2018 Project Trip – Week Three Summary
The final week of the 2018 Giving Exchange Project Trip is complete! The team visited the Njoo Dada Trust, Riruta Shade Orphanage, Dream Children’s Home, and Divine Hope.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY THIRTEEN
On August 19th, was the unofficial beginning of the week three TGE project trip. The week three group was joined by Christopher (aka “Wings”) as he spent his last day at Morning Star before departing Sunday night. He took the team on a guided tour of the property and introduced the group to the animal residents and taught them a few tricks of the trade.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY FOURTEEN
On August 20th, the TGE team took some time to organize the donated supplies for the week. Volunteers sorted pencils, crayons, markers, and stickers in to bags to gift to each of the kids at the orphanages. TGE also donated various items to each orphanage including soccer balls, first aid kits, clothing, coloring books, and more.
TGE volunteers also sorted supplies to donate to more than ten medical clinics in the area. The supplies included first aid kits, digital thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, salves, bandages, etc. When the team was done they had several filled bags ready to deliver to all of the orphanages and clinics.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY FIFTEEN
On August 21st, the TGE week three team set out to visit the Njoo Dada Trust. Njoo Dada means “Come Sister” and is a home for teenage girls who are pregnant and are no longer welcome at home. Luna, the director of the Njoo Dada Trust, tries to reconnect the girls to their families and to teach them to be good parents to their babies.
TGE set up the donated stove for Njoo Dada so the young women would be able to cook more easily and eventually cook indoors. The funds for this stove were raised in just one day by TGE donors!
The team drove to Sunton Medical Centre to meet with Dr. Edward Mogere after departing Njoo Dada. The Giving Exchange, in partnership with Operation USA, delivered 40 basic medical supply kits. Dr. Mogere delivered these supplies to medical students at University of Nairobi medical program who can’t afford to purchase the equipment themselves. TGE was proud to be able to deliver this equipment to the University.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY SIXTEEN
Day 16 of the TGE Project Trip took the week three team to Riruta Shade Orphanage. The children performed song and dance routines that they came up with themselves and shared their dreams for the future. Many of the kids dream of being doctors, dentists, engineers, teachers, and pilots. The team made tie-dye butterflies with the kids and a parachute made an appearance for the TGE’s workshop.
TGE presented a chicken coop for the orphanage to raise chickens. These chickens can be sold to aid in the goal of self-sufficiency. TGE also presented the orphanage with gifts including medical supplies, soccer balls, Jenga, card games, jump rope, beach balls, colored pencils, Legos, and the parachute and markers that were used in the workshops.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY SEVENTEEN
TGE set out to visit Dream Children’s Home in the Ngong Hills on August 23. This is the farthest orphanage the group visited that week and it took about two hours to get there. Dream Children’s Home is both a school and an orphanage, which means it hosts about 88 kids, but kids from the area also go there for the school day.
A group of students gave the team a tour around the orphanage and school. TGE spent the day doing activities with the children as well as distributing gifts, including soccer balls, Jenga, hemp bracelet supplies, parachute, card and dice games, jump rope, beach balls, and medical supplies.
TGE also donated a borehole so that Dream would have access to fresh water and be able to sell it to people in the community as a sustainable source of income. Ngong Hills is an area primarily without access to water, so when the neighbors saw the water stream bursting into the sky after the TGE team drilled the hole, people came running to see what was going on. This borehole will go a long way in supporting Dream and the community of Ngong Hills.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY EIGHTEEN
TGE headed to Two Rivers Mall for the academic incentive trip on day eighteen. The kids needed to improve their academic standing, year over year, by at least one point to be included in the trip.
Last year, TGE was able to take 14 kids on a trip to the safari park. This year, TGE took 22 kids! Next year the goal is to take 30. At Two River’s Mall there is a small theme park with rides and water activities. Many of the kids have never experienced anything like this, and as luck would have, the park was empty when the group arrived so the kids got to really enjoy the park.
The Giving Exchange in partnership with Operation USA was also able to donate stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, first aid kits, salves, and bandages to clinics in need. After the academic incentive trip, TGE delivered items to four more clinics.
PROJECT TRIP – DAY NINETEEN
August 25th marked the end of the week three journey and the TGE 2018 Project Trip to Kenya. TGE is so grateful for the wonderful volunteers that came together to make a difference in the lives of the Kenyan people.
If you were disappointed you didn’t get to join us for the 2018 project trip, don’t worry! Send us an email now to save your seat for next year: info@thegivingexchange.net.