ADEA Foundation

News from Douglas in Kenya – ADEA Foundation – July 2023

Greetings from Kenya,

I trust you are enjoying a productive summer. I am writing to provide an update on the ongoing initiatives in Rombo, Kenya, supported by the ADEA Foundation.

Our engagement with the community has been both challenging and inspiring. Despite facing hardships such as drought, land loss, and financial constraints related to school fees, the resilience and positive spirit of the people here are truly remarkable.

Recently, the parents of the students we sponsor organized a heartwarming appreciation event for our efforts in promoting education and keeping children in school. The celebration was a moment of gratitude and joy, symbolized by the shared feast of two cows. We have captured some glimpses of this event in the gallery link provided below.

Presently, our primary focus is on establishing a formal student sponsorship program aimed at keeping high school students enrolled. Tragically, more than 85% of high school students in Rombo have been forced to return home due to unpaid school fees, impacting over 4,000 out of the 5,000 enrolled. The repercussions of such disruptions are concerning, as many of these students may never return to school, instead facing early marriages or seeking uncertain work opportunities in urban centers.

In Kenya, education is not free, posing a significant burden on economically disadvantaged families who desire quality education for their children. The prolonged drought has left the Maasai community, with whom we collaborate, in a dire financial state, making school fees unmanageable, and their struggle for sustenance becomes paramount.

In response to these challenges, we are gearing up to launch our KKIS+1 program, which stands for "Keep Kids in School + 1 year of skill development." Through this initiative, students will not only receive educational support but will also be equipped with essential skills in Computers (Software - MS Office and hardware teaching), English language, Hospitality & Food Prep, and Retail & Business Accounting. These additional proficiencies will enhance their employability, particularly in local safari lodges and urban settings.

Our immediate goal is to conduct a pilot for the +1 post-high school year this September, involving 8-10 students. This will help us refine the program before welcoming graduating seniors into the initiative in January 2024.

Additionally, we are excited to announce the upcoming launch of our "English Language Camp" pilot, scheduled for August 14-18. This will be an annual event aimed at providing donors, like yourselves, an opportunity to visit us, participate in safari experiences, and contribute to improving students' English and communication skills. The event will also showcase the rich Maasai culture, offering a unique and enlightening experience for visitors.

We warmly welcome your support for these critical initiatives. Donors have the option to sponsor individual students or support a group of students. Your contribution will not only pave the way for a brighter future for these students but will also instill profound hope in their families, knowing that their children will have the opportunity to graduate from school.

In conclusion, let us remember that great love and great achievements often involve taking significant risks. We are determined to continue our efforts, and your partnership in this journey would be immensely valued and appreciated.

Thank you for your attention and support.

For a gallery of more event photos, visit:

https://adeafoundation.org/gallery/

Sincerely,
Douglas “Oloikurrukurr” McFalls

- ADEA Foundation Director

Contact me at [email protected] if you have questions.
Contributions are tax-deductible and can be made: www.ADEAFoundation.org or checks mailed to PO Box 45751, Seattle WA 98145

Serving to an unexpected visitor. He is here to see our program leader. Now that people here are so poor even tea, milk and bread is a rare treat for some. What a joy when we can offer small pleasures to others especially when we are overly blessed with provision.

Gotta love it when the good matches the plate. Our first attempt at French Toast in Rombo, Kenya

Welcome to Sunday breakfast! A table on a suite case. All food grown locally.

As we go out and about we see giraffes sometimes, the Messiah boys lived peacefully with animals they don’t threaten them. And yet they were removed from the land and called unnatural. This community has lost land and cattle. School is a future hope for their children, but they need help with fees. Please join us Keep Kids in School. Www.adeafoundation.org.

Mr. Kilimanjaro last night!

This art piece was created by an amazingly creative your Maasai with an artist gift. But being one of ten children and all but ten cows dead, there is no money for further education. He feels lost and depressed. If you’d like to support a young artist, George, let me know. [email protected].

My kind Maasai friends gathering to figure out ways to help their families.

This woman came to say hello today. Nine months ago she presented me with a long beaded stick as a thank you for the food we provided during COVID and the drought of 2021.

Out riding in the dust for a Sunday break. Everything is dry. Goats are any green they can find. Yesterday several hundred Maasai gathered on a hilltop in their tradition in times of hardship. They are praying for rain

A one hundred year old European or North American table cloth hangs across the open doorway to a restaurant. What was the long journey that brought it to this dusty training town? Such an interconnected world

Watching Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in a rural Kenyan restaurant. We are truly globally connected.

Hand painted signs are one of my favorite things in Africa! Sadly they are disappearing and being replaced by boring printed signs.

