and crafts, rugby practice, and exciting excursions. Notably, a camp for 16 girls was a highlight, featuring BBQs and marshmallow roasting. Educational trips, like the visit to Bomas of Kenya, provided cultural learning opportunities. The rugby team's tournament showcased their impressive progress.
Image (above): The second week commenced with an educational visit to the Wildlife Warriors field lab, offering immersive encounters with wildlife.
Image (left): A camping expedition for boys promoted camaraderie and inspiration from high school students. The program concluded with a visit to the Karen Blixen museum, offering diverse activities. In summary, the August holiday program was enriching and multifaceted. Ololo Foundation expresses gratitude to all involved and remains committed to impactful programs in the future.
During the third quarter, Ololo Foundation's Art, Craft, and Culture program showed significant progress and included the following programs: • Paper Maché: Children enthusiastically recycled cardboard boxes to create captivating paper maché artworks. • Weaving: A dedicated group of five girls learned basketry weaving, showcasing their newfound skills. • Drawing: Children actively engaged in drawing projects, bringing completed work to subsequent meetings. • Glass Bottle Decorations: Empty wine bottles were creatively repurposed into decorative pieces, promoting sustainability. • Potting in Canning Tins: Planting succulents in canning tins provided valuable horticultural experience. • Glass Bottle Cutting: Over a week, 30 glass bottles were effectively cut and repurposed, with children taking their creations home. • Expanding Outreach: Ololo Foundation reached out to additional schools, starting farm kids and agricultural clubs to share regenerative agriculture knowledge.
Sports Program
The Sports Program has been a huge success, keeping the students engaged after school and in their holidays, learning new skills, and importantly, just having some fun. Below you will find some of our key activities and achievements over the last 3 months.
1. Sports Scholarships
Few kids have managed to secure Rugby Scholarships in National Schools; Menengai School and Upper Hill School namely Athman Ali, Vuleti Miller, Chege Joseph Mathenge (Menengai High School) Tiberius Evans Ikobe, Charles Kimanzi Mindu(Upper Hill School)
2. Ball Kids Program
3. Impact Sports Workshops
4. Football Tournament
5. Rugby Tournaments
6. National Tournament
7. New Sports
8. Home Visits
9.Toddlers Program
Donate and Make a Difference Your continued support is crucial in helping us sustain and expand our projects. We deeply appreciate any contribution you can make to empower the local community and create lasting change.
AUSTRALIAN DONATIONS For Aussie supporters, we take donations through 'Action on Poverty' which allows you to receive tax deductability on all donations make. Follow the below link, click donate, and select 'Ololo Foundation' as your chosen recipient.
INTERNATIONAL DONATIONS For donations from around the world, we take donations through our 'Donorbox' portal, which is a quick and easy way of donating. Follow the below link and choose either a once-off or monthly donation.
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