Child Focus Africa

The kids who are helped by Child Focus Africa

So following up on my visit to Migwani, my main reason for doing that was to see firsthand the work that is being done by Child Focus Africa (CFA).  CFA was started 11 years ago by Paul Kenya and his Canadian wife, Sherri.  CFAs main purpose is to help disadvantaged children of Migwani and Kenya in general.  The 62 some-odd children currently part of CFA, which is incorporated with the primary school as a special unit, have mental disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and other similar challenges.  Some of the children are orphans, many of them are from poor families who cannot help financially, and some are from families who do pay for their services.  CFA helps those children who have not family help but also has built a dormitory, washrooms, provided food and other requirements.

Alternative light - no electricity there yet.

They also help other group0s like the Matulu Village Women’s Group, which makes crafts to sell so that the money colelcted can be sued to send their children to school.  CFA recently bought them sewing machines.  The HIV/AIDS group plants onions to sell and act as a support group to help reduce the stigma around AIDS, that has left many children as orphans.  They are hoping to get goats for milk to give them a healthy food source.  Any money they raise goes towards food to feed their group, who all have AIDS.  Their group is 85 strong.

A woman demonstrating weaving for the Matulu Village Woman's Group

The interesting thing with all of this is how far our money can go to help.  $2,000 could get the Women’s group a place to house their sewing machines, supplies and an expert trainer.
What was an interesting realization for me was that I saw firsthand how private donations through CFA actually reaches its source and makes things happen.  Whereas the government project of building a 2nd dormitory moves very slowly as the promised government money is slowly and rarely forthcoming.

Freshly painted walls in the CFA boys dorm

This visit and experience helped relieve some of my cynicism regarding NGOs that the money donated actually does reach its source, actually does make a difference and actually is extremely appreciated.

CFA kids infront of the still incomplete government funded 2nd dorm