ABW eNEWS June, 2023

Lawrence Mathea directs contractors building a new kitchen

at Koige Primary School in Kenya.

ABW eNews June 2023

Greetings!

As our office has gone through transitions in the past six months, an important, steadying influence has been our in-country project managers: Lawrence Mathea in Kenya and Rama Kaoneka in Tanzania. Both of these men have been working for A Better World for years now, and their experience and insider knowledge continue to be invaluable to our overseas operations.

Lawrence was a driver for our project monitoring trips in the years when we first took large groups to visit Kenya projects. As someone so familiar with ABW and our projects, he was a natural to become our local project manager. It is a comfort to know that he is there lining up contractors, keeping an eye on their work, and building relationships with the communities. Our projects are developed and completed more quickly and easily than they were 10 or 15 years ago, and when I visit, the locals clearly view Lawrence as the person in charge of projects. I am proud of how he has stepped into a leadership role.

That formula has also worked well in Tanzania. We met Rama through his tour company in 2014, and he became our project manager shortly after. He finds worthy projects for us, oversees contractors, and keeps excellent records to ensure we comply with government requirements.

I am grateful to all the staff and volunteers who keep this agency running as my load becomes ever lighter.

With gratitude,

Eric Rajah

Co-Founder and Executive Director

Dental trip

Robert Mast and Haley North were among the 10 members of the dental team.

A crew of Canadian dentists was on the ground in Kenya in May, for the first time since the pandemic. Led by program manager Dr. Kelvin Hill, a group of 10 dentists and assistants visited numerous clinics over two weeks, providing dental care to people who are rarely able to see a dentist.

Dr. Hill also helped put in place a new dental clinic at the Naikarra Health Centre, which will now be serviced on a regular basis by staff from the nearby city of Narok. It may be the last time ABW dentists need to visit the clinic.

Project updates

Kitchens

Lifetimes of wonderful cooking inspired two memorial kitchens at schools in Kenya. Mau Summit and Koige primary schools were the beneficiaries of memorial projects paying tribute to the mothers of Warren and Sara-Jane Schnoor. Carrol Ann Schnoor and Lenora Parr, who both passed away recently, were excellent cooks and loved their kitchens.

Mau Summit Kitchen

Koige Kitchen

Kilimani School

In Tanzania, a small school dedicated to teaching people with intellectual disabilities now offers more hygienic facilities and a little more elbow room. The 36 students at Kilimani School were provided with two new classrooms and six toilets to replace aging and cramped facilities.

Teachers cut the ribbon on the two new classrooms.

Progress as of June, 2023

A Better World's big goal is to have 75,000 students enrolled in our schools —with access to clean water, toilets, and healthcare — by 2030. To get there, we have specific annual goals.