Sauti Moja hopes to bring the global community closer together through better understanding and deeper relationship. We invite you to engage in personal stories presented from various perspectives - Sauti Moja staff, partners and beneficiaries – that, when strung together, articulate the Sauti Moja journey. We hope that this blog will enrich you and that you find the collective insight inspirational.
As part of the Sauti Moja Community, we would like you to meet
Martha Bone and Paul Galmagar from Kenya. They are founders of our work
in Marsabit; Martha is our Vulnerable Youth Coordinator, including child
mothers. Paul is the Peace Coordinator and provides leadership for our
livestock loans to single mothers.
As Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a major funder for our livestock, peace,
and gender programming, has been so impressed with our projects, they
invited and are hosting Paul and Martha for a speaking tour in the
Prairies and Ontario. We are inviting you to join us and meet Martha and Paul, who will
make a short presentation followed by a question period
and time for visiting. Saskatchewan Location Monday, November 23rd, Kathy
Platt and the congregation of Sunset United Church, 177 Sunset Drive,
Regina, Saskatchewan are hosting a potluck lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Ontario Location
Saturday,
November 28th from 2:30pm to 4:00pm @ the Church of the Epiphany, 141
Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario
Martha will be especially excited to meet those who sponsor child
mothers! If you are interested in peacemaking between ethnic groups,
Paul is truly an expert; you will enjoy talking with him. Looking forward to seeing those who are able to join us!
Since 2006, Sauti Moja’s Child Mother
Program has facilitated continued educational opportunities for girls who
become pregnant while students and, therefore, face shattered dreams, new
responsibilities, and uncertain futures.
Plight
of Child Mothers
In
both Kenya and Tanzania, becoming pregnant while studying can signal the end of
a girl’s education. In communities where Sauti Moja works, reactions to
pregnancy are different, but the consequences are equally serious. Some communities,
such as the Borana and Gabra of northern Kenya have a very conservative
response to child pregnancy, and due to social stigma and shame a pregnant girl
may be cast out of the family and community. She loses her educational
opportunity, due to lack of support for herself and child. In Tanzania, a
pregnant student is permanently expelled from the public school system. Some
Maasai families that place a lower value on education of girls which coupled
with loss of affordable education often results in the child mother being
forced into early marriage.
Sauti
Moja Needs Your Help
You
can help restore a young girl’s dreams by becoming a sponsor. Your sponsorship
will make it possible for Sauti Moja to support child mothers by:
• Counseling pregnant girls, mediating with
her parents, and negotiating return to school;
• Ensuring healthy choices during pregnancy
and safe delivery of the baby;
• Lobbying schools to accept child mothers
and facilitating enrolment;
• Paying school fees, transport costs, and
personal support costs;
• Training girls in childcare; and
monitoring the baby’s health.
Your $90/month will provide a child mother
with new hope by enabling her to realize her dream of a good education and
becoming self-sufficient. For further information, please contact
mail@sautimoja.org or go to www.sautimoja.org.
Click on this photo link to view video overview of Sauti Moja's programs:
Sauti Moja links donors to the
community initiatives of indigenous people, like the Maasai of Tanzania and the
Borana and Rendille of Kenya. These initiatives include education of vulnerable
youth, family and community health, providing livestock to widows and single
mothers for food security, and peacemaking between communities in conflict.
Local leaders have the power and ability to change their lives. We partner with
complementary skills and additional resources to ensure their success!
This Mothers Day, we are inspired by eight-year old Nikash - our youngest fundraiser and donor. He recently raised enough money by making and selling baked goods to buy three goats for orphan children. We knew that there must be a story, so today, we visited his home and also met with his single mother, Rose, and his sister, Anika.
Nikash, the youngest Sauti Moja fundraiser and donor.
Nikash had been intrigued with advertising that promoted giving goats to needy families. A friend directed Rose to Sauti Moja, and after reading the blog story, ‘Elema, Seven Years Later’, she recognized the impact that goats can have on a female-headed household. As Nikash has a heart for less fortunate children, he was impressed to learn how goats can help to make ends meet by providing milk and income for school fees, medicines and clothing. Together, we decided that the most appropriate use of this donation was to buy three goats for the children of one of our beneficiaries who had been murdered. On May 1, Tim visited and photographed the orphans who were excited and so happy that a young Canadian boy was giving them goats, which will multiply and help them through their lives.