We had lunch and a classic old restaurant, left over from a more prosperous time. We watch the inauguration of the new president Of Kenya. And pray for a promising future. Hopefully reforms and education that make it more accessible to everyone. Until then we support them through our keep kids in school program.

Back in Kenya to work with the Maasai team figure out the best way to keep kids from being sent home from school because they can’t manage school fees. Drought continues to impoverish people here. There is food if you have money. But if there is no work there is no money and no money for school fees. Go to www.adeafoundation.org if you’d like to help.

To our loyal community and new followers: Thank you so much for being here to support us! ADEA has been working hard behind the scenes to be serving our community and the Maasai people better than ever before and we have so much to share.

For those who may not know, ADEA has been active in Tanzania and Kenya through programming and partnerships for over two decades. As a small NGO, its US Director, Douglas McFalls, working with local organizations has helped artisans improve their production and earnings, preserved and promoted local culture through festivals and a museum, and provided formal education for underserved Maasai children by establishing two rural schools.

But our children are in dire need right now. Maasai students are dropping out at an alarming rate, due to a lack of funds for their materials and school fees. Help us today by clicking the link in our bio and donating $240 to secure a student’s place in school through 2022 or $120 to bring them through the term.

Are you going to be at Burning Man 2022?

Keep an eye out for our founder, Douglas McFalls, who will be there all week to connect with the community and share the Maasai story! Be sure to ask him about his traditional Maasai beads or his new education inspired prints.

If you want to stay in the loop on all the latest news and initiatives of the ADEA Foundation, join our newsletter and receive personal stories and up-to-date info on our progress in Kenya.

ADEA is busy with our "Keep Kids in School" (KKIS) school fee support initiative to ensure kids can focus on their studies without the shame and fear of being expelled.

Did you know that it is illegal for a Kenyan child to not be in school? This means that their father’s face fines and incarceration, their families torn apart, and their futures dark and uncertain.

With your help, we can save these beautiful children that fear and provide them with the resources and opportunity that every child deserves. Learn more on our website, link in bio 😊

The ADEA Foundation mission is to improve the future of children and their communities through innovative and culturally relevant approaches to education and development.

If you wish to support this incredible cause and help provide hope to children in need - please consider joining our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest progress in the communities and donate today to sponsor a child’s school fees for 2022. Links can be found in our bio 🖤🙏

Meet Samweli Kisemei!

Samweli is the oldest of eleven children. He was in his second year of high school when he was expelled due to his parents' failure to keep up with school fees.

Due to the loss of land and cattle, his family lives deep in poverty. In Kenya, education is not free, placing a crippling burden on poor parents that struggle merely to feed their children.

If children like Samweli don’t receive the necessary financial support, they will be given only a few feasible options…dangerous cities for work or early arranged marriages - where they will be forced to face the same challenges as their parents and become apart of a vicious cycle that is destroying this beautiful culture.

Learn more about Samweli and how you can help provide hope for these children and their families on our YouTube channel! Link in bio

Encouragement and pressure from the USA and Europe have pressed the value of educating all children in developing countries.

Though indeed a worthy aim, unlike wealthy countries, poorer economies cannot offer free and accessible education to all children. As a result, impoverished families struggling to eat are now additionally burdened with school fees. Until countries figure out ways to provide free education for all their citizens, we can do our part to ensure these children have access to the power and promise of education now.

Our “Keep Kids in School” campaign has received support for 60 students so far, but contributions are still needed to reach our goal of helping 200 students stay in school. Only $240 will provide a child with the financial support to finish out the 2022 school year. Please consider donating to support an ADEA child today! Link in bio 🖤

ADEA’s primary aim for 2022 is to ensure that every child is enrolled in school.

Beyond this, we are exploring ways to reduce school fees, improve the quality of education, support the poorest families, and establish a much-needed secondary and vocational school for the many Maasai who have lost their livelihood due to the loss of cattle and land.

2020 and 2021 were blessed by your generous gifts to help provide emergency food during COVID-19 and the ensuing drought. The community is exceedingly thankful, but they still need help to have a hopeful future, and the education of their children is critical for this.

If you are feeling called to help support this incredible community, please click the link in our bio to donate either $240 to secure a student’s place in school through 2022 or $120 to bring them through the term.

DO YOU know about the current student school-performance crisis in Tanzania?

Children are being forced out of classes, due to school fees and a horrible drought-stripping the community of its’ livelihood, culture, and in some instances, their very lives.

Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 food crisis faced by our Kenyan students' families, we are working together to “Keep Kids in School.” Our latest campaign is bringing sponsorship opportunities to you and our Maasai children, in order to provide hope and resources to these struggling communities.

Please consider sponsoring a student’s school fees for either a term ($120) or the full 2022 school year($240). Click the link in the bio to donate now!

