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General
information (association, schools, students):
1.What
is Harambee Deutschland?
Harambee
Deutschland is a registered non-profit
association
which pursues the aim to support people in need in particular by supporting
their education in Kenya. As we are a non-profit association, we are allowed to
issue donation receipts. At the moment Harambee Deutschland provides school
sponsorship for students of the Harambee Garden Primary School in Mombasa and
the Secondary School in Naivasha. “Harambee” is Kisuaheli and means
something like „to act in concert “.
2.How
does the support work?
The
support works by
the
medium
and mentoring of
sponsorships as well as by the collection of general donations. In case of the
Secondary School in Naivasha, the donated money will be used to cover a part of
the students school fees. In the Harambee Garden Primary school the most donated
money will be used for school fees as well as for salaries (teacher, assistants)
and for costs for the general school needs e.g. food, school books, desks,
boards, exam material, office equipment or exam fees. Regularly the sponsors get
an overview about the received and forwarded donations.
3.Since
when does the school exsist?
The
Harambee Garden School in Mombasa is still under construction. Since 2004 a
small team of engaged people has looked not only after a bigger group of
children in a Daycare equipment, but also after numerous children in the
surrounding schools, as well as those which could never visit a school. Now the
children were accommodated in leasehold rooms from nursery-class to class 6.
The
Girls Secondary School in Naivasha, on the edge of the Rift Valley, is a grammar
school for girls. It is a provincial school. Some of the girls come from far
away regions and live in the school. It exists as a pure girl's school since
1975 and the staff consists of 26 teachers and 22 assistants.
4.How
do you care for the kids on site?
The
school management, respectively the project managment on site, makes sure that
the students take part at the lessons regularly. If a special emergency
situation occures which does not allow a child to go to school (e.g. heavy
illness) Harambee Deutschland will be informed by our partner in Kenya. We will
help with money if our fund allows it and try to find a solution to eliminate
the problem and help covering it. For this purpose, the association has got an
emergency-fund.
5.Which
children are affiliated
in the sponsorship programs?
In
the Harambee Garden Primary school we have students from the kindergarten age up
to the 6th class. The children come from the surrounding residential
areas.
The
Girls Secondary School in Naivasha accepts applications of girls from the whole
Rift Valley province. Most of the students have distinguished themselves by
special achievements with her final examination at the end of Primary School.
6.Under
which conditions do the students live?
The
children of the Harambee Garden School in Mombasa come from very poor relations
which are marked by AIDS and unemployment. A lot of children have already lost
at least one parent because of AIDS. A high percentage of the parents is
infected with the illness or already ill. The children often live with a
guardian.
The
pupils of the Girls Secondary School come from quite different relations, not
only on the regional level but also socially. The pupils of the sponsorship
programme come partly from extremely poor, remote regions in North Kenya. Their
families get into debt on years to allow the visit of a good school to her
daughters.
7.How
many students visit the schools?
The
project in Mombasa cares for approx. 220 pupils at the moment, the Naivasha
Girls Secondary School is visited by approx. 400 pupils. In Mombasa as well as
in Naivasha a part of the pupils is supported by sponsorship.
8.Where
can I find photos of the schools?
Many
photos are published at Pixum. Our sponsors will get the exact link to the
albums at our board. New pictures are updated over and over again.
SPONSORSHIP
(costs, benefit etc.):
9.Who
is allowed to support a student by sponsorship?
Every
person up to the age of 18 is allowed to support a student by sponsorship. Our
guidelines can be found in the general part of our board.
10.What
does a sponsorship cost?
The
sponsorship for children at the Harambee Garden Primary school in Mombasa
amounts to €8,- monthly. For a girl at the Naivasha Secondary School €15,- a
month.
11.Will
the family and the sponsored child get the donated money cash?
No.
Harambee Deutschland sets a high value on checkability of the allocation of
ressources. A direct payment to the families would not secure this. The
donations will be tranfered to school management once a month. They have to send
us the receipts for their disposition.
12.What
is paid by the sponsorship donations?
In
the Harambee Garden School Mombasa the sponsorship contributions are being used
for the running costs of the school company, in particular for teacher salaries
as well as maintenance (e.g., school books, school material and office equipment,
school desks, chalkboards,). Moreover, a small part of the contributions is used
for a food programme. That means, the sponsorship donations will support not
only one child but the whole project.
In
the Naivasha Secondary School the sponsorship contributions are credited
exclusively to the school account of the respectively supported student. Here
the contributions are quite specifically for the single sponsored girl
13.When
do I have to pay the sponsorship donation?
The
sponsorship donation has to be paid at the beginning of every month. Please also
enclose the name of the sponsored student. If you decide to take part at the
sponsorship programm we will inform you about the bank details.
14.Will
I get a donation receipt?
Yes.
We are a non profit organisation and are entitled to issue donation receipts.
The receipts will be send at the beginning of the subsequent year (mostly in
February).
15.Is
there a possibility to support my sponsered child and his family besides the
montly donation?
