Keyara's Gift

Excited to announce a matching grant!
Can you help us cross the finish line? We are 75% of the way there!!
And read a reporter from the field, Zac Nesper shares his perspective after his first trip to Liberia and the African continent this summer!

A Report from the Field! As we continue our Fall Torchbearer Campaign, we want to share the perspective of Keyara’s Gift Board member, Zac Nesper, who joined us for 8 days during our recent trip to Monrovia! But first, here’s an update on our Fall Torchbearer Campaign! We have raised 70% of our fall goal and just receiv...

https://www.keyarasgift.org/post/will-you-be-a-torchbearer-for-two-sisters

0 comments Meet Sisters Wilimena and Edwina. Both girls love being in school and are grateful for the opportunity to learn.

https://www.keyarasgift.org/post/torchbearer

0 comments We are recruiting torchbearers. This school year we have 126 students waiting for torchbearers to shed light on their arduous journeys.

https://www.keyarasgift.org/post/the-metal-count

0 comments Our 10 day trip to Liberia ended on Thursday - Let's find out how we “medaled” in each of our events!

https://www.keyarasgift.org/post/let-the-games-begin

Let the games begin! Most listeners will hear those words and think about the commencement of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, on Saturday. For us, Saturday marks the beginning of not a competition but of a ten-day trip to Liberia.We aren’t world-class athletes but we have our eye on the prize. For us, the trip wil...

So grateful for the generosity of so many in 2023! Thank you for bringing hope and full bellies at Christmas 🥰

Help bring joy this Christmas by providing RICE in Liberia 💕

We are halfway to our goal of providing a Christmas meal to our Keyara's Gift family! In case you were thinking of giving but hadn't gotten around to it, now is the last call to get the funds there in time for Christmas! Donate @ this link: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/KeyarasGift/Christmas

We are halfway to our goal of providing a Christmas meal to our Keyara's Gift family! In case you were thinking of giving but hadn't gotten around to it, now is the last call to get the funds there in time for Christmas! Donate @ this link: https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/KeyarasGift/Christmas

Keyara's Gift Update - we're at 47%. Help us reach our goal of sponsoring 122 students at $550/student by the end of September! It's ambitious but we're trusting that God can continue to provide and make a way - can you join us and bring hope through education to a student in Liberia? A Matching Grant will double each donation!

We posted this story on our website a few weeks ago and I wanted to give an update! We have been promised $25,000 in matching grants to help reach our goal of sending all 122 students to school this year! Every donation given by the end of September will qualify - please consider helping to sponsor a student today!

Liberians back to school sooner than expected! As always, Keyara’s Gift only works with your partnership. We are so grateful and on behalf of those who have no voice, we say THANK YOU!

As we approach Mother's Day in the US, we want to share a story about Annie. Thanks to a life saving surgery, she is alive and her daughter has a mom to celebrate today 🥰
Can you help Annie and other mothers in Liberia by contributing to our Compassion Campaign?

Compassion Campaign: Honoring Mothers Compassion = sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. “Your tumor is benign.” While these words are usually met with relief, they brought then-15 year old Annie no such comfort. Her tumor had already deformed her jawline, made eating and swallowing di...

Help us build our "Fuss Fund" - read more about it on our website!

#GivingTuesday 2022 Now that school fees, uniforms, and supplies are secured, we are using to raise money for a “Fuss Fund”!

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#GivingTuesday 2022 Now that school fees, uniforms, and supplies are secured, we are using to raise money for a “Fuss Fund”!

https://www.keyarasgift.org/lessons-in-liberian-sayings

Lessons in Liberian Sayings | Keyara's Gift With Labor Day behind us, and the majority of US students back in school, we begin our Fall Fundraising Campaign so that “Back to School” becomes a reality for our 111 sponsored students.  

We were visiting schools this morning to see where our students are going every day.

We are here in Liberia this week. We’ve been meeting with our staff who are in Liberia full time. They look after all of our 111 students who are sponsored to go to school by Keyara’s Gift. Here are some pics from our time so far.

Hi Friends of Keyara's Gift -

With less than a week before our June 26th departure for Liberia, we’d like to say THANK YOU to those who have already sent financial support. Your donations enable the work of Keyara’s Gift to continue and to be strengthened.

We’d also like to give an update on our ongoing needs. The cost of both fuel and food in Liberia has risen sharply in the last few months, a reflection of the global economy, but a devastating reality for families that can only afford to purchase one cup of rice at a time.