When a Kenyan child is expelled due to the families’ failure to pay school fees, the boys often look for work in the dangerous cities, and traditional early marriages are arranged for the girls.

The ADEA Foundation is working to prevent this from happening. We aim to secure the school fees of 200+ students (up from the original 95) to ensure they remain in school until graduation.

Ensuring children can stay in school provides emotional stability and hope when families and communities struggle with the crises of unemployment, drought, and hunger.

Are you going to be at Burning Man 2022?

Keep an eye out for our founder, Douglas McFalls, who will be there all week to connect with the community and share the Maasai story! Be sure to ask him about his traditional Maasai beads or his new education inspired prints.

If you want to stay in the loop on all the latest news and initiatives of the ADEA Foundation, join our newsletter and receive personal stories and up-to-date info on our progress in Kenya. Learn more at www.adeafoundation.org

Meet Samweli Kisemei!

Samweli is the oldest of eleven children. He was in his second year of high school when he was expelled due to his parents' failure to keep up with school fees.

Due to the loss of land and cattle, his family lives deep in poverty. In Kenya, education is not free, placing a crippling burden on poor parents that struggle merely to feed their children.

If children like Samweli don’t receive the necessary financial support, they will be given only a few feasible options…dangerous cities for work or early arranged marriages - where they will be forced to face the same challenges as their parents and become apart of a vicious cycle that is destroying this beautiful culture.

Learn more about Samweli and how you can help provide hope for these children and their families on our YouTube channel!

Encouragement and pressure from the USA and Europe have pressed the value of educating all children in developing countries.

Though indeed a worthy aim, unlike wealthy countries, poorer economies cannot offer free and accessible education to all children. As a result, impoverished families struggling to eat are now additionally burdened with school fees. Until countries figure out ways to provide free education for all their citizens, we can do our part to ensure these children have access to the power and promise of education now.

Our “Keep Kids in School” campaign has received support for 60 students so far, but contributions are still needed to reach our goal of helping 200 students stay in school. Only $240 will provide a child with the financial support to finish out the 2022 school year. Please consider donating to support an ADEA child today!

DO YOU know about the current student school-performance crisis in Tanzania?

Children are being forced out of classes, due to school fees and a horrible drought-stripping the community of its’ livelihood, culture, and in some instances, their very lives.

Additionally, in response to the COVID-19 food crisis faced by our Kenyan students' families, we are working together to “Keep Kids in School.” Our latest campaign is bringing sponsorship opportunities to you and our Maasai children, in order to provide hope and resources to these struggling communities.

Please consider sponsoring a student’s school fees for either a term ($120) or the full 2022 school year($240). Click the link to donate now!

The ADEA Foundation's mission is to improve the future of children and their communities through innovative and culturally relevant approaches to education and development.

If you wish to support this incredible cause and help provide hope to children in need - please consider joining our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest progress in the communities and donate today to sponsor a child’s school fees for 2022. Learn more at www.adeafoundation.org

ADEA is busy with our "Keep Kids in School" (KKIS) school fee support initiative to ensure kids can focus on their studies without the shame and fear of being expelled.

Did you know that it is illegal for a Kenyan child to not be in school? This means that their father’s face fines and incarceration, their families torn apart, and their futures dark and uncertain.

With your help, we can save these beautiful children that fear and provide them with the resources and opportunity that every child deserves. Learn more at www.adeafoundation.org

ADEA’s primary aim for 2022 is to ensure that every child is enrolled in school.

Beyond this, we are exploring ways to reduce school fees, improve the quality of education, support the poorest families, and establish a much-needed secondary and vocational school for the many Maasai who have lost their livelihood due to the loss of cattle and land.

2020 and 2021 were blessed by your generous gifts to help provide emergency food during COVID-19 and the ensuing drought. The community is exceedingly thankful, but they still need help to have a hopeful future, and the education of their children is critical for this.

If you are feeling called to help support this incredible community, please click the link to donate either $240 to secure a student’s place in school through 2022 or $120 to bring them through the term.

To our loyal community and new followers: Thank you so much for being here to support us! ADEA has been working hard behind the scenes to serve the Maasai people better than ever before and we have so much to share.

For those who may not know, ADEA has been active in Tanzania and Kenya through programming and partnerships for over two decades. As a small NGO, its US Director, Douglas McFalls, working with local organizations has helped artisans improve their production and earnings, preserved and promoted local culture through festivals and a museum, and provided formal education for under served Maasai children by establishing two rural schools.

But our children are in dire need right now. Maasai students are dropping out at an alarming rate, due to a lack of family funds for their materials and school fees. Help us today by clicking the link and donating $240 to secure a student’s place in school through 2022 or $120 to bring them through the term.