THE BRIDGE IS DONE...and the 3rd annual Prize-Giving Day.

Thanks to your support, a firm and secure bridge now stands in Mugumo where people once had to walk over an unstable log. Children do not have to skip school just because it rained and the river flooded. Farmers can move their produce across the river more easily and in any weather. Hundreds of people in Mugumo are a step closer to total self-reliance because you believed in them and invested in them.

I am also happy to report that the third annual prize-giving day was a huge success. This time we included four schools and had roughly 2,000 school children in attendance. It was my first time being at the function, along with fellow WGF officials Erin, Steve and Margaret. We were lavished with hospitality, and the appreciation the people of Mugumo showed for our work will forever remain embedded in my memory.

We are happy to note that academic performance has improved since we started holding a prize-giving day, even though we believe much more remains to be done. But, in addition to the measurable outcome of improved scores, the other goal of WGF’s prize-giving day is to stir children into believing in and yearning for a brighter and more exciting world beyond their extremely limiting circumstances and to understand that education can open that world to them. This spirit of aspiring to rise above crippling obstacles by excelling in education was poignantly encapsulated by a poem called “The African Girl” that a bright young girl called Elizabeth Nyambura recited at the ceremony.

It was nice all day, in all ways

We had a successful event!

Photos (click to enlarge)

And I would like to (again) thank everyone for giving their 100% to make it happen. Wanja and Allan for letting us use their spacious piece of real estate, DJ Ezra Mtaalam for braving the scorching sun so that we wouldn’t miss a beat, Steve for putting together such a wonderful PPT presentation, Erin and Margaret for anchoring everything: food, laying out the artwork and all the behind-the-scenes maneuvers, Monica for the samosas, Auntie Janie for minding the shop and Sonia for smiling and greeting everyone as they walked in.

Clark/Seven Hills Global Outreach for the support and for what they’re doing with the organization, the delegation from Newburyport for coming all the way to show their faith in us, Peter from Springfield, Carisa and Phil, Nancy and Hubert (Kenyans loved the re-broadcast of the seditious tape!) and Leonard for doing what a good journalist does with such a short notice – you all made it happen. All my good buddies from Worcester: love y’all. If you made the time to spend an afternoon with us yesterday, you’re appreciated. I know that if Oprah was handing out free cars down the street, I know you still choose us!

One quick thing that I should have mentioned somewhere in my rambling speech... when Wanja and Allan came back from the 2nd Prize Giving Day, they brought with them a card that had been signed by some of the kids from the three schools represented at the award. I meant to share some of their thoughts with our guests on Sunday to demonstrate the power of such simple a gesture as rewarding good performance - but I lost myself (and everyone else) when I started talking about stars and planks. So here’s some of what they wrote:

I am in class eight & I want to perform well this year – Karen Waruguru

Nitafanya bidii yangu yote (I will do all my best) – Agnes Mumbi

I am Mirania Muringo I want to pass my exams well thank you – Mirania Muringo

Ninataka kupita mtihani wa K.C.P.E (I want to pass the K.C.P.E exam) – Mercy Waithira

It is not even so much about us instilling in these kids the value of hard work, they know it; it is about letting them know that there’s another world out there, beyond their limiting circumstances; and doing well in school could open the doors to that world.

Celebrating yesterday's small steps as we contemplate tomorrow's giant leaps

Click to enlarge

Bridge Photos

Click here to view more photos showing the progress of the bridge:

Pictures from the 2010 Scholars' Day.

This year's annual Scholars' Day was special because in addition to including two more schools, we were also honored by the presence of the Bromberg family, who took time off their vacation in Kenya to spend a day with the kids.

Here are some photos from the event. I am also going to clean up and post a video on youtube because that is the only way to bring alive the carnival atmosphere that prevailed on that day. Wanja and Alan Bromberg are also working on putting their thoughts about the events into writing for us to get a first hand account of this hugely successful event.

Click here for photos. For maximum quality, view on "Full Screen Slide show" or "Full Screen Photo" option.

Our Philosopy

We will give a hand up, not a handout.

WGF's approach to promoting self-reliance is three pronged:

Infrastructure
By investing in infrastructure, such as the foot bridge project in Mugumo, we provide people with the fundamental tools for development. We anticipate that much of our initial activities will revolve around addressing infrastructural requirements since not much else can be done where there are no roads and bridges.


Wealth generation
Professor Yunus Mohammad of Bangladesh, has been very successful in creating wealth amongst the poor by extending small loans to them through his Micro -financing Grameen Foundation. We will partner with financial experts to identify which economic ventures could best serve the people.

Education
Especially for the young people so as to broaden their minds and make them imagine a world beyond their limiting circumstances and to let them know that they have the power to reach out for it. Hope and ambition are rarely present in the minds of the destitute.

We aim to inspire the young to dream. We will do so by contracting services of reputable motivational speakers, screening educational films, providing reading material, facilitating educational trips and exchange scholarship.

We cannot honestly claim to be addressing the problem of poverty if we do not teach future leaders that only their mental resourcefulness and industry can solve the problems of their country.