PLANT-A-BOOK INTERNATIONAL HELPS NAIROBI KIDS

Plant-a-Book International helps Nairobi Kids! This blog represents two registered nonprofit organizations, PAB and KKIN-UK, that provide support for the students at Galilee Primary School and Waddington High School, and children living in the Holly House orphanages in the slums of Nairobi Kenya. We are dedicated to lifting children from poverty through literacy and education. For more information, please visit PAB's website at www.plantabook.org.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Another School Year is Wrapping Up

November is coming to a close and our Galilee Primary School and Waddington High School students are beginning their winter break.  In Kenya the school year is from January through November, divided into three "terms" (January to April, May to August, and September to December).  You can imagine the faces of the children as they complete the year--just as our children here feel at the end of the school year in June!  Some of our students will stay close to the school, in their homes in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  Some will travel "up country" to rural villages to visit distant relatives.  Our Holly House children will enjoy more free time on campus, eagerly looking forward to the Christmas dinner made possible by the generosity of our donors and sponsors.

The month of December will fly by and soon our dear students will once again be sitting behind their rudimentary desks, eager to learn once again.  Until then, let's wish them a happy and restful winter break.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Friday's Featured Child - Lameck

Lameck is 16 years old and will be in Form 2 in January.  His birthday is Feb. 9, 1995.  He lives with his parents who are unemployed. He has two sisters and a brother. Lameck likes to travel and his best subject is geography.  He would like to be a pilot someday.  He scored 287/500 on the KCPE exam.  Lameck has some eye problems.  Won't you be Lameck's sponsor?

For more information please email us at info@nairobikids.org.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 In a couple of days we will celebrate one of the biggest holidays in America -- Thanksgiving Day.  It's a day when we join together with family and friends, prepare a feast of food, and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.  The fact that we have plentiful food is a blessing that is missing in the homes of our Galilee and WHS children.  For most of our Holly House children, their friends and family are right there in the orphanages with them.  But they, too, are thankful.  Their thanks ring out in their letters to their sponsors, in the smiles on their faces, in the hope in their eyes. 

Thank YOU for making a difference in the lives of our "Nairobi kids."  You are making a bigger difference than you'll ever know.
 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Auction Closes Today!

There is still a little time left to get in on the auction:

SHOP OUR AUCTION
Nov. 12-19, 2011
100% of proceeds will go toward paying KCSE exam fees for our 2012 graduating class students. Visit our auction site here:

OR go to www.ebay.com and use search KCSE.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Last Weekend for the Auction!

This is the last weekend for our eBay Auction to raise funds for the upcoming Form 4 KCSE exam fees!
Come shop with us!
Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students. 

Waddington High School and Galilee Primary School serve children living in horrible poverty in the slums of Nairobi.  These children often come from homes made of tin walls with no electricity or running water.  Some live in Holly House orphanages on campus.  It is a dream come true for these students to receive a high school education, but at the end of their senior year they face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in.  
 PLEASE HELP THESE STUDENTS!
The auction ends on Saturday, November 19, so please join us in raising funds to help these deserving students.   Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  
 
 
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Holiday Gift Cards are Here!

Make a donation of $5 or more in someone's honor for the holidays and we will send them a Happy Holidays greeting card to let them know!  Perfect gift for that tough person to buy for, a child's teacher, or use as a stocking stuffer.  The card reads:  "A donation has been made in your honor to help Galilee Primary & Waddington High Schools in Kenya.  Visit www.plantabook.org."  We will mail the card to you or directly to the recipient.  We will  add your personal greeting and sign your name on the back.  To order, make your donation using the Donate button on the left and then send an email to us at info@plantabook.org with your name, recipient's name and address, and any greeting you would like us to add.

You can even give the gift of a Galilee Primary School sponsorship for only $25.00.  Please visit our website at www.plantabook.org or www.nairobikids.org and click on Child Sponsorship - GPS to see the deserving children available for sponsorship.  

Friday, November 11, 2011

Time for the Auction!

