Email Update to Supporters
March 7, 2008
Dear Friends/Family/Supporters,
It has been a while since I’ve sent an update regarding my neighbors in Kenya. As you will recall, while I was in Kenya my neighbor’s mother suddenly died leaving behind four children with minimal provisions for support. Many of you responded to an email in 2002 and sponsored their education through high school.
Three of the four graduated from high school at the end of 2006 and received grades on their standardized exams to continue with their education. Without a college education, there is little opportunity for them to have a good quality of life and sustainable futures. I sent out another email last October assessing interest in supporting college educations and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Here are the some meaningful events over the past few months:
-- I created a blog as a means to update you all more frequently. When I get emails from the kids, I will copy them to the blog. It isn’t quite as efficient as a website, but it is FREE. Please check it out at www.kenyahope.blogspot.com.
-- The kids started school in January and are doing very well. Kevin is attending The Hotel and Tourism Institute, an internationally recognized program. He is studying Culinary Arts. Eric is studying Mechanics at the Vocational Production Training Center. Traphis is studying Hospitality at Dima College. All colleges are in Nairobi and Eric, Kevin, and Traphis are living together in Nairobi. Sophia is a junior in high school, continuing her education at Musingu Boarding School in Western Kenya.
-- Here is a breakdown of expenses:
Kevin’s tuition over two years: $7,500
Eric’s tuition over three years: $2,000
Traphis’ tuition over two years: $2,500
Sophie’s remaining high school fees: $1,000
Cost of living for two years (Eric, Kevin, Traphis): $7,200
Amounts are approximate because exchange rates fluctuate.
Cost of living is $300 per month for the three in college in Nairobi and includes rent, food, transportation, and incidentals. Cost of living for Sophie is included in her tuition fees.
Total all these amounts and the cost is approximately $20,000 for three college degrees, the cost of living over two years, and the completion of high school for Sophie. It is a lot of shillingi, but money well spent for the futures of these bright and hopeful young adults.
-- Here is where we are to date on the funds:
Amount Pledged to date: $13,000
Amount received to date: $11,335
Amount left to receive/raise: $7,000
-- GOOD NEWS!
I have partnered up with The Orphan Support League, a non-profit that helps orphans in Kenya. The founder of OSL is a wonderful woman who has been raising funds – 100% of which goes directly to the work in Kenya. She has been receiving some media attention and that has increased awareness and fundraising. She is expanding her projects and is willing to help with the education fund. I’ll be sending an email out later this year about a program where she is willing to match the funds that I can raise from family and friends. In addition, contributions over $100 can now be made to the Orphan Support League, and she will send out a tax deduction letter for your records. The Orphan Support League and yours truly were recently featured on the local ABC news here. You can check that out at:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/focus_on_solutions&id=6003960l
Click on the second picture (the one with me and the kids) to start the video.
-- My friend Kathy threw an amazing dinner party/fundraiser in February and invited her friends and neighbors. We had a fabulous time and nearly $1,500 was raised in one evening. I wanted to mention this because I’m grateful to the Copeland’s and their heart to bring awareness to this cause amongst their circles of support. If you have friends or family interested in supporting the education and future’s of these kids, please feel free to pass the information along!
-- Eric, Kevin, and Traphis have all written thank you letters. They are posted on the blog. Check them out at www.kenyahope.blogspot.com. I’ve asked them to take pictures and send them to me, and I’ll post those when I get them in the next couple of months. I didn’t provide much direction, so it was fun to read the letter. Remember that English is their THIRD language so they are rough in spots.
-- If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away! Again, I’m just so grateful for all the support. Sometimes I get quite anxious about how this is all going to work out, but then I get responses from people that just blow me away. So thanks so much for the willingness to help. Not only in finances, but just in the interest of these lives that mean so much to me. I can’t overstate how much I love these four young adults and it means the world to me that they are having the opportunity to succeed. That couldn’t happen without your support, so thank you a million times over.
Love,
Diane
It has been a while since I’ve sent an update regarding my neighbors in Kenya. As you will recall, while I was in Kenya my neighbor’s mother suddenly died leaving behind four children with minimal provisions for support. Many of you responded to an email in 2002 and sponsored their education through high school.
