Country background
Kenya, a republic in East Africa, is currently grappling with significant economic challenges. According to a 2018 report from the World Poverty Clock, Kenya ranks as the eighth poorest country in the world, with over 25% of the population living in “extreme poverty”. For much of this century Kenya, like other countries in the Horn of Africa, was in the grip of drought, though this has now eased somewhat. To make matters worse, the AIDS epidemic which has ravaged eastern and southern Africa in the last 30 years has left about a million orphans in Kenya.
The dominant religion (85%) is Christianity, with about 10% of the population identifying as Muslim.
Africa Arise Charity Initiative…
The Africa Arise Charity Initiative (AACI) is a registered not-for-profit Community Based Organisation (CBO) led by Pastor Chris Asawo. Based in the township of Bondo, in Siaya County in western Kenya, AACI is committed to improving the educational outcomes for disadvantaged children, particularly orphans and semi-orphans. To this end AACI owns and operates two primary schools, in the nearby villages of Ajigo and Akala, providing free education to children between the ages of 4 and 10.
Because of the poverty in the district these schools do not charge fees; the running costs of the schools, including food to provide the children with a nutritious midday meal, are currently met primarily by donations from benefactors in Australia. The initiative aims to equip these children with the education they need to secure meaningful employment in the future. For further details on one of these schools see HADA Project KEN-500.
Bondo Building…
In addition to the two school properties, AACI owns a block of land in Bondo which was gifted to the organisation by Pastor Chris’s father in 2010. The land is used to grow maize, beans and other crops to supplement the food supply for the school meals. It also houses a partially constructed brick building, which has sat unfinished for years. The building consists of 14 rooms, destined to form 7 bed-sitters and 7 retail outlets, to be let to tenants to raise income for the schools.
Over the past year, four of the bed-sitters have been completed and rented to local residents of Bondo. Work on the fifth bed-sitter is currently in progress, but there is still much work to be done.
Aims of the Project…
The overall objective of the Bondo Building Project is to benefit the local community by:
- Supporting Education: The income generated from the rental of completed units will be used to support the running costs of AACI’s schools, reducing their reliance on foreign donations and ensuring long-term sustainability.
- Providing Affordable Housing: The project will offer affordable accommodation to local students, widows, and other vulnerable members of the Bondo community through the rental of bed-sitters at a reasonable cost.
- Fostering Local Enterprise: The retail outlets will provide space for local entrepreneurs to establish businesses, thereby boosting the local economy and providing services to the community.
- Creating Employment: During the construction phase, local workers will be employed to complete the building, creating job opportunities in the area.
Project Finances…
To complete the remaining work on the building, we require approximately
- $AU10,000 to finish each of the three remaining bed-sitters, and
- $AU15,000 to complete each of the seven retail outlets.
The total target funding needed for this project is thus $135,000. Once the building is finished and operational, the project will be self-sustaining, allowing the local team to fully support the schools and other initiatives in the long term.
You can help…
You can play a key role in bringing this project to completion. Your support will directly contribute to ongoing support for the local school children as well as providing safe, affordable accommodation for widows, students, and local entrepreneurs. To donate, please click on “Donate to this Project” on the right sidebar.
All gifts are tax deductible and will benefit this project in their entirety except for bank fees.
