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Tushirikiane

2011-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Chazon family and friends!

It's been a long time I don't write here and I'm very happy to write again with very good news.

The NGO called Tushirikiane joins Chazon Africa to fundraise money to build the orphanage that our kids in Molo need so bad!!!

Lidia, one of the Chazon volunteers contacted them after her trip to Molo and she has done a great job because they are willing to help us now with the buying of the hotel.

Tushirikiane is a non-profit with years of experience and with projects in Kenya. They have professionals workers and very serious volunteers and they are prepared and have the knowledge to apply for public and private grants in Spain which will help us to findraise money.

Have a look at their website:

http://www.tushirikiane.org/

And to the beautiful video they have created to get the funds:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roWnKLJMcEY

Great news, aren't they??? :)

New Kitchen at CCC

2011-09-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ahead Energy ( www.aheadenergy.org0 we are almost done with our new kitchen. You can bet our wonderful cooks Marcy (on left) and Damaris are happy, no more breathing black smoke! This is such a wonderful addition to Chazon Children Centre! Thank you Ahead!

Church Newsletter Article about CCC

2011-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

OUTREACH news from Asbury First United Methodist Church Rochester, NY

An Update on AFUMC’s Outreach in Kenya

by Dr. Virginia Duffy

(Upper Virginia with a group of children

at Chacon Children’s Center. The boy to her right is Michael, who

is being sponsored by the guests at Asbury Dining and Caring Center.

He is wearing a jacket that they bought for him.

(Lower) Virginia Duffy in Nairobi with (left to right) Phillip Moses,

Liz Njenga, and Frank Olum RARE program recipients.

I recently returned from a productive trip to Kenya. I was
picked up by the family of Pastors Samuel and Lucy of Chazon
Children Center (CCC). They were pleased to take me to Molo
as it was mother’s day and they got to spend it with their mother
and siblings. They are a close-knit family, as is not uncommon in
Kenya.
I was excited to go to the school on Monday. There are 350
students. The school is at the maximum it can hold, and they are
using every inch. The students gave me a warm welcome. They
have four new teachers for a total of ten.
I spent the next two weeks working: I did counseling groups for
students with “behavioral” problems (most of them are being
beaten at home). They were happy to have someone listen to
them. I bought them small notebooks to use as journals. I taught
them about feelings and asked them to record how they felt. I am
putting more emphasis on the importance of emotions and how
to deal with them. We also did positive affirmations: “I am smart, I
am strong, I am good.” I developed a class on culture and change. I
also revised policies and website content and took children to the
eye doctor. I do whatever needs to be done, and I love it.
Phillip Moses, a RARE (Receive and Reciprocate Education)
student, and I did a seminar titled Alternative Methods of Discipline
for the teachers and staff. It was well received. CCC is one of the
leaders in the area in trying to stop corporal punishment. This is
common in Kenya even though it is against the law.
With funds from AFUMC I was able to buy them a water tank. This
was desperately needed, as the tap works only when it wants to!
They were carrying jugs of water for 350 kids. As you can imagine
there wasn’t much drinking going on, let alone hand washing.

After a fast two weeks I went to Nairobi for the weekend and had
a very relaxing time with my three RARE university students (and
friends): Liz Njenga, Frank Olum, and Phillip.
Frank and Phillip and I went to the coast to visit with three other
RARE students, where we settled some issues and made some
necessary changes in their educational plans. Frank is the Kenyan
contact and mentor for the RARE program.
In April, 2012 Frank will finish the University of Nairobi with
a bachelor’s degree, earned in three years and with a double
major. He is hoping to come to Rochester to get a master’s in
social work. He plans to apply to Roberts Wesleyan College for
a scholarship. I hope some of you at AFUMC can help with this. If
you want to hear Frank speak about these plans listen to his
video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnE1l39mwNE.
I would love to come and talk to your group, school, or
organization about this project, please just send me an email at
drvduffy@gmail.com.

My Recent Trip to Chazon Children Centre

2011-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have recently returned from a productive and fun trip to Kenya. I arrived in the middle of the night at Nairobi after having slept most of the way. Its a 16 hr trip from NYC with a stop in Istanbul.

I was picked up in the middle of the night by Liz, Patrick and Panena the family of Pastors Samuel and Lucy of Chazon Children Center. They were pleased to take me to Molo the next day as it was mother's day Sunday and they got to spend it with their Mary their mother and Lucy their sister. We also picked up Susan on the way! They are a close knit family as is not uncommon in Kenya.

