Kenyan Orphan Project at The Big Chill
August 25th, 2010 by sparky
This year the Kenyan Orphan Project (KOP) was invited to assist and take part at The Big Chill.
A team of medical students representing KOP helped to run the Information Tent on site and at the same time gave out leaflets on KOP Projects and the work of the charity in Western Kenya. The theme for raising awareness this year was sanitation and water projects and how simple measures and interventions can be used to prevent the spread of disease drastically improve the lives of children and young people.
The message being given was:
(click to enlarge)
Thousands of school children in Kenya are suffering from the effects of dirty water and poor sanitation because the facilities are not adequate in many schools. The result is the death of thousands of children each year as well as poor health and reduced school attendance and educational attainment. Clean water and improved sanitation are as important as books and uniforms in ensuring quality education. Without the proper facilities many school children, especially girls, stay away from school or attend schools but suffer the consequences of inadequate water and sanitation provision.
A lack of sanitary products for girls is also one of the main reasons for absenteeism amongst teenage girls. Up to five school days a month can be lost. Young children are particularly vulnerable to water borne and communicable diseases that arise through unsafe water, lack of adequate toilet facilities and poor hand washing practices. The effects are large numbers of child deaths, ill health and large rates of school absenteeism and impaired education. But these diseases can be easily prevented with simple and relatively affordable measures that can improve the water and sanitation provision in schools and improve the health and lives of the children so desperately want and need an education.
The provision of safe drinking water, hand washing facilities and enough clean toilets can do a great deal to improve school attendance and performance as well as preventing deaths and reducing ill health. KOP is working with a variety of schools in promoting child health and education and addressing the water and sanitation challenges facing school environments is a hugely important part of ensuring a safe and prosperous future for some of Africa’s most needy children.
The students had a great time and below are just a few of their comments:
- ‘I really enjoyed The Big Chill and also helping out in the information tent’
- ‘Had an awesome weekend thank you, please thank everyone for organising our part in the weekend, it was brilliant and everything seemed to run smoothly! I saw Dan’s performance, it was fab, think a lot of people really enjoyed it.’
- ‘We were looked after well and it was a great team to work with.’
- ‘The boss of the info centre was really nice and made sure that we had what we needed.’
- ‘Big Chill was fun! The students seemed to be having a great time.’
- ‘I just wanted to say a big thank you for the chance to go to The Big Chill this year! We all had a great time and the work was actually quite fun. We managed to hand out leaflets and chatted to people about KOP. Dan’s talk was really, really good.’
In addition to the student involvement, Dr. Dan Magnus, paediatrician and lecturer in Maternal and Child Health, a co-founder and Trustee of KOP presented in the Words and Motion tent, with tales of heartache, hope, singing, dancing, triumph and tragedy from the tribal lands of western Kenya. It was story of the efforts to rescue a generation of orphans and vulnerable children amidst the myths and the mayhem of a country ravaged by poverty and disease, but enriched and strengthened by its music and its people.
His presentation was very well received and made people really think about hardships being endured so many children in Kenya.
Everyone can support the work of KOP and more information is available about KOP projects and how you can help by visiting the KOP website www.KOPafrica.org.
About KOP
The Kenyan Orphan Project was started in 2001 by medical students at Nottingham University in response to the worsening global problems of poverty and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Since then KOP has been working on health, education and social welfare projects with the aim to fight against poverty, disease, social exclusion and injustice amongst orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya. The roots of improving the health and lives of children lie in medicine and basic freedoms – from disease and poor sanitation, from improved education and illiteracy, from economic and financial hardship, from gender and social inequality and from oppression and war.
KOP has links in Kisumu in western Kenya where poverty, disease and deprivation levels are about as bad here as anywhere in Kenya and their work is focussed at a grass roots, community level in areas beyond the reach of large scale aid.
For 9 years KOP has been sending groups of university students over to Kenya to assist with project programmes and this year university groups from Nottingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Southampton, Kings College, Barts, Warwick, Leicester and Leeds are undertaking the practical learning experience (approx 160 students). In addition to student involvement, KOP has also led trips for doctors and nurses during which free rural outreach medical camps for people with little or no access to healthcare have been organised.
By generating financial and material support they can directly support projects as well as spread an understanding and awareness of the issues relating to development and international health. These issues form the foundation for new generations of people committed to improving the lives of others. Good partnerships and collaboration between international groups and local Information non-governmental organisations working ‘from the bottom-up’ seem to offer the best possible working solutions to the issues surrounding sustainability.
In this respect the position of KOP is clear. KOP works independently as a charity in the UK, but also in partnership with local project groups in Kenya. The essence of KOP is about support to communities and people who are suffering or are disadvantaged through poverty, the burden of disease or lack of access to adequate health care and education. It is also about empowering individuals and communities to be self-sufficient and to build a future free from disadvantage. By directing effort towards local groups and organisations KOP aims to create sustainable projects that will continue to assist local people in the long term, not just to provide temporary relief. With involvement in a range of different activities, across all aspects of life, KOP aims to improve communities as a whole and not just in one area of development.
During 2010 KOP has been committing support towards:
1. Refurbishment, opening and running of the KOP/HOVIC Night Shelter for Street Children in Kisumu
2. Meals, school fees and vocational training for 100 children attending the KOP/HOVIC Street Children centre
3. Meals and rainwater harvesting for KOP/Ombeyi orphan feeding centre
4. Provision of school meals, kitchen/cooking facilities, rainwater harvesting for 600 primary children at Kunya Primary School
5. Initiation of income generating programmes/agriculture for Kunya Primary School/community
6. Building of classrooms and the complete infrastructure development at Alendu Primary School
7. Ensure the opening and delivery of outpatient services at KOP/Kadinda Health Centre
8. Support for meal provision and income generating activities at KOP/Kochogo orphan feeding centre
9. Provision of school fees and foster support for 34 orphans and support/capacity building for VIMA The coming year is set to be exciting and full of energy.
An example of one of the projects is the Alendu Primary School, pictured right in its condition before the KOP programme started in the summer of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2010:
The projected KOP funding support to projects for 2009 was £187,400 although due to generous funding support developments within certain projects the total at the end of this year (2010) is likely to exceed £450,000.
However raising funds is always a challenge and the programme for 2010 and into 2011 looks equally demanding and we are already committed to supporting the existing projects and we are also exploring new proposals which during the next year will require a minimum of £500k.
The road to success is never easy – but KOP, with the help of all our supporters, is determined to rise to that challenge and together we can make a significant contribution to reducing the suffering of children who are currently living amidst poverty, neglect and disease.
