Esther is currently enrolled at South Eastern Kenya University. She spoke with her Umoja sisters at the GET UP Senior retreat in August. Esther’s infectious smile belies the hardship she has endured. She is a total orphan and has been part of the Umoja family since 2008, when she was a student at Bar Union…
Since I came to the project I never felt like an orphan anymore. I have always benefitted from sanitary towels, the lunch at primary school, uniforms, blankets, and D-light. I am very grateful for everything. I appreciate your loving, caring, and understanding nature. May God bless you. I also thank you for appointing the staff…
During the first two weeks of August this year, I was privileged to travel to Kenya to visit the Umoja Project. The main purpose of my trip was to attend the Boys and Girls Empowerment Retreats for our students who are in secondary school and post-secondary school. This was my first time to witness the…
The women of the Sunrise Book Club at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church have been supporting the girls of Umoja Project for many years. These early-risers consistently donate funding to purchase feminine hygiene products for Umoja girls, so that they do not miss days of school each month. Umoja purchases the products locally in western Kenya,…
During the June trip to the project area, Indiana visitors helped to spread CONFIDENCE to Umoja girls. “Confidence” is the brand name of the locally-sourced feminine products we distribute to adolescent girls. Umoja students face extraordinary daily challenges in their quest for education. They often lack basic necessities, such as blankets, clothing and light to…
Yvonne overcame many challenges to shine as a leader in her school and community. Her father has passed away, and Yvonne lives with her grandma. Her mother abandoned her after remarrying and moving away. She attended Chulaimbo Primary School until 2015 then joined Mawego Girls Secondary School, where she is excelling in her final year.…
The Umoja Project welcomed Isabelle Hall, Field Traveler for GlobalGiving, who visited Kenya in May. Several Umoja Project programs are featured on GlobalGiving, an international charitable giving platform. “I was thrilled to meet Leonard and the greater Umoja team,” says Isabelle. “I thoroughly enjoyed participating in their GET UP program, and observing the BET UP…
Female Umoja students in secondary school spent a few days in Nakuru for the Girls Empowerment Team retreat. They divided into groups (named after notable universities, such as Oxford, Harvard and Yale) and spent time with mentors, postsecondary students and community leaders. The retreat emphasizes healthy relationships and goal setting and is an awesome opportunity…
Update from Courtney Sanford, Duke Divinity School Intern Dear Friends and Family, When I arrived in Kenya last Tuesday, I joined Bailey at Mama Fransisca’s. She welcomed me by slaughtering a chicken for us. Bailey wanted to learn how it was done, so she taught us the Kenyan way. Fransisca has been teaching Bailey lots…
By Pam and Jim Lemons When Joy entered the Umoja Project in the Chulaimbo region of Kenya as an 8-year-old child, she was living with her mother who was a nurse and single head of her household. Joy’s father died when she was two years old and her mother had raised her family (six children)…
