Education Kenya Project #18160

Educate HIV Orphans in Kenya

by Springs of Hope Foundation

Project Report | Nov 16, 2018
You have changed the lives of these young women

By Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom | Director

Daisy looking so proud & happy in her new glasses.

Dear *|FNAME|*,

Imagine…you’re a young girl suffering from constant, crippling headaches that are sometimes so bad that you are in tears at night from the pain? Your single mother is so poor that, while she knows that you need to see a specialist in order to diagnose the problem, she simply doesn’t have the money. You end up missing a lot of school because of your condition, as a result, your grades decline. This was the case for two of our newest students. They’re both very smart and eager to learn. They were reluctant to complain at first; however, the pain was so bad at night that the other girls brought it to my attention. Fortunately for these two girls, the solution was so, so simple. A trip to the optometrist proved my suspicions to be correct. Their pain was due to constant eye strain, a simple $50.00 fix!

I wish you could have been with me on our follow up visit when they were fitted with their new glasses and could see clearly for the first time in their life. The huge smiles on their faces said it all.

Through your generous support we have been able assist in the education of hundreds of children by building classrooms, latrines, providing computer and other vocational training courses for young women, but in this upcoming season of giving it’s equally as important to know the individual faces of the women and children whose lives your generosity has touched and changed forever.

Happy Holidays, and if you would like to continue to help us support these girls, please spread the word by sharing this report for us on your Facebook and other social media pages.

Thanks again everyone!

Asante Sana,

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Purity in her new glasses. No more headaches YEAH!

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Sep 12, 2018
The Power of Girls Leading Change

By Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom | CEO Springs of Hope Foundations

Mary and one of her younger sisters

Mary (we have changed her name for her privacy) is 14 years old and is one of six siblings. Her parents are both HIV positive. This sweet family lives in a two-room, tiny wooden house with 4 generations getting by under one roof. That’s right, 4 generations! Their elderly grandmother, Mary, and her two younger sisters sleep in the small living room. Grandma gets the paper-thin mattress on the couch and the girls sleep on the floor on makeshift cardboard mattresses. Mary’s older sister, a teenage mother, her baby and Mary’s parents sleep in the other room of their humble house. There is, of course, no running water so the girls have to walk several kilometers to the local river after school to fetch muddy river water for cooking and bathing. Their story is one of heartache and struggle and so much sickness. It would be so easy to give up and let the pain take over. However, do you see that beautiful smile on Mary’s face as she hugs her younger sister?

Mary is supported by our school fee project, and this gives her all the hope she needs to keep going! Knowing she is supported and loved by strangers motivates Mary to do well. And boy does she do well! Mary is at the top of her class. Her grades are excellent, but that is not the only thing that takes her to the top. Mary is incredibly motivating to her younger sisters. They look up to her and follow her positive outlook and work ethic. Thank you to our donors, without your generosity this would not be possible. Your love reaches Mary and her family in Kenya and beyond!

Everyone here at Springs of Hope Foundation thanks you for your continued support of this important project.

Please mark your calendars. On September 12th Global Giving is offering another great opportunity for all of us to boost our donation.

Starting at midnight ET on Wednesday, Sept. 12, GlobalGiving partners will have 33 hours to boost all donations with a $50,000 incentive fund. The hours of the September Bonus Day have been optimized for multiple time zones and all participants will share in the prize winnings!

If you would like to learn even more about this project and others, please visit our web page or contact me at

Jenniferhughes@springsofhopefoundation.org.

Warmest regards,

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Mary heading off to school.

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Jun 13, 2018
Graduation day has finally arrived for some of our young women.

By Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom | CEO Springs of Hope Foundations

Charity preparing her resume.

After a very long 12 months of hard work and sacrifice, our young ladies have graduated. There was a great deal of excitement in the week leading up to graduation but on the day of graduation, many tears of joy and sadness were shed as we all came to the realization that this brave group of young women who had become part of our family for the past 12 months would be leaving us for good. As the certificates were awarded each student made a very moving speech, expressing how much their lives had changed during the time they were with us, how much they have learned and how very grateful they were to be given this life-changing opportunity...More tears...followed by beautiful singing, dancing, and celebration.

During the 12 months this group was with us they not only learned every aspect of tailoring, our volunteers also taught basic computer skills which included preparing individual resumes, creating their own personal email account and sending an email with an attachment. I know this sounds very mundane to most of us, but the ladies had not touched a computer when they first arrived. With shaking hands and sweaty palms, the young women were introduced to a whole new and exciting experience that would not only be a huge confidence builder for them, it would also be a great help when setting up and running their own business. By the time they left, they were quite confident and always eager to take their turn at the laptops.

We still have 8 ladies living with us who will graduate in December. Next month a new group will also join us for 12 months. All of this is possible because of you and your very generous and continued support. Empowering one woman not only makes it possible for her to feed, support and educate her family, the trickle-down effect will continue for many future generations.

If you would like to continue to help us support the ladies, please spread the word by sharing this report on your Facebook page.

Asante Sana, thank you so very much.

Jennifer Hughes-Bystrom

Graduation

Frieda learning & loveing the new Janome machine.

Computer Class

Study time

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