A Letter from Director, Alyssa Lowe 11/21/07
The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, easing other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.
W. C. JONES
Dear Friends,
I hope this letter finds you all in good health and high spirits. This year Rowe Charities had its debut in the non-profit community of Austin, TX. In September, we were asked to present our mission and purpose at Austin to Africa, an event for Austin based non-profits working in Africa. Connections made during the event led to our membership in the Austin Africa Network, a network of organizations and individuals dedicated to aiding African communities. In addition, RC will attend the University of Texas’ Face AIDS World AIDS Week celebration as a guest and exhibitor in late November. As a burgeoning grass-roots operation, we are privileged to be acknowledged by the community as a partner in pursuit of egalitarian public health and education in Africa.
This year, RC continued support to thirteen secondary school students. The youths are doing well and send many thanks and greetings to all of you. In addition to our thirteen original students, a second round of applications and interviews is underway. Through the generosity of your continued support we will fund the higher education of a young Kenyan interested in pursuing a career in education, agriculture or public health. After the degree is earned, the student will return to the Kojwach for a year to share the skills and knowledge s/he has gleaned during his/her time in college. RC will provide the student with a stipend in order to pay for his/her living expenses during this time. While it is expensive, a degree or certificate program greatly increases a young person’s opportunities for employment, and education that leads to employment offers more sustainable, long-term change for the entire community.
Beginning this holiday season, RC is expanding its program to include more public health projects. We hope to provide the midwives with whom we work with birthing kits. Each kit contains basic supplies for childbirth and offers protection against natal mother to child transmission of HIV, as well as protects the midwife from infection during home birth. The kits cost $10 apiece and contain enough materials for 10 births. At $1 a birth, these midwife kits are an inexpensive way to make a tremendous difference for women and children in our Kenyan community.
As the holiday season approaches, remember your friends at RC and those who have gained from your continued support. I hear regularly from community members and leaders, who express their deep and heartfelt thanks for the work you do in the Kojwach community. All of the volunteers at RC are very excited about the great potential on the horizon. However, as you know, we can’t continue the work we do without the assistance of our dedicated donors and with new projects underway we need your support more than ever. Need a creative gift idea for the loved one who has everything? Make a donation in his/her name. Everything helps. No matter how you chose to give this holiday season, I leave you with these words from Dale Evans, “Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.”
Sincerely,
Alyssa Lowe, International Coordinator