Harambee
Deutschland sets a high value on the donations disposition. Because of that no
family donations can be accepted. Sponsors get the possibility to support their
students with a school uniform and school material which are ordered and
distributed in Kenya. In addition, the school project can be supported with
donations for school books, school material or similar donations at any time.
Moreover, Harambee Deutschland organises various additional projects to help
improving the pupils living conditions and terms of employment. You find closer
information about it on our homepage and in our board.
16.Will
I get donation receipts for ordered school uniforms, school books etc. as well?
Yes.
You will get donation receipts listing every single payment you did over the
last year.
17.Does
the sponsorship donation for the sponsored child include food?
Currently
it is only possible in a very small degree at the Harambee Garden Primary school.
Nevertheless, we take care of additional donations to finance an urgently
necessary programm.
In
the Naivasha Secondary School, a boarding school, regular meals are included in
the school fees the girls have to pay.
18.Does
the sponsorship donation include medication?
Harambee
Deutschland maintains a emergency-fund for urgent medical emergencies. With
every order you place on “amazon.de” by using the button on our page, you
help to donate more money for emergency cases.
19.How
long does the sponsorship last?
In
the ideal case, sponsorship is a long-term form of support for a certain child
or a certain youngster. The goal is that student can be supported during the
whole time, he visits the Harambee Garden Primary
School Mombasa.
The
students of the Girls Secondary School can be supported during the whole four
years until they get their graduation.
20.How
does a sponsorship end?
A
sponsorship ends if the sponsored student does not visit the school anymore, if
the sponsor discontinues the sponsorship or if he damages the reputation of the
association/other sponsors.
21.How
can a sponsor cancel a sponsorship on his own?
Of
course a very long financial support is desirable. But if a sponsor wants to
cancel his sponsored child its possible at any time. Already paid contributions
have already been passed to our schools and can not be refunded.
22.Is
Harambee Deutschland allowed to cancel a sponsorship and if so in which cases?
A
sponsorship is disoctinued by Harambee Deutschland if the sponsor damages the
associations or another sponsors reputation. As well as if the sponsor does not
paid the sponsonsorship donation for at least 2 month.
Damaging
of the cooperation of Harambee Germany with the school managment and our
partners in Kenya should be avoided, in any case. The directors of the board
will decide about the elemination of a sponsor with a simple majority.
23.May
I choose the student I would like to sponsor on my own?
Of
course. Harambee Deutschland introduces new students who need a sponsor over and
over again on our website. Besides that, a sponsorship can be applied by
indication of gender, school or age as well.
24.
Do you mediate a sponsored child to several sponsors?
No,
each sponsored child is mediated only to one sponsor.
25. What do I have to do, if I decide to sponsor a
child or a teenager?
Please contact us per E-Mail http://www.harambee_deutschland@ymail.com
and mention the child/teenagers name as well as your complete adress and
telephone number.
If you conclude a sponsorship for the Harambee Garden
Primary School, you will get an E-Mail including a short biography of your child
as well as a picture.
If you decide to conclude a sponsorship in Naivasha,
you will get an E-Mail with a photo and a handwritten introductional letter from
the girl per post. Additionally, three times a year, you will receive the childs
latest school report to assure yourself about its progress. Once a year you will
get a new photo of your child.
Beyond that, we produce videos/dvds of the project again and again and
provide current pictures from the schools. So you are able to get a picture of
life at the schools. If you are lucky, you can see your sponsored child on more
than one picture a year. For various reasons, we can not give you a guarantee
for that of course.
Contact your sponsored child (Letters,
orders, presents and so on):
27. Where do I find the prices of school uniforms and
school material?
There is a request in the board, when it is time to
order uniforms or school material again. Prices and f. ex. the content of the
school material-set is mentioned there.
28. How often can I order?
Deadlines for ordering you can see as well in the
requests on the board.
29. How can I contact my sponsored child?
It is very desired to write letters to your child. For
the time being, the consignment of the letters is carried out by accumulative
mail to Kenya, that means, the sponsors are sending their letters to an adress
in germany (up to a fixed date). The letters are forwarded to the schools once a
month.
Therefor the sponsors pay for their letters 1€ -
1,50€, according to their weight. Detailed information about the postage as
well as the fixed dates for forwarding, you can check on our board.
The head teachers on site take the post and give it to your sponsored child. Vice versa the letters of the children/teenagers are collected from the head teachers and later forwarded to the responsible persons at Harambee Deutschland, who send them to the sponsors.
30. Why can I not write to the adress, where my sponsored child lives and vice
versa, why can it not write directly to my homeadress?
Harambee Deutschland takes care of security, for the
sponsors as well as for the sponsored children. This is because it has to be
avoided that the adresses of the sponsors are getting in the wrong hands. They
should not mention their adress to the children as well. Additionally there are
often no ordered adresses in the slums.
Letters would often not even reach the children, vice
versa the children and families are too poor to afford to send a letter to the
sponsors on their own.
It is possible to write your child once a month. The pupils are very happy, when they receive a letter from their sponsor.
32. Which is the best language to communicate to my child/teenager?
The language spoken in school in Kenya is english. The pupils lern it
from the baby class on. Therefore
we suggest to write the letters in english. We can not offer you a translation
service of course, but with a request on the board you would surely find someone
who helps you write the letter.
