EMANYASA DAY CARE CENTRE PROFILE.
EMANYASA DAY CARE CENTRE PROFILE. GENERAL DESCRIPTION Day Care Center is found in Kenya, located in Kakamega County, Mumias east constituency, East Wanga ward, Mung’ang’a sub-location and Emanyasa village. The Day care center was started by Mrs. Roselyne Barasa as a Good Samaritan due to her encounters. Mrs. Rose Barasa came across four children whose parents had died thus leaving them a child headed family and total orphans. She therefore welcomed the children into her home where she started taking care of them. The four children were; (i) Maxwell Buhuru (ii) Emmanuel Buhuru (iii) Grace Malala (iv) Bramwel Buhuru
She decided to look for a help from SAIPEH. She opened up to SAIPEH and shared the idea of setting up a Day care center to take care of the orphans. She narrates that she approached some village women who were widows to team up with them as a group to cater for the orphans. SAIPEH positively responded to Mrs. Roselyne and her team’s idea and promised to support and work hand in hand with them. In 2006, the center had grown up to accommodate thirty children and supported their basic needs. SAIPEH provided them with basic necessities such as food stuffs, clothing and education needs as follows; ● Foodstuffs include: beans, maize, cooking oil and salt ● Clothing: school uniforms ● Education: scholarships Four of the children were on board while others day scholars.
Mrs. Roselyne Barasa offered the Day care center with other requirements like kitchen utensils, shelter and fuel wood (firewood).SAIPEH bought them more utensils to cater for the ever increasing number of children. Almost all the women who became members were facing similar problems i.e. poverty, death of partners and lack of family support. These problems brought them together to cope as a team. For instance, the following is an example of one of our talks; REPHAH LUKOYE Mama Rephah Lukoye; “upon the death of my husband (Mr. Lukoye) in 2003, I was left in a dilemma not knowing where to go, who to talk to or what to talk. This was the time I was approached by Mama Roselyne Barasa with whom we later agreed to come together to promote teaching at the day care. I agreed with her bearing in mind that my children will also be taken care of (my problems were half solved). The Day Care center has really helped me as a family. The woman as she was speaking, one of her sons had been supported by SAIPEH educationally till he was through with his P1 Certificate training as a teacher. Her second child who is a girl sat for her ‘O’ level exams (KCSE) in 2012 and passed well. They are looking forward to see a successful family with the support of SAIPEH. JOSEPHINE RUPIA ‘ ’I am a widowed grandmother of two grandsons who are total orphans. The last born of the two sons his mother died upon his delivery and was left with the baby to take care. The father who was the bread winner in the family also died in the year 2003 of HIV AIDs epidemic. With my old age and also being a widow, I was left in a dilemma the major challenge being to bring up the two grandsons of mine. Life generally became so rough that we thought of committing suicide because basic needs and medication were so expensive. Unfortunately the last born child was tested HIV positives of which his medication and health life generally was really expensive and cumbersome. I thank God the day I met Mama Roselyne Barasa(pioneer member of the Day care) of whom I explained my case to her and being good enough she told me to admit two of my grandsons to the feeding program and also join other women in the Day care Centre. I did exactly as she instructed me and this has saved my two grandsons as a times they are also provided with other necessities in school life like stationeries, school uniforms and a word of encouragement.
With the help of SAIPEH, I was given a dairy cow that supplements my other needs like milk and manure. Since then I have been engaged and am now so busy in life; something that acted as a turning point in my life. I therefore wish to sincerely thank SAIPEH family because through its Day care program it has really empowered poor and widowed women in the community. It has initiated positive thinking towards life of the widows on the death of their husband and also the wife inheritance is no more in this community as widows are now engaged in development activities”
DAILY OPERATION OF THE DAY CARE CENTER This is done on voluntary basis. The guardians/ care givers organize themselves for duty performance and every member is in charge of the station once every week. They also organize to fetch firewood for cooking children’s meals. CHALLENGES ➢ One member (Phaustine Wanga) was dropped from the group’s activity due to lack of co-operation by frequent absenteeism from daily programmes. ➢ Difficulty in finding sources of cooking fuel such as firewood and charcoal. ➢ High operation costs e.g. Money for grinding flour ➢ Difficult to budget due to fluctuations in the number of children turning up at the day Care Center on a daily basis. Most children come accompanied by their friends who are not part of the program hence interfering with daily operations. ➢ Some children come complaining of sickness which is not yet catered for in the program ➢ Insufficient funds to effectively run the program ➢ There are a number of children who request to be enrolled to the day care centre but the funds are limited to satisfy the needs of the community. ➢ There is in sufficient land to help grow different types of crops to help in food security at the centre.
