Mail from Father Henri Simaro

Ontvangen 2/2/2012

Dear Members of ACF Mission group,
Thank you so much for your support in January:

1. We received 3,000 Euro to assist poor orphans attend the Mt Olive school.
In January we accepted 17 poor children from Fanaka 1 slum school to join Mt Olive.
10 children joined class 5 and 7 class 3.
Thank you so much for helping these children pay the school fees.

2. Last week we received 5 suitcases full of clothes and other useful items for children. Thank you so much.
 Mt Olive school has now 150 children (110 are in boarding while 40 are day students).
Fanaka 1 has 137, Fanaka 2 has 121 and Fanaka 3 has 43 children- Total in January 451 children.
This number may increase because some children have not yet reported.
The major expenses in these schools are on food and teachers' salaries.

The weather situation in Athi River is totally dry, hot, very dusty since Christmas.
There are no signs of rain. People have not been able to plant anything.
Food prices are still very high because most food, especially grain, comes from as far as Arusha, Tanzania.

Thank you.

Fr Henry

Sent from my BlackBerry®

 

Van: acfo@...............
Verzonden: vrijdag 30 december 2011 17:30
Aan: fstetter@...........
Onderwerp: Year 2011

Dear ACF friends, donors, sponsors, well-wishers in Holland, As the year 2011 comes to an end and as we begin the new year 2012, I feel so much indebted to all of you and extend my most sincere thanks for your financial support, moral encouragement and  prayers. Your support has gone a long way to help hundreds of poor, sick, hungry, vulnerable children in Fanaka school and Mt Olive schools, Athi River, with food, medicine, clothes, shelter, clean water and most of all, Education.

We ended the school year in December with a total of 604 school-going children ages 2 to 14 years old( 470 from the 3 Fanaka schools and 134 from

Mt.Olive)- with 21 teachers. Many of these children are orphans, street/slum children, others living with their grandmothers or distant relatives who are mostly squatters/landless. This community does not have any infrastructural

help- no running water, no electricity, no hospital, no proper sanitation, no farming. They mainly earn their living from doing unreliable casual labor here and there.

Our sponsored Fanaka and the new Mt Olive schools have greatly helped the children from these slums. 3 Fanaka schools have children from Baby class, Nursery, Pre-school,Classes 1-4. Mt Olive school is from Classes 1-8, most of them in boarding.

Many of the above children are sponsored by friends from Holland,UK and America. When the children come to school they get education, meals, shelter, medicine,clothes/school uniform.

We are very thankful to all of you for your humanitarian support.

The year 2012 we are appealing for more help to have an extra shelter/dormitory building to help accommodate many of the children who need our help.

Thank you so much. May you have a wonderful and prosperous New Year 2012.

Fr Henry, Director ACF-Kenya.

To my dear friends in Waalre and the Netherlands, Kindly receive my very warm greetings from the village of Athi River and the African Child Foundation Kenya. This is the time of the year when I fondly remember you all with the most grateful heart. You have been so good and supportive to me personally and to the poor children that I help go to school. Thank you so much for your financial support and the big boxes and suitcases full of clothes and gifts for children we receive every week here in our village schools through the Martin-Air pilots. We have had very good relations with you all and it has been a big blessing to know that you care and are there to help us.

As we celebrate the Christmas season and the new year 2010, may God continue to bless all of you with good health and prosperity.

You may want to know how I have spent the year 2009.The whole year I have been so busy building the new Mount Olive Academy for girls. This is a middle primary boarding school that will accommodate 360 girls, most of them poor orphans who are less privileged and cannot be able to access education, good health and shelter. We believe and hope that this new school will be one way of all of us reaching out to save the lives and souls of the so many poor and suffering children of the world.

Thank you very much for touching these lives and for your moral, spiritual and financial support. Your generosity has been so great in contributing towards the building of the Mount Olive Academy. Although we have not completed the payment of the construction costs, the school will open its doors to the children on January 05th, 2010. May God continue to bless each one of you and your loved ones abundantly.

Mount Olive school is also now my new official mission and residence. For many years I did not have any facility to enable me stay closer to the children and the community that I serve.

Once again thank you so much for all your support, generosity and goodwill. We continue to pray for you that you may find a lot of God's fulfillment happiness and blessings in the new year 2010.

Yours Faithfully,

Fr Henry Simaro

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: donderdag 12 juni 2008 11:33
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: Funds Application


Dear Holland Donors and Friends of Mt. Olive Girls School, Kenya

APPLICATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF MT.OLIVE GIRLS PRIMARY BOARDING  SCHOOL, ATHI RIVER,KENYA.
APPLICANT: AFRICAN CHILD FOUNDATION(ACF),KENYA

 This is to kindly present to you this application and pictures, appealing for funds to build a primary school for orphans, destitute, street and neglected underage girls living in the poor slums of Mulolongo and Fanaka areas of Athi River.

