News & Events

RAWCS Project Number 51/2011-12

Early in 2013 the call to join a team of Australian Rotarians in Kenya at the site of a new orphanage was too great for local Rotarian Ron Watts to ignore.  Past President Ron with wife Delwyn travelled to the Umoja site meeting the rest of the team in Dubai at their own expense.

Team B as they are called spent 2 weeks at Umoja building a perimeter fence around the orphanage before building work could commence. Since returning from Kenya the Club has been visited by Umoja Founder Cathy Booth and receives regular updates on progress. Several buildings have now been completed including a Cow Shed and work rooms. An internal brick wall and orphanage buildings are now in construction.  Ron & Delwyn intend to return to the site in Kenya at some point in the mean time they follow progress on Facebook and welcome all members of the community to join them in seeing Umoja make a difference to the lives of Kenyan children.

The Elizabeth Rotary Club has financially supported this African project directly for the last 2 years with funds raised in our local community. Everybody who supports Elizabeth Rotary should take pride in the fact that their support is helping a group of people in a 3rd world country recover from impossible situations and gain an education. This in turn will help the Kenyans help other Kenyans in Kenya.

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For further information see www.umojahome.com

		16  Strainer Boxes,
		22.5 kilometres Barb Wire 12,000 Staples
Progress since our visit
		Water tank and tank stand completed by Team C. Located beside the Well, water is pumped into the tank then gravity feeds to various locations around the property.
		Green House sponsored by a company operating in Kenya allows intensive horticultural growing of vegetables and is being used to educate the local community in modern growing methods.
		Cowshed being built by the locals with assistance from Team C. A member of the Encounter Bay Rotary Club (Team C) gave advice on animal husbandry paving the way for the purchase of cows.
		House under construction – this is the first Children’s House to be built on the property, constructed by Kenyan builders overseen by Kenyan & Australia architects with funding by the international support for Umoja Orphanage Kenya including support from Elizabeth Rotary.
		Main gates made of steel sit between brick/stone walls depicting maps of Australia & Africa. Elizabeth Rotary sponsored the back gates, about 100m to the left of the main gate and the ones currently used as vehicles / goods entry
		Sharon Kinraid volunteer 2014, donated a water tank, seen here with Cathy Booth (founder) and James, builder of the first children’s house, and Saide one of our caretakers.
		Goat & kid – paying for a goat or a cow or a chicken is a sustainable way you can help Umoja. See www.umojahome.com