BENEFITS Through the Day Care Center, these women eventually formed their own support self help group that is registered under the ministry of gender and children’s
affairs registration number; DSS/MMS/SHG/0082/2009. This particular group has been supplied with Dairy cattle given to members to support them that is by selling milk, catering for the breakfast of their family and cow dung obtained is a also used as manure (organic fertilizer). It also transformed the community by providing relevant education to the wider community. Students are supported by SAIPEH through scholarship program and all are attending school. By keeping them busy, it has acted as an alternative to African tradition of wife inheritance. This is by bringing these women together to enable them support themselves irrespective of the absence of the husbands. Positive thinking towards child education and life generally has really been initiated in the region. The community has been enlightened. MEMBERS’ ASPIRATIONS They are looking forward to use the registered group to venture into other community development activities like farming and other business activities. This is because they are ready to provide free labor to such activities. They are also looking forward to transform the society and set an example as widow to challenge the thinking that widows cannot make it without their husbands. SUCCESS ❖ The issue of the lack of clean water was solved when Mr. Richard (Milimo) came in to drill a water pump which helps the whole community in getting clean water. ❖ The Dining Hall is being built to help the children who are now 70 in number to get the meals from there and in a clean and conducive environment. ❖ There is a piece of land at the centre which have been converted in a vegetable garden , different types of vegetables are grown, this include; i.e. sukuma wiki, cow peas, Black night shade (sutsa), carrots, stinging nettle, jute plant (mrenda) , Brassica carinata ( kanzira), common sunnhemp (miroo) and spider plant (saga) which is cooked and served to the children. FUTURE PLANS ❖ The Day Care Centre wishes to have its own private school so that the beneficiaries can learn their, and also it can be a source of income to cater for the other orphans in the community. ❖ The Day Care Centre wishes to have a football team and other games for the beneficiaries in order to mould their physical and social skills.
❖ In future the guardians and the beneficiaries at the Day Care Centre are planning to be holding spiritual meetings at the centre once in a month, and preachers from different denominations and mentors are called upon to worship and interact.
SUMMARY OF EDUCATION OF THE BENEFICIARIES AT THE DAY CARE CENTRE. LEVEL OF EDUCATION Primary school Secondary school Completed form 4 College Completed/ Working TOTAL
NUMBER OF STUDENTS 47 17 1 4 1 70
CONCLUSION The community at large is very grateful for the effort being done by SAIPEH and more specifically the Executive Director who regularly meets them to share a word of encouragement. The centre calls upon well wishers willing to support this plan to be realized whether in kind or in cash.
She decided to look for a help from SAIPEH. She opened up to SAIPEH and shared the idea of setting up a Day care center to take care of the orphans. She narrates that she approached some village women who were widows to team up with them as a group to cater for the orphans. SAIPEH positively responded to Mrs. Roselyne and her team’s idea and promised to support and work hand in hand with them. In 2006, the center had grown up to accommodate thirty children and supported their basic needs. SAIPEH provided them with basic necessities such as food stuffs, clothing and education needs as follows; ● Foodstuffs include: beans, maize, cooking oil and salt ● Clothing: school uniforms ● Education: scholarships Four of the children were on board while others day scholars.
Mrs. Roselyne Barasa offered the Day care center with other requirements like kitchen utensils, shelter and fuel wood (firewood).SAIPEH bought them more utensils to cater for the ever increasing number of children. Almost all the women who became members were facing similar problems i.e. poverty, death of partners and lack of family support. These problems brought them together to cope as a team. For instance, the following is an example of one of our talks; REPHAH LUKOYE Mama Rephah Lukoye; “upon the death of my husband (Mr. Lukoye) in 2003, I was left in a dilemma not knowing where to go, who to talk to or what to talk. This was the time I was approached by Mama Roselyne Barasa with whom we later agreed to come together to promote teaching at the day care. I agreed with her bearing in mind that my children will also be taken care of (my problems were half solved). The Day Care center has really helped me as a family. The woman as she was speaking, one of her sons had been supported by SAIPEH educationally till he was through with his P1 Certificate training as a teacher. Her second child who is a girl sat for her ‘O’ level exams (KCSE) in 2012 and passed well. They are looking forward to see a successful family with the support of SAIPEH. JOSEPHINE RUPIA ‘ ’I am a widowed grandmother of two grandsons who are total orphans. The last born of the two sons his mother died upon his delivery and was left with the baby to take care. The father who was the bread winner in the family also died in the year 2003 of HIV AIDs epidemic. With my old age and also being a widow, I was left in a dilemma the major challenge being to bring up the two grandsons of mine. Life generally became so rough that we thought of committing suicide because basic needs and medication were so expensive. Unfortunately the last born child was tested HIV positives of which his medication and health life generally was really expensive and cumbersome. I thank God the day I met Mama Roselyne Barasa(pioneer member of the Day care) of whom I explained my case to her and being good enough she told me to admit two of my grandsons to the feeding program and also join other women in the Day care Centre. I did exactly as she instructed me and this has saved my two grandsons as a times they are also provided with other necessities in school life like stationeries, school uniforms and a word of encouragement.