Three of the four graduated from high school at the end of 2006 and received grades on their standardized exams to continue with their education. Without a college education, there is little opportunity for them to have a good quality of life and sustainable futures. I sent out another email last October assessing interest in supporting college educations and the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Here are the some meaningful events over the past few months:
-- I created a blog as a means to update you all more frequently. When I get emails from the kids, I will copy them to the blog. It isn’t quite as efficient as a website, but it is FREE. Please check it out at www.kenyahope.blogspot.com.
-- The kids started school in January and are doing very well. Kevin is attending The Hotel and Tourism Institute, an internationally recognized program. He is studying Culinary Arts. Eric is studying Mechanics at the Vocational Production Training Center. Traphis is studying Hospitality at Dima College. All colleges are in Nairobi and Eric, Kevin, and Traphis are living together in Nairobi. Sophia is a junior in high school, continuing her education at Musingu Boarding School in Western Kenya.
-- Here is a breakdown of expenses:
Kevin’s tuition over two years: $7,500
Eric’s tuition over three years: $2,000
Traphis’ tuition over two years: $2,500
Sophie’s remaining high school fees: $1,000
Cost of living for two years (Eric, Kevin, Traphis): $7,200
Amounts are approximate because exchange rates fluctuate.
Cost of living is $300 per month for the three in college in Nairobi and includes rent, food, transportation, and incidentals. Cost of living for Sophie is included in her tuition fees.
Total all these amounts and the cost is approximately $20,000 for three college degrees, the cost of living over two years, and the completion of high school for Sophie. It is a lot of shillingi, but money well spent for the futures of these bright and hopeful young adults.
-- Here is where we are to date on the funds:
Amount Pledged to date: $13,000
Amount received to date: $11,335
Amount left to receive/raise: $7,000
-- GOOD NEWS!
I have partnered up with The Orphan Support League, a non-profit that helps orphans in Kenya. The founder of OSL is a wonderful woman who has been raising funds – 100% of which goes directly to the work in Kenya. She has been receiving some media attention and that has increased awareness and fundraising. She is expanding her projects and is willing to help with the education fund. I’ll be sending an email out later this year about a program where she is willing to match the funds that I can raise from family and friends. In addition, contributions over $100 can now be made to the Orphan Support League, and she will send out a tax deduction letter for your records. The Orphan Support League and yours truly were recently featured on the local ABC news here. You can check that out at:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/focus_on_solutions&id=6003960l
Click on the second picture (the one with me and the kids) to start the video.
-- My friend Kathy threw an amazing dinner party/fundraiser in February and invited her friends and neighbors. We had a fabulous time and nearly $1,500 was raised in one evening. I wanted to mention this because I’m grateful to the Copeland’s and their heart to bring awareness to this cause amongst their circles of support. If you have friends or family interested in supporting the education and future’s of these kids, please feel free to pass the information along!
-- Eric, Kevin, and Traphis have all written thank you letters. They are posted on the blog. Check them out at www.kenyahope.blogspot.com. I’ve asked them to take pictures and send them to me, and I’ll post those when I get them in the next couple of months. I didn’t provide much direction, so it was fun to read the letter. Remember that English is their THIRD language so they are rough in spots.
-- If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away! Again, I’m just so grateful for all the support. Sometimes I get quite anxious about how this is all going to work out, but then I get responses from people that just blow me away. So thanks so much for the willingness to help. Not only in finances, but just in the interest of these lives that mean so much to me. I can’t overstate how much I love these four young adults and it means the world to me that they are having the opportunity to succeed. That couldn’t happen without your support, so thank you a million times over.
Love,
Diane
Gratitude from KEVIN
KEVIN OKANG'A LIGAMI
P.O BOX 43111
NAIROBI KENYA
24-02-2008
Dear Friends,
I hereby take this particular time, an opportunity to say Hi to all of you wherever you are. I hope you are all doing well in USA. May you be blessed in the name of the Lord.
