A quick update on Boaz -- his surgery was originally scheduled for August 16th, but because of a schedule conflict by the doctor, the operation has been postponed. The new date is September 9th.

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The school has two locations. The original location is in Kibera, Africa's largest slum. Earlier this year, part of the staff and students relocated to nearby Riruta, about 5 miles from Kibera. This was necessary for safety reasons due to the ethnic violence following the riots of the December 2007 elections.

The school was founded in 2000 by Margaret Nyabuto and currently has 30 students in Riruta, with more being added over time. In addition, 32 students from the former site in Kibera are being sponsored so that they can continue to attending school (pictured here).

Tenderfeet partners with the non-profit charity Lahash International.

Thanks to a combination of generous assistance from private donors, Century 21 Millenium in Brampton, Ontario Canada (friends through Kathy Switzer) and an ongoing Cornerstone VBS fundraiser, it looks like we'll be in good shape to help Boaz.

Recall that Boaz is the Tenderfeet student that needs an eye muscle surgery to fix his permanently crossed eyes. It appears as if we will have enough to cover follow-up visits as well. It's wonderful news for Boaz, and we're grateful to all that have helped and are helping in this effort. The surgery is scheduled for August 16th.

From the picture (above right) of Boaz at home, you can see that his family is struggling financially. They live in a one-room residence, sleeping on the floor. His mother is a widow that works odd jobs (such as washing clothes by hand), and earns less than $2 per day. Such a surgery would be impossible without the kind friends who have come to his aid.

Most people throughout Kenya are now putting the horrors of the riots earlier in the year behind them. Hardships resulting from those events still remain in the form of ruined businesses, dislocated families, and higher food prices.

Our budget for the children's food program in Riruta has had to increase a lot in the past several months to adjust to higher prices. Because of these rising costs and the many day-to-day challenges Tenderfeet faces, our Ten for Tenderfeet friends are more important than ever.

Now is a great time to join the Tenderfeet team. Please click here to sign up. We need all the help we can get to keep the school going strong.

In other news, the situation continues to evolve in Kibera. Tenderfeet has discontinued the relationship with Perijang, who had been operating the school in Kibera for the past several months. Instead, we will now operate the school using Tenderfeet teachers. We are fortunate to have partners in Rhode Island who have made a generous commitment to ensure the children in Kibera can continue to get their education.

Meanwhile, plans are set for an August eye surgery for Boaz Osiebe. Fundraising is underway to pay for the surgery, estimated to cost $900.

A big event at Tenderfeet is that Midterm examinations start this week -- these are an important aspect of education in Kenya and the results of these exams are a big deal, even for young children. Finally, Mama Margaret has also been coordinating a program for widows (including some parents of Tenderfeet children) to earn extra income and achieve greater levels of independence. The widows are working on handcrafts to sell in the market.

Previous News: June 16, 2008

Please note our new Houston address:

		Lahash International Kenya Programs 16506 FM 529, #130 Houston, TX 77095

More News

We are now keeping all the older news on a separate web page. Please click here to read all the Tenderfeet news in recent months.

 

Shadrack's Successful Surgery

A wonderful success story of Tenderfeet is that of Shadrack Otieno. Shadrack is a former students of Tenderfeet. He was facing a serious medical challenge, which required brain surgery.

The happy news is that the funds to pay for the surgery were raised. The surgery was successfully completed on March 28, 2007, and now Shadrack is in a school for children with special challenges. He's doing great!

 

More about Tenderfeet

Tenderfeet Children's Center provides a warm learning environment for extremely needy children. Almost all of these children are orphans or have only one caretaker. Many have lost a parent or parents to AIDS, while others were abandoned.

Tenderfeet provides the opportunity for an education, which would not be available otherwise. The school also provides two meals a day for the kids -- which for some may be their only chance to eat all day.

 

Hope is Alive with Mama Margaret

The school is administered by Mama Margaret Nyabuto, a courageous woman who has served children in the slums for 20 years. In order respond to the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and poverty, she formed the school in 2000 and now has 3 teachers educating the children of Tenderfeet.

She has faced tremendous setbacks and obstacles in the past few years, including being evicted three times in one year due to unscrupulous landlords, dealing with her own financial struggles, having her life and school threatened during the riots, and her own father was murdered last year. Nevertheless, she has persevered for the sake of the children.

Margaret is convinced that long-term holistic projects that care for the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the residents - especially the children - is the best hope for the slums.

Lahash International, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, partners with Mama Margaret in bringing health, education, and spiritual guidance to the slums.

 

Getting Involved

You can help feed these kids

Just a little bit goes a long way at Tenderfeet.  A donation of only $6.00, the price of a matinee movie ticket in America, is enough to buy 22 pounds of millet flour. 

 

With $16.00, dinner for two in the United States, Mama Margaret can buy 3 gallons of cooking oil and $20.00 will pay for 2 bales of Maize flour. 

 

$30.00 will buy 3 sacks of charcoal fuel. The monthly rent on the school building is $120.

 

We all want a chance to make a difference and know that our donations count. Through the Ten for Tenderfeet sponsorship program, your donations will help assure the children of the school get the care and education that is essential for their future.

Please find out more by clicking here.

 

Online Donations

There are two ways to make an online donation.

If you have a PayPal account or prefer to use PayPal, please click on the button below:

Lahash has also added the secure online Groundspring system, which was designed for charities and is used by many non-profit organizations. You can now make automatic monthly credit card donations with this system.

Please click below to contribute using the Groundspring system. If you do, you will see that there are different projects you can donate to. Please choose one of the following, depending on your interest: Ten for Tenderfeet, Tenderfeet Child Sponsorship, or other and specify "Tenderfeet" as the Donation Destination in the case of other.

U.S. donations are tax-deductible under article 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

 

Contact Information (note: the Houston address changed in June 2008)

Margaret Nyabuto and Lahash representative
Dax Mitchell in Kibera

• Lahash International
  Kenya Programs
  16506 FM 529, #130
  Houston, TX 77095

Lahash Representative for Tenderfeet:

• Dax Mitchell
  713-584-3975
  dmitchell@lahash.net

In Kibera:

• Mama Margaret Nyabuto
  (254)-0724-788-482   
  (don't dial the 0 in 0724 if calling internationally)

  
  Tenderfeet Education Centre
  c/o Margaret Nyabuto
  P.O. Box 13444 Code 00100
  Nairobi, Kenya

For more information on the Tenderfeet school, on visits to the center, or ways you can help with the vision, please visit www.lahash.net. Lahash International is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

 

Last Update: August 20, 2008