– by Linda Hunter –
While the holidays are a very recent memory and classes resume in a few days, across the globe in Nairobi, Kenya, January kicks off the calendar as well as a brand new school year; for some.
Because the cost of attending school is prohibitive for countless Kenyan children, the dream of an education remains just that, a dream. For those children fortunate enough to be funded by the Saanich Peninsula based charity, Eagle Heights Africa in BC (EHA BC), tuition, uniform, and housing costs are underwritten by generous sponsors; individuals and families who recognize the power of education and provide for someone they may never meet in person, but for whom this long distance connection represents a lifeline.
One such sponsor, long time Peninsula resident, Janice Martinez, is pleased to support young students whom she knows, without financial aid, would be unable to attend school. She provides funding for Rahab, a young girl who wants to see justice in her beloved nation, as written in one of her letters to Janice, “I truly want to become a law expert and precisely a judge.” Without assistance from her sponsor and EHA BC, that dream might go unrealized, but with Janice’s generosity, the possibility and the reality can align in Rahab’s life; a life she shares with her widowed mother, and brother, and in a home without plumbing or running water. Receiving school reports and letters, Janice sees the good that comes from her goodness and while she has no other links to Africa, she remains tied to the belief that education empowers individuals, changes lives, and that a small amount here can make a huge difference there. She considers it ‘an honour and a privilege’ and will start her new year, committed to a girl and an ideal that she says has changed her life as much as her student’s.
Parkland Secondary School and former teacher Ann Mclean, have for years included EHA BC in their fundraising efforts supporting education abroad. “Parkland students have been very happy to have been given the chance to sponsor a young Parkland Panther in Kenya, Lewis. Eagle Heights has allowed close contact with children in need in Kenya by having a local contact who communicates directly with the coordinator in Nairobi. We can get updates and school reports and can be sure that the money raised goes to Lewis without a huge costly infrastructure.”
Eagle Heights Africa in BC operates with volunteers and without an expensive office or expensive advertising campaigns, sending 96 percent of all donations (just 4 percent administration) directly to Kenya. Ushering in 2015 includes the January launch of a website, the February annual Bridge fundraiser, and an entire year of welcoming new sponsors who truly believe that they can make a difference in children’s lives.
www.eagleheightsafricainbc.org
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world “~ Nelson Mandela