I will start my letter by first introducing myself to all of you. My name is Kevin Ligami Okang'a and I am 22 years old. I am not that tall but I am a short man but I like my size. In Kenya we have more than 42 different communities and I am a Luhya man from western part of Kenya. I am not married but single. Now that you have at least a picture of mine I can now start my letter.
You all know the lady by the name Diane Davis. This is how I came to know her. Diane was in Kenya for two years with peace corps Kenya. In her stay here, we were living with her as our good neighbour. She was soooo good that all her memories are still fresh with us hear. I can describe her as a person with a heart of gold if I am not wrong.
During Diane's stay here, she was able to take us to high school after her considering that our parents could not make it. Things became more worse especially when we lost our mother. So Diane stepped into helping us acquire high school education. She was able to sponsor us right away from books and pens to school fees that was expensive but she did it. That is why I said, I can describe her as a lady with a heart of gold. We did our high school level education in the year 2006 November and I can tell you we did good. We did not stop there, we still wrote to our mother Diane in USA and told her about our views now we had graduated from high school. We told her we still wanted to go to college for more studies. I thank God she was ready to accept our request.
Now we are all in different colleges. My sister Traphis is doing Hotel management, Eric my brother is doing Motor vehicle engenering, I myself I am doing Hospitality management in Culinary arts. As you can all see we are able to go to college because of Diane.
Diane has been telling us from the time she was in Kenya that she is able to take us to school through her friends. She told us that she has friends that help her raise funds for her to send us. That is why I acknowledge your surport and want to say a BIG thank you to you all.I realy do not know how I can express myself to you but you can just tell I am happy. May you always have the same heart to help as God will always be on your side.
I hereby welcome you in Kenya to come and visit our beautiful country. Kenya is a good country and I hope here we will meet and talk much. I will also admire to visit your country in the years to come just to come and see beautiful America with its good people.
Diane will always be sending you my greetings as we continue to communicate. All in all thank you very much for your good surport.
Goodbye,
Kevin
Thank You from TRAPHIS
4 March 2008
Hello Friends,
I take this opportunity to introduce myself to you through writing this missive to say hi and to thank you for your support towards my success. I am Traphis and I am the first born in a family of four. Being the first born I read my family problems and stored them on my fingertips. My mother could not raise money to pay fees for my higher education after primary. I lived by praying to Lord the Almighty and never stopped trusting and having faith in him until my friend, my mother, my sister, my mentor [Diane] came to my rescue. She has paid for my education since I joined Form One to date. Through her you have also helped me pay my first year college fees through helping her raise the funds.
At this moment I finished my secondary education and am studying a diploma in hospitality at Dima College located in Nairobi Kenya. Up to now I have met several friends from different schools with different ethnic, tribal, religious and cultural backgrounds and with different life experiences. Through socialisation I believe they will influence me positively and make me work hard set good goals in life and make valid decisions.
I plan to work hard and obtain good grades in college by attending classes regularly and doing revisions to avoid last minute rush during exams. I hope to continue with education if possible to a degree/masters degree level and one day manage to be a CEO of my own big hotel in the city which will accommodate more western tourists [including you] who visit Kenya. I will be glad to hospitalize you in my own hotel. You are the people who have supported me to make my dream come true. I also hope to help my younger siblings obtain the same knowledge and learn to be responsible in life. I hope God will be on my side. I love you all and am grateful to your support.
God bless you all.
Traphis
Picture of Florence, mother of Traphis. She was the cook on the health compound, making approximately $8 a month to support her family. She was one of my closest friends in Kenya. --Diane
Thank You from ERIC
28 Feb 2008
Hello Good Friends.
I am taking this time to share with you as well as to introduce myself to you. My names are Eric Okang'a Sula. I am a Kenyan very well known to Diane Davis.
It true she is helping us to have good life in future so we can help others too. We came to know her in the year 2001 when she visited Kenya and she was our neighbor at Shibwe Health Centre. Through your support to her we have graduated in high school level and now we are in colleges. It is not easy to help someone you have never seen but it has been easy for all of you. Thanks be to God and may God grant you with more knowledge.
