Caring For Kenyans

To the Editor:

As I am now in my final year at Wagner College, I have been granted the opportunity to travel abroad this winter. Traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, I, along with my professor and peers, will be contributing to ongoing fieldwork which began in 2004. We will be spending most of our time in a poor rural village called Gataka and a suburban slum named Kware.

This trip will allow me to experience and study firsthand the developmental and health care shortcomings which devastate many African communities. My work will be done through home-stays and interactions with the community. Specifically, we will be working with the organization Christian Women Works of Charity (CWWC). We will be hoping to aid immediate needs of the people, and to invest in sustainable projects that the CWWC has identified, including modern plumbing and sustainable income-generating projects. Our mission is to make their voices heard, outline developmental shortcomings, and create avenues to address such issues.

Though I look to give all the support I can, the truth is, the developmental issues are vast, caused by layers of poverty, political instability, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS; and my research has only just begun. These problems are complex, and will not be mended overnight. This considered, there do exist immediate ways which I can help, and this is through the donation of sustainable goods and crucial supplies. I am asking for your contributions, as together we can better the lives of the children and families of Kware.

Your contribution will help to support the purchase of the following:

$5+: Water Pasteurization Purifiers, which kills disease-causing organisms, crucial for drinking water supply; school supplies; food, seeds, and agricultural supplies.

$10+: Mosquito nets; medical supplies.

$15: Sponsor a child and allow a child to go to school for a year.

$25: Solar cookers, which give families a sustainable resource for cooking meals.

$55: Sewing machines — This is crucial as it would allow community members to make their own clothes and uniforms for their children to go to school

$75: HIV/AIDS antiretroviral medication.

I can assure you that your donation will be used to purchase such goods that will go directly into the hands of the community members. If you would like to contribute, please make checks payable to Diana Rawson, with “Kenya” written on the memo line. All donations can be mailed to the address below. I thank you in advance for your support and will be sure to keep you updated about our work in Kenya!

Sincerely,

Diana Rawson

34 Platts Hill Road, Newtown                             December 15, 2009