Rice and bouillon is a staple meal that sustains most families, as protein is too expensive. We’d love to honor Rev. Francis’ heartfelt-plea that students and their families enjoy, “One good meal with protein!” Any additional funds we raise between now and our departure will go towards a protein-rich meal of rice, beans, potato greens, chicken, and fish.

As you know from our previous email, our trip is focused on connecting, training, and learning from our Keyara’s Gift staff and students.
- Day Camp: For two days, students and staff will gather to celebrate, to play, to get creative, and to be reminded that God loves them and they aren’t forgotten - they matter.
- Training: Deployment of cell phones and an app, to Case Workers, for better data collection and paperless tracking of student’s progress will make our team more efficient.
- Visiting: Through home and school visits, we’ll learn more about the challenges and opportunities our students and staff face. Connecting with our partners at ELWA Hospital will give us insight into the medical needs of our students.

Without your partnership, the learning, hope, and help for these 111 precious students wouldn’t be possible.

It’s on their behalf that we gratefully thank you for all that you’ve already done and boldly ask for additional support.

Donations can be made at: www.keyarasgift.org/donate

Thank you for your continued interest and concern. We greatly appreciate your prayers for wisdom, health and discernment while in Liberia.

Karen & Kreig

Dear friends of Keyara’s Gift,

How does this post find you? Are you exhausted from wrapping up the school year? Weary from navigating Covid? Eagerly anticipating summer?

We can raise our hand on all three counts! Junior high and high school graduations kept us busy and Covid kept us on our toes, but we write to share about our exciting summer. After almost four years, we are heading back to Liberia!

From June 27th- July 12th, the Ecklund crew will be in Monrovia - connecting with the entire Keyara’s Gift team - our 111 students, five Case Workers and Executive Director, Reverend Francis.

Other volunteers joining us include Sydney Shimabukuro, photographer Chris Bamber, and board member Kristin Chapman and her family.

Our goal is to connect with, encourage, and equip the Keyara’s Gift community in the following ways.

STUDENTS:
- Day Camp: Students are invited to gather for two days of celebration, fun, and reflection on God’s love. This year, all but one sponsored student advanced to the next grade - a remarkable achievement and not the “norm” for most of Liberia. (The only student unable to advance missed too much school because of a medical crisis.)
- Home & School Visits: By getting to know our students - their stories and challenges, we can better understand and serve their needs.
- Documentation: We hope to capture the realities, challenges and triumphs of our students - through photos and videos - to better share their stories with you.

THE TEAM:
- Debriefing: By learning from, and brainstorming with, the team (including partners at ELWA Hospital) who work tirelessly to meet the complex needs of our sponsored students we hope to encourage their efforts and strengthen sponsorship.
- Training: New tools (smartphones and a newly launched app) will enable efficient collection of rich data and management of resources, replacing time-consuming paper administration.

The majority of you have partnered with us before. Can you help us meet these specific needs, totaling close to $6,000? We need to raise this money in the next few weeks before we leave! Donations can be made at: www.keyarasgift.org/donate

- Recreation & Craft Supplies for Day Camp
- New Admin Tools (7 Smartphones, two laptops, data plans)
- Food & Transportation for students and staff: rising food and fuel costs leave many without a daily meal
- Graduation fees for the students graduating from Elementary, Middle or High School.

As usual, we can’t do this without your help and support. We thank you for your interest in Keyara’s Gift and look forward to sharing the journey!

Kreig and Karen Ecklund
Co-Founders - Keyara's Gift

Thank you! You gave hope for a brighter future!

You did it! The goal is completed. Your support put 110 (+1) students into a desk!

We’d like to end our fall campaign by thanking you for so generously helping these students get to the starting line of this academic year! We are humbled by your generosity and partnership!

We’d also like to briefly introduce you to our +1 student, Josephine, who was able to join our roster after Reverend Francis, our Country Director, heard of her plight on a radio program.

At age nine, Josephine was orphaned by the Ebola epidemic and left in the care of her elderly grandmother. Her only hope of an education and survival was to accept the financial support of a prominent community member. Tragically, his support came with strings attached and the expectation of inappropriate favors. After years of abuse, when she eventually found the strength to refuse his advances, his financial support for her education and food to survive stopped.

Three years later, now 16 years old, she held little hope of returning to school, especially after her grandmother died from COVID in August 2021. With her grandmother gone, Josephine has struggled daily to survive - until three weeks ago when Keyara’s Gift stepped in to help.

Unfortunately, this cycle of poverty, vulnerability, and despair is very common - so it’s wonderful to hear from Josephine, in her own words, how your support has impacted her future:

"Today, you have restored my hope again and wiped my tears away!"

