Child of the Week

Meet Mary- WH477

Birthday – May 4

 Mary is sixteen years old and is in Form 3 at Waddington High School.  She lives with her parents and three siblings.  Mary’s father tries to earn a living as a hawker in the slums.  Mary enjoys reading magazines and dreams of becoming an accountant when she completes her education.  Mary has been waiting for a full year to find a sponsor.  Can you help make Mary’s dreams a reality? 

You can sponsor Mary for only $12.50 a month on the basic program, or $20 a month on the reduced-cost lunch program.  You will receive an annual photo and at least three letters a year from your sponsored child.  You will also be informed of the child’s grades in school.

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~Submitted by Brooke

Letter of the Month Club

Welcome to the Letter of the Month Club (LOTMC)!  This is a monthly feature on the blog that we hope will help you develop a deeper relationship with your sponsored child through letter-writing.  Since we are all in different stages of getting to know our sponsored kids, we have several suggested topics so that you can choose the one that works best for you and your sponsored child.  We have also provided suggestions for “extras” to send along with your letter, and questions to ask your sponsored child.

This Month’s Topics:

Getting to Know You: Your City or Town

What city or town do you live in?  Describe the area to your sponsored child.  Is it urban, suburban, or rural?  Do people live in apartments, houses, or high-rises?  What is the population?  What type of climate exists where you live?  What is your city or town known for?  Are there any tourist attractions or significant geographical features?  What leisure activities do people in your city or town enjoy?

Suggested Extras: Picture or postcard of your city or town.

Questions to Ask: Ask your sponsored child to describe Nairobi.

Topic in Focus: Random Acts of Kindness

Teach your sponsored child about random acts of kindness (RAK).  A RAK is a selfless act that a person undertakes to help another or make them happy.  In recent years, people all over the world have committed untold RAK in an attempt to make the world a better place, one small gesture of kindness at a time.  This month, perform three RAK in honor of your sponsored child, and write to them what they were and how performing them made you feel.  Ask your sponsored child to perform three RAK themselves.  Suggested RAK for our Nairobi Kids would include writing a note of appreciation to a teacher, giving an unexpected compliment, telling a classmate what they admire about them, offering help to someone in need, doing an extra chore at home without being asked, picking up trash, or telling a family member how much they love them.  RAK help teach kindness, consideration, and selflessness.  They also show that everyone has something of value to offer others.

Suggested Extras: Thank you card or stationary for your child to write a note to someone; stickers or another small gift for your child to give to another.

Questions to Ask: Ask your sponsored child to tell you what RAK they chose and how performing the RAK made them feel.

Holiday/Seasonal: Easter

How is Easter typically celebrated in your country?  Do you have any special Easter traditions?  What does Easter mean to you?

Suggested Extras: Easter card; stickers; Bible verses; Easter printable.

Questions to Ask: Ask how your sponsored child will be celebrating Easter?  What does Easter mean to him/her?

Reminder: The purpose of the LOTMC is to facilitate getting more letters in the mail to our Nairobi Kids, so please do not get bogged down in worrying about writing the perfect letter or gathering the “extras.”  If you are short on time this month, just drop a postcard or greeting card in the mail with a few short lines to let your Nairobi Kids know that you are thinking of them.  

~Submitted by Brooke

Reminder: The Online Shop Will Be Closed In March

 

Orders placed in our Online Shop by the last day of the month are sent to the school and distributed to students in the following month.  Thus, orders received on or before February 28 will be distributed to the children in March.  Since our Nairobi Kids will be out of school on term break for part of April, our Online Shop will be closed for the month of March.  The Online Shop will reopen at the beginning of April as those orders will be distributed in May when the students are back from break. 

~ Submitted by Brooke

Child of the Week

 Meet Yvonne- WHS474

Birthday – April 18

 

Yvonne is sixteen years old and is in Form 3 at Waddington High School.  She lives with her widowed mother in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  Yvonne helps at home by washing dishes.  She enjoys biology and dancing.  Can you support Yvonne as a sponsor and a friend? 

You can sponsor Yvonne for only $12.50 a month on the basic program, or $20 a month on the reduced-cost lunch program.  You will receive an annual photo and at least three letters a year from your sponsored child.  You will also be informed of the child’s grades in school.

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~Submitted by Brooke

Share the Love Valentine Textbook Drive

Just look at the smiling faces of our sponsored children on Valentine's Day as they received special friendship treats from their sponsors!  This was part of our February “Share the Love” Textbook Drive!  Our supporters answered our call and donated enough books to fully fund the offer of one of our sponsors to match up to 25 math texts for each of Form 1 and Form 2. In fact with the matching fund, Form 1 will receive 50 new math texts and Form 2 will receive 51 new math texts.  Our “Share the Love” Textbook drive continued with a second matching fund for any textbook purchased for Form 1 or Form 2 up to an additional $42.  That matching fund was also met for a total of another $82 for Form 1 and Form 2 texts or revision books (school's choice), in record time!  

In addition, we raised another $62 for the general textbook fund, PLUS several sponsors purchasing child-specific textbooks for grades 3 through form 4 in January and in February!  This is what we mean by PLANT-A-BOOK!  Thank you so much for participating!

Here are some more sweet faces of our sponsored students on Valentine's Day, courtesy of our visiting sponsor Katja.  Thanks for the fantastic photos, Katja!

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing the love and planting books!

The Kayole-Soweto Slums

Our sponsors who have been visiting Galilee and WHS are on their way home from Nairobi after a fulfilling trip.  Katja sent a few photos of the Kayole-Soweto slums and markets while at the airport.  This is the neighborhood surrounding the school campus and is where the majority of our students live. 

 

 

 

 

Child of the Week

Meet Amos- HH671

Birthday – October 20

Amos is nine years old and is in Standard 3 at Galilee Primary School.  Amos is an orphan who has survived a great deal of tragedy in his short life.  Both of his parents died, so Amos went to live with his grandmother.  When his grandmother passed away, Amos and his younger brother were taken into Holly House.  Amos enjoys playing football and would like to be a pilot someday.  His best subject in school is Kiswahili.  Can you reach out to help Amos? 

You can sponsor Amos for only $30 a month.  The Holly House sponsorship fee covers school fees, the cost of the child’s room, and three meals a day.  You will receive an annual photo and at least three letters a year from your sponsored child.  You will also be informed of the child’s grades in school.

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~Submitted by Brooke.