Areas of Focus: Water, sanitation and hygiene, Community economic development
PLANS FOR 9 ACRES OF LAND IN RWIKA, KENYA
Graceworks is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit charitable organization based in Orange County California which helps HIV/ADS ravaged communities in Kenya Africa bring hope to orphans and other vulnerable children. In collaboration with community based programs on the ground in Kenya, Graceworks is committed to provide for the basic needs of the children (including food, shelter, education, medical care and emotional support) while strengthening the viability and self sustainability of the communities in which the children live. In Embu province, in South Eastern Kenya, Graceworks has been working with Giving Children Hope International, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) based in the village of Rwika, a small and dusty outpost 15 miles south of Embu town. Currently, the program operates out of a small office space located in a quarter acre plot in the center of Rwika Market. For the past 8 years, with the help of Graceworks, hundreds of orphans and other impoverished and vulnerable children in the Rwika region have been assisted with school fees and supplies, food, medical care and with counseling/emotional support. Last year (January 2011), Graceworks helped Giving Children Hope International purchase 9 acres of land to expand its programs. Toward this end, the following plans have been made for the 9 Acre plot of land in Rwika:
1. Rwika Multipurpose Community Center
The Multipurpose Center will consist of at least five buildings which will include:
o A Multi-purpose Hall: The multi-purpose hall will be used for plenary sessions during school vacation camps for the children, for conferences, and for community gatherings. The hall will have a sitting capacity for 400+ and will also have an adjacent full service kitchen.
o A Medical/Dental Clinic: This facility will be used to provide in-patient, out-patient and regular health monitoring for people in the community. It will also be used to provide education and trainings for health practitioners for the community and as a base of operations for visiting teams of medical personnel on short term and long term medical missions.
o Dormitory/Guest House Facilities: These facilities will be used to host children and staff during camps and for housing visiting teams, professors and medical personnel on medical missions.
o Instruction and Office Block: This building will provide space for administrative offices and for vocational and leadership training for both youth and adults in the community. Counseling and other pertinent community resources and services will also be located here.
o Library: A well stocked and state of the art library for the community.
2. A Demonstration Farm
The farm will have crops and animals (chickens, goats, cows, fish, etc.) and will serve as a training ground for the children and the community in sustainable farming techniques in order to help alleviate the ever present food shortage in the region.
3. A Water Well and Distribution Tank (estimated cost $30,000)
The well is needed to provide a clean and abundant water source for the Rwika Community Center complex. The well will also be an income generating resource for the program. Some water from the well will be sold to the surrounding community to help offset the cost for running the other programs and also for the well's maintenance. The funds from this grant will be used for the water well piping and distribution tank and travel for project oversight. This will be completed within 3 months of grant funding.
(Note: Due to the dire necessity of water in this semi-arid region, the water well is needed before any of the other items can be implemented)
Completed
This project is "Completed". This means the project has been implemented and the report was accepted by The Rotary Foundation. The project will stay listed on this website as a testimony of the achievements of the project partners.
Project listed for the 2013-14 Rotary Year.
The TRF Grant application number is #1417517.
Proposed Financing
Existing Contributions Towards This Project
Date
Cash
DDF
Total
Del Mar (5340)
29-May-13
$6,000
$1,000
$7,000
Escondido East (5340)
20-Jun-13
$4,000
$4,000
$8,000
Adana-Cukurova (2430)
3-Jul-13
$1,500
$0
$1,500
Adana-Güney (2430)
19-Aug-13
$1,500
$0
$1,500
Adana-Tepebag (2430)
20-Aug-13
$1,000
$0
$1,000
Whitehorse Midnight Sun (5010)
25-Oct-13
$3,334
$0
$3,334
District 5010 DDF
25-Oct-13
-
$3,334
$3,334
Amount Requested from The Rotary Foundation
$8,667
$8,334
$17,001
Total
$42,669
DDF contributions in grey are pending approval of the corresponding district committee.
Project Supporting Documents
There are no documents yet for this project. Go to the administration page to upload documents.
Project Photos
History Log Entries
20-May-13
System Entry
Creation of project page.
29-May-13
System Entry
Pledge of $1,000 with $1,000 DDF by Janice Kurth of the Rotary Club of Del Mar, District 5340.
20-Jun-13
System Entry
Pledge of $4,000 with $4,000 DDF by Holly Stuard of the Rotary Club of Escondido East, District 5340.
3-Jul-13
System Entry
Pledge of $1,500 by Tugrul Yegenaga of the Rotary Club of Adana-Cukurova, District 2430.
19-Aug-13
System Entry
Pledge of $1,500 by jale Yegenaga of the Rotary Club of Adana-Güney, District 2430.
20-Aug-13
System Entry
Pledge of $1,000 by Vıldan Vezıroglu of the Rotary Club of Adana-Tepebag, District 2430.
25-Oct-13
System Entry
Pledge of $3,334 by Al H Fedoeiak of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse Midnight Sun, District 5010.
25-Oct-13
System Entry
Project is now "Fully Pledged".
25-Oct-13
System Entry
Pledge of $3,334 DDF by AL H Fedoriak of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse Midnight Sun, District 5010.
15-Nov-13
by Janice Kurth
This Grant will be submitted to RI very soon! Be watching for e-mails requesting authorization from various parties. Thanks again for your support! Sincerely, Janice Kurth
12-Dec-13
System Entry
Application Sent to The Rotary Foundation through Member Access.
2-Mar-14
by Tugrul Yegenaga
No confirmation recieved fm RF yet, so statue is still the same as before.
18-Mar-14
System Entry
Application approved by The Rotary Foundation.
29-Mar-14
by Janice Kurth
Susan Njemanze is in Kenya now hoping to move forward quickly, but funds not in the project bank account yet.
29-Mar-14
by Tugrul Yegenaga
Money ready,please return mail me the project bank account thank you Janıce
2-Jul-14
System Entry
Payment has been issued by The Rotary Foundation.
29-Oct-14
by Janice Kurth
Dear Colleagues,
I have bad news to report with regard to this grant. The Rotary Club of Embu has decided to withdraw from this project. I have done all I can to try to rectify the situation, which is complicated, and have tried to work with Past District Governors in Kenya to assist, but have not met with success. The Embu Club will be returning the funds to The Rotary Foundation. I have contacted TRF for further instructions, and am waiting for their reply. I would like to suggest that each of the contributing clubs consider moving their funds to G-748, a project in Gulu, Uganda. This is a very worthy project, still in East Africa, and has strong local Rotary support. I will be in touch as I know about how to proceed. Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Janice Kurth
18-May-15
by Janice Kurth
The RC of Embu decided to withdraw from the project. I got a PDG involved in Kenya, and the real issue seemed to be “control” considerations with regard to the Club and the cooperating organization. The funds either have been or will be returned to TRF. I am trying to get confirmation of this now. Unfortunately, TRF has not been very responsive in this whole process either. Once confirmation has been received that the funds have been returned, I intend to request to Districts and Clubs that funds be redirected to this project http://www.matchinggrants.org/global/project748.html. I apologize for the delays, all of which have been out of my control. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at jkurth1@san.rr.com. Have a good day!
16-Jun-15
by Janice Kurth
The funds for this project have been returned to The Rotary Foundation it has been closed. Please contact jkurth1@san.rr.com for further information.
