Florence displays the vegetables that she will sell in the market.

Project Update 2006

Voiceless Children's first year of operations in 2006 was largely funded from, The Irene M. and Milton R. Weed Foundation, the retirement funds of Ms. Banfield and initial small contributions (resources and time) of family, friends and acquaintances. Though limited in resources, Voiceless Children was successful in its first year of operations in directly affecting the widows and children of a few small communities in East Africa.

In 2006 Voiceless Children was accomplished the following:

• Purchased 11 cows for designated grandmothers and widows, to be shared among the community in the Funyula district in Western Kenya.

• Built one house with toilet and bath area for one grandmother as a pilot for future houses.

• Built a house for a widow who lost her home in a fire, and supplied her with the necessary replacement materials to run her home.

• Planted trees, provided materials for weaving, paid school fees for 10 village children and school uniforms for primary students. 

• Purchased farm equipment including water pump and all the attachments, seed, fertilizer, and miscellaneous farming necessities.  The farm is doing well.

 

 

 

 


• Provided 30 women with weaving materials and encouraging them to be productive members of the community.

• Provided funding to two women in Nairobi to establish small businesses. Both women are doing well in their small businesses.
 


These direct benefits to the widows and children have had a profound impact on their lives. As a result, the grandmothers supported by Voiceless Children efforts are being recognized in a documentary filmed in 2006 called “A Grandmother’s Tribe” due for release in summer this year.

In keeping with our values, (over 98% of our 2006 time and resource were applied in direct benefit to the communities and individuals we served). The following are our goals according to a five year plan.

 

 • Raise $45K in funding for a water project which includes three permanent bore holes in the Funyula District of Western Kenya.

• Build 10 new shelters including houses and toilets (to be done in phases) for grandmothers and widows.

• Raise $10K in funding to support the educational fees of selected high school students and provide uniforms for primary school

• Continue to support the farming efforts of the women by providing land and farm equipment.

• Develop a central community center for the Funyula division to be used by the villages for a common meeting place.

• Empower women to become involved inincome generating projects in the village and slum areas.