Maragoli Community Development Foundation

“Expenses environmental projects 5,633 education 6,680 community resource ctr 5,540 emergency fund 3,542 total 21,395”

“The primary mission of the maragoli community development foundation is to assist the maragoli people of western kenya in improving their quality of life through the funding of sustainable development projects that they themselves conceive and implement. Funded projects focus on improving access to quality education and health care, the protection of the environment, the improvement of agricultural productivity, the support of local enterprises, and other endeavors that will benefit the daily lives of community members.”

“Environmental projects: rohave bridge project our biggest project this past year involved building a bridge across a dangerous stream in a remote village. According to joyce adisa, "rohove village has a small river that joins two springs, which floods during rainy season. The village is isolated, and on one side there is a steep, rocky hill, making it difficult to climb up. On the other side is a river fed by several springs, which floods after a heavy rain. A child drowned while coming from school, and another woman was rescued at the point of death while coming home from shopping." the sub-chief and ward administrators approached macodef to assist with the bridge construction. The construction of the bridge, which measured six meters by ten meters, was completed over a four-week period in the summer of 2016 by a team of volunteers from scotland and kenya. Engineering expertise was provided b y the local government, while the rohove community itself chipped in with in-kind donations and assistance with manual labor, especially carrying supplies to the remote location. Local reporters covered the construction of the bridge, which had been attempted several times in the past but without success. Residents of rohove village are now able to get to and from schools, markets, and clinics without risk of drowning.”

“Education: in 2016, approximately forty orphans and vulnerable students received school fees and uniforms through the joshua and salome bunyoli scholarship fund. The cumulative effects of our multi-year efforts are showing up in attendance and performance rates. Three scholarship recipients-mildred minage, damarus sagina, and erick anori-attained the grades necessary to gain entrance to universities this past year. Mildred's marks were the highest marks in the sub-county. We continued our collaboration with the non-profit, days for girls, to supply washable sanitary pads to girl students at the local primary and secondary schools. Local tailors set up their sewing machines at the resource center in november and december of 2015 and had new kits sewn and distributed by the start of the school year. We also maintained support for a youth polytechnic institute for vocational training that opened at vigetse primary school, providing used electronics and other ict (information communication technology) equipment. Graduates find that their employment prospects are much improved.”

“Community resource center: in its first full year of operation, the resource center became a hub of community activity, with dozens of visitors coming each day for a variety of reasons. In a recent weekly email update joyce adisa described a typical day at the resource center as follows: "today we had five students who came for the library. The head teacher of vigetse primary school also came to read some of the books to see if they could be helpful to his school. The pastor of salvation army came to learn something about the computer, and five people came for photocopying. Two people came to buy vegetables, and some students came for ice. Eight young people came to watch politics on tv. One person came to buy napier grass, while another rented the big tent and 50 chairs for today and tomorrow. On saturday, we might have many people in the resource center, for a neighbour died, and the family asked if the dining tent can be set up at the macodef resource center. We also have groups like macodef choir who come on a weekly basis, and some women who come to sew." because the resource center has been in demand as a place for visitors to stay overnight, we installed a new rainwater harvest system and a toilet/shower, improved the electrical wiring, and bought a refrigerator and television. We also asked a local carpenter to install built-in bookshelves for the community library, and we purchased a small quantity of children's books. The much-anticipated opening of the library has attracted many students whose families can't afford to purchase reading material on their own.”

“Entrepreneurship: in keeping with the new emphasis on sustainability in kenya's public benefit organizations act, macodef ramped up its income-generating activities in 2016 with an eye towards balancing its reliance on outside funding with a local and sustainable revenue streams. Among the many projects that have generated a steady, if modest, income are poultry- raising, selling of vegetables, maize, and napier grass, and tent and chair rentals. Because the resource center has a nice-sized garden plot, board members are experimenting with new types of produce and thinking about whether new markets can be developed. The local board of governors also upgraded their system for managing revolving funds, or microloans, to individuals and small groups who submit a viable business plan. Goat raising was an especially popular project this past year. International volunteers from scotland also conducted training sessions on entrepreneurial skills for more than 120 community members and for youth attending the vigetse polytechnic institute. Dutch volunteer jeanne geraads returned to vigetse and vigina for over a month as a volunteer in the community, sharing skills such as yogurt making, knitting, gardening, and healthy cooking. Emergency fund: in 2016, the local board of governors again provided a social safety net for a number of individuals who needed emergency grants for health care or housing. For example, isaac and saul imboho received money for treatment for jiggers, a type of sand flea that burrows into the feet and lays its eggs. Both of these individuals had painful ulcers all over their feet, making it difficult to walk. Elisabeth ondaro and absalom votega received small grants to construct new houses after their mud and thatch dwellings collapsed and now have small but clean, one-room houses with aluminum sheets for roofing. As in the u.s., income disparities within kenya are among the highest in the world, and efforts to empower the poorest members of the community remain central to our guiding philosophy.”