I myself am taking Mechanical Engineering at the Vocational Production Training Center which can go up to six years but l will start with the first three years. Moreover l would like to take a course in computers be in a good position to compete with others. In the school people are very friendly. You can imagine that I am the only Luhya person in that school but l have friends from other tribes.
If there some one we can call a mother, then she is Diane. She has hold us as her children. Despite the fact that our mother died when we were very young, she has lift us up to now. We are in Nairobi because of you, therefore we are different from those who are unlucky and are still staying at home.
I am saying again thank you very much for the support you have on us as a whole.
I am hoping that one day we will ever meat.
Goodbye,
Eric Sula
I am taking this time to share with you as well as to introduce myself to you. My names are Eric Okang'a Sula. I am a Kenyan very well known to Diane Davis.
It true she is helping us to have good life in future so we can help others too. We came to know her in the year 2001 when she visited Kenya and she was our neighbor at Shibwe Health Centre. Through your support to her we have graduated in high school level and now we are in colleges. It is not easy to help someone you have never seen but it has been easy for all of you. Thanks be to God and may God grant you with more knowledge.
I myself am taking Mechanical Engineering at the Vocational Production Training Center which can go up to six years but l will start with the first three years. Moreover l would like to take a course in computers be in a good position to compete with others. In the school people are very friendly. You can imagine that I am the only Luhya person in that school but l have friends from other tribes.
If there some one we can call a mother, then she is Diane. She has hold us as her children. Despite the fact that our mother died when we were very young, she has lift us up to now. We are in Nairobi because of you, therefore we are different from those who are unlucky and are still staying at home.
I am saying again thank you very much for the support you have on us as a whole.
I am hoping that one day we will ever meat.
Goodbye,
Eric Sula
ERIC (email dated Feb 24)
Hello Diane,We got money from Lucy. We are greatful for that. I always go to school Monday to Friday and my school is past the town. I purchased a camera for 1000/= and I have started taking snaps as you instructed. I gave out the money according to instruction given from you. We paid rent and the rest of the money I took it to my bank account. I sure it is very safe. The thank you letter to our sponsors is being written according to how we has benefited from you.
For the first day we did a test at school in Mechanical science and mathematics. I hope I will do well.
In the sending of my snaps I will include in my school test.
Bye and have a good night
Son Eric.
First Week of School - January 2008
This kids just finished their first week of school. I received this email from Kevin and thought I would pass it on. I love the Kenyan English (remember this is their third language!)... phrases like "nice time" are classic. I'll post an update on the fundraising efforts another time, but I'm just so grateful for the support for these kids. From Kevin:
Hi Mum,
Receive much greetings from me hoping you are all doing well. We are also doing well and we all started school. We all moved to our housing and like it. I tell you we are now settled and it is now our turn to show you that we are serious with our life. That will only happen by us doing well at school.
Before I continue, I want to take this opportunity to kindly thank you for paying for me my fees. I sincearly tell you I am as happy like a king in his palace. Actually the cheque arrived at school and they wrote me a receipt. I don't know in which way I can express myself to you so that you can be in a position of understanding my appreciation and HAPPINESS. I promise you I will do WELL and you will not believe me. May God bless you, your friends and your entire family.
At school I am doing well. I have already started making friends. I have one from Zimbabwe and he is called Briane. He is a good friend and he always tell me more about his country and why he decided to come and study in Kenya. Classes are ok and we have teachers even from other countries eg my French teacher comes from Burundi. He was telling me to make sure I try and do well in his French even though it is my first time. I assured him I will.
I will end here and hope to update you on anything here. Actually THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. Nice time.
Your loving son,
Kevin
Hi Mum,
Receive much greetings from me hoping you are all doing well. We are also doing well and we all started school. We all moved to our housing and like it. I tell you we are now settled and it is now our turn to show you that we are serious with our life. That will only happen by us doing well at school.
