Team
Sheren Brunson
Tricia Petruney
Stacey Zito
Organization
East African Center for the Empowerment of Women and Children
About
1. Health Clinic
At our Vutakaka Community Center in Takaungu, we plan to open a health clinic in the upcoming year 2005-2006. Our current health activities focus on health information and education which are vital, but cannot take the place of actual health care services.
This clinic is desperately needed, as our community has little or no access to health care services at the present time, and faces numerous health problems including malnutrition, lack of pre-natal and childbirth services, malaria, and HIV/AIDS.
One of the primary goals of our clinic is to offer Anti-retroviral drugs to those suffering from HIV/AIDS. As an organization, we feel very strongly that saving the lives of mothers infected with HIV/AIDS is critical. Keeping mothers alive keeps families intact, and allows children to have a childhood, rather than being orphaned and extremely vulnerable to all forms of victimization. At our new center, we plan to offer a family-based health care model that we hope will serve as an example for other organizations focusing on HIV/AIDS and families.
Possible Deliverables:
- Funding research and grant writing-Conduct research on possible funding sources and apply for grants for this project.
- Develop channels for acquiring medications and supplies-Conduct research into companies, foundations and government agencies capable of supplying medications and medical supplies to our clinic.
- Written service delivery model-Research and write a report on our service delivery model, especialy with focus on delivering anti-retroviral drugs to HIV/AIDS infected mothers. This report would be used in approaching funders and for replicating our methodology in other clinics.
2. Primary and Secondary School
We plan to expand our current nursery school in Takaungu to a complete primary and secondary school, offering a first-rate education to an additional 360 children.
There is such a need in our community for education, particularly for girls. Currently, the local public schools typically have 200 students in a single classroom, and students rarely receive individual attention. Without an education, girls are vulnerable in many ways-they have more difficulty finding employment, have lower health status and are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS, are more likely to be married at a very young age (marriage at age 10 or 12 is not uncommon), and are more likely to have children much younger than their educated counterparts. We understand that keeping children in school, especially girls, provides them with a chance for a better life, and our new school will help us to do this.
Possible Deliverables:
Funding research and grant writing-Conduct research on possible funding sources and apply for grants for this project.
3. Sewing Club Expansion
Our sewing club is an extremely successful poverty eradication program that teaches tailoring skills to groups of local women (and a few men as well). Participants learn to make many beautiful products and are paid by the EAC for their work. The EAC then markets the products in Kenya and abroad and the proceeds go to support the work of the EAC and run the sewing club.
It is our goal to expand the sewing club and to start an artisans cooperative where graduates from the sewing club can branch out into their own tailoring businesses but still receive support from the EAC through marketing and sales in other countries.
With the overwhelming demand for this program, we have outgrown our current facilities, and we need to greatly expand our manufacturing space. We hope to begin construction of our new sewing facility in Winter/Spring 2005-2006.
Possible Deliverables:
Funding research and grant writing-Conduct research on possible funding sources and apply for grants for the construction of a new sewing club building.
Marketing plan-Research channels for marketing sewing club items including stores as well as on-line channels, and develop a marketing plan. Focus particular attention on “Fair Trade” marketing.
