The Nafula Foundation
When? — May through mid-August 2008
Who? — Kathryn Nelson (a veteran SPAN volunteer) will be accompanying and supervising all volunteers. Please see note at the end of this profile.
Where? — The central office is located in Bungoma, Kenya. Volunteers will work in a village is called Chebukwa which is about 20 minutes from Bungoma City by car. Volunteers will be placed in housing in or around Bungoma. There is access to the internet, water and energy within the city, unless volunteers wish to live in a rural village. Volunteers will be
transported to and from the village daily either by private car, public bus or taxi.
Kathryn or another Nafula volunteer will pick up the volunteer from the Nairobi airport and transport them back to Bungoma.
Overview
There are 300 + orphans living in this particular village. Many of their parents have died from HIV/AIDS or malaria and are currently living outside with little access to food, clean water, education or healthcare. Citizens are generally uneducated due to poverty, have poor nutrition and are facing dire medical issues everyday. There are many deaths every month due to malaria and HIV/AIDS within this community. Regionally, there are hundreds of other villages in similar situations.
Mission Statement
The Nafula Foundation first and foremost, envisions a generation of children who are loved and cared for despite the hardships they have faced by losing one or both parents. We wish not only to care for their material existence but for their mental and spiritual heath as well. Most importantly, we strive to cultivate an educated and empowered group of young adults who will
lead Kenya out of poverty and despair.
Secondly, we wish to create a self-sustaining community in which opportunities to grow financially and intellectually will flourish. It is crucial to create a job market, especially in rural areas that oftentimes rely solely on crop harvesting.
The prevalence of common infections and disease is another issue of concern; therefore the Nafula Foundation strives to eliminate these problems from its community through education and prevention initiatives. By building an on-site clinic in Chebukwa, while using mobile medical clinics to serve the surrounding area, we will be able to serve both the local community as well
as the public at large which will no doubt reduce the level of malaria and HIV/AIDS infections drastically.
Lastly, we wish to provide opportunity for international volunteer involvement within Chebukwa and will encourage youth and adults to visit Kenya and help with our construction, day-care, healthcare and employment initiatives. We will keep volunteering costs at a minimum in order to enable all people interested an opportunity to come to Kenya.
A brief history of the organization
In June 2007, Kathryn Nelson, a student at the University of Minnesota, travelled to Bungoma, Kenya to volunteer with the local branch of the Red Cross through the Student Project Africa Network (SPAN). There, she lived with Pastor Daniel Muyelele Makecho and his family who ran a church in the neighboring rural village of Chebukwa. The community Pastor Daniel worked in
was deeply impoverished and lacked even the simplest facilities such as pump to access clean drinking water. Through community outreach initiatives spanning many years, Pastor Daniel was able to construct a church for the village that soon became the central meeting ground for members of the community. Still, Chebukwa citizens were in dire need of necessities such as clothing, medical supplies, educational materials and safe housing. In addition, an estimated 300 orphaned children live in this area, many whose parents died of malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Pastor Daniel had been working on designs to create a self-sustaining community within Chebukwa for several years. The plan would include an orphanage, school, medical clinic/hospital and community corporative for micro-financing initiatives. Other monetary producing elements would include community dairy cows and three rentable bicycles. At the same time, Kathryn began to realize the immense need for such facilities in the Bungoma
district and was interested in creating an opportunity for international volunteers to help impoverished Kenyans.
On a rainy night in late June 2007, Pastor Daniel and Kathryn discussed the possibility of creating a foundation that would serve the greater good of the local Kenyan people. They realized that although many people wish to emancipate themselves from poverty, they had no opportunity to do so. Also concerning was the growing population of orphaned children in the area who essentially had no chance at bettering themselves and are forced to live a
life of poverty.
That night, Kathryn and Daniel decided to name the organization The Nafula Foundation, meaning she came in the rain.
Current programs and activities
Possible volunteer opportunities depending on volunteer interests and needs:
- Construct buildings in this area to house orphaned children.
- Build a water pump.
- Door to door informational presentations on HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, etc.
- Mobile medical clinic.
- Teaching women skills for working opportunities – sewing, trading, beading, etc.
- Teaching sustainable agriculture.
- Education for children.
- Photography/Filming in area.
- Nutrition.
- Any other initiative volunteers deem worthy.Rules and regulations for volunteering
Volunteers must create a plan/schedule detailing what their plans are for the time they are living in Kenya. The founders of the organization will review this plan and will give recommendations regarding its plausibility in Chebukwa.We encourage volunteers to create their own volunteer trip using their personal skills and abilities to help the village.
What type of volunteer are you looking for?
Volunteers who are 18 years or older and independent and passionate about working in difficult situations. Must be open-minded and ready to experience things outside their comfort zone.IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING NAFULA PROGRAM FEES
Katherine Nelson coordinates all volunteer arrivals, housing, and activities for The Nafula Foundation. Due to this, Nafula Foundation volunteers do NOT pay the SPAN Regional Director Fee, Placement Fee, or Airport Pickup Fee. Instead Katherine charges a flat $100 fee upon each volunteer’s arrival, and will perform all of the duties described under the SPAN Application Information.Volunteers should still submit their application to volunteer through SPAN as described in the Application Information. Do not forget to mail SPAN your volunteer release form, agreement form, and $20 application fee.
Program Contact and Information
www.nafulafoundation.orgUnited States
Kathryn Nelson
Phone: 952-220-1903
KathrynNelson at nafulaFoundation dot orgKenya
Daniel Makecho
Phone: +254-0735800219
Hopeministry at yahoo dot co dot uk
Address: PO Box 2250 Bungoma 50200, Kenya