Afrikids Update (January 2024) | |
Dear Ian,
Happy to share our latest update for sponsors, donors & friends of Afrikids. 2023 is a wrap. It was a great year. We added new sponsors, as well as many first-time donors. We also added several fortunate students. Hope you enjoy this brief recap of comings & goings over the past few months. Please share your feedback. I would love to hear from you. Asante sana & warmest regards, Laurie
Laurie P. Evans
President, Afrikids, Inc.
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Afrikids Program Snapshot
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Total number of students in the program -- 111
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Total funds raised in 2023 -- $149,555
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Current number of full-time sponsors -- 32
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Total number of sponsors/donors in 2023 -- 179
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First-time donors in 2023 -- 109
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Student News
We added several new students in recent months. Some, like Mery (right) and Gladness (below), we met on our visit to Tanzania in November. Others, such as the 9 new scholarship students at Imbaseni Secondary School that we agreed to support in early January, were introduced to us by Kitoi, who vetted their family situations to confirm their need for financial aid. Without exception, all of our students come from difficult home situations. The support that Afrikids provides is life-changing.
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In early January, Gladness started kindergarten, at Imbaseny Peace School, a private primary school near Usa River. Afrikids currently has 21 students at the Peace School, making it our flagship school. When these students graduate to secondary school, many will go to The Voice School, where we currently have 11 students. Mery (her second name is Godbless) started in January at The Voice, joining 5 other Afrikids students in Form I, two of whom -- Innocent & Ester graduated from the Peace School last fall. Don't you love their names? | | |
Our support for the students is repaid many times over when we see them succeed. Just recently, we received the National Form IV Exam results for our 12 students who graduated secondary school last fall. All 12 of them --10 at Scolastica School (right) and 2 at The Voice School-- passed the exams and scored high enough to continue with their studies at A-Levels (advanced secondary levels, equivalent to senior high school). It's a stunning accomplishment in a country where less than 3% of students complete high school. We are unbelievably proud of these kids, especially Junior & Elizabeth at The Voice School, both of whom have dealt with severe health challenges their whole lives. Bravo!! | |
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Sponsors & Donors
Our 32 sponsors account for the lion's share of funding. Recently, we welcomed 3 new sponsors -- Christie Greene of Colorado, Brad & Tery Pickle of Florida and Jennifer Jacobsen of Ohio. Brad & Tery (left) spent 2 weeks in Tanzania last fall. After visiting with students at the POSA preschool where the Afrikids journey began in 2010, they were hooked. They agreed to sponsor 4-year-old Gladness at Imbaseny Peace School. And together with their friend Jennifer Jacobsen, also agreed to sponsor 14-year-old Baraka at The Voice School. Welcome aboard!!
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Sponsors Cathy Jones & Laurie Evans spent 2 weeks in Tanzania in the fall, visiting with students at The Voice School, Imbaseny Peace School, Scolastica, Makumira High School and elsewhere. At Makumira, they met with 4 students --Vitalis, Hadija, Husna & Karim-- who started in Afrikids when they were 4 years old. Look at them now! They are flourishing at Makumira, a private high school in Usa River near where they grew up. Between them, Cathy & Laurie sponsor more than a dozen Afrikids students. When Cathy exhorted her charges to study hard, Karim responded "We promise that we won't let you down."
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Afrikids' education director and advocate extraordinaire, Betsy Hoke traveled to Tanzania in September to visit with the students. Not only does Betsy sponsor 6 kids at 3 schools, but she also developed the Montessori program at the Peace School and trained teacher Glory. As if that were not enough, Betsy is always bringing new sponsors into the program. Christie Greene, who now sponsors 4-year-old Villan at the Peace School, is her latest recruit. Thank you Betsy for all you do. Betsy returns to Tanzania in March. Safari njema!
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Chris & Bob Paige, pictured at right with their daughter Ally and son Robert at a University of Miami football game in October, are long-time supporters. The Paiges, who have all been to Tanzania, currently sponsor 5 students, 4 younger kids at Imbaseny Peace School and 1 at The Voice School. In addition to their enormous contribution to Afrikids each year, they also get Bob's employer to match their giving. Last December, Vertical Bridge did a 2X match of the family's 2023 donation, a huge shot in the arm for Afrikids. Asante sana!!