Of course the real work, the work of learning and healing for Josephine, has just begun! We can’t overstate how significant your partnership is in changing the course of these students' lives.

From the bottom of our hearts, from the families and 111 students, from Reverend Francis and our team of Case Workers - we say a BIG THANK YOU!

May this season be full of Hope for you as well!

With deep gratitude,

Karen and Kreig Ecklund
Co-founders of Keyara’s Gift

"Dress for Success!"

This adage was first made popular by a 1975 best-selling book, of the same title, in which the author John T. Molloy discussed the effect of clothing on a person’s success. If you dress the part - you’ll internalize and reflect confidence - making your projected identity a reality.

What was true in 1975, is true now. We all feel great when we are dressed well. Our sponsored students are thrilled, at the beginning of each school year, to don their school uniforms, without which they can’t attend school. No uniform, no school! Sadly, the cost of both school fees and uniforms is often a barrier of entry for many school-aged kids.

Back-to-school Shopping

Back-to-school shopping for our sponsored students includes a trip to the market for a pair of shoes, a trip to the tailor for two customized uniforms that match the style and color of each particular school, and finally a backpack with pens, pencils and composition books. Each student also receives a uniform for PE. Without their Keyara’s Gift clothing stipend, school wouldn’t be possible.

Meet Bendu

Bendu was only two years old when her father died, leaving her to be raised primarily by her grandmother, who was already struggling to support other family members. As a young child Bendu worked hard to help with household chores - including the very labor-intensive process of doing weekly laundry (fetching and heating water, manually washing and rinsing clothes, and hanging them to dry).

Imagine Bendu’s delight, when eight years ago she began attending school, sponsored by Keyara’s Gift. Now that weekly laundry included her two school uniforms and PE outfit! With school fees, uniform, and supplies covered - Bendu enjoyed the privilege of learning. Reading and science are her passion and now that she has graduated from 12th grade in August, she would love to pursue a career in nursing.

Without your help, Bendu wouldn’t have a uniform, nor a seat at the table of learning. Your help became her hope. Thank you!

So far in this campaign, we have raised enough funds to send 32 students to school this year. We have 78 more students, eagerly hoping to also be sponsored for only $425/year. Will you please consider helping other students, like Bendu, experience what it means to literally and figuratively “dress for success”? If you are able to give by Thanksgiving, we have a generous donor who is willing to match your donation, up to $5,000, doubling the impact!

To Donate Online: https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/KeyarasGift/general
To Read About Other Ways to Give:
https://www.keyarasgift.org/donate

Would you consider helping to send a Liberian student to school? Any amount helps but $425 will send a student to school for a whole year!See more below or send me a PM 🥰

Safety First!

"Buckle Up!"

"Look both ways."

"Wait for the light to change."

"The crossing guard will help you across."

"Don't forget your bike helmet."

"Stay in the crosswalk."

These refrains are typical for American school kids to hear on a weekly, even daily basis, as they make their way from home to school. Liberian students don’t have the same benefits of an infrastructure or the economic security that would put their “safety first”.

Survival First.

Approximately eighty percent of our students live in a household with only one caregiver who leaves home early in the day in order to make ends meet. That means young kids are on their own to make their way to school. With the vast majority of roads un-policed and unpaved, crowded with speeding cars in varying stages of disrepair, and flooded during monsoon months, their daily commute is perilous!

Getting to the Starting Line.

Fortunately, there are specific ways your sponsorship impacts the safety, learning, and well-being of our students, including:

* Local Enrollment: We strategically try to enroll students in schools close to their homes, so they can walk to school.
* Safe Environment: Kids in school means kids off the street - keeping them engaged and learning in a supervised and safe environment.
* Encouragement & Oversight: Student Case Workers advocate for our students by checking-in, on a weekly basis, with each student. They ensure attendance is regular, homework is being done, students are equipped - and maybe most importantly, they advocate for students with teachers and administrators, especially when a caregiver might be unable to do so.

Meet Francis

Francis lives with his single mother and eleven other siblings and dependents. After getting himself and his younger brother ready, Francis and Daniel walk 20 minutes to school where they enjoy reading, writing, history, math and PE. His Case Worker, Goldy, visits weekly and helps with his lessons but also takes the time to hear about Francis’ everyday interests, concerns, and health. If he is sick, she will make sure he is seen by a doctor.

On behalf of the 110 students, eagerly hoping to attend school in November, we thank you for considering sponsorship! For only $425/year you are giving them a glimmer of what “Safety First” can mean.

To Donate Now: https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/KeyarasGift/general
To Read About other ways to Donate: https://www.keyarasgift.org/donate

So grateful for our students success this year 💕