Our Annual eBay Auction starts TOMORROW!
Come shop with us from November 12 - 19 to help raise funds for the KCSE fees for our upcoming Form 4 students!

Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE or go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.

At the end of their senior year our Form 4 students face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in. 
This is where YOU can help!
Please join Plant-a-Book International for our annual eBay Auction Fundraiser to raise money for exam fees for our Waddington High School students in Kenya.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.  Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  
 
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!  

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Message from Fanuel, the School Director

Hello,
I hope  you and your families are doing well.  Thank you so very much for the big efforts you have and continue doing towards sponsoring  children in our schools as well as the drives you  are doing that are enabling us put learning materials in the hands of the children and teachers. These efforts  in the long run  are going to help our kids to improve their academic standards and thus have higher chances of  passing the national examinations and success in life.
Another successful year is coming to an end, we can not say how  fast time is flying , thanks to your efforts we have moved. We moved a big step, the latrine land is now fully bought,  four latrines were put up by Feed the Children and are fully functional , the kitchen is now done though few finishing touches are still in progress or waiting, the number of kids who are sponsored continue to grow, the drives you have done so far has made   a big difference. For all these to have taken place, it shows what a collective effort of a dedicated group can do.
The year started on hard note economically and it has remained so to date,  times have been hard, especially with food and many life essentials, prices went through the roof, but we thank God that you stood with us all through and now we are coming to the end of the year still strong enough to continue . We pray that the coming year would come with a difference and that the world economy will have come out of recession  and things will brighten up  somehow.
Thank you so very much those of you who have been shopping on our online shop for your sponsored kids, those who been sending parcels full of gifts to their sponsored kids and many of you who have taken time to write letters and cards with encouraging words to their  sponsored children.  You may not know but all these motivates the children so very much and thus many work even harder in class.
Step by step we are changing our Soweto slums community, When we look back and see the number of kids who have joined universities, some who have been lucky to join middle class colleges and those who might have not been able to join college but doing something for themselves . Even those who have not been so lucky, we are still happy for them at least they are not illiterate and thus they will know how to take care of their children .
Lastly please allow me to mention a few  of sponsors who have  been putting in more hours volunteering in doing different tasks for the smooth running of the programme, Christy, Julie, Lynn, Brenda and Lorna,  thank you so very  much  for the big efforts .
May the Almighty bless you and your families abundantly.
Thank you
FANUEL
Fanuel Okwaro
School Director

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Friday's Featured Child - Mary Needs Encouragement

Mary's birthday is September 12, 1999 and she is 12 years old.  Her father left and her mother is unemployed, so Mary lives with her grandmother in the slums.  Her chore at home is fetching water.  Mary's best subject is social studies and she wants to be a lawyer someday.  She likes to play football (soccer).

Mary will be in class 8 starting in January.  It is a very important year for our students as they prepare to take exams to determine if they can move into high school.  Therefore, Mary would really benefit from a sponsor who would encourage her.

We are still offering our Basic Sponsorship Program at only $25 per YEAR!  You will receive three letters a year from your sponsored child and can write to her as often as you wish.  With an OLS and the ability to send small packages, you can send occasional gifts if you desire. We are also offering Holiday Gift Cards -- for a donation, we will send a Holiday Greeting to the person of your choice.  What better gift for both a child like Mary AND someone you care about then to send a Gift Sponsorship!  We will send a holiday card announcing the gift sponsorship.

For more information, please email info@nairobikids.org.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Shop and Help Our Students!


Announcing Our Annual eBay Auction Fundraiser
November 12 – 20, 2011
Come shop with us!

Waddington High School and Galilee Primary School serve children living in horrible poverty in the slums of Nairobi.  These children often come from homes made of tin walls with no electricity or running water.  Some live in Holly House orphanages on campus.  It is a dream come true for these students to receive a high school education, but at the end of their senior year they face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in. 
This is where YOU can help!
Please join Plant-a-Book International for our annual eBay Auction Fundraiser to raise money for exam fees for our Waddington High School students in Kenya.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.  Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  


  
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!