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Our representatives in Kenya - Joan Ward
David & Christina Lewis in Zanzibar
Marcio Garcia in Brazil |
| All three of these people have worked and are working with other well known organizations in their country and have teamed up with FRIENDS to see each of our goals fulfilled. |
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| KENYA: |
- At present we own & operate two health centres. One treatment centre, houses teaching for health & community benefit and on that property we have a United Nation project teaching local folks how to farm. This is where people also come for diagnosis & treatment of various medical issues.
- We also work with aids patients . Presently we are building a new clinic for aids, in a poor area, where we will add a nutritionist, a laboratory and a pharmacy. On our first piece of property hosts FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP which caters to a community in Garissa who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. We fund the medicines and pay for a full time nurse to run the clinic. Our nurse teaches and supervises in both the dispensary and the FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP.
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| Other Projects in Kenya: |
- Building a local camel herd under the direction of Ron Ward, a long time worker in Kenya. This herd provides milk for the Nomadic people. (Somalis)
- We support aid’s workers, that have aids, to go into the community & provide encouragement to people that are too embarrassed to come for treatment. This is effective since the people who are encouraging them to overcome their shame, also have aids.
- We have “GOATS FOR GRANDMOTHERS”. This project is to help the Grandmothers who are often raising their grandchildren and have virtually no income. This helps them to survive by giving them a renewable resource of milk to sell and eventually meat to sell or eat.
- We have assisted in strengthening a local school and now this has been carried on by another organization.
- A community kitchen has been placed on our property so that people can come for conferences, weddings and various gatherings.
- We are also working with a leader in a refuge camp three hours away from Garissa, and just outside the border of Somali.
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| Future Projects in Kenya: |
- A business centre which would create businesses to eventually sustain the costs of our medical centre locally, as well as give employment to the community.
- The future of micro businesses, helping people simply to create their own business & thus provide for their family. This will create a stronger local community, since our goal is not to have a community dependant on a charity. Through our involvement, a whole community carries the responsibilities by becoming stronger financially & with the confidence that comes from controlling their destiny. We only come to give a helping hand, not to direct their lives.
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| Brazil : |
- Presently we have completed our first Youth Centre totally funded by FRIENDS. The reports we hear of a community already affected have been wonderful, as the youth now have a place to gather and cannot be used and abused by wrong elements.
- We work with local churches who are teaching the youth to know their value, which keeps them away from crime. We’ve been told the child abuse in that range of ages has gone to virtually zero since the youth are seeing their value as people, as they hear teaching regarding sports and life skills.
- Other projects in Brazil. We own land that we are preparing now to build another youth centre on.
- We previously have assisted in building another large Youth Centre with Jim Orr.
- Previously we have put baking and welding equipment in an orphanage so that the orphans have skills when they leave and are not as prone to be drawn into crime and prostitution. This is a common problem facing orphans when they leave an orphanage, with no family or support group.
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| ZANZIBAR : |
- Land has been purchased and we are at the beginning stages of building a high school on this property. We already have a well “KIM’S WELL”, this well is already showing the community of our care for them. This saves the women, largely Muslims, the journey of over a mile to get fresh water. Because we are a school, they are allowed to drink our water.
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| Other Projects in Zanzibar: |
- We have given thousands of dollars to complete the lower school a few lots away from our land. This is the school we are working in partnership with and is operated by Into All the World.
- We are encouraging and have seen youth from Canada go to work as support staff in this school, as the school touches lives and does not just educate academically.
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| Future Projects: |
- A business centre which would create business to eventually sustain costs.
- The future of micro business helping people simply to create their own business and thus provide for their family. This will create a stronger local community since our goal is not to have a community dependant on a charity.
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| KENYA - Ron & Joan Ward |
| Who Are They? |
Ron & Joan Ward have a passion for the Somali people. They felt very honored when a Somali sheik chose the names of Ail Dheeri and Fatuma for us. Fatuma is the only child who survived into adulthood of the Prophet Mohammed. Ali was her husband. To Ali they added Dheeri which means “tall” Under the sponsorship of The Canadian Baptist Mission and over a period of many years Ali Dheeri became famous all over NEP as one who established TB hospitals, placed many Canadian teachers in various secondary schools and established farming along the river in Garissa. After the destruction of a large settlement on the outskirts of Garissa, due to civil unrest he raised enough money to reconstruct new homes for everyone so that to this day that village is known as Bula Adaan or “The White Village” referring to his efforts on their behalf.
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| Why We Partner With Them: |
Once when Joan was visiting Selwyn Outreach Centre, she heard Brian Mahood say he wished he could be involved in aids directly, by purchasing land overseas. On her heart was the need for land for healing the sick and so she spoke with the Brian. They both quickly sensed a partnership here and soon we were moving ahead towards the goal of what is now The Bula Hagar Dispensary.
Still another piece of land purchased by FRIENDS on the other end of Garissa, hosts FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP which caters to a community in Garissa who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Here they meet regularly to support one another, hold seminars to learn micro financing, how to make home gardens, learn nutritional values etc. A powerful component is learning how to provide health care for members of the community who are bedridden. In teams of two they go into the community twice a week to work with families on how to look after the sick. Along with funding the meds and nurse for the dispensary, FRIENDS support a specialty nurse in HIV/AIDS who teaches and supervises in both the dispensary and the FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP. |
| ZANZIBAR– David & Christina Lewis |
| Who Are They? |
David & Christina have four small children of their own and they live most of the year in Zanzibar where they have started a school called “All Nations Academy”.
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| Why We Partner With Them: |
Because of our 25 year support of Bill & Barb Lewis, David’s parents, we had great confidence in their ability to touch the lives of many.
The personal dedication of David and Christina has been inspiring to us all. |
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