So far in 2007, and thanks to all our donors, we've managed to get the two schools pretty operational for this new school year (which runs January to December). The most exciting development is the provision of a new 5000 liter water tank and rain-water collection system for the Kawangware school, thanks to the hard work of Jonathan Zimmerman to design and install this system for his Eagle Scout project. Now we just have to wait for the rains to come...

In addition, the two schools (Bumala and Kawangware) have been able to purchase a full set of text books plus needed desks and uniforms so everyone is ready for the new year. We also had a great "care package" arrive from the Knox Church in Ontario loaded with provisions. The kids are happily learning in safe, friendly environments.

Now we have a couple of big opportunities that we are focusing on, and that hope to make happen in the coming months. We have just applied for support from the UN World Food Program. It is not simple to qualify to receive this support, but if we can do so it would mean much better lunches and snacks for the kids in Kawangware, and therefore it would allow us to use our own financial resources in other ways.

In order to qualify, we will need to have an upgraded kitchen and a secure storage area for three-months-at-a-time food supplies that the WFP will provide (thanks to Johnathan, we've got the water supply). We are looking into how to do this and we think we can. Another local charity connected to the UN, called "Elfu Bob", might be able to provide the funding to make permanent upgrades to our facilities as required by the WFP.

Another requirement to receive the food aid would be to increase the Kawangware school size to about 200 kids. This would be a big step in terms of management, but it is quite possible, given that there are some more available rooms in the proximity of the school, and there is no shortage of additional neighborhood children who are desperate to join our school. In fact we are up to 110 kids already.

An important issue will be teachers - we have not yet been able to pay our teachers anything much at the Kawangware school, although this is a high priority. Still if the school size is expanded then the need for extra teachers makes this issue even more pressing. We will likely need a new "revenue stream" to cover the salaries of at least six teachers, which could cost up to KSH 30,000/month. We are considering the possibility of moving toward a system where around half the kids (basically the orphans) are on full tuition scholarship and half (to be selected based on willingness to pay) would pay a small monthly fee, possibly KSH 300. This might cover the teacher cost, but needs to be looked at more closely. In any case, as the school expands there is clearly a need for strengthening our local funding sources to ensure its sustainability.

Another major opportunity that we have been working towards is to purchase land in Western Kenya, near Bumala, so as to start a permanent facility. We estimate that 3 acres of land can be purchased for about US $3000, and we hope to use funds from the “Sizer Challenge” to achieve this. Once the land is purchased for the school, we will design a practical, low cost construction plan and move the Bumala school onto the permanent facility. We would also like to move some of the most vulnerable orphaned children from Kawangware out to the Bumala school if they want to do this (most say they do, since most are originally from the Bumala area anyway). When the land is in hand, we will launch a fund-raising drive for this Phase I construction. We hope to have the land by May 2007. Stay tuned!

In the mean time we will continue to use donations to pay for various upgrades at the two schools. Some of the current priorities are:

• Increased provision of food at both schools
• Salaries for teachers at Kawangware
• Books (apart from basic text books, for example classic novels, childrens books in Swahili and English) for both schools
• More outings (we hope to soon take the Bumala kids to see Kakamega forest, an ancient, wonderful but little-known forest reserve in Western Kenya)
• Sports equipment and games for both schools

-The Fultons