Newsletters (archive)
Photo: Project Leader Petro Okoth stands with our book donation for Luchelele Secondary School (Jan, 2018)
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We keep this archive active so that folks who haven't received our previous newsletters can still read them. Use the form to the right to sign up to our newsletter if you haven't yet, and check out our Facebook page for more frequent updates!
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(new) 2018 Annual Review [click here]
Our Achievements Together in 2018Dear Supporter,
Thank you so much for your support in 2018! This email is to celebrate what your support has allowed us to achieve together in the Kesho Fund's first year of operation. Click here to watch our 2018 review video on YouTube!
2018 Statistics
Project Updates
Gender EquityProject Leaders Oliver Kimathi and Anthonia Nkaka had a wonderful year! They supported and educated over 300 girls and boys at their Girls' Empowerment Clubsand distributed 296 washable, reusable sanitary pad kits sewn by local tailors. We were also excited this year to begin a fruitful new partnership with Tunaweza, a remarkable Tanzanian NGO that trains young people with physical and mental developmental differences in jobs skills and life skills. Tunaweza now sews about 30% of the sanitary pad kits we distribute each month, and we look forward to growing this partnership in the future! Two personal success stories this year stood out for us as well--Oliver was invited to travel to the USA in January-May with the global International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP), and one of Oliver and Anthonia’s students, Neema, was invited to the USA with the amazing Pan-African Youth Leadership Program (PAYLP). Gaining notice from these prestigious programs shows how our leaders and our students are creating waves in their communities and inspiring others to work for equality in Tanzania, the USA, and abroad. 
School InfrastructureProject Leader Petro Okoth managed to electrify Luchelele Secondary School and build a new girls’ bathroom at Ibungilo Secondary School this year! Electrifying Luchelele means that the 600+ students and 40+ teachers there will no longer have to plan lessons, teach, study, read and write in the dark (especially during rain season), and it also opens a path for community classes in the evenings. Building the girls' bathroom at Ibungilo means that the 573 girls there will no longer have to share the 3 toilets they had access to before, and they now also have sinks and a sanitary changing room to reduce prevalence of UTI and transmissible diseases and help them stay safe and in-school throughout the month and the school year. 
School SuppliesProject Leaders Petro Okoth and Augustine Mblembeza worked on 2 wonderful projects in school supplies this year. After surveying each individual school on which textbooks they needed most, The Kesho Fund was able to purchase 343 new booksat 3 schools. In some classrooms, up to 20 students had been sharing each text book and will now have enough to learn more effectively. They also launched a new project very close to our hearts: the School Breakfasts Project. At a school where some students travel up to 2 hours in each direction to school--but eat just 1 meal per day--we have now served 1400 breakfasts and intend to serve 400 more each month in 2019. Reducing hunger in our schools is an important step in fostering the next generation of leaders and change-makers in our communities. Community Support in 2018
Support in TanzaniaAsanteni sana (thank you so much) to our supporters in Tanzania this year! Every step of the way, community members have been coming forward with personal donations to our projects and telling us how happy they are to see the work being done. During the final stage of our Electricity to Luchelele School project, we encountered an unexpected wiring expense and were thrilled when a representative of the ward government came forward and donated about 10% of the projects total budget to help us reahc the finish line. Fundraisers in the USAWe had a number of wonderful fundraisers in the USA this year to push our projects forward, from a benefit dinner in Colorado to a painting class series in New Hampshire. Thanks in particular to Indigo Fire Pottery Studio in Belmont, Massachusetts for their amazing Summer Sale, which provided the first push forward for our New Girls' Bathroom project! Individual DonorsLast, but most importantly, thanks to our individual donors this year! Personal donations of all sizes formed the backbone of our budget from month to month. Without all of you, none of this work would have been possible. Plans for 2019
Monthly UpdatesDue to interest from donors, we will move from our current quarterly newsletter to monthly email updates. These will be short and probably highlight 1 activity, project, or community outcome each month. We are looking forward to being in-touch more frequently! The Kesho Fund Library ProjectTo help us address students' lack of reading materials as cost-effectively as possible, we are beginning a new project this year of commissioning photo-copiable, illustrated books in English, Swahili, and many other local/regional/global languages for free distribution in Tanzania and East Africa. Stay tuned for more details! Community FundraisersAfter our wonderful success with community fundraisers in 2018, we are looking for ways to reach more support communities in 2019. If you'd be interested in hosting a BBQ, potluck, business partnership, or other fundraiser in 2019, please let us know! Thanks for all your support this year!We were deeply humbled by the trust and compassion that our supporters showed us this year, and we could not have achieved any of this without you. Cheers to a wonderful 2018 and an even brighter kesho (tomorrow) together.
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Summer Newsletter, 2018 [click here]
Summer 2018 Newsletter
Thank you for being a part of our first half of a year in operation! The time has been filled to the brim with excitement and new experiences for our team and the communities in which we work.
See below for details on what your support has helped us to accomplish so far this year. Project Updates
Completed Projects
Hongereni (congratulations)! At the end of June, we successfully completed our Electricity to Luchelele School project, which will improve the quality of education for 693 students right away and about 150 more each new school year hereafter by fully wiring their school and connecting it to the Luchelele power grid. The teachers at Luchelele, who used to have to print their materials in town and prepare lessons in their offices by flashlight or cell phone light, will now be able to focus on their kids more than ever before.
