MM Kenya Annual Report 2007

Moving Mountains Kenya PO Box 9388 00200 City Square Nairobi Republic of Kenya

Annual Report 2007

Contents Introduction of Moving Mountains Kenya .................................................................... 3 Who We Are .............................................................................................................. 3 Our Mission ............................................................................................................... 3 How We Operate ....................................................................................................... 3 Programmes and Projects of Moving Mountains Kenya ............................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 4 Supporting Disadvantaged Children .......................................................................... 4 Projects in Nairobi ..................................................................................................... 5 Projects in Embu, Eastern Kenya .............................................................................. 6 Projects in Siaya, Western Kenya .............................................................................. 7 Medical Elective Placements ................................................................................... 10 Teacher Placements ................................................................................................. 10 Future Aspirations ................................................................................................... 10 Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2007 Auditors’ Report for Moving Mountains Kenya ..................................................... 11 Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2007 .....................................................................

Income and Expenditure Account for the Year Ended 31st December 2007 ...............

Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2007 ............................. 13 Monthly Expenditure for the Year Ended 31st December 2007

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Introduction of Moving Mountains Kenya Rose Gathirimu, Chairperson

Who We Are Moving Mountains Kenya is a charitable organisation registered under the Office of the President and the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Board under the reference OP.218/051/2004/0387/3422.

Moving Mountains Kenya is officially linked and supported by the Moving Mountains Trust, a U.K. registered charity based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, accepted as a charity by the U.K. Inland Revenue under the reference XR62512.

Our Mission Moving Mountains exists to care for and help rehabilitate children and young people through actively encouraging rural and urban community development.

Moving Mountains seeks to relieve hardship in areas of difficult circumstances through financial assistance, education, and vocational training, medical aid and treatment where necessary.

By working together with the local communities we can create a safer world where the children and young people can take control over their own lives and enjoy their basic rights.

How We Operate Moving Mountains exists to promote the welfare of street children / children in difficult situations in Kenya, through the support of their education, medical needs and specific requirements such as food, accommodation, books, uniforms and transport to and from school or college.

We support families with grants to run small businesses, enabling them to fund the upkeep of their children.

We work very closely with the communities, the schools and the families so that the children get a level of support that is much more than just financial. It is essentially a surrogate family working within the system that the children understand and appreciate.

Working with schools, we run a variety of renovation projects to improve the facilities such as classrooms, libraries, kitchens and toilets. Working with local communities, we run a variety of construction and renovation projects to improve community facilities such as clinics, orphanages, vocational centres and meeting halls.

Moving Mountains has an official Partner Organisation in the company Africampers Tours and Safaris (a subsidiary of Adventure Alternative Ltd, U.K.), licensed under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife under the Registration Number 421271. Africampers supports the charity by donating time and money to the charity in the form of vehicles, office facilities and administration costs. Africampers now provides further support by paying salary and overhead costs of the charity.

It is important to us that Moving Mountains is transparent and relevant, not just to us and the children we support, but also to the donors.

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Programmes and Projects of Moving Mountains Kenya Rose Gathirimu - Chairperson

Introduction Our main objective is to support children academically. We sponsor children in primary schools, secondary schools, in vocational training courses, polytechnics and university. We support children from slum areas of Nairobi and in Embu in Eastern Kenya, Siaya in Western Kenya, Nyeri in Central Kenya, and Mombasa.

Moving Mountains works with local communities to understand their needs and through this understanding we are able to run a variety of construction and renovation projects to improve community facilities. We have carried out programmes of development at Muthurwa Primary School in Nairobi’s industrial district, at Ushirika Clinic in the Kibera slums, at the Community Rescue Centre in Embu and we have built the Ulamba Moving Mountains Orphanage in Siaya.

Moving Mountains supports feeding programmes as part of our drives to encourage children to come to school to learn with a full stomach this is through feeding programmes in Embu and Nairobi. In addition, we support sports programmes (Black cats football team in Nairobi, Embu and Western Kenya) as part of our drive to involve children in sports and clubs.

