Care for Kenya
Donation protected
My name is Jess, and this is my story.
I'm currently studying Nursing & Paramedics and was in Kenya from January-March 2015 volunteering.
I began my volunteering at what is called an IDP camp which stands for 'internally displaced persons'. It holds hundreds of Kenyans who fled their homes after the 2007 post-election riots. I was mainly involved in the school for the children but did meet some of the adults, who are currently living under very poor living conditions.
We had an orientation to the school on arrival where we were taken into the classrooms to meet the kids and see how things work. Their classrooms are made of corrugated metal which makes them extremely hot inside.
They have a small library, but few to no learning supplies. The kids sit on small pieces of wood and have another small plank of wood for a desk. I hope to raise enough funds to be able to give them proper furniture, better classrooms and better learning supplies in order to create a healthier learning environment for kids as young as 3-5 years old.
Following my experience at the IDP camp, I was taken to a womens refugee camp where I spent majority of my stay in Kenya. The girls were there for a number of different reasons including rape, abuse, trafficking, poverty and to be put in to hiding.
Within Kenya...
49% of Kenyan women have reported experiencing violence in their lifetime.
One in four have experienced violence in the previous 12 months.
83% of women and girls reported one or more episodes of physical abuse in childhood.
46% reported one or more episodes of sexual abuse in childhood.
Over 60% of these women and children did not report the event to anyone.
Only 12% who had been physically or sexually abused reported to someone in authority such as a village elder or the police.
In Kenya, 25% of 12-24 year-olds lost their virginity by force.
Nairobi Women’s Hospital receives an average of 18 cases of rape and incest each day.
There is only one shelter for victims of domestic violence in Kenya.
60% of women who have experienced violence reported age at first abuse between 6-12 years: 24 percent between 13-19
years
On arrival to this refugee camp, the director asked me to privately speak to the girls about any health concerns they had and I was extremely shocked by what I was hearing. They were suffering from untreated UTI's, various infections, STD's, HIV, addictions to soil and even pregnancy. Not to mention untreated trauma. Abused women need help, they need medical attention, they need supplies and they need emotional support.
During my stay in Kenya, I went through a lot with these girls and they quickly became mothers and sisters to me. They had been through things that I couldn't even imagine, shared stories with me that most people may never be able to talk about. Despite this though, they are very positive and they are very happy.
My goal, with your help, is to make them happier.
There are girls as young as 8 years old in the shelter who I would love to be able to send to school and give a proper start in life. Money raised can also go towards tracking some of these girls back to their homes or family members. Money can also be put towards improving the living conditions within the shelter for the current girls and future girls. There are big things they need as well as small things. Small things such as entertainment during the day so they dont have to sit around with their thoughts all day. The girls only had one pair of underwear each when I arrived in Kenya - a small problem that we can fix in order to make a large difference to their lives.
Many of the girls within this shelter were picked up from the streets, so that is another project I would like raised funds to go to - helping street families and children re-build their lives in a sustainable way. By sustainable, for example, buying chickens that can lay eggs to both eat and sell.
I have vowed to not let this experience be in vain and I am committed to helping these women and children which have now become my family.
I will be returning to Kenya this year and will be donating money to the IDP camp and the community so that these women and children can have a better life. You will see exactly where the money you donate will go and how much your contributions make a difference to them as they re-build their lives.
These are my goals for Kenya and I hope that we can all work together to help make a change!
If you would like to contact me personally you are more than welcome to message me on facebook, as I would love to answer any questions that you may have.
https://www.facebook.com/jess.scaletti
I also have a page specifically about Kenya, where you can find more information:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Care-for-Kenya/616499821827561?fref=photo
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for the support.
I'm currently studying Nursing & Paramedics and was in Kenya from January-March 2015 volunteering.
I began my volunteering at what is called an IDP camp which stands for 'internally displaced persons'. It holds hundreds of Kenyans who fled their homes after the 2007 post-election riots. I was mainly involved in the school for the children but did meet some of the adults, who are currently living under very poor living conditions.
We had an orientation to the school on arrival where we were taken into the classrooms to meet the kids and see how things work. Their classrooms are made of corrugated metal which makes them extremely hot inside.
They have a small library, but few to no learning supplies. The kids sit on small pieces of wood and have another small plank of wood for a desk. I hope to raise enough funds to be able to give them proper furniture, better classrooms and better learning supplies in order to create a healthier learning environment for kids as young as 3-5 years old.
Following my experience at the IDP camp, I was taken to a womens refugee camp where I spent majority of my stay in Kenya. The girls were there for a number of different reasons including rape, abuse, trafficking, poverty and to be put in to hiding.
Within Kenya...
49% of Kenyan women have reported experiencing violence in their lifetime.
One in four have experienced violence in the previous 12 months.
83% of women and girls reported one or more episodes of physical abuse in childhood.
46% reported one or more episodes of sexual abuse in childhood.
Over 60% of these women and children did not report the event to anyone.
Only 12% who had been physically or sexually abused reported to someone in authority such as a village elder or the police.
In Kenya, 25% of 12-24 year-olds lost their virginity by force.
Nairobi Women’s Hospital receives an average of 18 cases of rape and incest each day.
There is only one shelter for victims of domestic violence in Kenya.
60% of women who have experienced violence reported age at first abuse between 6-12 years: 24 percent between 13-19
years
On arrival to this refugee camp, the director asked me to privately speak to the girls about any health concerns they had and I was extremely shocked by what I was hearing. They were suffering from untreated UTI's, various infections, STD's, HIV, addictions to soil and even pregnancy. Not to mention untreated trauma. Abused women need help, they need medical attention, they need supplies and they need emotional support.
During my stay in Kenya, I went through a lot with these girls and they quickly became mothers and sisters to me. They had been through things that I couldn't even imagine, shared stories with me that most people may never be able to talk about. Despite this though, they are very positive and they are very happy.
My goal, with your help, is to make them happier.
There are girls as young as 8 years old in the shelter who I would love to be able to send to school and give a proper start in life. Money raised can also go towards tracking some of these girls back to their homes or family members. Money can also be put towards improving the living conditions within the shelter for the current girls and future girls. There are big things they need as well as small things. Small things such as entertainment during the day so they dont have to sit around with their thoughts all day. The girls only had one pair of underwear each when I arrived in Kenya - a small problem that we can fix in order to make a large difference to their lives.
Many of the girls within this shelter were picked up from the streets, so that is another project I would like raised funds to go to - helping street families and children re-build their lives in a sustainable way. By sustainable, for example, buying chickens that can lay eggs to both eat and sell.
I have vowed to not let this experience be in vain and I am committed to helping these women and children which have now become my family.
I will be returning to Kenya this year and will be donating money to the IDP camp and the community so that these women and children can have a better life. You will see exactly where the money you donate will go and how much your contributions make a difference to them as they re-build their lives.
These are my goals for Kenya and I hope that we can all work together to help make a change!
If you would like to contact me personally you are more than welcome to message me on facebook, as I would love to answer any questions that you may have.
https://www.facebook.com/jess.scaletti
I also have a page specifically about Kenya, where you can find more information:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Care-for-Kenya/616499821827561?fref=photo
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for the support.
Organizer
Jess Scaletti
Organizer
Bentleigh East VIC
