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NJC, Kenya, and Free the Children
How a small school can make a big difference in the world.Following our sponsorship of We Day in Vancouver in September 2009, http://www.freethechildren.com/weday/vancouver/ students at NJC got busy, making a commitment to support Free the Children and Me to We Enterprises through a service based ‘Me to We’ trip to Kenya.
In December ’09, 18 students, 2 faculty members, and a group of parents and siblings headed to Kenya to help build a school. Our adventure began in the Rosslyn district of Nairobi with a visit to the Sarit Centre, and then it was time to depart for Schule Ya Bogani, where we learned about Free the Children’s unique Adopt-A-Village model and development pillars in Kenya, with a tour of Free the Children’s school building, health care, alternative income and sanitation projects in the area. Sunrise hikes in the Savannah, village and water walks with local community members, tree planting (to offset air travel), Maasai weapons training, and a one-day safari to learn about the animals that inhabit the Maasai Mara were interspersed with our work to build our school. It was a trip full of adventure, energy, experiences and emotions that we will never forget, and we encourage others to get involved.
Following the trip, student Noah Sliwin led the cause to raise more money, to allow NJC to fund the completion of the new school. Through an auction, an evening of Performing Arts, and other donations, Noah and the NJC team have succeeded! NJC has its first school in Kenya.
If you would like to support our project in Kenya, please go here to donate:http://www.freethechildren.com/donate/index.php There are spaces to indicate that you are supporting Neuchatel Junior College’s school build in Kenya. Let them know!
NJC is part of the movement. Are you?
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NJC and Habitat for Humanity
During Spring break in April 2010, a group of NJC students once again volunteered their time and skills in rural Hungary with Habitat for Humanity to help build a home for a family in need. Following is an excerpt from Habitat for Humanity Hungary's summer newsletter.
Nagykanizsa Social Rental Renovation Project
Social rental units are the only option for very low-income families. Most of these units in Hungary, however, are in really poor condition and are in dire need of renovation.
The current renovation project in Nagykanizsa involves the installation of insulation on three buildings. The buildings used to belong to a military hospital, and later were turned into social rental units for 3-4 families in each building. This was the first time these buildings got any thermal insulation on their ceilings, and the first time since WW1 that their external insulation was replaced.
The intervention increased the comfort of the families and will reduce their energy cost in the long run. The project also enabled families who had not been able to pay the rent to reduce their rent debt by working with us, thus securing their tenure.
“These young people crossed the ocean to come here and help us, I am really touched by that”, Aunt Edit told us. We are grateful to Troy Houlding and his team as well as Neuchatel Junior College for working together with the families to make it possible for them to live in a better home.
We have finished work on two of the buildings, and we will work on the third one this August.
