Read SEED, March 2016 News and information letter SEED Samburu

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1 P.O. Box 359, Maralal, Samburu County, Kenya en Website: Read SEED, March 2016 News and information letter SEED Samburu To sponsors, donors and other interested parties, If we know and understand each other, there will be mutual respect and together we can achieve goals. This is an important motto of SEED Samburu. During the years SEED Samburu invited people from different areas in Kenya and other countries of the world to visit Samburu. If they themselves meet the residents of Samburu County in their own environment, they talk, listen, observe and exchange experiences. Mutual understanding grows. We are therefore delighted that in cooperation with SEED Samburu a travel agency in The Netherlands organizes tours to Samburu County. Also our jewelry trade contributes to knowledge and understanding of the people of Samburu County. In this news letter you can read more about it. Since the foundation of SEED Samburu we are sponsoring children to attend school. The sponsor children and youth are learning in Primary and Secondary School and University. Another motto of SEED Samburu is that we are not only taking, but do also give. In this news letter you can read that our sponsor children sponsored their own sponsor. Fighting the burden of information poverty is an important goal of SEED Samburu. In Samburu County many people are ignorant. We try to contribute to achieve development by informing residents of Samburu County with facts and neutral information according to the Constitution of Kenya. We do hope that this newsletter inspires you. Do not hesitate to forward this Read SEED to your own contacts. Warm regards, On behalf of the team of SEED Samburu Miriam Winkel, CEO/Coordinator SEED Samburu is an organization for development cooperation, founded in May 2007 and working in Samburu County, Kenya Through education, awareness raising and socio-economic development SEED Samburu contributes to empower and improve the living conditions of the residents of Samburu County to reduce poverty and to discourage early marriage and female genital mutilation. SEED Samburu focuses on a society with peace and gender equality SEED Samburu is not guided by any political, ethnic, or religious influence For SEED Samburu it matters WHO you are and not WHAT you are If you do not want to receive this newsletter anymore, please send an to seed_samburu@yahoo.com IMPORTANT NOTE: Already for a long time John Lepil Lolkile / Lemulugo is no longer involved in any activity of SEED Samburu and/or its donors. SEED Samburu shall not be held liable for any transactions and/or promises made by him. SEED Samburu Read SEED March

2 Meet, learn, understand, respect SEED Samburu Read SEED March

3 Il Ubuntu Travel organizes trips to Samburu You are always welcome to visit SEED Samburu and the communities. You can also visit Samburu County by an organized tour of the Dutch tour operator Il Ubuntu Travel. The Il Ubuntu Family Trip visits Samburu County. During the three days in Samburu County SEED Samburu will take you to the communities to further explore the Samburu and learn from each other. Go to Jewelry gives Samburu women income For many years SEED Samburu and FairBeads are working together to sell jewelry made by Samburu women on international markets. The designs of the jewelry are based on the jewelry as women in Samburu wear them. The quality is good and the designs and colours are in line with the latest fashion. Beautiful jewelry makes you happy and you'll be even happier when you know that Samburu women earn from it. With this income they can feed their children and pay the children s education. Most women, who make the jewelry, are widowed or single. So, with the income of the jewelry they can be independent and empower themselves. Malou Tichelaar, founder and owner of Fair Beads, works hard to get attention for FairBeads and the jewelry, made by Samburu women. Several times her story appeared in newspapers and other media. FairBeads has become a company that gives people in developing countries possibilities having an income. For the Samburu jewelry, see and Are you interested in the Samburu jewelry? Write an to seed_samburu@yahoo.com SEED Samburu Read SEED March

4 Saved from circumcision and forced marriage We were in time. Her father already sold a cow to buy beads for her to get a husband. That she is only nine years old, does not count. In the traditional Samburu culture girls are married off at a young age to an older man and mostly as a second, third or even fourth wife. Prior to the wedding ceremony she will be circumcised. The rest of her life she must obey her husband (and his other wives), getting children and take care of the household. Many women in Samburu have a hard life and are suppressed. With the consent of the father and the support of Dutch sponsors the girl is in school now. It is a bit difficult for her to get used, but that s understandable, because the transition is large; from goat herding in the bush to a school situation where she doesn t understand the language and where she should learn to read and write knowing that she has never held a pen and saw a book before. She gets tutored by a teacher who has also helped several other sponsor children. We are confident that she will make it. She is motivated and is greatly stimulated by the other sponsor children, which is heartening. Female circumcision, child marriage and sexual intercourse with minors are prohibited in the Kenyan Law Still the majority of children in Samburu County does NOT go to school The quality of education is relatively poor, so many children who finish Primary School with insufficient results have little chance of good further education Read more about Beading, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child Marriage on the website of Samburu Girls Foundation website: Under the link Media Center / Press are some impressive videos More and more girls in Samburu County run away from home or are being rescued not to be circumcised and married off. Also boys can leave home to go to school or to remain in school Many boys are dropping out of school after when they are circumcised and becoming a warrior. As a warrior they should take care of the cattle instead of sitting in the classroom. It is about children who are already older and mostly teenagers and who have never seen a classroom inside. Education in Kenya / Samburu County does not consider those children, which means that teenagers are learning in the same class with children of four or five years old. This is a very unfortunate situation and reduces the chances of success that the older children succeed at school. SEED Samburu wants to establish a school for older children / teenagers who have yet to learn to read, write, count, etc. The success rate is greater when they can learn with peers. To start such a school, a lot of money is needed. Do you know funders who want to support SEED Samburu with this school for teenagers and / or are you interested? Please send an to seed_samburu@yahoo.com SEED Samburu Read SEED March

5 Sponsor children sponsor Dutch sponsor Since the establishment of SEED Samburu in 2007 we sponsor many Samburu children and youth with the support of sponsors so that they can attend school. Now the sponsor children sponsored one of their sponsors during a fundraising for cancer research in The Netherlands. The participants had to skate 10 kilometres and cycle 90 kilometres. Our sponsored sponsor succeeded and we are very proud. For our sponsor children it is important that they also can sponsor their sponsor. It is not a matter of only taking, they also can give. Furthermore, it is important that they know that money is not up for grabs in The Netherlands and other countries, which is often thought in Africa. They know that people from for instance The Netherlands work hard for every euro and that many people endeavor in all kind of ways to raise money for charity. Due to privacy reasons, we do not mention the names of the sponsor children / youth on the website of SEED Samburu. Do you want to know more about the children / youth sponsored by SEED Samburu? Send an to seed_samburu@yahoo.com Do you want to assist us with sponsoring the children / youth? Please contact SEED Samburu through seed_samburu@yahoo.com Fighting the burden of information poverty Many people in Samburu County are ignorant due to illiteracy and lack of reliable sources of information. They are being frightened with all kind of stories and are not able to verify whether it is true or not. SEED Samburu raises awareness and enlightens communities in their own language and at their own level with all kind of information according to the Constitution of Kenya to encourage and achieve development. Visit SEED Samburu Read SEED March