Educate, Feed & Protect Children in Kibera, Kenya

It was in June 2009, when the St.Vincent De Paul Community Development Organization (SVPCDO) was hit badly by global financial crisis. The crisis came towards the end of the year, when the organization was operating on its last tranche of savings and was unsure what the new year would yield in terms of funding.

During the month of November 2009 a friend of the organization introduced us to Global Giving and shared with us the details of their work. It so happened that Global Giving was about to launch a “challenge” for which they needed participation from organizations like ours’.

We managed to beat the deadline and send all the required paperwork to introduce our work in the community of Kibera. Our efforts quickly bore fruits as we managed to be among the top three institutions that participated in the global challenge, raising Ksh, 1.3 million (over $16,000 USD) in just one month.

The support received through Global Giving during this challenge, and since then (over $23,000 to date), has truly brought our organization back to life; living with hopes of a better today in order to save a child with basic unmet needs in our community. We are glad to be part of the Global Giving family as it has opened our horizons by getting space on an international perspective.

The nursery school, with the current population of 87 children, has benefited greatly from the money we have received so far. Here is a breakdown of some of the areas where have been put to use over the past year:

School Uniforms: Our newly admitted children at the nursery school all received school uniforms and a pair of shoes.

Feeding Programme: Feeding 87 children has not stopped. Provision of two nutritious meals per day during school days Monday to Friday is still on course.

Stationery: Learning has been enhanced as all the necessary stationary needed by the school was purchased. This reflects on the children as all strive to outdo each other and work hard.

Bills: Monthly bills of water and electricity continue to be paid on monthly basis without fail.

Salaries: Staff salaries continue to be paid promptly at end of each month, which motivates the staff to perform better.

We say a BIG THANK YOU to Global Giving, as we can happily boost on being on the global map by keeping the St Vincent de Paul Nursery School known to the world by appearing on your website, which brings hope to Kibera children for a better today.

We also say a BIG THANK YOU and A BIG HUG to all our kind donors and friends who gave us a helping hand when we needed it most and have continuously contributed generously so as to keep the wheels of St. Vincent spirit  rolling on and on.

Thanks to the help of one of our dedicated volunteers, SVPCDO is pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved website. Please check it out at: http://vincentdepaul-organization.jimdo.com/.

We think you will enjoy this new site -- it is more user friendly and allows visitors to learn about our program activities, see pictures of the children we support, and (importantly!) provides a direct link to the ways in which people can support SVPCDO. The site will also feature updates on recent events that happen at the nursery school and rescue center.

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JUNE 16th IS A MATCH DAY ON GLOBAL GIVING -- YOU GIVE $20, THE PROJECT RECEIVES $30

On June 15th, Global Giving will be matching all gifts made to our project by 50%. If you were thinking of making a gift this month, please consider doing it on this day. In addition to the match, prizes will be awarded to the organizations with the greatest number of donations on this day.

Links:

• NEW SVPCDO WEBSITE!