Click above to watch our new project completion video! Ongoing Projects
Our projects in Gender Equity and Books for our Schools are growing stronger each month. Since January, 2018, we have:
Click above to watch our new project update video! New Projects
The Kesho Fund team is proud to announce the launch of two new projects this summer-- The School Bathroom Project has begun construction of a new girls’ bathroom at Ibungilo Secondary School, where 573 girls currently share just 3 toilets. The new structure will reduce the prevalence of UTIs, transmissible diseases, shame associated with menstruation, and related truancy/absenteeism. The total one-time cost of $5,000 will improve life for 573 girls right away and about 150-200 more girls each new school year.
Click above to watch our new project launch video! Events and Partnerships
Indigo Fire Pottery Studio in Belmont, Massachusetts allowed artisans at their annual Summer Sale to sell items on behalf of the Kesho Fund, and then Indigo Fire matched the first $1,000 of sales for a total donation of $2555, our greatest to date. This immense push will sponsor:
Our supporters in Denver, Colorado, led by our fearless treasurer Clay, held our first ever benefit dinner. The evening was a wonderful time to spread awareness of our work, make some new friends, and kickstart the new School Breakfasts Project. Asanteni sana, Denver friends! How to Get Involved
We encourage donors to consider donating the cost of one restaurant meal each month, which is enough to significantly support our students but usually an amount that people are already comfortable spending. For those interested in supporting our work in other ways, we are currently looking for hosts for future fundraisers—a benefit dinner, a potluck, or a barbecue in Fall or Winter 2018 can be a fun way to bring friends and family together and support a great cause at the same time. Other types of fundraisers can be designed based on individual circumstance. If you have an idea, contact us at donations@keshofund.org! Thank you so much for your support so far! The first half of 2018 has exceeded our expectations in every way, and we look forward to continuing our efforts for many years to come.
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Spring Newsletter, 2018 [click here]
Quarterly Update: March, 2018KESHO FUND PROJECT HIGHLIGHT Luchelele Secondary School was built in 2007, but it has never been electrified. This means that students work in dark classrooms and teachers work in dark offices, greatly impeding the efficiency of their work together. So far, the Kesho Fund has raised $1,250 from donors and $220 from the Luchelele Ward government, electrifying 6 offices and 12 classrooms at the school. Only 4 classrooms now remain (estimated $682)! See the video below to learn about how electricity supports education and visit KeshoFund.org to help! HOW YOU CAN HELP We encourage you to support a specific project you identify with personally:
You can also help us grow by telling your friends + colleagues about our work! 
photo: Project Leader Oliver Kimathi visits her exemplary club for girls' empowerment.
ASANTE SANA! (Thank you very much!)
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of our projects thus far. We have been deeply humbled by the donations and the words of encouragement we’ve received, and we know that our journey together is only beginning. |
Launch Announcement: January, 2018 [click here]
Launch Announcement: January, 2018KESHO FUND PROJECT UPDATES
1. Girls' Empowerment Clubs
Project Leader Oliver Kimathi received $100 this month for 25 Swahili-English resource books on adolescence, health, and gender issues. They will make an excellent resource for future club sessions, and we hope to add to them with a similar budget next month. 
The Girls’ Club at Ibungilo also got a visit this year from American University student Lily Eagan. Having visits from successful female role models from nearby and from far away helps our club members to feel visible, appreciated, and supported.
Furthermore, having visitors from abroad helps our students to see that the world is no big scary place. Earlier this year, one of Oliver’s girls participated in a STEM camp through the United Nations GirlUp program in Malawi; Oliver herself will spend 5 months in the USA as part of the International Leaders Education Program (ILEP) starting later this month. We hope that their experiences and the voices of still more visitors will help all of our students to think big with their futures and to feel ready to explore the world as opportunities arise. 2. Sanitary Pads Manufacturing
Oliver also received $100 to commission our first set of washable sanitary pad kits. Listen to Oliver and Edina, our tailor, describe the project more here: 3. Electricity to Luchelele School Project Project Leader Petro Okoth received $532 to complete the first phase of electrifying his secondary school. The project was met very warmly by the head of the school and by the local government, and we look forward to working with them more in the future. Once the school is fully powered, teachers will be able to use their laptops at school to prepare materials, students will be able to learn tech skills from their teachers, and nobody will have to work in the dark anymore. We will proceed to the next phase with Luchelele once this project fund reaches about $500 again. 4. Books for Mwanza Schools Project Petro also received $500 to purchase 105 new books for his school. Some of his classes were sharing just 3 textbooks in a room of 70 students, so the new books will make a significant difference for them. The next time this project reaches $500, Petro will make a similar purchase for another under-resourced secondary school in Mwanza, based on the books that the school needs most. Learn more about all of our project work at keshofund.org/projects. WHAT COMES NEXT?
First, we have officially launched our Facebook page! If you liked the video above, please like our Facebook page here for more multimedia project updates, more information about The Kesho Fund, and more information about life in Tanzania. Next, we hope you will consider joining us on a monthly basis as a recurring donor. To do this, simply click on one of the donate links on keshofund.org and click “yes” to the box that says “make this a monthly donation.” Getting a steady stream of small monthly donations, rather than periodic large donations, helps us to make accurate budgets and plans and thereby maximize the effectiveness of our resources. HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH TO HELP?
One way is to look at this question is to consider what the typical price would be to visit a restaurant, bar, or cafe you like—$5? $10? $25? $50? Reflecting on the relative value of that amount in the USA vs. in Tanzania can be helpful in finding a donation that helps a lot here without hurting too much at home.
ASANTE SANA! (Thank you very much!)
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support of our projects thus far. We have been deeply humbled by the donations and the words of encouragement we’ve received, and we know that our journey together is only beginning.
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CONTACT US: donations@keshofund.org