Working with our official partner organisation, Africampers Tours and Safaris, Moving Mountains facilitates medical elective placements and teacher placements in hospitals, clinics and schools in Nairobi and throughout Kenya. In addition, Africampers actively promotes a strong ethical policy, which enables clients to involve themselves in the charity and understand that their tour or safari directly supports the running of Moving Mountains and the children. Many of the Africampers trips encourage clients to see with their own eyes the work of the charity, and to offer their own comments and hopefully support when they return home.

Supporting Disadvantaged Children The primary work of Moving Mountains is support through the education and welfare of street children and those in difficult circumstances. We personally nurture each and every child and take a specific interest in their future and their dreams and ambitions. We know all the children personally and ensure we build trust and knowledge on all sides. We ensure the children are given the rights of any child in the world and they develop into good citizens with a support network of family and community. In this respect, we try not to breed self-reliance, but build self-esteem and hope.

We support children through primary school and as these children grow and move on in their education, we continue to support them into secondary school, polytechnic and university and into vocational training courses and the workplace. We provide the children with school uniforms, exercise and text books, and school and college fees and cater for specific requirements such as school lunches and transport fares to and from school or college. When we commit to helping a child, we commit for a long time. We know every child by name; we know their families, their communities, their teachers, their friends. We are an active part of their lives, an addition within the total circle of their upbringing, not just an anonymous benefactor.

Moving Mountains ensures that the children and their families have adequate housing and medical care and where possible we help with family problems, with social issues and with life skills. We let the children understand that we are always there, even as a listening ear, which can be a precious thing in a slum environment.

Moving Mountains is not just about handing out money, but empowering people. Money, whilst important, is a tool to assist and not an end in itself to poverty or oppression.

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Projects in Nairobi Muthurwa Primary School 

Feeding Program – since 2005 the 650 children have been taking porridge daily at the school. It was routine every day at mid-day that most of the kids would be sleepy and dozing in class due to hunger, generally their concentration could only last till 10am. Some kids would not come to school as they had no food at home or at school. Since the program started there has been an influx of children to the school and their performance has shot up due to increased concentration levels. The school has excelled in co curriculum activities like football, basket ball, volley ball and rugby. They now have trophies giving them pride. The children now enjoy being in school and don’t miss a day as this would mean the only meal is over. The mothers that cook for the kids are parents of the pupils and now earn an income.

In preparation for the feeding program we bought a gas cooker, 2 gas cylinders, eating utensils, cooking pots and lids, buckets and washing kits. The kitchen is used for storage and food preparation.

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Renovation of classrooms Muthurwa Primary School is based in an industrial slum. The community / parents cannot afford to renovate the school hence it was in a dilapidated state with some classroom being out of bound due to dangerous conditions. Others, although functioning, gave a poor learning environment for the children with uncomfortable facilities e.g. more children than desks and chairs.

Over the years we have renovated the classrooms including paint work, floor cementing, inserting ceilings, replacing windows and installing black and notice boards. This work has resulted in good classrooms and a better studying environment where all children have a desk and chair.

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Toilets Facilities Sanitary facilities were in a very poor condition with the children dreading the toilets which had very big cockroaches, no flushing system and a terrible risk to health.

Through the assistance of some 4 Irish builders the whole system was replaced and new flush toilets were installed. This resulted in happy children and staff, a lot of dead cockroaches and hygiene has improved hugely additionally the children’s problems with worms has reduced.

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Full sponsorship Some of the children that attend the school are from the streets with nowhere to call home, after re uniting them with their family we decided in order for them to go to school and study hard like any other kid they needed extra assistance. We have been providing a food allowance for the kids family, rent and all the needs that they require academically (books, uniform, shoes)

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Library and books Just this year Muthurwa received a trophy for having the best library in the Nairobi area. It has a large stock of books, tables, seats and a mat to sit down and read. The library has been a small heaven for the children and has helped them improve in grammar and school performance. Every time books are donated to the school they are put in the library for reference. The library also doubles as a counselling area and revision room.

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Sports facilities The school now has a strong football, rugby and netball team who through their efforts have brought a lot of pride to the school. We have provided balls, games kit, post and nets for the teams over the years. The children feel very happy and proud in their uniform and confident too.

