On the island of Mfangano in Lake Victoria, home to the Suba tribe, there is a small fishing village named Kiwari with a population of about 100 homes with more than 300 people. The island was once a thriving fishing community, but with over fishing the once self sufficient island now relies on subsistence farming to provide for their families.
DONATE
There are no industries or hospital on the island. With the fishing severely depleted and traditional subsistence farming made difficult due to the rocky soil and mountainous terrain, there is a struggle for the daily necessities of life. Of the previous generation there are only three graduates from Kiwari who have “made it”. (Hear from one of them)
The future of the next generation is in jeopardy and some of the parents have come to the realization that their children’s future lies in education. The villagers who are able have pooled their resources to improve the village school so the current pupils may have the opportunity to move on to schools of higher learning. Maybe then they will be successful in life and later come back to help improve the coming generations of the village. But the challenges today are many.
The Yashar Project has implemented Kiwari Village Primary School’s first feeding program. We are supplementing what some parents donate. We are now able to feed those who are unable to afford food for their children by feeding them some porridge in the morning and a meal at lunch time. There are some students who live a good distance from the school who sleep in a classroom Monday – Thursday. These children also need to be fed. Unfortunately our current income does not allow us to fully cover all these needs.
The school also needs books, good teachers, classrooms and office blocks. Almost all of the graduates of primary school DO NOT move on beyond that level. The cost of secondary education and beyond is out of the reach for most of these families. In our four year relationship with Kiwari we have only been able to sponsor three children’s high school education. Those families have praised God and given thanks to Yashar for our involvement in their child’s life. It saddens me each time I return and I’m asked if there is anything I can do to assist another child and my answer so far has been, not at this time.
The struggle continues for their hopes and dreams to become a reality. We are not where we want to be, but thank God we are not where we were. A lot still needs to be done and with your help these children can see “A Straight Path To A Brighter Tomorrow.”
