SEEKING SUPPORT:
A: – SANITATION
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The completion of the St. Cecilia School Kids’ Hand Wash Project at Kituiuni, was a great milestone for our Foundation; the Children and Staff of that school, thanks to our benefactors who enabled us 
accomplish this sanitation project on record time for the benefit Children’s health. It would help improve their health conditions and provide a good environment for them to learn. Hand washing is a highly recommended practice and to underline this fact WHO has set aside October 15th as the Global Handwashing Day!
The project was completed at an unprecedented record time, and providentially it coincided with a new phenomenon, when the world was suddenly gripped by a pandemic the likes of which had not been seen before, at least in recent memory, and we saw the project almost as Godsend because it arrived at such an opportune time when hand washing was emphasized as one of key methods of combating. Needless to say, our gratitude to our USA patrons for the Project knew no bounds.
Whist so grateful for being able to meet the sanitation needs of the kids of St. Cecilia, Kituiuni, other schools in the area also approached us wishing similar benefits could be extended to their school children and so the need was not totally eliminated, and our Foundation continues to seek more funding to help us help other rural area schools in a similar fashion.
Handwashing in Communities
Handwashing with soap and water is not only simple and inexpensive, but also can dramatically reduce the number of young children who get sick. Teaching people about handwashing helps them and their communities stay healthy. Handwashing education in the community can:
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Reduce the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by about 23–40%
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Reduce absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness in schoolchildren by 29–57%
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Reduce diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by about 58%
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Reduce respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by about 16–21%
For any support towards this and other programs please donate at Our PayPal portal.
***The Launching of the Water Project in March 2020!
THANK YOU!
Our desire is to build other sanitation projects like this one in other schools where they could help the children maintain higher hygienic standards than they are currently able to because such a facility is not available, and the parents of the children are unable to afford the cost of the construction of one like the one above without aid.
B: – YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM.
“ST. JAMES KENYA RURAL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM”
Background:
Kisekini Sub-location, like many rural areas in our Makueni County, is a deprived Community whose inhabitants are mainly poor folks, eking their livelihoods from small scale farming or as laborers. When I look back on the history of the place, it is hard to believe, it was once was a thriving and prosperous Community during the rolling coffee boom years of the 70s & 80s. However, after the collapse of the industry which ensued in the early 90s the community, whose single income generator was Coffee, referred to then as, the Black Gold, the Community spiraled into poverty.
Today, the majority of the 21,000 population of Kituiuni/ Kithangathini sub location who are subsistence farmers live beneath the poverty line of $1 a day and KUSARD has identified one of the urgent needs facing the Community as the lack of opportunities for School dropouts, and unemployed youth living within the villages of this sub location, and we decided to introduce a Vocational Training Program in an effort to try and ameliorate the situation.
The institution, St James of the marches Kenya rural program was started on April 6th, 2020, when the first meeting was held at Kithangathini market, in the current building site where the institution is located.
In that first meeting which was chaired by Simon Kimatu M (director kusard), several projects which the KENYAUSA CHRISTIAN RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT, INC (KUSARD) had already started in the community were discussed, Mbuini dispensary being one of them.
In the very meeting, it was agreed to move the IT center from Kyale to Kithangathini market which would capture a larger geographical area in terms of the needs of the community.
Formerly, the name of the institution was KITHANGATHINI YOUTH VOCATIONAL EDUCATION CENTER(KYVEC). After a while, the management renamed it after one of its supporters “THE ST. JAMES OF THE MARCHES KENYA RURAL YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM”.
The institution has been offering all the ICT services to the community at a subsidized cost.
Some of the services offered are:
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Printing
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Photocopying
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Scanning documents
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Mailing services and all online services (renewing driving license, “help” among others)
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Computer packages
The main aim of the institution was to educate the young generation on ICT skills and to our surprise, both the youth and elderly-35 to 45 years registered. So, the center is a resource for all the community members.
We also plan to offer other courses like welding, driving sch, catering, masonry and beauty.
