Nairobi .. meeting Dan & Overseers' Education Centre

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Abstract: I didn’t want to visit 1 more NGO; I cannot say ‘no’; I loved the school; They need help; I created a project; I am fine.

Everybody knows that I write this blog in Portuguese cause some of my friends, my father & her wife don't know English. However, this post is important to be English.

My first day in Nairobi I went straight to the hostel: Milimani Backpackers. For the first time in this trip I took a cab, as many people advised me it is a little dangerous to take public transport. Even though I had a place to stay (friend of my friend), I decided to go to a hostel to “relax” and get used to Kenya before I start working in the NGOs. At Milimani I met Dan. Crazy and nice guy! He invited me to visit his school located in Kangemi slum. However, I told him that I have already 2 NGOs to visit and I don’t want to visit the third one. I don’t know why I left the hostel thinking about him. So, next day I called him and I went to his school: Overseers’ Education Centre.

For my surprise, it was the first time that I visit a school that needs so many things. Starting with notebooks, pencils, pens, … blackboard, chairs, tables … water, electricity … money to pay salary to the teachers.. YES! So many things were missing there. Except love and determination of 2 men: Dan and Benjamin. It was the first NGO I visited, but many ideas already came to my mind to help them.

However, visiting others NGOs I realized that all of them had the same problem: very good and noble intention, but no “business plan”. All of the were depending on donation.

So, my plan was, developing blogs, adding them in some international communities related to volunteer work, showing them to the world. Maybe, some volunteers can came for a longer period and help them in a more effective way. While I was taking a lot of pictures to add in the blogs, I came up with the idea of using them to get some little money from my friends. I new that EUR10 was not a lot for them and EUR10+EUR10.. could be some hundreds. =). Here born: Photos for a Cause (http://photosforacause.wordpress.com/).

With the money I got from this small project I bought so many things: support for the water, galons of water, books, notebooks, pencils, many schoolar material, educational toys, photocopies for the children’s exams. In addition, they had the support to start a program among the teenagers where the boys are going to learn carpentry and the girls, crochet.

I invite you to check the blog: http://overseerseducationcentre.wordpress.com/. My hope is that soon, another volunteer as Marie, Arif and me can help them somehow. I believe that even 1 day of volunteer work is a lot in the lifes of these people.



Tks a lot for my friends and friends of friends in Brazil!



I am fine!

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