I was excited to go to the school on Monday and see everyone. There were 350 students, the school is now at the max it can hold and believe me they are using every inch. The students who knew me gave me a warm welcome, it was so nice. They have 4 new teachers as well for a total now of 10.

I spent the next 2 weeks working very hard. I did two daily counseling groups for students with "behavioral" problems (most of them are being beaten at home!) They were so happy to have some attention and someone to listen to them. I bought them each small notebooks to use as journals. I taught them about feelings and asked them to record how they felt each day. At CCC I am trying to put more emphasis on the importance of emotions and how to deal with them. We also did a lot of positive affirmations. " I am smart, I am strong, I am good" ! I developed and taught a class on culture and change. I also revised policies and web site content and took children to the eye doctor. I do whatever needs to be done, and I love it.

Phillip Moses a RARE student and I did a seminar on Alternative Methods of Discipline for the Teachers and Staff. It was well received and CCC is one of the leaders in the area in trying to stop corporal punishment. This is very common in Kenya even though it is against the law.

With funds from AFUMC I was able to buy them a water tank to hold water. This was desperately needed as the water tap works only when it wants to! They were carrying jugs of water for 350 kids. As you can imagine there wasn't much drinking going on let alone hand washing!

After a fast 2 weeks I went to Nairobi for the weekend and had a very relaxing time with my 3 RARE University students (and Friends) Liz Njenga, Frank Olum, and Phillip. If you want to know about RARE , a program I started for education in Kenya go to my causes on Facebook. If you can share this it would be great. http://www.causes.com/causes/546366?m=98657f1f

Arrived Safely

2011-05-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I arrived safely after a good flight with Turkish airlines from NY to Istambul to Nairobi. Patrick Elizabeth and Panina picked me up in the middle of the night! We drove to Molo the next day to spend mothers day with Mary and Elizabeth, Lucy, Samuel and the belle of the ball Jemima. She talks up a storm and quickly let me in to her life!

The school has changed a lot since I was here last June, a big new sign, big new gate, 2 new classrooms, new teachers, but most of all 350 children. I couldn't believe it! Can you imaging game and lunch time?? Some how it all works.
The kids are terrific as usual, some have grown so much since last year. It was great to have them greet me with such love. Most of you know how that feels!

I am so pleased Iratxe is here, I met her last year and it is fun and helpful to work together. The weather is lovely, occasional hard rain that quickly passes. Lots of other things to tell. I will also add pictures and ask other volunteers to blog when I get a chance!

Heading For Kenya and CCC

2011-04-05T01:43:00.000-07:00

I am excited to be visiting Chazon Children Center again in May. Right now I am trying to pack a very large suitcase with too much stuff, and keep the weight to airline limits. I hate packing almost more then lugging it. I am thrilled that the kids at my church have collected shoes and socks for children of CCC.

I found a great deal by the way for just over $800.00 round trip from NYC. Turkish airlines goes through Istambul what an airport! I use Kayak which notifies you of price decreases then I buy when prices are low.

Orphans need a home in Molo Kenya

2011-01-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Pastor Lucy Njenga talks about the plan/hope to purchase an unoccupied hotel in downtown Molo, Kenya. Lucy is one of the directors from the Chazon Children's Centre in Molo and they hope to purchase the hotel and convert it to a permanent home to accommodate the need to house and feed local children orphan.

Can you Help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCWHFg4gcFE

Chazon Children Centre, Growing so Fast !

2011-01-11T08:04:00.000-08:00

To All Our Friends,

We have been very busy at the centre during the holidays, though not as hectic as it would have been if the children were there!

We reopened the Centre on Wednesday and guess what, it has been up and down very busy as usual. We now have two new classes, thanks to Fabio and Elena from Spain.

We also completed the old classes and the children are comfortable now. The construction took place over the holiday and we are happy with the progress. Fabio also initiated a feeding programme to improve on the quality of food we give the children.

We now have 290 children who have reported so far. We had an interview for all the destitute and orphans last November and you would be surprised to tell you that we had more than 150 who came for interviews.

Happy new year from Pastors Samuel and Lucy in Molo Kenya

Greetings from Spain!

