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Expanding Opportunities August 2006 Newsletter http://www.exop.org - info@expandingopportunities.org |
Table of Contents
Hi everyone,Expanding Opportunities thanks Ginger Wilson who has volunteered to write the monthly newsletters.
Ginger has been a volunteer for Expanding Opportunities for several years. She is always ready help, to do what is needed and is willing to pick up a project and see it to completion. She traveled to Kenya this year and plans to return in 2007. We are grateful for her dedication and many hours of service.
Service Journey
Cali and Jordann dance with the children
Ginger and Kipila discuss the Maasai Community Health Outreach
SERVICE JOURNEY 2007
Join us for a Service Journey to Kenya in 2007. Travel with us anytime between January and March. Your Service Journey is planned individually and woven into the Journeys of others. In addition to the individual journeys, Expanding Opportunities is offering 3 specific journeys in 2007. Visit www.exop.org and click on the Service Journey link for more information.
Maasai Communty Health Outreach
Maasai Community Health is one of the specialized Service Journeys. This project is a collaborative effort by Ginger Wilson, a volunteer, and Joseph Ole Kipila, a Maasai, and coordinated through Expanding Opportunities. Proper dental and personal hygienic practices will improve the life of children and adults by helping them fight disease and infection caused by poor personal habits. Ginger made a commitment to provide comfort kits to the villagers. The comfort kits will contain 1 towel, 1 face cloth, 1 toothbrush, 1 tube of toothpaste, and 1 bar of soap. Service Journey volunteers will distribute these kits in March 2007. Kapila will collect data over the next 3 years to see if this will lessen the reported incidence of disease in this test group. Ginger is collecting materials and assembling the “comfort kits”. She will prepare 172 kits for the initial distribution. Anyone interested in helping with the comfort kits Ginger at 1-207-338-1747, cell 1-207-322-1740 or info@expandingopportunities.org.
Cali and Jordann dance with the children
Ginger and Kipila discuss the Maasai Community Health Outreach
Join us for a Service Journey to Kenya in 2007. Travel with us anytime between January and March. Your Service Journey is planned individually and woven into the Journeys of others. In addition to the individual journeys, Expanding Opportunities is offering 3 specific journeys in 2007. Visit www.exop.org and click on the Service Journey link for more information.
Maasai Communty Health Outreach
Maasai Community Health is one of the specialized Service Journeys. This project is a collaborative effort by Ginger Wilson, a volunteer, and Joseph Ole Kipila, a Maasai, and coordinated through Expanding Opportunities. Proper dental and personal hygienic practices will improve the life of children and adults by helping them fight disease and infection caused by poor personal habits. Ginger made a commitment to provide comfort kits to the villagers. The comfort kits will contain 1 towel, 1 face cloth, 1 toothbrush, 1 tube of toothpaste, and 1 bar of soap. Service Journey volunteers will distribute these kits in March 2007. Kapila will collect data over the next 3 years to see if this will lessen the reported incidence of disease in this test group. Ginger is collecting materials and assembling the “comfort kits”. She will prepare 172 kits for the initial distribution. Anyone interested in helping with the comfort kits Ginger at 1-207-338-1747, cell 1-207-322-1740 or info@expandingopportunities.org.
Camp Forest
Chris peeks out from the beaver dam
Our campers left on August 25th.
It is almost too quiet at Camp Forest. It looks lonely and forlorn; no campers, noise, fires, whistles, or animals calls until next year. This year at Camp Forest was the best year yet with many local and international visitors. Rudolpho, a Shipibo Indian, Karanja, a Kikuyu from Kenya, Porcupine with quill crafts, and Donn Fendler, from Lost on a Mountain in Maine.
The Camp year ended with EXPEDITION WEEK. Adam Stone recounts the highlights of the trip: We went into the forested headwaters of the Passy river water shed this year with four campers. We had with us Rudolpho, our counselor and guest from the Peruvian Amazon, with his wife Jen and their baby Terry.
We walked from Camp Forest to Ellis Pond spending the night there, catching fish and eating lots of blackberries and blueberries. The loons visited us many times. Hearing Rudolpho’s flute, four came very close to see who could sing like them. Then we headed further into Half Moon Pond. The four boys explored Half Moon Pond finding an old beaver lodge and tearing a hole to fit two and almost three campers inside. Next we visited a lodge where the beaver was home and respected his territory, walking softly near their door.
We knew this was the land of the coyote houses from the sign and last years visit. We found their dens where they raise babies under huge rocks soft with leaves and totally waterproof. We crawled through finding coyote hair proving our hypothesis. We imagined them sitting on the big rocks howling. It was a very good trip, all of us becoming closer and more comfortable in the forest, with the trees, earth, water, plants, animals, and us.
We look forward to a great camp year in 2007.
