Founders of the Nyamila Community Center for Children: A Haven for Orphans & Vulnerable Children
Projects
The Isaka Memorial Foundation along with its partners work on a variety of projects to help improve the lives of the surrounding communities. These projects include:
Breaking Ground for the New Vocational Training Centre
Due to a very successful fundraising effort at Nyamila Community Centre on August 16th, 2014 the Former Prime Minister of Republic of Kenya Raila Odinga, Governor Rasanga Amoth, and Dr. Christine odour-Ombaka broke ground on the New Vocational Training Centre. Architectural drawings coming soon.
Water Project
The water project has been completed and clean drinking water has been available to the community for since 2007. Orphans and their surviving parents used to have to walk long distances to fetch the water. Now water is readily available to all.
See the updated pictures of the water well being utilizedby the community thanks to pictures taken during the Aug 2014 Grand Fundraising event.
Book Drive and Library
Dr. Arthur Williams, Principal of Ann Arbor Huron High School (L); Juma Achoki, President Isaka Memorial Foundation (C): Dr. Sara Duvall, Chair, Library Media Center, Huron High School (R), pose for a photograph during the donation of text books for the benefit of HIV/AIDS orphans of Nyamila Community Centre in Kenya.
IMF contacted Book Aid International of England who referred us to their associates in Kenya, the Kenya National Library services (KNLS). KNLS has donated 100 books of various disciplines to Nyamila Community Center. NCC is currently using their conference room as a temporary library to provide the orphans a place to study. The long term plan is to have a full fledged library built at the center.
Medical Services
Nyamila Community Center provides access to medical services by organizing periodic medical camps where HIV screeninsg are conducted for both the orphans and care-givers. Common ailments like malaria, intestinal worms and respiratory infections are also treated. Referrals are made to the district hospital in Siaya or the Provincial Hospital in Kisumu.
Education Support
Nyamila community Center is proud to be assisting several high school level orphans to attend local schools by paying school fees and providing money for upkeep. We also pay all fees required at primary school level, in addition to distributing school uniforms and supplies.
Food and Agricultural Program
Nyamila Community Center has a food distribution program as well as longer term intervention in farming assistance. The center initially distributed food items comprising of beans, corn (maize) cooking oils and salt, on a two-weekly basis, but has since graduated to supporting households to produce their own food. This is done through garden demonstrations, compost manure preparations and ploughing gardens and providing seeds for care givers.
Women's Business Program
The Women’s Group started “Table Banking”, a registered initiative where local women pool their funds and loan themselves seed money to start or expand their businesses. They have received loans from the district commissioner’s office with a 100% repayment rate.
Empower Me Project
Karen Ashley, a board member, heads the group in New York, while Florence Otieno, Social Work Officer, heads program at Nyamila Center. Each month there are girls in Kenya forced to miss school because they lack sanitary supplies to manage their periods. A natural part of life and development becomes burdensome and debilitating for these girls living in poverty. Girls are among the hardest hit as their families depend on them to fetch water, take care of sick siblings, fetch firewood for cooking and even expect them to miss school during their menstrual cycle when clean, private toilets aren’t available at schools. How can girls be expected to grow up and pursue the careers they long for when they aren’t able to attend school regularly? Empower Me helps them re-gain control. We supply girls in Siaya, Kenya free sanitary supplies and preventative HIV/AIDS education. For mor information on the Empower Me project click here.