Harambee Inc.

Donation Update: Harambee, Inc. sent $4,900 to St. Catherine's in Chepnyal Kenya in September 2014. Thank you to all of our generous donors for making these academic scholarships possible.

The photos compiled here were sent from Sister Mary who volunteers in Chepnyal and works with the students and acts as our contact in Chepnyal to make sure that the scholarship funds are allocated appropriately. Please see the wall for her letter about the progress of the students.

An update is long over due... We received word from Sister Mary today about an update from St. Catherine's school where all donations are sent. Please see below for her letter.

Elizabeth and Brittany:

I had the opportunity to meet with the young women you are sponsoring at St. Catherine’s Secondary School. I wish you could meet them in person. Those in Form 4 or who are Seniors in High School are studying hard for their National exam which will take 3 weeks to complete. They begin their exam next week. The Form 3 students start their end of the school year exam today. Please pray for them. Many of them will not have the marks needed to go to college but to complete secondary school is a great achievement for them. Having a secondary diploma opens the door to job opportunities that are not available to those who never completed secondary.

One of the students said that since she was on scholarship she was able to stay at school instead of being sent for school fees. It is a common experience in schools around the country for students not to bring the required school fees and be sent home for them. Some lose weeks of school until their families collect their fees.

The school has progressed through the years. Thanks to World Vision who partnered with Microsoft partners the school now has a state of the arts computer lab, and spacious dorm that was greatly needed and some solar was given to the school by the government of Spain.

It is the hope that gradually the government will provide more teachers and the curriculum will continue to improve so that the young women have the best opportunity to succeed. Sr. Celestine goes to the school every Tuesday and leads the YCS – Young Catholic Students meeting at the school. Sr. Rodah who is a Seminary sister and Bernadette who is a pre- postulant with the Daughters of Charity are also involve with the YCS group. The students are grateful for their encouragement and support.

Thanks to each of the sponsors and your families for making a sacrifice in order to help the young women at St. Catherine’s. A dollar amount cannot be put on the benefits this students receive from your contribution making it possible for them to complete secondary school.

Amani Kristo (Christ Peace)

Sr. Mary Shea
Daughters of Charity

Harambee Inc.'s founders Elizabeth Gaughf and Brittany Cassell have undergone many life changes (Elizabeth moved back to Athens, GA, Brittany continues her law studies at Duke and recently got engaged!) but are proud to report that their passion to keep the mission of Harambee, Inc. alive is very strong! A big thank you to our 2013 Nashville, TN inters at Vanderbilt University - Haley Trost Ellen Horne Chanin for their awesome contributions and fund raising efforts. The donations for 2014 are still coming in but we need your help to reach our $10,000 2013-2014 fundraising goal! Please donate via our paypal portal or contact [email protected] for other donation information!

We at Harambee also believe that education is the key to brighter futures and more opportunities for girls! Check out this BBC video to see the challenges girls face worldwide and consider aiding Harambee, Inc. in our mission to overcome these challenges!

What chance does a young girl have? When a young girl starts out in life, where will her journey take her? The BBC's 100 Women season takes a look at the challenges facing half the world.

Sheryl WuDunn, co-author of the bestselling Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, shares her advice for empowering women:

"1. First, change your mindset – You CAN make a difference

2. Secondly, capitalize your own personal strengths and the strengths of your organization, and embed those strengths in a new way to help the underprivileged

3. Finally, take personal accountability for reducing women’s oppression and expanding women’s development in your own life, today."



http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/2013/08/29/why-womens-oppression-is-the-moral-dilemma-of-our-time-sheryl-wudunn-speaks-out/

Why Women's Oppression Is The Moral Dilemma Of Our Time - Sheryl WuDunn Speaks Out The impact of today's global challenge of women's oppression, and what each of us can do about it.

It's back to school and back to work for the Harambee Inc. team! We have some exciting new fundraising plans for the fall, so check for updates in the coming months on our page, Twitter, and website.

www.harambeeinc.org

Harambee INC We provide scholarships to the top 10 girls from Chepnyal Primary School each year to enable them to continue their education in secondary school.

Habari Gani! From Tanzania!

Wise words.

Big thanks for all of the support and donations we've received in the past couple of weeks! The first students to receive scholarships from Harambee Inc. will graduate soon, so let's take a moment to appreciate their hard work and determination.

Our Standard 8 Chepnyal Girls! These are the girls the first year of scholarships will benefit!

Harambee Inc. wishes our friends and family a happy Easter - or as our friends in Chepnyal would say, "Heri kwa sikukuu ya Pasaka!"

We love to hear from the students we sponsor! Here's a letter from Lilian, who inspires us all: "Everything is possible with a willing heart."