Before I continue, I want to take this opportunity to kindly thank you for paying for me my fees. I sincearly tell you I am as happy like a king in his palace. Actually the cheque arrived at school and they wrote me a receipt. I don't know in which way I can express myself to you so that you can be in a position of understanding my appreciation and HAPPINESS. I promise you I will do WELL and you will not believe me. May God bless you, your friends and your entire family.
At school I am doing well. I have already started making friends. I have one from Zimbabwe and he is called Briane. He is a good friend and he always tell me more about his country and why he decided to come and study in Kenya. Classes are ok and we have teachers even from other countries eg my French teacher comes from Burundi. He was telling me to make sure I try and do well in his French even though it is my first time. I assured him I will.
I will end here and hope to update you on anything here. Actually THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH. Nice time.
Your loving son,
Kevin
(From left to right: Kevin, Sophie, Eric, Traphis... Pictures taken in 2003 when I lived there.)
Beginnings
I still recall the day the hired vans drove me to my site in Western Kenya after three months of training. They dropped me off in the pouring rain, and basically said “see you in two years.” This marked the beginning of my Peace Corps experience.
At six months into my service I traveled the seven hours to Nairobi for a conference. When I came back there was a large mound of dirt on the neighbor’s compound. Under the dirt was the body of the kids’ mother. She had tragically died while I was away and she was now underground, twenty feet from their front door. She was the one that supported their education by brewing illicit alcohol – a mother does whatever she has to do for the wellbeing of her children. Once she died, the kids were sent home from school because they did not have the required fees. Education is not a right but a privilege in Kenya.
This was at the beginning of 2002 and I needed to do something. So I sent an email to my list of friends and family, asking if they would like to help send these kids to school. In one email, over $8,000 was raised. That was enough to send them to school for their entire high school years. With the remaining funds, textbooks were purchased for the school, and orphanage was assisted, and hospice care for those dying from AIDS was supported.
And this is the beginning of my story. The kids and I became extremely close over the next year and a half. They could not afford the paraffin for their own lamp, so they came over nightly and studied in my home. Sometimes I fed them dinner, sometimes we listed to music on my little CD player, sometimes we talked about our different cultures, and sometimes we sat in silence. In every way imaginable, they became my family.
I left Kenya in August 2003 and remained close with my neighbors. In December of 2006 three of them graduated from high school. I sent another email too see if people were interested in continuing to help in efforts to send the kids to college. Nearly $13,000 was pledged.
So now I am raising funds and trying to help with their continuing education so they can have a sustainable future. I love these kids like my own and I feel honored to be a part of their life. Through this blog and the sharing of their emails, I'm hoping that you all feel connected to them as well.
Diane
At six months into my service I traveled the seven hours to Nairobi for a conference. When I came back there was a large mound of dirt on the neighbor’s compound. Under the dirt was the body of the kids’ mother. She had tragically died while I was away and she was now underground, twenty feet from their front door. She was the one that supported their education by brewing illicit alcohol – a mother does whatever she has to do for the wellbeing of her children. Once she died, the kids were sent home from school because they did not have the required fees. Education is not a right but a privilege in Kenya.
This was at the beginning of 2002 and I needed to do something. So I sent an email to my list of friends and family, asking if they would like to help send these kids to school. In one email, over $8,000 was raised. That was enough to send them to school for their entire high school years. With the remaining funds, textbooks were purchased for the school, and orphanage was assisted, and hospice care for those dying from AIDS was supported.
And this is the beginning of my story. The kids and I became extremely close over the next year and a half. They could not afford the paraffin for their own lamp, so they came over nightly and studied in my home. Sometimes I fed them dinner, sometimes we listed to music on my little CD player, sometimes we talked about our different cultures, and sometimes we sat in silence. In every way imaginable, they became my family.
I left Kenya in August 2003 and remained close with my neighbors. In December of 2006 three of them graduated from high school. I sent another email too see if people were interested in continuing to help in efforts to send the kids to college. Nearly $13,000 was pledged.
So now I am raising funds and trying to help with their continuing education so they can have a sustainable future. I love these kids like my own and I feel honored to be a part of their life. Through this blog and the sharing of their emails, I'm hoping that you all feel connected to them as well.
Diane
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