Funds from local Catholic schools benefit Kenyan educational efforts

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Students at Bahakwenu Primary School show their appreciation for the funds from Utah Catholic Schools students.

SALT LAKE CITY — During the last school year, students from several Utah Catholic Schools collected funds for their counterparts in Kenya through the Kenya Keys project during Catholic Schools Week. What follows is a letter from Rinda T. Hayes, the organization’s executive director.

Hello Catholic School Friends,

We have returned from Kenya and we are so happy to get to report to you how your money was allocated. What a joy it was for us to be able to determine, with our Kenyan Board of Directors, where your money could be best used. It was an honor and privilege. Thank you so much for this opportunity! We welcome your feedback on how you feel about the allocation of this money. It certainly goes a long way in Kenya, which is what makes it so fun.

The total raised from your five schools was as follows:

Kearns St. Ann $1,366.85

St. John The Baptist $8,116.79

St. Andrew $1,323.91

St. Vincent $600.74

St. Francis $542.00

Total $11,950.29

This is how it was spent:

$1,250 — 50 desks for Taru Primary School. There are over 700 students in this school and they are desperately in need of desks.

$450 — Three new classroom floors for Fuleye Primary School. This school is also a very crowded school where the children sit on uneven dirt floors. Chiggers often crawl into their skin.

$975 — Sponsorship for three girls at Samburu Secondary School for one year. The three girls that have been selected are very bright and very poor. Without sponsorship they cannot attend school. Each of them has a very interesting story that we hope to get to share with your students. (One was attacked by an elephant on her way to school.)

$800 — Sponsorship for one outstanding young man, Fredrick Chuphi, to go study at a seminary to become a priest. He has completed secondary school and has been a very good student. He comes from an extremely poor family. He has wanted to be a priest all his life. He would love to share photos of him.

$1,000 — School supply kits for eight primary schools. These kits include paper, pencils, chalk, soccer balls and volleyballs for each school. They were thrilled to get these!

$1,500 — Books by African writers ordered to go to three of our children’s libraries. We ordered $500 worth of books for each library. In Nairobi we can buy three books for $10.

$5,975 — To go to help build a dormitory for girls at Samburu Secondary School. The girls at this school face unbelievable challenges trying to stay in school. They walk up to eight miles each way. They are preyed on by boys and men, they have to do all household chores, and they don’t have light to study by at night. Yet they still struggle to overcome these obstacles. This much-needed dorm will keep them safe and able to study. We would love to share photos of what these girls go through, and what the dorm will mean to them.

We will have photos to share with you documenting these projects. We will also be happy to come or have one of our interns come talk to your students at any time. We really believe that follow up after a fundraising project is critical. As you know, it means so much for your children to be able to feel the connection with the students they have chosen to serve. It makes it real and it makes it meaningful.

Updates are available at www.kenyakeys.org/Area/Blog.aspx.