Part of our goal as Africa Exchange is to provide opportunities for you to engage the world through life-sustaining activities that will make a difference in your life and the lives that you touch.  Each of the items below represent material resources that will help make life better in marginalized communities.  Click on any icon below and learn how that particular item will assist individuals and communities through our Integrated Child Development Centers spread around Kenya.  We encourage you to utilize our web-based donation process to make contributions toward a selected item.  Just click on "donate now" at the right and don't forget to make a designation regarding your support preference.  THANKS!!

BEE HIVE

Several parts of Kenya present ideal locations for bee keeping and honey sales as a micro-income generating project. Five of our Integrated Child Development Centers (ICDCs) are located in such regions. These are, Garissa, Longeiwuan, Wamaganga, Nakwijit and Ngerenya. At or near to each of these ICDCs we have established a bee-keeping unit, complete with hives, stands, bee suits, extraction equipment and training sessions. Honey sales from these projects provide income towards the payment of teacher’s salaries.  As these projects prove to be successful, community members may choose to adopt the practice to provide further income for their families.

 

As each community becomes proficient in management of the beehives we hope to continue to support the communities by providing additional hives to increase income generation.  African Bee Keepers, Ltd. provides training and the supply of the hives and equipment necessary for this enterprise. Honey from all projects is purchased and sold through our “bee-cause” label, all profits returned to the respective project units.

 

 

One hive (complete with stand): $75

 

FENCING

An amazing thing happens when an acre of land is fenced. With goats kept out, the grass grows, tree seedlings take off, a garden can be planted and the area generally allowed to recover and flourish. We use treated timber from sustainably grown Eucalyptus plantations for the posts and the fencing is locally produced wire mesch and barbed wire.

Fencing Project
(Surround an entire acre of land with a fence that will last for years and ensure that food for the children can be grown and tree nurseries flourish)
Full gift: $2500

GREEN HOUSE KITCHEN GARDEN

In order to ensure proper nutrition for children that attend our Integrated Child Development Center (ICDC) units, we provide a snack (porridge) and one hot meal at lunch each day. Meals are from ingredients either purchased or grown locally.
Our desire is to produce as much of this food as possible at the local level. Recently, green house kits have come available on the local market and provide a good solution for high value crops that can be used for consumption and for sale.

Green House with Drip System (6m x 18m)
Full gift: $1500
Share in the gift: $150

 

 

FISH FOOD

To help tackle food security issues and help generate income for communities the government of Kenya is encouraging fish farming across the country. At two ICDC centers, Ngerenya and Ulungu, the communities identified fish farming as a necessary component of their centers to generate income.  Working with these communities we installed a fish-pond at each of the centers.  The ponds have been stocked with fingerlings and soon each community will harvest the first batch of Tilapia. Currently the only necessary input is feed for the fish.  Help us have a successful first harvest by helping purchase feed.

         Buy Two Bags of Fish Feed - $30

TREE NURSERY

The amount of forested land in Kenya has declined from 20% at independence to a measly 3% currently. Factors include high pressure on available arable land, population increase and the use of fuel wood for cooking including conversion of trees to charcoal. Deforestation has a devastating effect on the climate as well as soil erosion and runoff.

Your gift will help us establish a tree nursery at each of our Integrated Child Development Center (ICDC) units, distributing trees at the local level as well as educating the community on the importance of creation care.

 

 

Tree Nursery Project
Full gift: $1000
Share in the gift: $100

 

UNIMIX

 

One of the ongoing challenges at each ICDC is maintaining the feeding programs that ensure each child receives at least one nutritious meal per day. While the capacity is being built at each center to grow and purchase food for the children, UNIMIX is a nutritional supplement that when given to the children in the morning helps them stay alert and focus on education rather than on being hungry.  Our goal is to provide UNIMIX at each center so that each childe can begin his or her day with sufficient nutrition.

 

          One Bag of Unimix - $20

EDUCATION MATERIALS

At each of our Integrated Child Development Centers (ICDCs) we endeavor to provide a full set of resource materials for teachers according to the established government curriculum for Early Childhood Development.  At the beginning of each year, we add to these requirements by replenishing consumable supplies and take-home materials for children including workbooks, coloring books, modeling clay, cut-outs, etc.

 

Educational Materials
(provides one year’s worth of resources for 80 children)
Full gift: $750 Share in the gift: $75