33. How
often can I anticipate to receive a letter from my sponsored child?
This depends on the childs age, development status and its desire to write.
Three times a year, together with the school reports, you will definitely get a
personal note or drawing of your child. Many of the children, particularly the
teenagers write more letters. The responsible persons on site encourage and
support the children in writing letters.
34. How are the letters sent from my sponsored child to me payed?
The three “regular” letters per year are included
in the sponsorship contribution. Please replace the money for letters, if you
would like to write more. We do not want to bear these administration costs at
the expense of the sponsorship contributions. The money for more letters can
also be transferred (description on the board).
Administration costs are for example beared by selling
videos and dvds about living at schools.
35. Am I allowed to send presents to my sponsored
child?
Regularly we are offering possibillities to order
uniforms or school material on site. Small enclosures in the letters (up to 50
gram are possible).
36. Does there exist an in-box list?
Yes, we get a confirmation from the head teachers on
site, when our accumulative mail arrived there.
The head teachers on site and Harambee Deutschland are
trying to arrest such demands. Certainly the sponsored children do have whishes
and most of the time they have very unclear ideas when it comes to the assets of
the sponsors and the possibilities of the school project. Often, the sponsor is
the only person, they talk to about their worries and hopes. We suggest you to
ignore those demands or tell the children that you are not able to and willing
to fulfil his/her desire. Tell them as well that the most things outruns your
financial possibilities as well as them from Harambee Deutschland. Normally such
explanations are accepted and the child will not feel recessed. If such things
increase, we ask you to contact us, so that we can talk to the respective head
teacher. They would then talk to the children and go to the bottom of the
problem (mostly relatives are the cause of the demands).
38. Is it possible to visit my sponsored child/teenager in school?
A visit is possible, if it is arranged with the responsible persons and the head teachers. It is a very welcome diversion for the students.
39. Can I invite my sponsored child?
No. We can not bear the responsibility for a visit. We
have to protect the children/teenagers.
Miscellaneaus:
40. How is the school system im Kenya established?
In Kenya, the british system rules, that means that the
primary school consists of the classes 1-8 (as well as the nursery school-stages
(baby class, nursery, pre-unit). High School consists of classes 9-12, named
form 1-4. At the end of the primary school, KCPE-examinations are carried
out. They determine the displacement into the high school. At the end of the
high school, there are KCSE –examinations, which are the final exams of
the High school to graduate. After that the teenagers visit the college or a
professional training.
41. How is the school year in Kenya arranged?
The school year is divided into 3 terms. Term 1 lasts from january to march,
Term 2 lasts from may to october and term 3 lasts from september to november. At
the end of each term, there are final exams and then school holidays (that means
in the months april, august and december). Often the holidays are shortened by
our schools, because there are additional classes (tutorials) for certain
classes.
42. Why does my sponsored child sign the letters I
receive with different names?
In Kenya, most of the children have three different,
equal names, often one in english, one kenian and one of its root. The spellings
are, as the culture of scripture has not the same long tradition there like it
has here in germany, often not clearly defined. For this reason there are very
different spellings existing, for example for Onyango/Anyango, Hedly/Hardley/Hadley/Hedley,
Wanjiku/Wanjiru oder Wangare/Wangari. This is not unusual but it needs getting
used to for us. When it comes to older pupils you can then see their correct
name by their signature in the letters. The right name of younger pupils is
shown in the school reports.
43. Do people in Kenya celebrate their birthday?
Traditionally rather not, but the children are very
happy to receive congratulations or a card on their birthday. So the tradition
was assumed from the sponsors.
Probably you will be the first to congratulate the
child to his/her birthday.
Admittedly you should be aware of the fact that most
people in Kenya do not know their birthdate. There is no birth certificate, no
passport or else. The day, the children name as birthday, is normally not their
“real birthday”, but the birthdate named someone else told them or a date
they like. It can also happen, that the children tells different dates at
different times. In this case we suggest to ask the child for the day it knows
as its birthday.
44. Why does my sponsored child give me different information about its familiy
members, brothers, sisters and so on?
This is also a well-known and not solvable problem in
Africa. The family structures are mostly defined different then in germany.
Cousins, who are living in the same house like the sponsored child for a certain
time soon become brothers or sisters. Sibilings which are not on site for a
while sometimes are not mentioned as brothers or sisters. An uncle, living with
the family or an aunt soon becomes a second mother or father. These
interrelations are cultural and can not be analysed by us in detail.
45. What is a “Guardian”?
A Guardian is a person, who takes care of an orphan. Mostly, but not imperatively, this person is a relative.
46. Where can I get further information about Harambee Deutschland and answers
to additional questions?
We like to invite you to our board for further questions. Here is the link:
http://www.nexusboard.net/index.php?siteid=10485
Additionally you can contact us per E-Mail anytime of course.
harambee_deutschland@ymail.com
Do
not forget:
47. Please notice our sponsorship guidelines. They
apply imperatively for all sponsors. The text can be read in the general part of
our board.