We support people in need in Kitui, Kenya. 
We work to provide the marginalised with clean water and access to education, and to empower them by boosting their economic independence. 

 

 

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Recent News in Brief

Updated July 4th 2009

School Emergency Feeding Programme Continues

As detailed below we had extended the emergency feeding programme until mid June expecting that the Government or the World Food Programme would take over responsibility for the two schools at Makayauni and Yimbuuvu. This has not happened so we have extended the programme for a further month to mid July. Funds are now nearly exhausted so we pray that one of these agencies will intervene rapidly.

Rains Fail for third year in a row

For the third successive year, the long and short rains have failed.The arid lands of Kitui can just about deal with the failure of one or two rains, but this three-year failure has been devastating. We are continuing to work to do what we can to alleviate the situation by provising water structures to harvest what little rain does fall.Your continuing help is essential

Read More HERE

A Thousand Thanks!

A huge "Thank You" to the many very generous people who responded to our recent appeal for funds to provide emergency food to two schools in Kitui. 

As you can see from the photo (right) taken March 27th, 540 children at Makayauni and Yimbuuvu schools in eastern Kitui are now receiving a nutritious meal each day. This programme will continue at least until mid-June. At that stage we are hoping the the World Food Programme (WFP) intervention in Kitui will take over. 

For more see Appeal Launched for Emergency Food Relief for two schools.

 

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Food-for-work to aid progress of water projects

FoK has responded to the famine in eastern Kitui by providing food-for-work to communities involved in constructing four sand dams. Shown left, a consignment of food arrives on one of the dam sites. Four of our current batch of 17 water projects had been delayed because of lack of food security in the local communities. All projects of the current round have now been completed, and we are preparing to start a new round.

Read more HERE

Canadian Friends of Kitui swing into action:

Dormitory construction gets under way at

Migwani Special Needs Unit

and

Ndandini "One Village at a Time" project

Update on Food and Water Situation

Solar Cooking- an answer to environmental degradation?

 

Make a start today-  Find out here why we should  help Kitui 

Water Projects Update

Water Project Monitoring Report

A recent visit by Friends of Kitui (FoK) to some of our earlier projects shows most are performing well, while others require further work to cope with the current exceptional drought.

Read more HERE

February 16th 2009

We have now completed our third round of water projects,  now numbering 37 in total, which have helped bring cleaner, safer water to over 13,000 people in 33 villages and 4 schools.

Preparation for our next round commenced March 2009. This time we will extend the scope of work to include sanitation projects. Construction should commence around August and will extend over 10 months or so. By June 2010 we will have served a further 8-9000 people.

Click Here for more

We have launched a new Kitui " Blog"

Click here to have your say!

 

Friends of Kitui links up with Canadian group funding a borehole close to Kitui town

Read more HERE

Schools & Education Update- February 16th 2009

St Michael's School Update

 

St Michaels is a 450-student primary boarding school being constructed by Friends of Kitui for the Catholic Diocese of Kitui. The aim is to provide a flagship academic institution offering the highest standards, which will be owned, managed and staffed by the Diocese. It will be open to all denominations.

A percentage of places at the new school will be available to those who cannot afford school fees.

The dining Hall is now under construction, and roofing to the accommodation blocks is complete.

Work is continuing on the project although at a slower rate than before, as the current economic crisis in Ireland has impacted on fundraising.We now hope to finish construction by the end of 2009.

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More Details

Makayauni School Update

 We are building a non-denominational Primary School in Makayauni, which lies in a very poor part of Kitui, to replace existing inadequate structures. The school will provide free education to all denominations and beliefs.

Our target is to complete the construction of an 8 classroom school by December 2010 which will be handed over to the community and run as a non fee-paying public school.

The community of Makayauni has now delivered on its promise of providing bricks, sand and hardcore to get this project under way. On February 5th we viewed the 20,000 bricks and many tons of materials gathered on the school site. The people told us of the impact of the famine on their lives, and we undertook to provide supplementary food for the children for one month to relieve the pressure on the parents.

 

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The existing school at Makayauni

Read More Here

About Friends of Kitui-

More than 100 orphans are now being sponsored through secondary school by Friends of Kitui

Without a secondary school qualification, it is almost impossible to secure permanent employment in Kitui. It is vital that we continue to support these students so they can complete their education.

Sponsorship means that each child gets food, accommodation and tuition for a school year. Although tuition is free of charge in all government owned schools, costs per student range from €250 to €500 per student per annum for full board.

The current economic climate in Ireland and elsewhere is presenting challenges in maintaining the level of fundraising required to keep these children in education. Please redouble your efforts to support these needy children. In times of economic downturn, it is always the most marginalised who suffer first.

  Read More

Third Level Support

In addition to the secondary school fee support programme, we also support a smaller number of students at third level institutions

Appeal Launched for Emergency Food Relief for two schools

 

During our recent trip, we visited two schools in particular in Eastern Kitui. In Makayauni school, where FoK have already funded a 50,000 litre water tank, and where a new fundraising effort is under way to provide a new 8-classroom school, we found that the school had no food to provide the children with a mid-day meal.