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Sponsors not only help by paying for the education of our students but also by spreading the word. No one does that better than Jeff & Marta Liroff, unabashed Afrikids ambassadors. In January 2023, Jeff & Marta were on a National Geographic tour that included a safari in Tanzania. They arranged for Kitoi to be their guide and regaled everyone on the tour with the Afrikids story. We have since received donations from 3 of their fellow travelers -- Mary Clark, April Clark and Patricia Wade. Thank you for your generosity!
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2023 Revenue + Expenses
Happy to report that the financial health of Afrikids is robust. Last year, total revenue jumped 18% to nearly $150,000. The increase was due largely to fundraising activities detailed below. Our expenses in 2023 also increased by 7% largely due to new students added to the program. Our bottom line last year was a $26,500 surplus, up significantly from $3,700 in 2022. The accumulated surplus from the past 3 years, currently invested in a money market account, provides a rainy day fund for future needs. It also permits us to assist new students as soon as struggling families in the Usa River area are brought to Kitoi's attention.
Please Note: You can now send payments directly to the Afrikids bank account from your bank, using Zelle. It's far more efficient than sending checks. The identifier for the Afrikids account in Zelle is the email address laurie.afrikids@gmail.com.
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Fundraising Activities
Art for Afrikids had a banner year in 2023. We sold more than 500 pieces of shell art, raising more than $29,000 for Afrikids. We did pop-up shows at homes of generous friends, such as Monica Betancourt and sponsors Ray & Corrine Kayal. We also exhibited at several events at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, where we always receive a warm welcome. We are hoping for another strong performance in 2024. We donate 100% of sales proceeds. Shell yes!! Check us out on Facebook here and on Instagram here.
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Run for Afrikids In September, Laurie's partner Ian raised over $10,000 by running the Montreal Marathon. The financial windfall for Afrikids was a blessing, but even more important was the fact that Afrikids gained dozens of new supporters. All told, 129 people contributed to Ian's campaign. Spoiler Alert: He's planning another Run for Afrikids in 2024, this one in Chile on the 7th of September. If anyone would like to join him on this epic run, we include a link to sign up for the Patagonia International Marathon website here.
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Media & Marketing
Afrikids does almost no promotion or marketing. The program thrives by word of mouth and is almost exclusively driven by family and friends. But when Achim Nowak, an executive coach and talented podcaster based in Miami, asked us if we wanted to share the Afrikids story with a broader audience, we could not say no. Achim is an engaging interviewer and we had fun telling the Afrikids story. If you wish to listen to our conversation with Achim, you can click here.
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Community Action
More than 90% of Afrikids funds goes to pay for students' education. We send money for tuition, school supplies, food & uniforms directly to the schools. We also use some funds to provide food for struggling families and public schools. As a rule, we steer clear of building stuff. The one big exception is a water well we agreed to fund at Ngongongare Secondary School. We toured the finished project last fall. What a difference it has made. The school now has a lush vegetable garden and water for the latrines. We are deeply indebted to Tracey & Stuart Waldman for supporting this project.
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Late last year, the directors at two public secondary schools in the Usa River area, where we currently provide financial aid to 23 promising students, reached out to let us know that they were running low on food for the students' lunches. Could we help? Kitoi quickly organized the purchase of 700 kilos of maize and 600 kilos of beans from the local market to restock the schools through the remainder of the year. We don't budget for this kind of contingency, but we are always prepared to help when the need arises.
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Ombeni Kitoi Majenja
As we often say, Kitoi is the heart and soul of Afrikids. Without him, we would not be able to operate. Kitoi has 3 children of his own, plus 111 adopted kids. It's a big task to look after them all, but he does a brilliant job. We are happy to announce that Kitoi will be visiting with us in April. We will be organizing events in Miami and Denver to meet with Afrikids sponsors and donors. More details soon. Pictured below with Kitoi, from left to right is Baraka, a new student at The Voice School, a flying munchkin at POSA preschool, and Elizabeth, who recently aced her Form IV exams and is currently enrolled in a computer studies course along with 11 other Afrikids students. See you soon Kitoi.
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Follow Afrikids on Facebook & Instagram
To keep up with all the news about the Afrikids program and our students, you can follow us on social media. To follow us on Facebook, click here. To follow us on Instagram click here.
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