parent ’ s murders and deaths during the political upraising in Kenya in 07 / 08 were of particular concern . However , each time I returned , all the work that needed to be carried out was not being carried on ; there was no sustainability . You cannot just band-aid a problem with money . This was my first lesson .
The Kenyan women work hard . These women ’ s lives are defined by their love for their children , but caring for them often leads to prostitution , alcoholism and battering . The most effective way to give back their self-esteem , hope and dignity was to teach them a trade so they could seek employment and be able to provide for their own children . The most cost-effective option was sewing and dressmaking , and once again that plastic gold card came in handy .
Right at the beginning of my placement in Kenya I met a young man who today is still my best friend , my right hand man , and now my School Director , Christopher Makokha . Christopher and I located a small rundown house on the edge of the slum of Checkpoint and Kaptembwa . It was here that we began our Learning Centre , called Gabriels – named after my children ’ s grandfather , who had passed away only a few days earlier in my hometown of Perth , Western Australia . Gabriel was the epitome of a family man ; a man who loved , cared for and provided for his family . These were the same qualities that I wanted to instil in those our project helped .
Christopher and I went out into the slums meeting many women who lives were devoid of hope , having been abandoned themselves with children to care for , no food , no water , living in hovels without power or sanitation , their next meal coming from well-wishers or the local dump site .
We invited 50 destitute women to begin their journey to change their lives ; to learn Kiswahili , how to read and write English , study mathematics , and to sew . All this in 9 months – it was more difficult than giving birth , but at the end of the 9 months they would indeed be reborn with a skill , a key to unlock their future .
There was a small garage at the side of the rundown house which I thought would be the best place to begin a preprimary school . We used the same method of selecting each child , ensuring that the most destitute of children would attend . These children would be provided with two meals a day and have medical assistance , which so many needed so often with malaria , typhoid , cholera and the common cold prevalent in the area .
Over three years from 2010 to 2013 , 300 women were educated with an 85 % rate of employment in factories , shops and home sewing , and over 90 children who began in our pre-primary went on to a primary school in the same area – all funded by Gabriels .
My life seemed to be one big fundraiser , finding ways to extract the forever elusive dollar to be able to do all that was needed ; to pay our then staff of five , and provide the food and sewing supplies . Everything from art auctions to quiz nights , comedy nights and dinners . Slowly our bank balance began to grow , and we were eventually able to purchase 4 blocks of land in the hope of building our very own school . Whilst we continued the nightmare of fundraising , we grew much needed vegetables on our newly acquired land to help feed many hungry mouths both in our school and within the community itself . 2013 was a significant year ; plans
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