Alternative Gifts for Christmas 2012

　

This past year has brought significant progress to Kisima thanks to you and a growing number of Friends of Kisima Academy. A seventh grade classroom and six new latrines were completed.  Solar power was installed in the classrooms and dormitories to the complete awe and delight of the children. The solar lighting project included sensor lights to aid nighttime access to the latrines. 

Of note, seventeen Friends of Kisima visited the academy last March. This was the first time the school had hosted a group of goodwill ambassadors including nurses, former teachers, a veterinarian, and others with open hearts and willing hands. 

On the project list for 2013 is a preschool classroom and some "campus housing" for the principal and one or two teachers. Currently the principal is housed in one of the old mud classrooms. The lifespan of the mud buildings is limited and last year the old kitchen washed away in the rainy season. We are looking forward to preventing an emergency housing situation for the staff.

There is still much to be done to help Kisima Academy reach self-sufficiency. There is still ongoing need to buy farmland, livestock and feed, seed, fruit trees, tilapia fingerlings, medical and dental supplies, school supplies, and more. The Friends of Kisima are offering donation holiday gift card inserts again this year. Please consider making a donation to Kisima a part of your gift giving this year. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated.   Please send your donation to Bright Star Foundation, P.O. Box 6747, Kokomo, IN 46904-6747 and indicate that it is for Kisima Academy.  Note which gifts you would like and include an e-mail address where your downloadable gift card insert can be sent.  Thank you!


1.  School supplies for one child                                                          $15
Pencils and paper are still basic necessities for students worldwide.  Next come rulers, eraser, art supplies and...well, it all adds up.  Kisima is a registered Kenyan school and the children take yearly government exams.  It is the only school in the area that takes orphans.  Its 100 orphans and 120 disadvantaged students from the community are eager learners who would truly appreciate a gift of school supplies.

　

 

 2.  Feed a child for one month                                                           $15
 Kisima Academy has made great progress toward self-sufficiency with its gardens, crops, tilapia fish farm, chickens, and cows.  However, there is still a need to supplement the children's diet with fresh fruit and other foodstuffs that are purchased in nearby villages.  Your gift to feed a chld for one month will help ensure balanced nutrition.

　

3.  A flock of chickens                                                                         $20

Chickens are among the animals raised at Kisima.  Their eggs provide the children with a valuable source of protein and other nutrients.  Through your gift of chickens the children will be able to enjoy eggs more frequently.

　

4.  Medical and dental supplies                                                           $25

In March the visiting medical team was able to examine all the children and staff at Kisima as well as many of the community members.  We hope to have another medical team on the trip next June.  In the meantime the children need tootbrushes, baking soda and salt for brushing their teeth, de-worming medication, bandages, antibiotic ointment, Tylenol.  A gift of medical and dental supplies will help keep the children healthy.

 

5.  Textbooks for one child
$40

The students at Kisima Child Care Academy are enthusiastic about learning and they love their books. Their textbooks are all in English with the exception of the Swahili language books. If not for Kisima these children would not be educated. Your gift will provide a year’s worth of textbooks that will transform a life.

 

 

 

6.  Farming supplies
$40
Kisima owns three acres of farmland and leases another two to grow maize and beans. Much of the other acre and a half that Kisima owns are given to gardens.  They are able to grow enough to feed the children for about half the year. A gift of farming supplies would help buy seed and fertilizer and hire the labor needed to grow the crops.

 


7.  Soccer equipment
$50

The older children would like very much to form a soccer team and play other schools in the area. For this they need soccer shoes, uniforms, balls and some money for transportation. A gift of $50 will cover a child’s soccer expenses for a year.

8.  Sponsor a child for $240 for a year

 

There are still many orphans who are waiting to know that they are connected to someone who cares about and prays for them. When children are sponsored they hold their heads higher and smile more. Though Kisima Child Care Academy seeks to become as self-sufficient as possible through crops, fish farming, and livestock the orphans need many other items such as clothing and shoes that must be purchased. Sponsoring a child will help meet these needs as well as make their life brighter.


9.  Sponsor a teacher for $360 for a year

Several of the teachers still need to be sponsored.  Kisima Academy educates not only its 100 orphans but also 120 village children whose families are too poor even to send them to the public school. Your gift will help the Academy employ a dedicated and compassionate teacher who will make a difference in the lives of Kisima’s students.

 

 

Please send your donation to Bright Star Foundation, P.O. Box 6747, Kokomo, IN 46904-6747 and indicate that it is for Kisima Academy. Note which gifts you would like and include an e-mail address where your downloadable gift card insert can be sent. Thank you!