In nearby Yimbuva school, it was the same. We arrived just before lunch break and not one child had anything to eat. The teachers told us that the Government-provided food was sufficient only for two weeks per term for the 250 students. They went on to say that most of the children came to school without breakfast. And so by mid-day, hunger was impacting severely on their ability to concentrate on lessons. In the teachers words “By mid-day we have lost them”

On February 20th we launched an appeal to provide food aid until the end of April for these two schools. The response to date has been terrific and we hope with your help to meet the target in the next couple of weeks. 

Download a special Newsletter HERE which will tell you more- it also includes a special donation form. 

For the donation form only (smaller file) click HERE

Want to help- today?

 

Go to our donation page and select a project. 

You will make a real difference to a family in Kitui.

(Right) A mural in Kitui depicts how the entire community supports the disadvantaged and the sick, especially those suffering from AIDS

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Click to enlarge

Friends of Kitui and Trocaire team up!

To strengthen our support of  the people of Kitui, Friends of Kitui have entered a three way agreement with Trocaire and the Diocese of Kitui. Read More Here

Update on Food and Water situation in Kitui

 May 2009

The poor long rains, so far, in most of the southeastern and coastal marginal agricultural lowlands and significant parts of agropastoral and pastoral areas, are likely to accentuate food insecurity.

Substantial crop losses are expected to occur in the marginal agricultural areas in the southeast and coast, which will likely accelerate food insecurity.

Scarcity of maize has driven prices to unprecedented levels, up to 180 percent above normal, in markets situated in pastoral and marginal agricultural areas, underlining the erosion of purchasing capacities for cereal-deficit households.The food pipeline is under-resourced at this point, and is dependent largely on carryover stocks from the previous emergency distribution programmes.

Crop growth is progressing favorably in most parts of the key-producing Rift Valley, Nyanza, and Western highlands, and a good maize harvest is anticipated, barring poor rains or unexpected events between now and August.

Read More HERE

 

Empowerment of Women

The Honey Project

Sometimes we get it wrong...

  Our dream was to initiate a honey business in each of the 23 parishes of the Diocese of Kitui that would be managed, owned and operated for the sole purpose of empowering women financially, so that the women would have economic power to direct their own lives and have resources to care for their families.

The Honey Project has had limited success. Just over one-third of the 200 hives supplied by Friends of Kitui are currently occupied by bees. 

Following the first hints late 2007 that there could be problems in achieving a satisfactorily high level of hive occupancy we have used funds donated for womens empowerment projects for such activities as soap making, basket making and chicken rearing, with the more dynamic women's groups..

Click HERE for an update on the Honey Project

Worldwide, more than two thirds of those living in poverty are women.The underlying reasons are the status of women, gender issues, and lack of equality.

For generations, women have borne the greatest burden of famine, discrimination, and being treated as second class citizens.  Kitui Diocese has had a women's programme for over fifteen years with a full time women's co-ordinator working for the financial, cultural and social empowerment of all women.  

...more often we get it right......

Three womens groups in the parish of Zombe have now built up a track record in micro-businesses. These income generating activities produce a significant contribution to the household budget and give a small cash reserve to meet unexpected demands. The women organised themselves, each group electing their Chairperson, Secretary, & Treasurer, and collected a small contribution from each member. The seed capital was used for training in soap manufacture, using the local aloe vera plants, and for purchase of materials and equipment. 500 bars of soap and 50 beautifully made handbags were shipped to Ireland and sold at the last two Dalkey Outreach monthly coffee mornings before Christmas 2008. 

The “Chicken Group” have clubbed together and funded the construction of a chicken coop in Zombe from their own resources. Friends of Kitui will contribute further seed capital to purchase good quality breeding stock and to provide the essential vaccinations against endemic diseases. 

Read more HERE

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A woman breaks stones in Kitui to earn a few shillings for her family.

Click to enlarge

 

Rathgar parish raises €110,000 for Kitui

Less than 2 years after Rathgar partnered the parish of Kyuso in Kitui, over €110,000 has been raised - Click Here for an update

 see HERE how Friends of Kitui helps to address these issues in Kitui   

 

The average per capita income in Kitui is less than €2 per day

How other groups are helping Kitui

Dublin's Rathgar Parish forms Partnership with Kyuso in Kitui

Read more

The H2O Challenge!

How the people of Minnesota are helping Kitui Click here for more

We want to start a small business enterprise in Kitui.

If you are in the Engineering or  Printing Business,  we need your help. Click here for details

Learn more about Kitui-

geography, history, it's people, and statistics- and why we should help. 

 

Click here

 
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Click to enlarge

 

And at Musuoni Well, the Chairman holds the plaque from Loreto Primary School, Dalkey

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The Committee for Kiatineni Well, funded by the Seaver family, hold their plaque

By volunteering your time and your expertise, by making a donation,  by supporting your neighbours in their efforts on behalf of Kitui, you can make a real difference to the lives of others

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