Newsletter Archive
Woodland Launches Famine Relief Efforts in Kenya
May, 2006
E-Newsletter Volume I
Samburu District Kenya
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A woman who is said to have died from hunger is being buried.

Nairobi Slums
Kenya

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Home health care continues for AIDS victims in Korogocho and Woodland is now helping similar programs in Mukuru Kwa'Njenga and Kibera slums.
El Quiche
Rural Guatemala
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A new partner agency in rural El Quiche, Guatemala, received Woodland funding to build a commmunity library and learning center.
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A blind woman and her daughter wait for food supplies at Baragoi.

Famine Relief in Samburu - Northern Kenya

Kenya, March 2006. Kenya's minister for emergency operations revised December's estimate of 2.5 million Kenyans facing starvation upwards to 4 million.  The UN Food and Agricultural Organization puts the regional figure at 11 million.

In response to the disaster, Woodland bought food supplies and trucked them into some of the worst hit areas. These were the first emergency shipments to reach the villages of Maralal, Wamba, South Horr and Marti. Woodland volunteers linked up with NGOs in the field who helped with the distribution.

The food provided by Woodland was specially prepared to assist the most needy. It was nutritious porridge made made out of a mixture of wimbi – a grain in the family of fingure - millet, groundnuts, beans, omena - small sized shinny fish. The mixture is highly nutritious and palatable to a stomach that has not had food for sometime. It is also highly recommended for children (six months and above).

In March, one of Woodland's volunteer board members in Kenya, Florence Omosa, reported: "The food is all ready; 50% body building flour, 30% maize flour and 20% beans - by the way, this will be one of the few deliveries that are very unique. Most people deliver maize and beans and/or maize flour. Our stuff will cater for the food needs of the real vulnerable too. We bought our inputs from small traders and milled at small traders' millers. We may buy some salt depending on whether we have some money remaining or not."

Kariobangi Home Health Care Project - Korogocho Slums - Nairobi

Nairobi, March 2006. Korogocho remains a shanty town, home to over 150,000 people of different tribes and with different reasons for making their homes in the slum. Violence in the slum is still a real factor that hinders life and development. Too many young men have too many guns. Rape and mugging are common events. The AIDS epidemic continues with increasing numbers of patients (1,400 now) because those becoming sick now were infected 6 or 7 years ago. This trend will continue for a few years but the incidence of new infections is going down. Everywhere there is an awareness that has caused a considerable change in the lifestyle of very many. The high prices of food in Kenya due to the poor rains makes the food distribution programme absolutely essential.

Community health workers remain the backbone of the programme. There are now 90 of them, 5 men and 85 women, who give their services voluntarily, and are proud of their ability to care for the patients. It is their caring and dedication that supports the patients. The health workers are supported by a professional team of 7 nurses, a counselor and a social worker.

Earlier this year, Woodland made a second grant to help the project with food, medicine and hospice care for the dying.

New AIDS-support grants in Mukuru Kwa'Njenga and Kibera slums

Sarah Afande, her son and a Mukuru nurse.

Kenya, Mukuru Kwa'Njenga, January 2006. Sarah Afande (left) is 38 years old. She is widowed (since 2000) with 3 children aged between 4 and 8 years. Whenever her health allows she occasionally works as a casual worker. Woodland provides emergency food support and medicines for people living with AIDS through the Medical Mission Sisters Home Health Care program.

Kenya, Kibera slums , January 2006. Kibera makes up 25% of the Nairobi population. Sisters Florence Njoku and Breege Breslin direct the work of the Riara Project in the Kibera slums of Nairobi. A staff of 11 (including 4 nurses, 2 counselors and 2 social workers) supports community health care through 69 volunteer health workers. Woodland provides support for food, medicine and emergency assistance for people living with AIDS.

A Computer Center in the Remote Mountains of Guatemala

Guatemala, May 2006. The 34 year civil year war which ended in 1996 left many of Guatemala's indigenous people homeless, internally displaced, or refugees in Mexico. The peace agreement that was signed included specific provisions for resettlement, land compensation, and economic reintegration for all people displaced by the protracted war. On the 31st of May 1998 the village of El Quiche saw its first settlers and their few belongings flown in by helicopter. The area in which they resettled was so remote that it had no roads. The major dificulty that the village faces is in its remoteness and the lack of access to viable markets for their crops to be sold (primarily cardamom and café), resulting in economic hardship for the families.

Asociación Civil La Libertad was set up in 2005 to support the Colegio La Libertad, founded in January of 2001 by Greg and Helaine Walton. The school serves an area of eight indigenous villages with a combined population of approximately 9000 people. The school functions as a middle school and presently has 76 students for the morning academic program as well as facilitating an afternoon educational program for adults. In addition to the studying of core subjects, students receive advanced agricultural training in a variety of relevant areas. The school maintains a 98% pass rate and 65% of its graduates have continued their secondary education through sponsorship grants or loans in towns and cities outside of the village.

Woodland funding will finance the construction of a library/learning center which will serve as an immediate and future resource for the current students and for future generations in the village and surrounding areas. The learning center will have a library, the computer laboratory, and a typewriting laboratory. The directors and staff live in the village full-time enabling them to administer all the areas of the program.Says founder Greg Walton: "The opportunity to learn and study is the hope for the people's future." We agree, and we look forward to helping ALAS and the people of El Quiche with additional projects in the future.

 
Message from a Volunteer

 

Woodland Charities is about equalizing the extremes. The extremes of wealth and poverty. Some of us have plenty. Others not enough to live on.

Lewis Mumford in his essay What I Believe says "every human being requires approximately the same amount of air, water, clothing, food, shelter, with small differences to allow for climate and type of work."

He goes on to say he believes that "the political institutions of society should be arranged to establish this minimum basis of life, differentiation and preference and special incentive being taken into account only after the security and continuity of life itself is assured."

This is also what we believe at Woodland Charities. Woodland was set up to help assure the security and continuity of life for the poorest of the poor, the sick, the dying, forgotten ones literally falling by the wayside seeking relief from famine or from the scourge of AIDS.

-- Pat McDonnell

 
 
Woodland's Pledge

 

Woodland is unique. 100% of donations go through to programs. We incur no staff or administrative or fundraising costs. All of the work is done by volunteers.

Donors want to know where the money goes. So far it has gone into the programs described in this newsletter.

Things are going rather slowly because we must ensure full accountability for the funds given. Also it has taken some time to set up communication and program reporting methods.

Some of the programs have additional proposals listed on the Woodland website where donors can choose programs or specific proposals of interest to them.

To help you can donate money, pass this newsletter along to others who may be interested or volunteer to work as a "communications coordinator," helping to maintain the link beween the field staff and the donors who support them.

To discuss volunteer opportunities Email Pat McDonnell at pmcdonnell@children .org
Woodland Public Charity - 4010 Washington, Kansas City, Mo. 64111