MCC UPDATE MAY 2011

The Mercy Children’s Centre is a school for orphaned children in Kenya with three campuses: one in the Kawangware slum in Nairobi, one in the village of Bumala (neighboring Busia), in western Kenya, and the third near Kakamega (also in Western Kenya). These three campuses are run by volunteers; thanks to our contributors, we now pay our dedicated teachers a small salary. We are making progress towards providing for the children’s needs but these are still far from being met, and all support is welcome. Each year, as we add one new class level, our costs grow and providing for the kids (such as a meal each day) becomes more challenging.

Our vision: to provide a safe haven for our 600 children, with all well fed, healthy, safe, happy and being provided the education they are eager for.

Most of the kids are "AIDS orphans" – children whose parents died from HIV/AIDS–related causes. In Kawangware and Bumala we have dormitory facilities housing about 25 kids each. The remainder live in their communities under various circumstances, mostly with relatives though some have very tenuous, even abusive, home situations. We are able to provide them with a place to go in the day, a basic free lunch for most, and a basic free education. However, the children’s full nutritional needs are not being met, due to the high cost of food and our limited budget.

All contributions go 100% to the school; we have zero overhead costs because all fundraising efforts are conducted by volunteers.

The current facilities for the three schools are:

Kawangware: Baby class through Class 8, in an eight-room schoolhouse with no running water (except water catchment system) and very limited electricity. Conditions in the slum aren’t great but the teachers are dedicated and there is great school spirit. Dormitory apartments run by live-in teachers, one for boys and one for girls.

Bumala: primarily thanks to the Canadian charity One Child's Village (www.onechildsvillage.org), we are very lucky to have a new school facility on 5 acres of land, with several school buildings housing six classrooms, and a range of other facilities. We now have a full electric hookup, with computer and sewing labs. A new water pump system was recently installed. Our recently opened secondary school (high school) allows us to offer additional eduction beyond primary, but in 2011 we are just getting it going. Our recently opened dormitory makes it possible for some kids to live-in, including some of our Class 8 graduates from Kawangware who have moved “up country” to start high school.

Kakamega: Baby and nursery classes are held in a loaned, partially completed church on a country road. The three dedicated teachers work with about 200 kids, all orphans with homes and guardians. At this school, kids bring their own food and our expenses extend just to teachers stipends and some supplies. When the kids reach the age for Class 1 they move on to a local public school.

Our objectives for 2011 (and progress as of May 2011):

• Bumala: launch secondary school, starting with Form 1 (equivalent to 9^th grade in US schools) (underway)
• Bumala: open dormitory facilities for students at Class 7, 8 and Form 1 levels and install a new water pump (underway)
• Kawangware: Improve conditions and sustainability, expand classroom space (completed)
• Both campuses: increase teachers salaries, increase food provision (underway)
• Overall: increase financial health of school in the face of rising costs and increasing numbers of students (we are falling far short of needed funding, and are planning a major fundraising drive for the Autumn).

Longer term objectives (we will undertake these whenever we can secure funding support):

• New Facility for MCC Kawangware: Purchase of a permanent facility for MCC Kawangware; the situation with our rental facility has been challenging and we need to find a permanent home. We estimate the cost of land/buildings (100x50 plot with a 2 storey building) to be KSH 3-5 million, or 30,000-50,000 Euros.
• Full MCC Secondary School in Bumala: We are developing plans for construction of a full secondary (high) school in Bumala that might in part serve as a commercial fund-raising activity by bringing in some paying students, along with our own students who succeed at the national exam after Class 8.

Our achievements in 2010:

1. Continued to develop the Bumala school facility, including construction of a kitchen and guest house
2. Entered a new baby class at both Bumala and Kawangware and added class 5 to the Bumala school.
3. Graduated 12 students from Class 8 in Kawangware; 5 passed the national exam (high percentage for a slum school)
4. Continued to develop fund-raising activities and volunteer programmes; to date about 25 volunteers have spent at least a full weeke working at either Kawangware or Bumala).

Our budget :

Our 2011 operating budget (i.e. excluding capital projects) is about EUR 3,000 (USD 4,000) per month, or about 7 Euros per child per month. This breaks down as:

• Teachers and staff: EUR 1000 per month (EUR 30-45 per teacher/staff per month, total of 30)
• Food: Eur 1000 per month
• Rent in Kawangware: Eur 300 per month
• Uniforms/supplies: Eur 600 per month (30/student/year)

Read Our Progress Blog (2^nd button at left) to get our regular reports and updates on MCC.

(last updated on May 27, 2011)