Current Daraja-Supported Projects:
In the 2007-2008 period, Daraja has been supporting the following three programs:
Solid Rock Children’s Home:
Solid Rock Children’s Home is a non-profit organization in Eldoret. It was started in January 2002 to respond to the growing need for orphan care in the Eldoret region. It is the brainchild of Mrs. Esther W. Mwangi, whose long term vision has been to help needy children. The home’s principal goal is to provide comprehensive care for 30 vulnerable children. It seeks to cover their material, educational, and psychological needs. The home needs local and international sponsors to ‘adopt’ each of the 30 orphans at $25 a month ($300 a year) to facilitate their care.
Neema Children’s Home:
Neema is a home for HIV/AIDS infected and affected children in Kenya. Since HIV/AIDS results in social disruption of families, many children are often left helpless after the death of their guardians. It is with this concern in mind that Joshua and Miriam Mbithi are caring for 24 children. They seek to care, protect and love these children. Most of the little ones in their care are babies and toddlers.
Neighbors in Action:
Neighbors in Action was registered in 2000 as a local Non-governmental organization to serve Burnt Forest town and its socio-economically poor environs. It is located approximately 30km east of Eldoret town in the growing town of Burnt Forest. This organization seeks to improve quality of life through health interventions and related activities that enhance local resource capacity. Specific Neighbors in Action activities thus far have included: Home-based care for people living with HIV/AIDS; Support for orphaned and vulnerable children; Empowerment of guardians and caregivers of vulnerable children and people living with HIV; Nutrition and food security; Community mobilization to improve health; Training community health care workers; and Collaboration and networking. Neighbors in Action builds the capacity of care givers to address psychosocial needs of orphaned and vulnerable children. The caregivers in this community include: community health workers, foster parents, and school teachers. The current enrolment of vulnerable children is 600 (300 males and 300 females).
Ongoing Daraja Interventions:
In 2007, Daraja Children’s Project raised $4,300.00 and provided food, clothing, a firewood stove, built 40 beds, bought mattresses, and beddings for orphans. The funds used for the projects were raised through two main methods: first we distributed baby bottles to members and supporters, into which they placed their spare change; second, we appealed to friends, colleagues, and individuals in our networks to contribute any dollar amount to our project. Although this collection process was slow, there are children in Kenya whose lives have been deeply touched.
Daraja seeks to apply long term and self sustaining perspectives when designing and contributing to interventions for vulnerable children. The Eldoret region and its surrounding areas have great agricultural potential. Directors of the three programs above have all expressed the wish to pursue or diversify their current milk production for the children’s use, as well as for commercial purposes. With that in mind, Daraja members are raising money for basics (food, safe water, drugs, beddings, clothing etc) as well as for crop farming and dairy cattle initiatives.