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Uniforms The children received more than 100 school uniforms to help the needy children who had none or torn clothes which parents couldn’t afford to replace.

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Field trip Class 7 and 8 (year 13-15) went on a trip to the Great Rift Valley. The school trip was made possible by the charity, through Africampers, providing a truck, driver and fuel. The children learnt a lot and appreciated the trip as none, due to their difficult circumstances, could have ever thought such a trip could be possible. This allowed them to see Kenya and especially the famous great crater which they learnt about in social studies. They also visited Mt Longonot and the lakes of Nakuru, Naivasha and Elementaita

Kibera. 

Ushirika clinic

Moving Mountains along with a group of students from the Skerries Community College, Northern Ireland, funded and then built a new wing at Ushirika Clinic. This fully functioning wing has doubled the size of the clinic and specialises in caring for the local community members and children who are suffering from TB and HIV/AIDS. Ushirika Clinic HIV/AIDS clinic has already been inspected and registered .Amref is in the process of partnering with the clinic which will allow the clinic to receive free anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS patients. Moving Mountains has also been facilitating the community health workers programme in home based visits as well as accompanying the medical electives in Kibera The clinic has been receiving drugs and equipment which are very much needed for the proper management of diseases and illnesses in Kibera Black cats 

Black Cats Nairobi

In 2005, Moving Mountains started the Black Cats United Football Club, a team of footballers from the Nairobi slums. We support the Black Cats with strips, balls and transport cost to games and some food.

The Black Cats are a part of our drive to involve children in sports and clubs and the success is such that we now support a full time coach of the teams. The Black Cats have grown from their modest beginnings and now has a senior team, a junior team and a girls’ team. The senior team now competes in the Nairobi League and last season gained promotion from K.F.F. Division 2 to K.F.F. Division 1, several of their players attracting the interest of scouts and National Team officials. They have received lots of trophies which has given them a lot of pride.

Projects in Embu, Eastern Kenya RESCUE CENTRE  Renovations and buildings We renovated an existing structure which was been used to teach adult classes.

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We built a new structure which includes an office, store, kitchen, bathrooms and toilets. The centre is now fenced to increase security The washrooms have made it easy for Gilbert when doing rehabilitation of the street boys to teach them about hygiene and encourage them to use the facilities at the centre well.

The children come to the rescue centre to be fed and they are able to receive counselling and get involved in literacy classes run by the centre  Black cats and feeding programme Black Cats’ Embu comprises of boys who are on the streets and are leaving the streets now by getting involved with football. The boys are going through rehabilitation and so far 8 are on the way to moving into houses which the charity is paying for a period of 6 month after which time the boys will pay with the income they get from the grocery profits which is a business we set up for them to lead to independence. They train during the day and also receive lunch as well. They have participated in various matches and won 2 trophies for the best disciplined team in Embu.

By having the boys coming to the rescue centre it has become not only a home but a place they find love and comfort they are proud to be identified with the Black Cats as when they go out for games people cheer for them and this makes them really happy and encourages a feeling of worth.

It also serves as an important introductory point for those children looking for rehabilitation from habits such as sniffing glue and smoking marijuana.

The cook and watchman employed at the centre work really hard and the community fully identifies with the work they do there them been local people and not strangers employed to work.  Full Sponsorship The charity is supporting children in secondary school and primary school who are either half or full orphans. The children receive school fees, books and stationery as well as personal effects.The children now do better in their exams and this encourages their guardians to also work harder.

Projects in Siaya, Western Kenya Siaya scout centre 

Water tank We put up a water tank to facilitate the water supply to the whole scout centre and especially the nursery school at the place.

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Dorm Finishing the dorm and partitioning it into rooms and by so improving the accommodation facilities in the campsite for both the scouts and community at large Wagai primary school

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Classrooms We built 1 new classroom and renovated the rest of the classrooms doing paint work and flooring.

We also donated a total of 40 desks and chairs to the school which have made the study environment better and motivated the children to work harder. The children’s performance in the final exams has been going up and many children have been called to go to secondary school though not many are able to afford the fees.

