Be part of Kelly Campbell's trip to Kenya

Kelly Campbell of The Village Experience will be leaving November 30 for an East African trip that us with many, many opportunities to become engaged in Kenya and beyond. Like a couple of dozen other Hoosiers, Kelly was in Kenya with Ambassadors for Children last December when the country went up in post-electoral ethnic and tribal flames. She expects different this year:

This will be an amazing trip - the last time I was in Kenya, people were fighting in the streets and divided. This time, people will be celebrating in the streets and united because of the election of one of their own to the US presidency. I am so excited to see the country go through this transition and want to show them how much we truly support them and think about them.

Says Kelly about her upcoming trip:

I'll be in Tanzania the first week presenting our business model at a Traveler's Philanthropy Conference hosted by the Center on Ecotourism and Sustainable Development in Washington, DC. After that, I'm headed to Kenya to visit Kazuri Beads in Nairobi, the 3 orphanges in Nakuru, the women's project, Eldoret, and Mbita.

Expect frequent updates on http://indyafrica.blogspot.com/ from Kelly during her trip. In the meantime, she is collecting crucial stuff to take with her to the groups she is working with in Kenya.

I will be able to take one extra bag and would love some help in collecting donations and money. Here is a breakdown of what they have requested:

Children's Discovery Center (Nakuru) - underwear for boys and girls and "wrappers" for the girls. Wrappers are like robes - something they can wear while doing chores and laundry. I would think Walmart or Kmart or some place like that would have cheap, basic underwear in all sizes. Most of the kids here are 8 and above. I will also try to pay school fees for Mary and Susan for their final year of high school.

Children's Discovery Center in Nakuru

"The 2 girls are Mary and Susan - extremely bright twins finishing out high school. I paid for them to go to a good school last year and want to make sure they have the funds to get through their last year."

Moi Children's Center (Nakuru) - they mostly need food. I would need monetary donations to purchase food in the city and deliver it to them like we did last time. $200 would buy quite a bit.

Saida Children's Home (Nakuru) - I would like to donate exercise books to this orphanage.

Due to lack of space, I would probably need monetary donations to purchase them there.

Women's Project (Nakuru) - $10 per woman will give them access to sanitary pads for an entire year. This project is being subsidized by the Ministry of Health and Joseph from Lake Nakuru Lodge is taking me to see the village. The women stay indoors for the entire length of their period as no pads are available. This project would give them the freedom to move about and be productive even when they are having their period.

Koinonia Street Rehabilitation Center (Eldoret) - There are a few families here that I will visit to see what the pressing needs are - most likely the children will need school fees paid and/or school supplies.

I can buy these in the market in Eldoret. I usually pay rent for a family of 10 whose head of household is 14 years old. It's only $100 for the year.
Dayspring Children's Center (Mbita) - A local church has donated money to this group so that I can purchase food and clothing for the orphans and widows, so I think we are set here.

A big lesson for all of us is how little it takes to make a big difference in the lives of people. How small (from American points of view) are enormous obstacles.

More from Kelly on details of contributing to her initiatives:

I don't have non-profit status, so keep the receipts for anything you purchase and I can issue you a letter to attach to it confirming your donation. If anyone is interested in donating a decent amount of money and wants a tax-exempt form, I can probably facilitate this through Joseph's organization in Nakuru. Remember, I only get one extra suitcase, but I can make it a big one! I can easily take photos, letters, etc from anyone interested. Please email me or call me if you can help and I can arrange to pick up any donations up until I leave.

You can reach Kelly at 917-862-9236 or email her at kescampb@yahoo.com. Visit The Village Experience website at www.experiencethevillage.com. It looks like Kelly is setting up humani-tourist trips to Kenya after Christmas and next summer. You can talk to Kelly (and Charlie Wiles) at a discussion of the political and moral implications of Hoosiers working around the world to solve problems on November 19: www.provocate.org/archives/840.