With the help of SAIPEH, I was given a dairy cow that supplements my other needs like milk and manure. Since then I have been engaged and am now so busy in life; something that acted as a turning point in my life. I therefore wish to sincerely thank SAIPEH family because through its Day care program it has really empowered poor and widowed women in the community. It has initiated positive thinking towards life of the widows on the death of their husband and also the wife inheritance is no more in this community as widows are now engaged in development activities”
DAILY OPERATION OF THE DAY CARE CENTER This is done on voluntary basis. The guardians/ care givers organize themselves for duty performance and every member is in charge of the station once every week. They also organize to fetch firewood for cooking children’s meals. CHALLENGES ➢ One member (Phaustine Wanga) was dropped from the group’s activity due to lack of co-operation by frequent absenteeism from daily programmes. ➢ Difficulty in finding sources of cooking fuel such as firewood and charcoal. ➢ High operation costs e.g. Money for grinding flour ➢ Difficult to budget due to fluctuations in the number of children turning up at the day Care Center on a daily basis. Most children come accompanied by their friends who are not part of the program hence interfering with daily operations. ➢ Some children come complaining of sickness which is not yet catered for in the program ➢ Insufficient funds to effectively run the program ➢ There are a number of children who request to be enrolled to the day care centre but the funds are limited to satisfy the needs of the community. ➢ There is in sufficient land to help grow different types of crops to help in food security at the centre.
BENEFITS Through the Day Care Center, these women eventually formed their own support self help group that is registered under the ministry of gender and children’s
affairs registration number; DSS/MMS/SHG/0082/2009. This particular group has been supplied with Dairy cattle given to members to support them that is by selling milk, catering for the breakfast of their family and cow dung obtained is a also used as manure (organic fertilizer). It also transformed the community by providing relevant education to the wider community. Students are supported by SAIPEH through scholarship program and all are attending school. By keeping them busy, it has acted as an alternative to African tradition of wife inheritance. This is by bringing these women together to enable them support themselves irrespective of the absence of the husbands. Positive thinking towards child education and life generally has really been initiated in the region. The community has been enlightened. MEMBERS’ ASPIRATIONS They are looking forward to use the registered group to venture into other community development activities like farming and other business activities. This is because they are ready to provide free labor to such activities. They are also looking forward to transform the society and set an example as widow to challenge the thinking that widows cannot make it without their husbands. SUCCESS ❖ The issue of the lack of clean water was solved when Mr. Richard (Milimo) came in to drill a water pump which helps the whole community in getting clean water. ❖ The Dining Hall is being built to help the children who are now 70 in number to get the meals from there and in a clean and conducive environment. ❖ There is a piece of land at the centre which have been converted in a vegetable garden , different types of vegetables are grown, this include; i.e. sukuma wiki, cow peas, Black night shade (sutsa), carrots, stinging nettle, jute plant (mrenda) , Brassica carinata ( kanzira), common sunnhemp (miroo) and spider plant (saga) which is cooked and served to the children. FUTURE PLANS ❖ The Day Care Centre wishes to have its own private school so that the beneficiaries can learn their, and also it can be a source of income to cater for the other orphans in the community. ❖ The Day Care Centre wishes to have a football team and other games for the beneficiaries in order to mould their physical and social skills.
❖ In future the guardians and the beneficiaries at the Day Care Centre are planning to be holding spiritual meetings at the centre once in a month, and preachers from different denominations and mentors are called upon to worship and interact.
SUMMARY OF EDUCATION OF THE BENEFICIARIES AT THE DAY CARE CENTRE. LEVEL OF EDUCATION Primary school Secondary school Completed form 4 College Completed/ Working TOTAL
NUMBER OF STUDENTS 47 17 1 4 1 70
CONCLUSION The community at large is very grateful for the effort being done by SAIPEH and more specifically the Executive Director who regularly meets them to share a word of encouragement. The centre calls upon well wishers willing to support this plan to be realized whether in kind or in cash.
