Today’s smile is from Emmanuel who lives at the St Andrews Baby Unit in Kandara.

Today is Emmanuel’s first birthday! A year ago, he was born to a girl who was fifteen years old and lives with her grandmother as both her parents have passed away. The girl has a scholarship for secondary school and only had two years left until she completed her secondary education when her son was born. As her grandmother was unable to look after baby Emmanuel, he was brought to the St Andrews Baby Unit to be cared for as his mother finishes school.

Life wasn’t easy for him at first as he was extremely underweight and had issues with feeding. However, a year on and Emmanuel is a healthy, smiley little boy who is making great progress thanks to the care of matron Lucy and her team of staff at the St Andrews Baby Unit.

You can read more news from the St Andrews Baby Unit in a recent news article.

There are several ways you can support the St Andrews Baby Unit this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

Today’s smile is from Joyce who lives at Mbeere Children’s Home in Riandu, near Embu.

Joyce was abandoned by her mother at a very young age. When she arrived at Mbeere Children’s Home she wasn’t in good health and her development was very delayed. Under the care of administrator, Henry, and his dedicated team Joyce started making progress.

These days, Joyce is a laughing little girl who happily goes to school along with all the other children from Mbeere Children’s Home. Although she still has a way to go, she has made remarkable progress and has a much brighter future ahead of her!

There are several ways you can support the Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smile is from Gladys who has just completed her first year at our Seed of Hope centre in Kariti,  in Central Kenya.

Like all Seed of Hope centres, Kariti offers disadvantaged girls two years training in life skills, business skills and vocational skills. From next year, the curriculum will also include IT skills as the centre has just opened up its own computer centre to serve Seed of Hope students and also the wider community.

You can read all about this in a recent news article.

If we can get Seed of Hope Kariti connected with internet access, they will be able to post their own updates online and share more news about their work!

There are several ways you can support Seed of Hope this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our girls smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smiles belong to Esther (Kandara Children’s Home School), Jacob (St Andrews Baby Unit) and John (Kandara Children’s Home who have all had a fun day out in Nairobi today!

Today was all about making Christmas special for a group of around fifty children from Kandara. They got to travel to Nairobi, jump on a bouncy castle, get lessons in photography, eat treats and have fun, games and even the odd Christmas Carol. This was all thanks to Vision Africa supporters who came together to ensure this would be a Christmas to remember. THANK YOU!

There are several ways you can support the Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smile belongs to Benson from Percy Davies School for Children with Special Needs in Kambiti, Central Kenya.

What you can’t see from this photograph is that Benson’s arms stop just above where his elbows would be and he also has one artificial leg. In reality, it’s easy not to see Benson’s disability as he races around playing football, gets on with his work in class and always has a smile on his face.

Benson was one of the first students enrolled at Percy Davies School when it opened in May 2008. It wasn’t long before teachers realised the potential he had and he was able to be transferred to the neighbouring mainstream primary school for lessons while using the boarding facilities at Percy Davies School.

For many children with physical disabilities living in rural parts of Kenya, the journey to their nearest school is impossible to make on a daily basis. By locating Percy Davies School within five hundred metres of a primary school and secondary school, students with physical disabilities have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

It is often said that Disability does not mean Inability and children like Benson are a great example to all of us.

There are several ways you can support the Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smile is from Murfai who attends the Luther Academy in Kibera.

Being on Vision Africa’s sponsorship program at the Luther Academy in Kibera means that Murfai is kitted out with a school uniform, shoes and bags and also benefits from the feeding program at the school. For Murfai, his sponsorship has an additional benefit for him and his fellow students. Murfai is sponsored by a school in the UK which enjoys interacting with the children at Luther Academy. Letters and drawings have been sent between the two schools and it is hoped that they can learn more about each other’s cultures through such interactions.

There are several ways you can support the Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smile is from Eric of the St Andrews Baby Unit in Kandara.

Eric was abandoned in a school playground when he was a tiny little baby. Things were looking bleak for him until someone found him and he was taken the to St Andrews Baby Unit in Kandara. The baby unit gives total care to babies from new born to three years who have been orphaned, abandoned or are in need of a safe place to stay. Under the care of matron Lucy and her team, Eric grew into a healthy little boy and started walking and enjoying playing with his friends.

For children like Eric who have no family to return to, the best outcome is that they will be fostered with the prospect of adoption. We were thrilled when Eric got exactly that opportunity. Two weeks ago, he joined his new family and if the three month foster placement goes well, they will apply for adoption and Eric will grow up in a loving family. Now that really is something to smile about!

There are several ways you can support the St Andrews Baby Unit and  Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

Today’s smile is from Patience who has just completed her first year at our Seed of Hope Centre in Nairobi.

Patience was coming towards the end of her first year at Seed of Hope when tragedy struck and she lost her home and all her belongings in a fire. Thankfully, some friends of Seed of Hope came to the rescue of Patience and her family and they managed to get a new home and some of their belongings replaced. You can read more of this story in the news section of our website.

Patience went in to the Christmas holidays on a high knowing that she will be able to report back to Seed of Hope in January and receive her second year of training in life skills, business skills and vocational skills. By the end of 2012 she will hopefully be working in her own business and smiling as she serves her customers!

There are several ways you can support Seed of Hope and  Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!

This will be my sixth Christmas at Kandara Children’s Home (KCH) in Central Kenya. Over the years, the children and I have set our own traditions to make sure every Christmas is special.

