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Where does Shepherds of Life Kenya - SOL Kenya work:
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Shepherds of Life Kenya - SOL Kenya
Meru , Kenya
Shepherds of Life (Sol-Kenya) is a community, grass root, nonprofit making organization, the organization was founded in the year 2004 and registered with the government of Kenya. The organization operates in the marginalized rural locations of the Eastern province - greater Meru region and Rift valley – Samburu region. Sol-Kenya was established to mainly create awareness on community health and education issues, mitigate HIV prevalence and to promote community continuum care for the infected persons hence reducing the high level of HIV stigma within the community. The organization was established to help communities by:
a. Establishing appropriate, caring community systems for people living with HIV & AIDS.
b. Establishing and supporting continuum and care support systems for orphans and vulnerable children within the sites.
c. Empowering community caregivers and volunteers with skills on home based care, palliative care, childcare, basic HIV counseling and community development.
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Current Projects
Today Sol-Kenya is working in the marginalized rural and semi arid regions of Meru & Tharaka in the Eastern province and Samburu in Rift Valley province. The organization has a network of more than 400 village community care givers encompassing more than 5000 Orphans and vulnerable children and 600 persons living with HIV&AIDS in the regions where we work.
Sol-Kenya is working with guardian women's support groups in reaching out to the children within the communities. The organization doesn’t focus to institutionalizing children but encourages family and community based care for orphans and vulnerable children, where households and community members are empowered to provide quality care and support to the children and people living with HIV&AIDS and other vulnerable groups within their villages. The organization provides its services through the following departments:
a. Community Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programme: Under this department the organization is reaching out to over 5000 orphans and vulnerable children through a household and community approach. Children are cared for while they still live with their guardians. The following services are provided under this department; access to education, health, shelter, nutrition, legal protection, behaviour change communication and psychosocial support.
The organization has trained community care givers on child care and protection who provide the needed support to the children. Each child is supported while still with the guardians.
Children under this programme attend the regular schools and the organization helps them with school fees, stationery, uniforms and education supervision. Inter school activities among the children within the programme are also organized at the location level.
b. Community Home Based Care Programme for People Living with HIV&AIDS: The organization supports over 600 people living with HIV&AIDS. Under the programme the following services are provided; Access to health, food and nutrition support, psychosocial support, and counseling, provision of shelter, legal protection and clinical and nursing care.
c. Out of School Vocational Training and Apprenticeship Programme: Under this programme the children who have dropped out of school and are not willing to go back they are placed under vocational skills where they gain skills on various trade courses which enable them to become self reliant. The organization runs vocational center that provides the following trade courses; masonry, carpentry, welding, hairdressing, computer training, dressmaking and motor vehicle mechanic.
d. Community Guardian & Caregivers Micro Savings and Credit Programme: This programme aims at empowering economically the guardians who provide care to the orphans and vulnerable children within the program. The organization has established a revolving fund program where guardians and caregivers are provided with a saving and borrowing facility. They are given technical assistance and training on small business and income generating activities management.
e. Community Food & Nutrition Sustainability Program: SOL-Kenya empowers caregivers to establish food and seed banks within their communities by engaging them on active farming and during the harvest time the organization encourages giving part of the harvest which is processed and stored and given back to them for seeds and domestic use during the famine season. Under the program the caregivers and guardians are also involved in community poultry and goats projects.
f. SOL-Kenya Volunteer Programme: SOL-Kenya runs all its activities through involvement of both local and international volunteers. The program duration and work schedules depend with the interests of every volunteer. We accept both short and long term volunteers and there are no specific skills or training requirements…… Just that big heart to be part of the positive change in a community!!! Our program aims at helping the communities as well as giving an opportunity to the volunteer meet his/her goals and objectives by providing a favorable environment to the volunteers. The volunteers are given an opportunity to be as innovative as they can to positively influence the lives of the communities, this is done by exposing them to different needs within the communities around us.
Partner Needs
The organization welcomes any support (both financial & in kind) which would go towards enabling the implementation of its various orphans and vulnerable children community programs. The support will go towards ensuring the children access; Health services, Education support, Food & Nutrition, Shelter and administrative purposes.
Financial Needs
SOL-Kenya puts great focus on helping children access education and the primary need is donations toward education sponsorships for orphans and vulnerable children in the marginalized arid regions. It costs US$450 per year to sponsor a high school student, which covers their tuition, room and board, uniforms, and books. For people unable to commit to US$450 per year, half (US$225) and partial (US$112.50) sponsorships are also possible.
SOL-Kenya is accepting donations towards the general organizational fund, which is used to help schools; pay extra teachers, purchase textbooks, sponsor extra students, or conduct student trainings.
SOL-Kenya is also looking to raise US$50,000 to build an education center in Isiolo, and funding for motorbikes for SOL-Kenya Tharaka and Samburu community orphans and vulnerable children projects.
SOL-Kenya accepts donations towards the guardian women support groups which go towards empowering the activities of the support groups hence realizing self-reliance.
In Kind Needs
Communities and schools that we partner with are always in need of water, any support towards boreholes, water pumps and water tanks is highly welcome. Further, the children need; books, uniforms and clothing therefore, if you are able to either send books or bring books as a volunteer. These donations would be highly appreciated. Please contact us for more information about the kind of materials most needed.
Mission Statement
Mission
To empower and care for vulnerable members of our community within the marginalized rural areas by building strong capacity in communities of all faiths. The mission of Sol-Kenya describes that the organization wants to achieve its vision by empowering communities to put into practice their Religious faith; to build a strong capacity of people who have the motivation and the practical skills to assist vulnerable groups of people; to empower the beneficiaries to take charge of their own lives and to care for them where they are not able themselves.
The underlying principles and purpose of Sol-Kenya
Sol-Kenya was established to mitigate the effects of HIV&AIDS in the society by offering care, support and fighting stigma associated with HIV&AIDS. The organization operates through empowering the infected and affected households to provide care and support to the orphans and vulnerable children and families living with HIV&AIDS through the basic principle of love and sharing. Sol-Kenya believes that every human being has something to offer to each other and promotes community sharing. The work of the organization is done through committed community volunteers.
Sol-Kenya Community approach
The unique community involvement approach in addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children and people living with HIV&AIDS has proved to be sustainable. The organization empowers the willing members of the community to care for the vulnerable members within the same community. The focus is on the able people within the community, which in turn will take care of the orphans and vulnerable children and other needy people among them. Solutions to the problems of the beneficiaries are always looked for by the community and in the community itself. The role of the staff within the program is only to facilitate and to offer technical aid.
Sol-Kenya Aims:
i. To facilitate access to quality education to orphans and vulnerable children within the community.
ii. To provide vocational training and educational opportunities for people in the community
iii. To facilitate access to health to orphans and vulnerable members of the community especially those who are living with HIV&AIDS.
iv. To work together with the community in establishing sustainable food sustainability and solutions to other community problems.
v. To provide information, referral, support and ideas on relevant issues such as birth control, HIV and AIDS, maternal health etc.
vi. Increase women involvement in realizing social, economic independence and decision making in the community.
vii. Working together with the local community in enabling them to lead fulfilling and fruitful lives.