2011-01-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hello Chazon family!
I've been promising Virginia and Daniel that I would write a post here and I have postponed it for too long I think.
I was back from Kenya in May 2010 and, as most of you know, I spent in Molo three wonderful months.
Loads of things have happened since I'm back. Spanish volunteers arrived, the centre is taking in more kids, the creation of an associaton in Spain to help Chazon officailly and legally is taking place...
Since I'm back I'm spending a lot of my free time to keep helping Sam, Lucy and the kids from here and, I have to say, I couldn't do it without the spanish volunteers that visited Molo last summer and without the ones that will visit them soon.
People like Vanessa. She was the one encouraging me with the creation of the association. She has become a wonderful friend and my support in this project. She doesn't know them yet but she is one of the family and soon she will fly to Molo to meet her kenyan family.
People like Alvaro. I know he's being a good help even from Spain with his projects for the kids. The fence, the grants to go to secondray school.
People like Soraya. Because she was the one, after Alicia from Canada, interested in The Macedonia Group and supporting them.
People like Rita and Ana. Thanks to them there is a new classroom in Chazon. They organised a party in Madrid to fundraise money and now 8th grade has a new classroom.
People like Adrià and Judit. They taught first aids to the teachers and they had the idea of starting a health-care project involving their Univeristy of Medicine.
People like Mencha. Because she has been one of the volunteers that supported this project the most. She's been there encouraging me and she also was the first one being honest and realising how alive a person can be with these kids.
People like Jordi. He met me before my trip to Molo and his help and information was crucial.
People like Almudena. She is "there" all the time. Supporting the causes, following the group on facebook and spreading the news to everyone.
Marc, Esther, Alain, Ximo... To all of them THANK YOU.
But, I can't finish this post not mentioning the two most important volunteers that have been there all the time, even before was there! :)
Daniel and Virginia. They are doing an amazing job. They are dedicating so much time, money, ideas, etc. for Chazon. It wouldn't be the same without you!!! And I'm so happy to came across you both one day on my way! :)

Every Little Bit Helps

2010-12-15T01:56:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

I am excited to tell you that the guests at a dining center for homeless at my church (Asbury First United Methodist in Rochester NY) are donating quarters, dollars and whatever to sponsor a child at CCC. They raised $42 the first month. They are so excited about this project, they anxiously await their first letter from Michael.

It is such a great feeling for them to be able to help someone else. They are experiencing the joy of giving!

Christmas Blessings

Virginia

CCC kids and Virginia Duffy 6/10

2010-09-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

Missing kids from Chazon. Hello everyone!

Congratulations to Kenya on passing the constitution with virtually no violence. The young people are really trying to change things and help make Kenya a TRUE democracy. That is why we need to continue to educate as many young Kenyans as possible.

I believe we have a new 7th grade this year at CCC, congratulations. Everyone is growing fast.

Good luck in the new school year, study hard but also have fun!

Visit To Molo and CCC

2010-07-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

I made a visit to Molo in June to see everyone at the Centre. They are doing well and progress is really happening. The crops are growing (thanks to the water) there were lots of potatoes which the kids love. Its a nice change from Ugali! They were awaiting installation of the wind turbines donated by Jetpro which had already arrived. I understand they are now functioning and will get some pictures up as soon as I get them.

Lots of volunteers have been coming to CCC and also helping out it so many ways. Lets keep this up. If interested check out the website, www.chazonafrica.org for more information. We are planning on connecting this blog to the website soon. Check out new pictures on flickr

Update Virgina's latest visit to CCC

2010-04-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Spent a week in CCC in Feb 2010, the kids have grown so much since I last saw them. I purchased a "miracle money maker" a manual water pump like a stepper. Now they can water the gardens more easily then by hand.

We are waiting for wind turbines donated from Jetpro.com.

I was so pleased to meet the volunteer from Spain Iratxe, she was staying a full three months and really was a joy to spend time with.

As usual Samuel and Lucy are working to hard.

I will post more pictures on flickr

Planning Next Trip to CCC

2009-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am excited that I will be going to Kenya again in February. Will be happy to see everyone at CCC.
I am also thrilled to report I am making progress on getting wind turbines to provide electricity to the school. This came about by happenstance as I was put in touch with Ahead energy right here in my home town of Rochester NY.

http://www.aheadenergy.org/

Raise money for AHEAD just by searching the Internet with GoodSearch -

http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=847358

The generous owner of Jetpro from China is donating two turbines and accessories to get started. We hope to have two students from the University of Rochester go to CCC to set up the system. Check out their turbines they are cool!

