TOMS: One for One in Action

     What a great week for the LEI team! I am really grateful I got to be on the ground this week, and I have some brilliant news to present to you.

     Yesterday I made the trip to Longonot with Simon, Sedona, and Zach. We were headed to check on the school and document quite an interesting event... as it turns out from a phone call I received on Tuesday that  each child at Longonot was granted a pair of TOMS from the Kenyan Red Cross!! 

     In case you are unfamiliar with TOMS let me fill you in briefly, TOMS is an American based company that sells simple trendy canvas shoes, however for each pair sold they have promised to donate a similar pair to a child in need. “One for One” is the TOMS slogan, but as popular as the shoes are I’ve known many people to be skeptical of the company’s follow through initiative. Who can ever really be sure that a pair of shoes is donated to a needy child in a third world country? Well now, you can.

     I will never doubt them again after seeing all the children at Longonot proudly rockin' their new kicks. Many of the children had worn down or outgrown their shoes and some were even walking to school barefoot, so as you can imagine we are very grateful for this donation. They were so precious with their tiny shoes.

     In whole TOMS donated one million pairs of shoes to the Kenyan Red Cross and it was up to specific beneficiaries to request the donation [read about another of my favorite organisations success with TOMS here.] Thankfully, our very own Teacher Jane heard of this opportunity and spent the time to fill out the application for each child in our school and was granted her request! Now all the little ones at the Longonot Education Center have at least one solid pair of shoes and no one could be happier.

     In addition to the TOMS the teacher had some  more great news to tell us. Recently the children participated in a musical competition hosted by the Education Board of Kenya in a town up the road from Longonot. Our youngsters were stunning! They took 2^nd place in Best Western Style Song and Dance, and one of our little girls took 2^nd in Best English Solo. We are so proud!

      In other news we were able to get our first of the Street Boys back into school this week. Samson is happily attending Ngong Township in Year Four. Each time I see him he is all smiles and feels very grateful to have been given this opportunity. I have spoken with his teacher several times since taking him to school on Tuesday and she says he is adjusting well. It is a situation that Joseph and I will continue to monitor as we work to rehabilitate the rest of the boys and eventually get all back on the path to a proper education.

     On a more personal note I want to welcome the beautiful Sedona Keenan back to Kenya! She has returned to stay for the next 10 weeks and we are excited to share our projects and inspiration. I also want to say thank so you much to everyone who has helped LEI get where we are today, who has helped and kept up with our projects, and who has given me the personal motivation to get here and stay strong when there are challenges. I can't say how much these projects mean to me and I am so grateful everyday to work with all of my children.

x

Samson

     Meet Samson Wanjohi. He is one of the youngest street boys I have been working with for the last month and recently he had a pretty major request. After examining the situation with Joseph and talking to Samson about the implications and expectations of his request we have come to a conclusion... Samson is going back to school!

     Samson is fourteen years old and has been on the streets for some time now. Samson was the youngest child born into a family living in poverty, with little hope of support from his parents. Thankfully, he was able to enroll into school in Class One and held onto his one uniform as his most dear possession until it was torn to shreds and entirely out grown four years later. Without a proper school uniform Samson was forced to drop out in Class Four and without food or clothing at home he turned to the streets to beg. 

     Today Samson explained to me that he desires to return to school to study so that he can escape the slum life he has known since he was born. He also said that he would like to continue his schooling until he is able to obtain a proper job in order to help his mum financially. At this point in his life Samson desires to be a pilot, and says that he knows he will have to work hard in mathematics and English to help make this dream a reality.
     Being one of the youngest boys at the center I feel confident that he will adjust well to the changes he is about to take on. We talked seriously with Samson and explained that he will be expected to be in school daily and that we will be monitoring him carefully during the adjustment period. He told me, "You are so welcome to visit me, and to see my work, please come everyday." I was encouraged by his positive attitude and I am looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

     On Monday our hopes are that we will be able to help Samson find a uniform and pay for his exam/activity fees for this term. We are also hoping to find a safe place for Samson to take lunch each day so that he is not going hungry in his nearly nine hour school day.

    If you are interested in donating to help with Samson's uniform, textbooks, lunch, or school fees please let me know, or donate directly at: http://www.longonoteducation.org/donate.html

Also, if anyone is interested in sending letters/cards to The Boys please feel free to send them to my PO Box with a note on the envelope and I will be sure they get to the center and you get a response! The boys would really love it!