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World AIDS
Orphans Day
May 7th, 2014
“Change My Life – Give Me Free, Quality Education”
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Happy Mother’s Day!
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Mother’s Day is coming up on May 11th! Need a gift idea? Check out our online WEEP gift shop at
for a unique, handmade gift that will make a difference.
We are forever grateful to Diane Roeker and Straight Up Inc for the development of this website!
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| HEART’s Newest Addition |
The HEART Lodge has almost completed the construction of seven additional rooms! In fact, 4 of the 7 rooms
were occupied last night! Sandra Perkins is here helping us with the
decorating and furnishing.
Thank you, Dave Lowe, for your skills and expertise on overseeing the construction phase!
Additionally, thank you to all who contributed financially to make this expansion possible. HEART only owe $7,500 on the construction phase!
Watch for the new HEART Lodge web site to be launched this month!
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| What has HEART done for educating orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)? |
These are also some of HEART’s many accomplishments centered around OVC this year:
7,308,000 Kenyan Shillings (USD $87,000) has provided school fees for 253 children (made possible by a Women Leaders in Action grant)
2,100,000 Kenyan Shillings (USD $25,000) provided by a variety of donors for high school, college, and university students
114,500 Kenyan shillings (USD $1,347) has been raised from the Greenhouses and other income generating activities, used to pay school fees
216,000 Kenyan Shillings (USD $2,571) which has been earned by other income generating projects such as fish, bee keeping, and poultry farming
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“Forty seven girls at Ngelani Ranch Primary School received a year’s supply of Proctor and Gamble sanitary towels, four undergarments, a health education booklet, and two pieces of soap. They were thrilled!“
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Did You Know?
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Malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya
25 million out of a population of over 34 million Kenyans are at risk of malaria
Malaria accounts for 30-50% of all out-patient attendance and 20% of all admissions to health facilities
An estimated 170 million working days are lost to the disease each year (MOH 2001)
Malaria is also estimated to cause 20% of all deaths in children under five (MOH 2006)
The most vulnerable groups to malaria infections are pregnant women and children under 5 years of age
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“The WEEP women have made
54,037 nets to date, which have so far reached
162,111 children and pregnant mothers“
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Today is World AIDS Orphans Day, which is themed
“Change My Life – Give Me Free, Quality Education.” We wish to celebrate all that HEART has accomplished to not only care for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) but also take part in orphan prevention initiatives. All of this is possible thanks to our staff and many donors.
HEART through its OVC program has been able to reach6,860 OVC that have accessed the basic six essential services provided by this program: shelter, food security, health care, education, protection, and psycho-social support. HEART also provides their guardians and caregivers with a sustainable income generating activities (IGA). These include animal farming (goats, cows, chickens and fish farming and bee keeping), agricultural projects in the 34 greenhouses we currently have plus kitchen gardens for each household.
This year HEART and partners have supported 253 OVC with school fees for 2014.The education support was allocated for: Primary (60), Secondary (158), College (26), University (9), with a total of 253. We recognize the importance of quality education to a child.
Want to hear a miracle? 23 high school students who are children of our WEEP participants completed High School in 2013 and qualified to join Universities! These children would have been on the streets and never would have completed grade school without the help of many sponsors.
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| Freedom to be a Girl
Sanitary Towel Distribution at Ngelani Ranch Primary School
On April 9th 2014, Lydiah (FFG Field Officer) accompanied by Ellen Bowman (HEART Mission Staff) and former Proctor and Gamble (P&G) Executive set out for a Freedom for Girls (FFG) distribution event at Ngelani Ranch Primary School. The school is situated in Mlolongo, Machakos County and from their experience, “It was a bumpy 14 kilometer drive on a dusty stretch from the main Mombasa Road.”
After being warmly greeted by the head teacher Mr. Kioko, the team found the girls and female teachers eagerly waiting and ready for them. On arrival, they had a short tour of the school and then proceeded to do the health education and distribution. Lydiah carried on with the health education using the new teaching aids donated by Ellen.
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| Lydiah uses new teaching aids during a health education session |
Lydiah already likes the new teaching aids as they had a clear illustration of the menstrual cycle and how the body changes in girls during puberty. They are also brightly colored, interestingly presented, and easily visible by a large number of students. The school girls (and teachers) too were fascinated by them. The lamination adds to their durability as they will be used for health education all over Kenya. “They will now be my traveling companion,” added Lydiah.
Forty-seven girls in this school received a year’s supply of P&G sanitary towels, four undergarments, a health education booklet, and two pieces of soap. They were thrilled! The school will do the monthly distribution to ensure these school girls get the supplies. Lydiah will check on their progress.
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Girls receive sanitary towels donated by
Ellen Bowman and friends |
Rotary District Governor Elect, Bimal Kantaria, of Prestige Packaging, is a major donor to Freedom for Girls project. He has donated over 120,000 pieces of polythene bags over the years that are used to package the packets. Mr. Kantaria referred HEART to the this needy school. He supports the school feeding program and is now supporting the building of a new classroom. The school performed very well in the national examinations last year in their zone.
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| Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria.
HEART’s Efforts to Combat Malaria in Kenya
Malaria is a human disease that is caused by a parasite (genus Plasmodium) in the red blood cells. It is transmitted by the bite of a female Anopheles mosquito – the primary vector of the disease.
Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN) is the most effective way to prevent malaria with the target of providing more than one treated net per household. Currently, the proportion of households owning more than one insecticide treated net is about 22.5%. Therefore, there remains a great need to distribute more. The target is 100% with at least 2 nets per household (PSI/Kenya Programme Profile 2011).
HEART has a project under the Women Equality Empowerment Project (WEEP) known as the Malaria Prevention Project. This project has a dual strategy of preventing malaria and empowering the WEEP women who make the nets. The project has been running since 2005, and the women have been able to make 54,037 nets to date and has so far reached 162, 111 children and pregnant mothers. Once the nets are made, they are distributed through HEART and our partners. This has been made possible through the support of Norris Rugel Foundation enabling purchase of materials used in net making, the chemical used to treat the nets in line with the treatment policy and labor costs.
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| Children receive nets provided by HEART and its supporters |
World Malaria Day was marked this year on April 25th. HEART’s efforts compliment the theme for this year, “Invest in the Future. Defeat Malaria.”
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A Special Note from Vickie
We have had to change our Vision Statement!
It is similar but had to add three words to fit who we are today! It now reads “Empowering the people of Africa to survive and to thrive beyond the HIV/AIDS pandemic”!
We are no longer just helping people survive … but now we are seeing them thrive! Four WEEP Graduates have purchased land outside the slums. This is hard for any woman in Kenya to do … but for some of our women who have come from near death with AIDS … to owning her own land … it is absolutely fantastic! Children that would have been on the streets are now instead entering Universities … rejoice with me!
None of this would be possible if you were not standing with us in prayer and giving … Thank you dear friends!
Milele Shukrani (forever grateful)
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Vickie Winkler, Founder/Executive Director
Africa HEART |
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The large fairground hall in Auburn, CA was transformed by a team of imaginative and creative planners and a large number of volunteers. For three days the hall was a beehive of activity, undergoing a dramatic transformation. Starting on Thursday, the African village was assembled. This re-creation of typical Kenyan housing vividly
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Partners in Kenya. WLA Chairman Pamela Joseph wrapped up their presentation by adding a virtual bow on top with a $7,500 check to HEART!
