 |
WHO ARE WE? A non profit organization educating the children of Kenya. Matanya's Hope is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in Kenyan communities by offering educational opportunities to children who would otherwise have none. A note from Matanya's Hope Founder and President Michelle Stark
My name is
Michelle Stark. I work 3 jobs, 7 days a week to make
ends meet for myself and my 18 year old son. When my
parents approached me 2 years ago to take my son and me with
them on a trip to
July, 2005...our plane approached the runway - a long pathway of worn earthen trail amidst a field of frolicking wildebeests. The way they ran around was almost rehearsed - as if they were laughing at us - playing their game; I felt like I was landing in the middle of a movie set but it was so real I had to pinch myself! My eyes brimmed with such happy tears I actually hid my face - this was so private - I didn't want to explain. I was here with my family - my father's dream became a part of my personal reality - and I just knew that this was going to be the kind of experience that one doesn't forget. We awoke early every day for game drives on which we encountered lions, cheetahs, monkeys, giraffe, elephants, zebras, wildebeests, wart hogs, chimpanzees, cape buffalo, hyenas, vultures, crocodiles, hippos and much more! The sights were not to be believed! - The air was delightfully fresh and clean! The sky seemed to span forever! We saw women hard at work, primitively spinning lambs wool and weaving it into magnificent garments. The vivid colors of their textiles came from their own unique use of flowers, leaves and even speckled beetle type bugs. Often, the workers' feet were bare - their pockets empty, but their hearts were full of a kind of joy that made me happy to be near them. While they apparently had no material wealth, they had a far greater intangible richness represented by a quality of life that seems to have disappeared from most of our world. One day, we went to visit a school near the Sweetwater's Game Reserve. The children were clothed in tattered uniforms. Their gray cardigans were often pilled and marked with tears and runs. The girls wore light gray cotton skirts that came well below their knees and the boys wore darker shorts or pants. The clothing bore all of the signs of being handed down from student to student over the years. It was marked by the tell tale signs of wear and of Our group of approximately 25 American tourists split up into smaller units and we were lead by the children and their teachers to different classrooms. Fragmented boards were nailed together over a frame of sorts and combined with cinder blocks to create a room with shelter. Pieces of corrugated tin stretched over the long building providing a make shift roof. There was no running water. There was no electricity. Each classroom had a few windows - and the spaces between the boards where the sun was beckoned in provided light for their studies. The desks were made up of 2 X 4's with a writing surface the width of one board, barely enough to support a book. The benches, picnic table style, were nailed to the desk; each supported one student who had to squeeze in, in order to sit down. It was here that my world was about to change. The teacher from "our classroom" approached me with Mercy Nyawira Chege's composition book, a student from that class. The writings she showed me were impeccable. The teacher explained that Mercy was one of the best students in the school. It was clear to me that the child could write. Then, she sadly shared that this child would not get to go on passed the 5th grade as her parents could not afford $10 for her required uniform this coming year. My heart sank. $10? No school? I wouldn't accept this scenario for such a bright girl; she WANTS to LEARN!
We were informed
that schooling for these children is sponsored by the
government until the completion of the 8th grade.
At that time the children's families are required
to pay the $350.00 annual tuition per child plus fees
for supplies and uniform in order for the children to
continue into high school. The harsh reality is
that most families could not afford even this meager
stipend. Until Matanya's
Hope, all
As the visitors
left their classrooms, I made my way into the office
(another small, dusty makeshift room in the long hall like
structure of classes) where I spoke with the head teacher of
the day. Through trembling lips, I was able to fight
back my tears enough to tell her that this 5th
grade child would go to school! I would pay for her.
I would pay whatever fees she needed. I recall someone
saying "it is ok Michelle".
At this point, my tears broke. "NO!
It isn't ok! It
is NOT ok1" Surrounded now by my parents, my sister and her
husband and other traveling companions, 4 families agreed to
sponsor one child each. I asked the head teacher to
bring in 3 additional children who excelled scholastically
but who were struggling to meet their financial obligations
to the school. "Three?", she asked?
"How am I to do that?
They are all poor.
They are all hungry!"
Even with this, I did not understand the magnitude of
her words.
Mrs. Njambi Mugo,
the teacher, responded by bringing in 3 students to meet us
along with the original child I had sponsored.
Peter Wacira (who had just lost his father), Peris Wachera
(first in the school since kindergarten) and Christine
Muthoni (found wandering and taken in by a good Samaritan)
became the first students to receive funds from what would
become Matanya's Hope.
As the
saying states, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste".
We took it upon ourselves at that moment to try and make
a difference in these children's lives. We
collectively sponsored the education for four children
on the spot. At the same time we formed a bond
with these four children and have kept in contact with
them since last July, marking their success each new day and
giving them real hope for the future.
We did not realize
it then, but we were on to something wonderful!
Following this
early success, and upon our return to the
I was driven
to improve upon what we started in
Matanya's Hope has
also grown dramatically over the past few months and we now
are able to sponsor a total of seventeen students who
will continue their education beyond the eighth year.
Where there was once no hope at all, there is now hope and
excitement for these children. With a continued education,
they are getting closer everyday to becoming productive individuals in a land
where poverty is now the norm.
We have developed
a fund for new uniforms and we are spearheading two new programs:
one for light called "Let There Be Light", and one
designed to improve the crop production of these people with
the drip irrigation system previously mentioned.
Yes, there is much to be done, but in 7 months, much has
already changed. Children who were once destined
to work in the fields and live in semi-starvation are now in
high school boarding schools receiving an education. Children who
walked miles to school barefoot and cold are now receiving
clothing and shoes to help them overcome these hardships.
Hungry children are now being fed, and the list goes on and
on.
Matanya's Hope is
proud to be changing the world, one child at a time.
Whoever said changing the world is impossible?
It is not easy. But,
only ignoring the problem makes our plight impossible!
We need your help - these children are counting on
us. Help us get
them what is free in our country and let them learn.
Please help us lead these children to the fruits of
their education - something they have only dreamed of - and
make it possible for them to help themselves through the
power of their minds.
This has been a
wonderful, exciting and rewarding involvement.
Matanya's
Hope is a fully accredited 501-(C)(3) approved
charity. Your donations are tax deductible to the
extent of the law. We must continue to do whatever we can to help as
many children as possible. Let these
beautiful minds flourish! We invite you to join
us in this wonderful endeavor. All of the
children sponsored communicate directly with their
individual sponsors forging a new chain of strength into the
future. You may see yourself as the rescuer or
helper, but wait to see just how much you too will learn in
this marvelous exchange! We
hope you will consider joining us in this exciting venture.
Thank you for
taking the time to read this very long letter.
We welcome your support and involvement. One
hundred percent of all donations go directly to the
children. All of the Matanya's Hope staff work on a volunteer basis only and each board member has
sponsored at least one child themselves.
Click here to view the Matanya's Hope Brochure
Website and Hosting Services Donated by
|
