News from New Zealand

On a recent visit to New Zealand, DGE Ian Cosh and his wife Sharon had the opportunity to visit with Alicia and attend the concert she speaks about below.

From Alicia:

I've given speeches to nearly 20 New Zealand Rotary clubs about the Joseph House of Hope in Mombassa, Kenya. It's a school that I'm helping raise money for as my Rotary project this year.The school began when a lady in a Mombassa community, Caroline Bockle (Sammy Karuri's sister, for those of you who know Sammy), noticed two girls hanging out all day near where she lived. She asked them why they skipped school to come over, and to her surprise the girls told here they had never attended school (neither did their friends or relatives). They didn't even have a school near them! So Caroline began teaching these 2 girls how to read and write. By the end of the first week she had a dozen pupils showing up at her house. By the end of the month there were over 40, and by the end of the year she had nearly 200 students meeting at her house everyday to learn! Many volunteer teachers have come to Caroline's aid, and I am raising money during my Rotary scholarship year to help the 11 teachers at the Joseph House of Hope get certified. Once the teachers are certified, the school may be eligible to receive a permit, thus gaining some initial government funding from the Kenyan government.I organized a piano concert in July where I, Kevin, and another pianist played to raise money for the Joseph House of Hope. Between the concert ticket sales along with a few donations made by Rotary clubs, the total raised is now over $2500! I look forward to continuing the project when I return to America by speaking to more Rotary clubs, churches, and schools to gain their support for the project as well. So this probably won't be the last you hear about the Joseph House of Hope! If you're wondering where the school's name came from, Caroline named it that because Joseph, a biblical character, was sold into slavery as a young boy by his brothers, yet rose to become a powerful leader later on in life. Be thinking about this school and if this may be a cause you'd like to assist with in the future, as I will be continuing this project in December when I return to the States. The goal of fund-raising for their certification process is $5000, so half of the funds are now raised. Looking forward to hearing back from you soon!