Marafiki AIDS Orphans

Another great year concluded with what is now our annual celebration on June 13^th, 2009.  It is indeed remarkable to see what has been accomplished in the past year with the support of so many people and organizations.  The Celebration was held on the Rafiki Campus, and the first change that was apparent was the completed St. Benedict’s Girls’ Dorm.  It is now all painted and plastered, with an indoor bathroom, tiled sinks and private toilets.  Although the water isn’t running yet, it will be when the new water tower is moved to the top of the hill, now that the generator, donated by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Dayton, is running and can provide the continuous power back-up.

The completed Dorm welcomed us	The girls have settled in to their rooms
The Girls bathroom- private stalls and tiled sinks	Rev. Judith Doran dedicates generator

The next major addition that was dedicated is the newly completed kitchen and dining room building. Located between the Girls Dorm and the future First Community Church Boys’ Dorm, the spacious dining area and adjacent kitchen space was used as the auditorium for most of the ceremonies. Because the kitchen is not yet equipped, the cooking for the meals for the roughly 400 people was still done the old fashioned way, over open fires and prepared with loving hands. It was delicious as always. Barbara Davis and Ann Nyoro officiated at the ribbon cutting for the building and its official dedication.

Kitchen/Dining Room Building from outside	Ribbon cutting by Barbara Davis and Ann Nyoro
Plaque recognizing donors for final phase	Ample space to house celebrants

The Foundation Stone for the First Community Church Boys’ Dorm was laid by Senior Minister Rev. Dr. Dick Wing from Columbus, OH. The construction of this dorm to date has been funded by FCC, and Dr. Wing committed to the church providing the funds to complete the Dormitory so that it can be dedicated at the annual celebration in 2010.

Dr. Wing dedicates Foundation Stone	Plaque commemorates Foundation Stone

Another milestone celebrated was the completion of Phase One of the Clinic building. A great start was made when the main structure was completed last year, but windows, doors, and other interior details were needed to make the building ready to use. Additional contributions from First Community Church and its Guilds allowed for that completion. A grant recently approved by Rotary International and District 6690 in Central Ohio will be sufficient to provide the equipment and supplies necessary to open the doors to the Rafiki kids as well as the kids in the neighborhood this fall.

Final touches on clinic the day before dedication	One of the three examination rooms
Dr. Dick Wing dedicates the completed building	Recognition of Rotary donation of equipment

One of the biggest advances since last year has been the enlargement of the barn and farming enterprise that has improved the finances of Rafiki. Last fall an anonymous donor from First Community Church teamed up with the congregation to provide $30,000 in start up funds to more fully utilize the additional acreage made possible by the Newark Rotary Club, which provided $20,000 and a commitment for $30,000 more for land purchase toward completing the purchase of the entire 15 acre parcel they sit on. The expansion has resulted in enlargement of the barn to accommodate more pigs and chickens, both layers and broilers, to increase their monthly income, and move them closer to sustainability. As a result, the first two quarters of this year, Rafiki was able to bring in $474 more than they spent on an income of almost $99,000, and remained current on payment of all salaries. They have whittled down their overall debt to only $8300, and all of this is a major step towards their long term goal of sustainability.

Enlarged animal facility and mill	Eggs ready for market
Fertile and productive fields	Gratitude for those who made it happen

As we have reached out to Rafiki, Rafiki is reaching out to those even less fortunate around them. With the farm being so productive, they have been able to totally provide for all the food, milk, and water for the orphans and staff. But they are aware that “Street Kids” abound in the area with little or none of the support that bless the orphans at Rafiki. So they began with a feeding program for the street kids a couple of years ago. Over time, several of the street kids have straightened out their lives, gotten off of drugs, and developed a relationship with some of the Rafiki staff, particularly Amos. Our group attended one of the feeding sessions with the street kids in June. Many discussions occurred and a plan was developed to rent some rooms to get at least some of these kids under roof, financed on the spot by Connie Johnston and Maureen Penman of our group. Others have subsequently chipped in as well. A related plan to give each of the core group a small loan if they produced a plan to use the money to create a business quickly emerged. Boys have opted for businesses such as shoe shining, and the girls are planning on putting together a green grocer market to supply vegetables to the community. A bank account has been opened, project proposals submitted, the kids have signed contracts and have met with Amos as recently as July 30. While this project has substantial risks to it, and many possible disappointments, even a partial victory in this group of troubled children would be a real positive event, and small success could breed more success in the future.

Feeding the big kids	. . . and the little kids
A plan is hatched to get them under roof	Street girls, mostly with kids, are included
A meeting July 30 with contracts in hand

The entire event was greatly enhanced by the presence of the Upendo Choir from Tanzania, who graced every aspect of the celebration with their wonderful music. Throughout our visit there was plenty of time to interact with the kids and get to know them.

Upendo Choir in one of their many outfits	Hanging out and chatting with the kids

Rafiki is all about education and giving the kids self worth. A visit to one of the schools demonstrated why that is so important.

Mission Statement of local school in Ndeiri	Dr. Wing encourages students to excel
Proud kids	Happy kids

This is Rafiki in the summer of 2009. It is alive, well, and, most of all, the kids are the beneficiaries of all of your generosity.

Terry Davis, August 3, 2009