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Volunteer teachers Due to the introduction of free education in Kenya, there has been shortage of teachers’ e.g. A class ends up with more than 40 children and 1 teacher so the volunteer teachers have been really making a difference in assisting the teachers with class work e.g. marking, teaching and so off loading the teachers work meaning she / he can put more time to the student.

With every teacher at the school a donation is made which has gone a long way to making the school architects of their own success. Through improving the school facilities by purchasing text books, exercise and also chalks. Some schools have added rooms and buildings with the donation.

The school did a fencing project with the funds from the donation.

The children have built their confidence in speaking English and that has also improved their grades

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Africamp The Africamps (two week camping at Wagai primary school) put a platform for the children to interact with mzungu and so improve language skills and the world at large.

Camping and scouting skills were also taught in the camp.

Through the interacting with youths from abroad it made them appreciate that the world is a global village and the only difference is colour as we speak the same are happy, sad just like any other being.

Nyasidi Primary school

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Classroom Renovation of 5 classrooms and putting in 40 desks and chairs, this has really made the school look very welcoming and a good educational environment for the children.

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Teacher We are currently employing a teacher at school who is paid monthly by the charity. The teacher has helped curb the great shortage of teachers in the school.

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Volunteer teachers The volunteer teachers have been helping at the school and this has raised the grades of the school.

Language wise the children are more confident in English and look forward to improving grammar.

The donations from the charity have made it possible for the school to purchase games kit which makes them very smart when in competitions.



Text books and school trip The school has received lots of text books and they have really boosted the academic performance.

Class 8 got a chance to visit kisumu town though it is only a one and a half hour drive from the school. The children had never been. It was fun and and the kids enjoyed a lot especially going to the museum and seeing how busy traffic can be. The children had fun and they felt like tourists.

Kumok primary  Renovations During Africamp 4 classrooms were renovated, this included floors, walls, and windows. A water pump was also set up like the one at the orphanage. This has helped with water problems. The camp has improved their social skills and worldly knowledge.

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Luanda  Fence and sanitation The scout land was fenced all around to keep off land grabbers, 4 toilets were erected and which allows the scouts to have meetings in the area.

Kayeye Primary school  Renovations We built 5 new classrooms from scratch and put in desks and chairs. This has resulted in the school having a better academic environment and the school attendance has improved. One of the classrooms is been used by the deaf children who now learn sign language.  Volunteers teachers The school has been receiving a lot of teachers over the years and this has boosted the moral of the local teachers, the children have greatly enjoyed the company of the teachers. English as a language has become commonly spoken.  Relationship with orphanage The school accommodates all the children that we support at the home and the school works hand in hand with the staff at the orphanage to make sure the children are well looked after in terms of academic follow up and out door activities.

The school just recently received kitchen equipments which are now been used by the students and teachers.

Wagwer primary and secondary school  Renovations We have renovated 6 classrooms in the primary section and 4 in the secondary school. We also put in 40 tables and desks in both the primary and secondary school which has made learning better and more comfortable for the students. The students love going to school and identify their school as a good place to be.  Full sponsorship At the moment we are supporting 12 children at the secondary school this includes buying them uniforms, books, lunch, travel fare and pocket money. Due to this assistance they now attend school on a regular basis unlike before they would be sent home because of fee balances. They children now don’t have to walk miles to get to school; they can get into a matatu and in no time are at school ready to learn and not recovering from the morning walk.

The students that receive sponsorship are now more involved with school activities and feel confident to be part of the Moving Mountains family.  Volunteer teachers The school has also hosted teachers who have assisted a lot especially in marking books and teaching science lessons, though the school has no lab the volunteer teachers have even gone ahead and taken the children to the local school to do experiments.

The donated money they have received has gone along way in buying books for the secondary school children.

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 Text books The school has received many text books which have made it possible for teachers to give homework to the students to work at home. This has improved the academic inclinations of the students.

Ulamba Moving Mountains Orphanage 

In the summer of 2005, Moving Mountains undertook a project in Siaya with a team from the U.K. and Ireland who built the Ulamba Moving Mountains Orphanage. The orphanage is now open and houses 31 children and also includes staff quarters and a kitchen. The orphanage gives the local children a place to call home rather than sleeping rough in the market places. The orphanage has also a community hall that the community hold meetings and educational sessions on HIV/AIDS.

