1. Emori Joi
SPRING 2010 COMMUNITY REPORT
It has been a truly amazing season here at Free The Children and we could not have done it without all of your wonderful
support. Changing the world is no simple feat. It requires the hard work and passion of change makers like you!
Not only are you helping build vital development projects, you are empowering the community members of Emori Joi
with the tools and resources they need to become agents of change in their own communities. Together, we can build a
brighter future so that all children can grow up to be happy, healthy and active citizens!

2. LEARN MORE ABOUT...
Kenya
Kenya is located in East Africa, home to many different lan- arrived in late October, 2009, it has nonetheless been an
guages, cultures and people. Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, extremely difficult year for rural, pastoral and agricultural
is one of the wealthiest cities in the entire African continent. communities to recover from the effects of the drought.
The rural regions surrounding, however, tell a very different The heavy rains that came were not entirely good news for
story. Free The Children works in a rural area located approxi- herders, as grazing land became flooded, which increased
mately 280 kilometers west of Nairobi, called the Maasai the likelihood of livestock contracting diseases. Additionally,
Mara. The Mara is the traditional home of the Maasai people, rising food prices have made it difficult for families to make
who share it with other ethnic groups such as the Kipsigis ends meet.
tribe. Free The Children works with both Maasai and Kipsigis
communities, both known to be traditionally semi-nomadic To add to the woes of rural Kenyans, the World Food Pro-
tribes who raise cattle as their main source of income. gramme recently slashed a large portion of funding for nu-
trition and feeding programs in Kenya. This has greatly af-
Ever since the Kenyan government established game re- fected the communities in the Mara. The Nutrition Program
serves and nature conservation sites in the Mara, pastoral- has been an integral part of the education system. Parents
ist groups have less and less land for their livestock to graze are more likely to send their children to school knowing that
on. As well, the pressures of globalization and urban growth they will have access to a nutritional lunch there. For some
have threatened the traditional culture and lifestyles of the children, this is their only meal of the day. Free The Children
Maasai and Kipsigis people. has since placed greater emphasis on our Nutrition Program
in Kenya, which includes not only providing students with a
This past year, the drought in Kenya has been especially hard daily lunch but also digging school and community gardens
on children, livestock and crops. Although the rains finally for nutritional supplements.
Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

3. ADOPT A VILLAGE
Education for the highest marks category, and placed first for both the
This January marked the start of a new school year in Emori award for best health and best school environment.
Joi and the community members had much to celebrate! On
February 10, the Head Teachers’ Forum arranged an awards Last year, the Kenya Nutrition Program, which provides chil-
ceremony, inviting all Free The Children schools in Kenya and dren with warm, healthy midday meals, helped increase en-
their community members. The grade eight students from rollment levels in our Kenya communities, driving us to keep
Emori Joi performed a play at the ceremony, sharing with classroom construction moving quickly in Emori Joi.
their parents their strong belief that education is the key to
improving their future. There are now 16 classrooms in total accommodating the stu-
dents. In January, 576 students enrolled at Emori Joi Primary.
Emori Joi Primary School was honoured with several awards Moving forward, we hope to build two more classrooms in
during the ceremony. As a result of the of the students’ and the community in order to better support the education and
teachers’ hard work, Emori Joi Primary School placed third empowerment of youth.
Students pose infront of Emori Joi’s beautiful new classroom!
Shiny new furniture awaits staff and students
in Emori Joi
Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT

4. ADOPT A VILLAGE
Water and Sanitation Alternative Income Health
Women and children used to spend Free The Children’s alternative income Free The Children’s health care program
hours fetching water, keeping children program aims to empower women, has continued to meet the health care
out of school and preventing women increase the base family income and needs of Emori Joi’s community mem-
from focusing their energy on their promote greater self-sufficiency of the bers. Within Emori Joi Primary School,
small businesses to earn income. entire Emori Joi community. the students have been receiving nu-
tritious lunches every day and were
Over the past year, water and sanitation Several women’s groups from Emori recently de-wormed. Members of the
projects in Emori Joi have moved along Joi received training on proper honey health club heave learned about harm-
swiftly. Mamas from the community harvesting last year. Since then, over ful cultural practices, teenage pregnan-
have begun installing safe water tanks 40 hives have been colonized by bees cy, peer pressure and common disease
used to purify water, reducing the inci- and have produced more than 14kg prevention.
dence of water-borne diseases. of honey for harvesting! The honey
produced is pasteurized, bottled and Members of Emori Joi women’s groups
At Emori Joi Primary School, the rain sold, providing the mamas with extra have also benefited from health ini-
catchment system’s pipes were rebuilt income. As more women join Free The tiatives. Last December, community
to increase the volume of water being Children’s women’s groups, the focus nurses visited the groups and provided
collected. Also, a deep-water well is on generating savings, accessing loans a workshop on harmful cultural practic-
currently being constructed in a nearby and receiving financial literacy training es and the importance of curbing the
community. Once it is complete, it will will continue. practice of early marriage. The women’s
pipe water to a water kiosk located at groups also received training on HIV/
Emori Joi Primary School. Another wa- The men’s groups have also reported AIDS. They learned how to test for it and
ter kiosk will also be built in a central overwhelming success in their agricul- how to prevent its transmission.
location for the rest of the community tural work. They have so far harvested
to benefit from. Community members over 170kg of onions! Both the men’s Free The Children is now encouraging
have shown incredible commitment and women’s groups have demonstrat- households to construct a chimney in
towards this project by playing an ac- ed incredible leadership, benefiting the their homes in order to decrease the
tive role throughout the planning and entire community of Emori Joi. incidence of upper respiratory tract in-
building process. fections. These infections are common
among those who cook with fires in
Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT poorly ventilated homes.

5. A WORLD OF IMPACT
Jane, age 47, is a leader and role model for other women in Emori Joi!
Meet Jane Marindany!
When she was young, Jane attended only a few years of Were it not for these practices and facilities, Jane would have
school. Culture and way of life prevented her from continu- to spend far more time on basic daily routines and would not
ing her education once she was married. Jane doesn’t want have the opportunity to do her incredible work. She now has
the same future for her chilldren, three of whom currently time to focus on helping her family and the women of her
attend a school built by Free The Children. community.
A small-scale farmer, Jane is the leader of a local Free The Jane is so thrilled to work with Free The Children and says,
Children women’s group that helps under privileged women.
“I want to put an end to discrimina-
She is an encouraging role model for women both in her and
in surrounding communities. She works hard to abolish the tion against women; I wish all women
cultural norms that she faced growing up and hopes to cre- could be given the same opportunities
ate acceptance of men and women working together.
as me. With the formation of women’s
Over the years, Free The Children has introduced a safe, clean groups, Free The Children has enabled
water tank, a latrine and hand washing station, a bathroom, us to live in peace by working, eating
hanging line, rubbish pit and dish rack in the Emori Joi com-
and sharing together”.
munity as part of the health pillar of our Adopt A Village
model.
Emori Joi COMMUNITY REPORT