Chris peeks out from the beaver dam
Our campers left on August 25th.
It is almost too quiet at Camp Forest. It looks lonely and forlorn; no campers, noise, fires, whistles, or animals calls until next year. This year at Camp Forest was the best year yet with many local and international visitors. Rudolpho, a Shipibo Indian, Karanja, a Kikuyu from Kenya, Porcupine with quill crafts, and Donn Fendler, from Lost on a Mountain in Maine.
The Camp year ended with EXPEDITION WEEK. Adam Stone recounts the highlights of the trip: We went into the forested headwaters of the Passy river water shed this year with four campers. We had with us Rudolpho, our counselor and guest from the Peruvian Amazon, with his wife Jen and their baby Terry.
We walked from Camp Forest to Ellis Pond spending the night there, catching fish and eating lots of blackberries and blueberries. The loons visited us many times. Hearing Rudolpho’s flute, four came very close to see who could sing like them. Then we headed further into Half Moon Pond. The four boys explored Half Moon Pond finding an old beaver lodge and tearing a hole to fit two and almost three campers inside. Next we visited a lodge where the beaver was home and respected his territory, walking softly near their door.
We knew this was the land of the coyote houses from the sign and last years visit. We found their dens where they raise babies under huge rocks soft with leaves and totally waterproof. We crawled through finding coyote hair proving our hypothesis. We imagined them sitting on the big rocks howling. It was a very good trip, all of us becoming closer and more comfortable in the forest, with the trees, earth, water, plants, animals, and us.
We look forward to a great camp year in 2007.
Feeding Program
Sammy distributes food and clothing in Kericho
FEEDING PROGRAM IN KERICHO
Sammy has been working closely with the street children in Kericho trying to reunite some with their families. He has facilitated the return home of 8 children, helped one boy establish a business, and bought coats for some.
The boys are also involved with community service by keeping the city park clean. Sammy bought a football (soccer) and is teaching the children how to play. He says they are good enough to be in a league.
Sammy is teaching the boys that he cares, and are worth his time. They are beginning to trust him and believe that someone cares.
Sammy distributes food and clothing in Kericho
Sammy has been working closely with the street children in Kericho trying to reunite some with their families. He has facilitated the return home of 8 children, helped one boy establish a business, and bought coats for some.
The boys are also involved with community service by keeping the city park clean. Sammy bought a football (soccer) and is teaching the children how to play. He says they are good enough to be in a league.
Sammy is teaching the boys that he cares, and are worth his time. They are beginning to trust him and believe that someone cares.
Joseph Waweru Home School
The boys study to improve in school
Mwangi has been helping the boys with their homework. He reports that:
SAMWEL is once again #1 in his level. Way to go Samwel!!!!
KIPLANGAT has moved up from near the bottom of his class to # 18 in his level. Congratulations Langy!!
JOHN has also moved up significantly. Go John!!!!
KAMAU is still cheeky and knows everything but I heard he is studying hard for exams so he can go to high school in January.
We are proud of all these young men. They are studying hard and when they put this much effort into their studies it makes whatever we do for them seem worthwhile.
The boys study to improve in school
Mwangi has been helping the boys with their homework. He reports that:
SAMWEL is once again #1 in his level. Way to go Samwel!!!!
KIPLANGAT has moved up from near the bottom of his class to # 18 in his level. Congratulations Langy!!
JOHN has also moved up significantly. Go John!!!!
KAMAU is still cheeky and knows everything but I heard he is studying hard for exams so he can go to high school in January.
We are proud of all these young men. They are studying hard and when they put this much effort into their studies it makes whatever we do for them seem worthwhile.
Aina Moja Shop
Aina Moja Shop in Belfast, Maine
Sheryl Tripp who is the manager, for our stores located in Belfast, Maine at the Working Art Gallery and the SummerHouse Café, has let us know that the stores are continuing to do well.
Naimya Twiga was selected as the name for our 78’’ giraffe. As soon as the giraffe received its name, he sold and will be going to his new home in a short while. We hope to have another carved for the shop in 2007.
The sales at the shops and on line are encouraging. With increasing business our artisans in Kenya will be receiving more frequent and larger orders.
Tell your friends to visit www.ainamoja.com , or www.1stafricanclothing.com and shop.
Aina Moja Shop in Belfast, Maine
Naimya Twiga was selected as the name for our 78’’ giraffe. As soon as the giraffe received its name, he sold and will be going to his new home in a short while. We hope to have another carved for the shop in 2007.
The sales at the shops and on line are encouraging. With increasing business our artisans in Kenya will be receiving more frequent and larger orders.
Tell your friends to visit www.ainamoja.com , or www.1stafricanclothing.com and shop.
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COMMENTS will be a new section for our newsletters. We would like to hear what you have to say.
Please use comments@expandingopportunities.org to suggest or comment on issues.
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