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Projects

WEFOCO is benefitting directly more than 100 children and 600 women through different welfare projects on education, livelihood and women empowerment.

Here out projects in following fields are discussed

 

Support for orphans and vulnerable children

Since 2010 in co-operation with Estonian NGO Mondo, Wefoco is paying schoolfees and buying necessary school items for pupils whose families are incapable providing their children education. This year WEFOCO reached to 103 primary school children and 16 high school children. Primary school children receive school uniforms, shoes, schoolbags with necessary books and other items and support for paying the schoolfees.
With the support of the Estonian private sponsors NGO Mondo and Wefoco have the possibility to support the secondary school education of 16 children. High school support receives children from deprived families with the most remarkable results.

 

Support for schools

In cooperation with NGO Mondo and Estonian Development Cooperation, WEFOCO has supported:

  • Khabakaya Primary School with purchasing 10 desks and 13 plastic chairs;
  • Rise and Shine School for disabled children with purchasing 15 mattresses, 15 blankets and sheets;
  • Mung’ang’a Secondary School with building 2 toilets and buying textbooks;
  • Eshiakulo Secondary School with purchasing 10 desks and chairs.

 

HIV and AIDS campaign awareness

Wefoco has been on frontline on campaign of HIV/AIDS awareness to communities through seminars, workshops and outreaches. Wefoco has support groups of people who are living HIV positively and they are the beneficiaries of Wefoco directly or indirectly.

We have:

  • Educating people about preventing HIV infection through changing their sexual behavior;
  • Raise awareness to create more openness about the disease and to make communities more supportive of people living with AIDS
  • Develop community care projects for people living with AIDS and AIDS orphans.

Those that will benefit most are:

  • People who are HIV positive and need information, care and support
  • People who are sick with AIDS and need home care
  • Children whose parents are dying or have died of AIDS

Through co-operation with GLEN (Global Education Network) WEFOCO receives volunteers on regular basis whose main tasks are HIV and AIDS prevention activities.

 

Income generating (IGs) activities

  • Handicraft project- women from different areas were trained on making handicrafts – as a result they made over 70 sets of handicraft-jewelry. The jewelry sets were put on sale in Estonia (Europe) in a Fairtrade shop alongside with handicrafts from Uganda, Ghana and Afghanistan.
  • Seedbank project- In cooperation with NGO Mondo and Estonian Development Cooperation, the seed bank project was launched in March 2014. 10 most active women groups were distributed maizeseeds for 1 acre + fertilizers. After harvesting all women groups bring back previously agreed amount of seeds to the seed bank, giving an opportunity to new women groups to participate in the project. Any profit that women groups make during the project will be used in their own projects such as buying school items for orphans for example.
  • Incubator project- In cooperation with NGO Mondo and Estonian Development Cooperation, Wefoco started an incubator project. Wefoco bought two incubators with the capacity of 96+48 eggs. Women groups contribute the eggs. Chicken will be sold on Shianda market and distributed to vulnerable families. Profits from selling chicken will be used for building storage for recently established maize co-operative.
  • Co-operative- Members of Wefoco decided to establish a multipurpose cooperative as a measure to ensure sustainability of the income generating activities. There is a need for a co-operative as small-scale farmers in Shianda village are lacking dependable marketplace and have no bargaining power over the price on selling their products. As farmers don’t have appropriate place to storage their products, they are forced to sell it during the harvesting season when the price is often below the net value of producing. At the same time due to low job opportunities and lack of education, for most people farming is the only option to earn some income.
    The Co-operative has planned to provide a variety of services, which would provide its members dependable marketplace and secured income for their agricultural products to guarantee food safety, accessibility of education and to improve the wellbeing of the members of the community in general.

 

Capacity building activities

Since beginning Wefoco has been providing trainings for its members on tailoring, computer skills, organizational adeptness, handicraft, hygiene, first aid, nutrition, time management, growing maize and beans, dairy farming, poultry, writing a business plan and co-operation

  • Computer courses- Two independent volunteers – one Kenyan and one Estonian have started computer courses at Wefoco office. The Kenyan volunteer, Ken, has courses every day for three different levels of students. Ken is teaching his students basic knowledge on computers, using MS Office and Internet. Alari has courses for two different levels, one is also basic knowledge for beginners, the other one is programming for advanced computer users.
  • Teambuilding- Wefoco’s women groups received teambuilding training, where Estonian volunteers Janika and Kaie talked about the importance of trust to each other and to the organization, teamwork and overcoming cultural differences. Training took place in a cozy atmosphere and all participants were free to express their feelings and opinions. In order to exemplify what was told, women were playing games to better understand the importance of teamwork and the devastating effect of rumors. The main aim of the training was to improve the sense of trust and togetherness between the members of different women groups and WEFOCO.
  • Study tours- Wefoco organized its members a study tour to the Kitale Maize Co-operative. The main purpose of the trip was to introduce women the nature of a co-operative and benefits they receive from co-operation. Women were educated on responsibilities and rights associated with membership of a co-operative. Another study tour to Siaya Multipurpose Co-operative is about to come.
    WEFOCO keeps organizing its members study tours as the best way of starting something is learning from others’ experience.
  • Business trainings- Wefoco trained its members on business plan writing that resulted in 100 business plans by 20 different women groups.
  • Handicraft and tailoring- WEFOCO is training women on tailoring. From January to April WEFOCO hosted Estonian volunteer Liina Viira whose tasks were to develop products for Kenyan and Estonian markets based on the women group’s skills and experiences. During her time in Kenya, Liina has been developing several products for the Estonian market, such as bicycle baskets and jewelry. Liina is also supporting the women to start their own school uniform production for the local secondary schools, currently the sample uniforms are in progress.
  • Co-operation- Members of Wefoco decided to establish a multipurpose cooperative as a measure to ensure sustainability of the income generating activities. 19. – 26. January 2014 members of Wefoco were trained on co-operation and sustainability. Trainings took place in 5 different areas: Shitoto, Eckero, Emuchalari, Shikulu and Khaunga. At the end of the trainings all the participating women groups chose their representatives for signing the application of registration.
  • Agriculture- Members of Wefoco received training on growing maize and beans, dairy farming and poultry. Training was conducted by specialists in the field. Trainees were educated on different varieties of maize seeds, which seeds to use in different areas and growing techniques. But also about different breeds of cows and chicken, disease prevention, feeding and much more useful. Trainees received materials to assist them with their agricultural activities in the future.

 

Other

  • Environmental project- Wefoco was successfully able to distribute 5,000 trees to the locals and public places for planting to improve environment.
  • School link project and food blog- Since September 2014, more than 30 schools from Ghana, Kenya, Estonia and Afganistan have been participating in the Food blog project. Group of students from each school has conducted activities on the topic of food and written about it in the common blog. Currently, in Shianda 4 schools participate in the school link activities: Mung’ang’a Secondary school, Eshiakulo Secondary school, Rise and Shine special school and and Khabakaya Primary school. All of these schools participated by preparing the traditional foods of Luhya tribe. More information and photos about the activities from the Food blog: https://foodforthoughtmondo.wordpress.com/