Orphans smile as they learned from Tim about the Canadian boy who was giving them goats.
Today, though, we not only wanted to meet Nikash but also to learn more about the motivation for this act of kindness. He simply stated, "I thank my Mom for teaching me what was important - kindness."
Rose knows the struggles of being a single mother raising children, but she feels truly thankful for what she does have – a good education and a supportive family that taught her to smile in adversity. Rose is motivated by her Sikhism which instils the values of sharing and equality among all people. In fact, Anika said, “We learned from Mom that everyone is the same; no one is better than others.” Thus, Rose recognizes that many in this world are not so fortunate and her upbringing gives her a desire to be kind and raise up the less fortunate. We learned a lesson from Rose - “Being thankful contributes to generosity and humility. It helps you to deal with the difficulties of life.”
Rose is honoured for the kindness expressed by her children, Nikash and Anika.
Today, we learned of the intergenerational values and examples of kindness by mother and grandmother that motivated Nikash to raise money and donate goats to orphans in Kenya. Rose is honoured for the kindness expressed by her children - Nikash for other children, and Anika for seniors, animal rights and female causes. These children are an example for all mothers who weave compassion and good works into the hearts of their children, tomorrow’s global citizens. Other mothers will recognize that the most precious gift received from your children is found in their outward expression of the love that you've shown them every day.
Esupat, orphaned at young age, was raised by her grandmother in a remote Maasai village. Just before the end of her Form 2 year, she discovered that she was pregnant. Her grandmother was anxious to marry her off, but her uncle intervened and brought her to Sauti Moja. Sauti Moja staff supported her through her pregnancy and mediated with her grandmother to prevent early marriage. This mediation, sponsorship by a Canadian donor, and childcare provided by the grandmother enabled Esupat to return to school.
Esupat displays her certificate received
at her graduation.
Esupat recently graduated with one of the highest honours awarded in Form 4, which will result in her selection for one of the top schools in Tanzania. (Achieving academic success within the Tanzanian school system is difficult; the failure rate has been quoted as high as 70%.) Esupat is grateful to her sponsor for enabling her return to school, but she also knows that it was her own hard work that brought this amazing success. When we met with Esupat, it was a day we will never forget, as she radiated with happiness and pride in her achievement. Esupat expressed her commitment to continue her learning so that she might realize her dream of supporting her Maasai community as a nurse or doctor.
Esupat sharing her success during our visit with her in Arusha, Tanzania.
When asked the secret to her success, Esupat responded without hesitation:
#1. Prayer. #2. Study hard. #3. Focus without interruption. #4. Don’t waste time. #5. Make plans to reach your goals and stick with them. #6. Focus on what is in front of you, not what is behind you.
With this commitment to succeed, Esupat will be a powerful
example to other Maasai girls.
Child Mother Sponsorship: caring when no one else can.
Paul, a Rendille friend, had the best herd of dairy goats in Marsabit; they were his main source of income. I witnessed his anguish and anger, as he returned from the morgue where he had identified the mutilated body of his uncle who had been tortured and slaughtered by the enemy tribe. His uncle had been herding Paul’s prized goats when he was ambushed and forced to drive the animals to safe territory. Paul eventually learned who had stolen the animals, but the Chief from that area was afraid to recover them as that would jeopardize his life for being a traitor. Paul’s reaction toward the Borana was hatred; he didn’t want to see or talk to them; he was afraid to go to town, as he might kill someone.
Paul in discussion with Borana peace widows.
He says that it is God’s miracle that he can tell Borana people how he felt, and has learned forgiveness with no burden of hatred. He confirms that Borana are not bad people, and knows that all of us can do bad things. Today, Paul is an effective Peace Coordinator, knows some of the pain of widows of conflict, is passionately seeking reconciliation among enemies, and works on breaking down tribal, religious, and political barriers to peace and reconciliation. He demonstrates that there is another way.
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