Medical Elective Placements 

Working with our official partner organisation, Africampers Tours and Safaris, we facilitate six to eight week medical placements in clinics and hospitals in either rural regions or urban slum areas.

These placements allow medical students to experience all the aspects of supervised hospital ward rounds and also the extremely emotional and colourful experience of working in a slum clinic. These medical electives have a direct impact on the work of Moving Mountains at the grass roots level by contributing to the vital educational and medical support of street children and their families in the poorest areas.

Teacher Placements 

Working with our official partner organisation, Africampers Tours and Safaris, we arrange for teachers to work in either rural schools or urban slum schools and become immersed in experiencing life in Kenya. These teachers are involved specifically in teaching children on a daily basis, and in part relieve the plight of street children in the school. Importantly, the presence of these teachers contributes to the overall morale of the school and its teachers, and contributes to an improvement in academic standards of the pupils.

Future Aspirations As Moving Mountains continues to grow, we shall be able to support the educational needs of more children and young people and continue our projects of community development. As our network of support within Kenya continues to grow, we shall be able to assist more children and communities in many dispersed parts of the country.

In addition to the continuing support of underprivileged children, Moving Mountains also plans a number of construction and renovation projects in 2008 and beyond. Early in 2008, we shall be undertaking a programme of improvement at Ulamba Moving Mountains Orphanage; we are hoping to rewire the whole orphanage in preparation for electricity. Funding has been secured from generous donors to make improvements to classrooms and to also construct a much needed ECD. We shall also be conducting talks and city tours for the children.

In the summer of 2008, we shall be undertaking a large programme of development in Rescue centre in Embu. We are planning on renovating and building classrooms in different schools like Tithingi primary school in Naro Moro, County primary school in Embu. We are also planning to build an early childhood Development class at Ulamba, an administration block as well as a security hut.

We would like to thank all our sponsors for their support of Moving Mountains. It is thanks to their generosity that we have been able to improve the lives of so many young people. With their continued

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support we will be able to continue our vital work and as the charity continues to grow we will be able to support underprivileged children and communities throughout the country.

Auditors’ Report for Moving Mountains Kenya MOVING MOUNTRAINS KENYA BALANCE SHEET AS AT DECEMBER 2007 CURRENT ASSETS CASH AT HAND CASH AT BANK

2007

2006

KSHS

KSHS

-

-

429,178

604,575

429,178

604,575

FINANCED BY ACCUMULATED FUNDS

429,178

604,575

Signed on behalf of organisation by;

Kelly kioko--------------------------------------Date -----------------Rose Gathirimu-----------------------------------Date---------------------

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Income and Expenditure Account for the Year Ended 31st December 2006

2006 KSHS

INCOME:

Donations received

7,686,858

TOTAL

7,686,858

DISBURSEMENTS: Primary School Expenses Secondary School Expenses College Expenses Feeding Programme Food & Living Expenses House Rent Expenses Medical Expenses Administration Expenses Team Sponsorship Project Funding Bank Charges TOTAL Excess funds carried forward

170,144 1,843,303 319,600 2,058,696 776,100 285,900 593,723 981,024 617,170 3,423,503 15,700

252,900 1,480,062 523,980 1,462,291 1,019,709 323,200 382,730 14,171 208,855 2,777,055 13,411

11,084,862

8,458,314

(175,397)

(777,456)

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NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMDER 2006

1. ACCOUNTING POLICY Accounting basis The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention basis 2. BANK AND CASH BALANCES Cash in hand Cash at bank

2007

2006

KSHS

KSHS

-

-

429,178

604,574.60

429,178

604,574.60

3. GRANTS Moving Mountains Trust

10,909,465

7,686,858

10,909,465

7,686,585

Excess funds brought forward

604,575

1,376,030.80

Excess funds carried forward

(175,397)

4. ACCUMULATED FUNDS

429,178

(771,456.05) 604,574.75

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