maisha Newsletter

Dear Maisha friends & supporters,

Firstly, we would like to apologise for the delay in sending out this newsletter. We have been busy designing our new email newsletter program - which as you will see is more professional, easy to read and a great way to keep you updated with the latest news from the Maisha home. We hope you like the result!

Children's Updates

All the Maisha children continue to thrive academically, physically and emotionally, but we would like to highlight the special achievements of a few of them:

We are very proud to announce that Judy, one of the first Maisha kids to move into the home in 2009, is now studying at university. Judy studied hard at her primary and secondary schools and successfully passed her end of school exams and was accepted at the Nairobi University. She is currently studying for a Bachelor of Commerce, a 4-year program. We wish her every success in her university life and studies.

Judy was also awarded a scholarship to attend the Global Youth Peace Summit in Kenya where she was joined this October by 60+ other youth from around East Africa to learn about self-empowerment and cultivating peace from within. This wonderful opportunity was both an enriching and life-changing experience for her.

Crispin is now in his final year of secondary education and will be taking his end of school exams in November. He hopes to go on to study at university and we wish him all the best for his upcoming end of school exams.

We are also proud to announce that John completed his primary education and is now well into his first year of secondary school. John has had to work very hard to get this far and is highly respected amongst his fellow students at school.

Computer Lab

Thanks to Global Gratitude Alliance, Maisha now has a computer lab where the children are learning the basics of using computers. This will help the children learn the necessary skills involved in computer literacy, a must in today's world.

Volunteers

Several volunteers spent time at the home this year and we are grateful for the time, energy and love that they have given so willingly to Maisha. One couple from Switzerland spent over two months at the home and their input and creativity has improved life at the home immensely. They added multiple creative touches to the home with their artistic skills and even provided the children with an outdoor fitness circuit. They also taught the Maisha helpers how to bake bread and the children now have freshly baked bread each morning. Thank you Daniel and Desiree for all your amazing work and help. We are in awe of what you achieved in such a short amount of time.

Water

As many of you may remember, several years ago we drilled a bore hole to provide the Maisha home with fresh, clean water. Although the quality of the water has been good, there was still a fair amount of fluoride in it.

We are grateful to Global Gratitude Alliance for their support and contribution in this area, amongst many others. Thanks to their fundraising, Maisha now has a water filter which means the children and the entire Maisha family can benefit from safe, clean drinking water that contains just the necessary amount of fluoride.

Fundraising Thanks!

In August , Maisha held a fundraising garden aperitif in Prangins, Switzerland to raise money to help us cover the ever increasing education fees and in an attempt to attract new sponsors for the home. The event was a huge success and we would like to thank all those who attended and contributed. We are especially grateful to Jessica and Krista for all their hard work in putting this event together and ensuring that it ran smoothly . Special thanks to Shelley who so graciously hosted this event in her beautiful home and garden and so generously donated the food and most of the wine.

We would also like to thank Shannon Keith, Torsten Bartsch and Richard Cole for their generous contribution to Maisha, via their joint birthday party fundraiser. Happy birthday to all three of you!

Volunteer Needed

We are actively looking for a volunteer to help run, maintain and update our website. We would like to update our website as frequently as possible. If any one knows of someone who could help us in this area, please email us. We'd love to hear from you!

Asante Sana!

Once again we thank you for your continuous support. It means so much to us.

From our hearts to yours,
The Maisha family