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Science Scholarships Awarded to African Orphans

Galveston, Texas, USA, February 5, 2010 – Five orphan girls with a high aptitude for science and math have received scholarships from African Childrens Haven to attend secondary school in Tanzania.  It costs $1,000 per year to send a girl to secondary school. It’s a good investment, but one that’s largely out of reach for the majority of Tanzanian children. The Carole Cole Scholarship Program pays school fees and provides guidance from volunteer mentors drawn from Tanzania’s science community.  News Release

Texas Journaling Group Supports Tanzanian Orphans

  Dody Stovall                        

August 10, 2009, Galveston, Texas – A local women’s journaling group, the Flamingos, is supporting orphan girls in Tanzania with a talent for science and math.  Thanks to the Flamingos, five girls will receive a Twirligirli gown in recognition of being selected for a secondary school science scholarship.  

“The idea is to make sure that the girls know that someone cares about them,” says Twirligirli founder Cathy Stovall.  The gowns were donated in memory of Stovall’s mother, Dody Stovall (pictured here on her 57th wedding anniversary). 

“She loved my Twirligirli business and encouraged and inspired me to continue my mission of bringing cheerful twirls to  girls through colorful, playful gowns.” Stovall adds.  “Many times, she sewed finishing touches to the gowns with her loving hands. They carry her goodness and sweetness and are dedicated to her.” Learn more about Twirligirli.

MSNBC Highlights Plight of Nairobi Slum Kids

August 6, 2009 – Andrea Mitchell’s report on the plight of kids living in Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, is a must-see for anyone interested in the well-being of African children. The story focuses on a primary school for local orphans, nearly 40 percent of whom are HIV positive. African Childrens Haven support a similar school in Mathare, Nairobi’s second largest slum. The plight of children in Mathare is all-too-similar to what Mitchell describes and the need is equally urgent. See a video about the work being done at St. Phillips.

Innovative Orphanages in Tanzania

June 27, 2008 – The New York Times ran a story on Thursday, June 25 that highlights the way people in Tanzania are caring for orphans.  Rather than permanently house the children in orphanages, local people are organizing special facilities that take care of the children until their second or third birthdays.  The idea is to help kids survive until they are ready to eat regular food and can be returned to their extended families.  In one innovative program, teenage girls from the family live with the children at the facility to provide emotional support and a link to the families.  The girls, who bond with their charges and tend to take care of them when they leave, benefit from educational programs.  The story reinforces the approach we take at African Childrens Haven, namely that projects organized and run by local people produce long-term results.  Read more

Slum School Video

May 28, 2009 -- A new video about African Childrens Haven's support for St. Phillips Primary School in Kenya's second largest slum is now available on You Tube and Vimeo. Produced by 18-year-old William Miller and Alex Pritz, the video shows how a local community is working to educate their children and give their kids a leg up out of poverty.

Kids Raises Scholarship Money for Tanzanian Orphans

May 7, 2009 -- New York City children have helped raise much of the money needed to send five orphan girls with an aptitude for science and math to one of Tanzania’s top-ranking secondary schools.  Working in partnership with the New York City-based Wembly Fund, 25 kids attended the April 21st fund raiser.  Wembly Fund founder Skye Dobson, reports that the children discussed the importance of education in poverty reduction and wrote letters of support to scholarship beneficiaries. The project, which is slated to begin in January 2010, will provide orphan girls who have shown a talent for math and science with the opportunity to pursue careers in research. Tanzania sorely needs scientists to grow its economy and address challenging social and environmental issues, especially AIDS and global climate change. The event, which raised more $4,000, was held at the Snapple Center York’s Times Square.   

Texas Students Support New York Fund Raiser 

May 7, 2009 – A new student group at the University of Texas in Austin worked behind the scenes to support the Wembley fund raiser in New York, designing posters that provided background material about the ACH scholarship program in Tanzania. The posters are part of a larger effort designed to help university students with an interest in African development engage in overseas projects, says UT students Maya Lee and Kristine Vong. The posters were prepared in association with the Houston-based Gatauma Foundation, a key investor in African Children Haven projects.  

CARE International Campaign Against Childhood Marriage

May 6, 2009 – CARE is mounting a campaign urging the United States to take a leadership position in efforts to prevent childhood marriage.  A key ACH partner, Mission With A Vision, works in Western Kenya to shelter girls who escape such marriages and also to educate local communities about this problem. According to CARE, more than 60 million girls worldwide are forced into marriages with older men. Such girls are twice as likely to suffer domestic violence and are far more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases. Click here to learn more about the CARE Campaign.

Mission With A Vision in Western Kenya provides girls escaping arranged marriages to older men with a safe place to live, go to school and gain skills needed to succeed in life.