In December 2006, a large number of the children from KCH left the home as soon as the schools broke for December holidays. Some went to Aunties, Uncles, Grandparents or other family members, some were invited to the homes of friends from school or from the local churches. In some cases, we saw one sibling leaving the home and the rest of the family being left behind. The saddest moment for me came when a guardian who was collecting his relative told me that one of the other children has asked if he could also take him to their home. Apparently the boy had not had a chance to holiday outside the home since the day he had arrived.

This started me thinking…something had to be done so that the children who were left behind felt that they were just as special as the ones who got to spend Christmas elsewhere. We started doing different activities every day and decided to put up a Christmas tree and create a nativity scene with anything we could find. A doll wrapped in a cloth was put in a box with some dry grass and we had our baby Jesus in a manger. Action Man and Pocahontis became Mary and Joseph. Yoghurt pots and aluminium foil were transformed in to silver bells for the tree. Slowly but surely, the dining hall was decorated and the place felt more festive.

Then it was agreed that we could take the children on a day out. There was a reason behind this. I realised that what happens is that the children who spend Christmas outside the home come back with stories of adventures – what transport they travelled in, where they went, what they ate, who they met. We had to start doing things so that the other children also had stories to tell!

That year, we hired a bus and went to a place called Courtesy Beach Hotel in Juja. We packed a picnic, made some kites out of sticks and plastic bags and headed on our adventure. There was a reservoir where you could take boat rides and a large grass area where the children could play games and it was great to see the staff join in too. Ezra was with us on that trip. I asked him this week if he remembered it and if he could share his memories.

“To me Christmas is a time of letting go all the things in your mind and enjoying yourself to the fullest. It is a time where you feel the experience of inner tranquillity within your soul. I vividly remember the first Christmas day out to a place called courtesy beach hotel. To me it was a surprise (which applies to all the other Christmas days out) I had never known that such an awesome and beautiful place exists in JUJA. It will always be a treasure in my memory bank.

I remember even the smallest kids having great fun chasing butterflies on a green carpet of grass, the staff dancing Mugithi , the bumpy boat ride which had all of us holding our breath until the ride across the lake was over but in the end everybody had a smile on their faces. Thanks for each and every for each and every Christmas day out we have because it’s always something new”

As Christmas 2011 approaches, it’s time for the KCH family to come together and celebrate with our traditions. The tree has already been put up in the dining hall and now it’s time to organise the day out or “tour” as the children call it. We’ve had two years at Courtesy Beach Hotel, two years at Fourteen Falls near Thika and last year we went on the Safari Walk at the Nairobi National Park after a picnic in Uhuru Gardens.

This year, we’re looking to do something different again. Part of the adventure is always a bus ride so we’re bringing the children to Nairobi on the 21^st of December. We are delighted to have been offered a space at Kifaru Gardens where we can have a safe place to have some fun. Now we need to arrange things for the children to do and some treats for them. Can you help?

* Many of the children love using a camera but don’t quite know how to take the best shots. Are you a photographer who could come and give them a few pointers and help them record the events of the day?

* The boys love their football. Would you be willing to come and organise a pepeta competition?

* There are only eight girls left at the home this Christmas – would anyone be willing to come and do manicures for them and perhaps the housemothers who take care of them all year round.

* Is there anyone willing to come and teach the children a new dance routine? We have some talented dancers! Or can you help create a rap or song with them?

* Are you part of a bakery that could supply a cake or a company that could provide snacks or drinks?

If you would like to be part of this special day and help us create stories for the children of Kandara Children’s Home, please contact us via our website, Twitter or Facebook. Together, we can make this a Christmas to remember!

Today’s smile comes from Molly who is a student at Kandara Children’s Home School.

Molly was rescued and taken to Kandara Children’s Home when she was about three years old along with her baby twin sisters. They had been neglected for some time after their mother passed away and Molly had scavenged around the neighbourhood and become an independent little girl struggling for survival.

Several months after she joined the home, a nursery class was set up there to give the younger children something to do during the day. The Kandara Children’s Home School and ECD Unit (Early Childhood Development) was born and there has been no looking back. The idea was to focus on language skills as many of the older children who attend the local primary schools struggled to speak English or even Kiswahili and were not performing well in school. By giving the young ones lessons in both of these languages plus the confidence to converse in them, it was known that they would have a better grounding for when they move out to a local primary school. It has been so successful, a member of staff told us there are now children in Standard 2 who have been educated at KCH School and speak better English than some in Standard 6 who have been learning outside the home.

This year, it was fantastic to see the school receive an award for being the third best ECD unit in the whole district of over two hundred units. Enrolment will soon be taking place for the next intake of students and the growing numbers of fee-paying students from the community in Kandara means that the school is on the path to self-sustainability and children like Molly have a brighter future ahead of them and plenty to smile about!

There are several ways you can support Vision Africa this festive season.

- Friends in Kenya can send donations via MPESA on 0702662351 or contact us to make a donation of food or other items to one of our projects.

- Friends in the UK can use our online giving page to make a donation or simply text VAVA11 £5 or VAVA11 £10 to 70070 to donate £5 or £10 (There are no charges for donating by text)

- Friends overseas can use our online giving page or support one of our three projects on GlobalGiving. All donations via GlobalGiving are tax-deductible for US taxpayers.

* St Andrews Baby Unit - care of orphaned and abandoned babies in Kandara

* Seed of Hope - vocational training for disadvantaged teenage girls in Kisii, Kitui, Murang’a and Nairobi

* Kibera Mpira Mtaani - soccer and education in Kibera slums

Please take the opportunity this festive season to keep our children smiling by supporting our work in Kenya.

THANK YOU!