http://www.jetprotech.com.tw/en/gallery/01.htm

2009-11-02T10:39:00.001-08:00

Hello All,

I recently returned from three weeks in Kenya. I was able to make a short trip of 5 days to see what was happening at Chazon Children Centre in Molo. Thanks to the help of a number of volunteers from all over the world things have greatly improved since my last visit. The major improvement is access to water. You actually turn on a tap and get clean water to drink, cook with and wash your hands. This may not sound like a big deal to those of us in US or Europe but in Kenya water is scarce and precious. A long term drought has led to starvation, death and water rationing in all of Kenya even the capital of Nairobi. Water is turned on at unpredictable times and days and you had better be around to get it. Many people have to go to a local tap and fill cans with water. These “jerry cans” weigh about 40 lbs each and many women carry them on their heads for long distances. Others carry them on their back with a strap around their forehead to hold the weight. I truly do not know how they do this; they may be carrying a baby at the same time. The poor women in Kenya break my heart. Some have told me they are “beasts of burden”.

At the same time there are more and more educated women who are trying to help their sisters in Kenya. They are bright, brave and determined. I believe it is the women who will be the future of Kenya. The politicians are mostly men and often corrupt. If you have been reading the papers you know that some of them may have been responsible for precipitating the post election violence in 2007 that killed many innocent and poor people and displaced thousands of others. The orphans we care for at CCC are refugees from that violence.

But I digress; getting the back to progress at CCC and more importantly the hope that Chazon Children Centre and the directors Samwel and Lucy offer not only to the children but to the community at large and the volunteers. They do not take time to lament but work and pray very hard. Their belief that they will meet their goal to take care of all the orphans in Molo never seems to waver and is an inspiration to me and many others.

Since I was there in June the number of children served has increased from 74 to 102, and they are managing to feed them all. To be truthful I guess I was not hungry enough to eat the frequent fare of Ugali (a maze staple and Scuma (kale). For the children this and porridge for the younger ones may be all the food they get.

Thanks to the recent volunteers the children have text books, swings and a brightly painted wooden building for a kitchen. (I love the stripes!!!) The teachers and directors have a decent place to work and are able to accomplish even more.

While I was in Molo the rain came down in buckets for a good period of time. The community was ecstatic and hopefully the crops will benefit and water will not be so scarce at least for a short time. It also rained in Nairobi when I was there! I cannot take credit for this although people were sure I was blessed when many birds managed to cover me with blobs of purple gifts as I stood under a beautiful tree.

If you can spare even the smallest donation ( we are not proud $5 can buy food for a few kids) please send it. Lucy and I have an agreement that to start I will manage donations from USA You can send a check to me at 126 Ferguson Drive Hilton NY 14468 (this way there are no charges and CCC gets every penny) I then deposit it in a checking account I have opened for Lucy, she can access it with ATM card. This by the way is the cheapest way to get money to Kenya. Daniel will you please verify this for those who don't know me.

Blessings
Virginia J Duffy PhD, Psychiatric NP
WWW.PsychSense.com

2009-10-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Dear partners,

Another beautiful day God has given us, the rains are doing great, we have plenty of food in the small garden. The children are fantastic, good to be with these children everyday, desire to visit CCC and it will change your life!

Pastors Lucy and Samuel

2009-10-12T03:12:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
nice to see ourselves on blog, thanks to Daniel's effort. Just to inform our partners that work at the Centre is fantastic, the children are really happy, enjoying every bit of the swings, volleyball, football and the indoor games, thanks to our Head of games teacher -Geoffrey.
You are wellcome to contribute to this wonderful project.

Pastors Lucy and Samuel

On one of my last days in Molo

2009-10-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

I had just returned from the supermarket and I heard a young voice yelling "Daniel, Daniel", - to my left were two small boys. I said "Hi" (very surprised any of them even knew my name), I didn't get to spend much time with the kids. "Where's David?" the older one said, I said: "Oh David left about a week ago" the younger one then said "we love David" didn't do much for my ego but it was a well deserved complement for David!

The volunteering continues!

2009-09-26T02:22:00.000-07:00

Even though I left Molo more then a month ago it's been nice to continue to work with Samuel and Lucy. We have taken the first steps of designing a logo and that makes setting up a simple blog possible and here it is! I will be contacting all the volunteers to see if you'd like to participate on the blog. I'll set you up with writing access so you can start to post here and though work on the web site has just begun this blog will at least give Chazon a web presence. This blog will be far more personal then the coming website but the purpose of both will be to encourage/inspire/inform others about the opportunity to serve at Chazon, it'll be available to volunteers while they are at Chazon to post about their experiences and of course it will be available to the staff at Chazon to share with the world what's happening on a daily basis.

So welcome to the Chazon Children Centre blog!