This girls live in very inhuman and desperate situations without any assistance of food, education, shelter, clothing, medicine and security at all from the neighborhood. Some girls as young as 9 years are already involved in child sex as prostitutes with truck (long distance lorry) drivers, especially at Mulolongo where there is a lorry-weighing station. Many lorry trailers from the port city of Mombasa and Tanzania stop here for several nights before they proceed on with their journey to as far as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan and the Congo. Many girls have dropped out of the only poorly managed Mulolongo public primary school to seek for survival of their food. Others have been severely infected with HIV/Aids from some of the long distance drivers.

The role of the ACF is to support these girls with quality education, shelter, food, clothing and medical care, so that they can be able to pursue their education and be protected from child abuse. Last year the ACF was able to acquire a 5-acre piece of land between Mulolongo and Fanaka slums of Athi River,for the purposes of building Mt.Olive primary boarding school to rescue some of these girls. There is already clean water(a borehole)and electricity at the proposed Mt.Olive.

The goal is to construct a school with four classes (classes 5-8)but with 8 classrooms (two streams per class) of 45 girls in each classroom, total=320 girls. The strategic plan is to have at least half of those girls from elsewhere who can be able to pay school fees to help sustain the ones who cannot pay. This plan works well in other charitable schools in Kenya. It is for this reason that we appeal for financial grant to construct the Mount Olive Girls Boarding primary school.

Thank you very much for your support.

Yours Faithfully,

Fr.Henry  Simaro,

Director and Founder,African Child Foundation-Kenya P.O. BOX 1065-00606,Nairobi,Kenya

email: acfo@swiftkenya.com

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: woensdag 21 november 2007 8:04
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: Mount Olive

Dear Papa and Mama,
Many greetings from here, the children and the teachers. Last Sunday we had
Mass together and prayed for you and friends in Waalre.
I mailed you some pictures of the Mount Olive project. I really do not know
whether you received them. If you received them why are you quiet? I know
sometimes Mama gets very annoyed with me but I am just trying to work hard
to see this project through. You know I do not have enough funds and I depend
on you and other friends a lot to assist these children.

New Updates:

 The water/borehole surveyor completed his job. He says there is plenty of
water underground. He says the water can be found between 180 to 210
meters,fresh water. I have his geological report which he has already
submitted to the government and municipal council, who have officially
approved and given a go ahead for drilling. The drilling company has also
given me the quotation and is ready to drill. They say they can take only
four days to get the water. I do not know whether you need copies of all
these official documents before I start drilling?

The high point water storage tank has also already been constructed, with
water tanks of 10,000 liters each on the top.
Since the constructor and his people are still on the site, I would like them
to start the excavation work where the building will stand, then we will be
building slowly, class by class depending on the availability of funds. At
this stage I know I can be able to talk to several friends who can assist
here and there.

Please you and Mama are my closest advisors and kindly advise me on
this project. Since you left Kenya I have been in the field everyday trying
to make sure that the work is going on, including the three classrooms
which Iwant the children to enter in January.

The bishop of Machakos wanted me to let you know that after you left
Makindu for the opening of the church, all that area of Makueni
(where we saw the monastery) has now been made a separate new
diocese of Makueni. He says your visit was a blessing.

The new Cardinal of Nairobi together with 22 others from different
countries are receiving their ceremony in Rome this coming weekend
(24,25th Nov).All the bishops of Kenya are in Rome for their meeting
with the Pope. Anold Italian Consolata priest (Fr.Franco)has offered
 me a ticket to go with him this Friday to Rome for the ceremony. We will
be back on Monday evening, on Swiss Air.

Thanks and may God bless you very much, Son, Henry

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: donderdag 7 juni 2007 7:26
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: news

Dear Papa and Mama,

Thanks so much for the good news. I will start the construction of the three classes.
Thank you for the good work you are doing for the poor children here.
I want to wish you the most blessed vacation. Hope to see you in October in Kenya.

God bless all-Your dear son, Henry

Quoting Fred Stetter <fstetter@hetnet.nl>:

> Waalre 06-06-2007. Hallo Fr Henry. We have some good news. I have
> underway 10.000 EURO. To the Standard carteredbank kenya. You may
> start to build the tree school classes. Later on you will get the
> money for a borehole. That money will com form the Dutch government
> for helping the third world. This week we got this information, we are
> very happy. We hope to sign this contract end of  June. We
> don't know how much money we will get but it may be 10.000 € we hope so.
> There are again 5 suite cases coming. We are very happy with this
> possibility the pilots are wonderful guys. We are on vacancion the
> rest of this month and maybe a little bit longer. If there is some
> news mail it to Alphons or Annemieke
> We are fine, the little operation has been successfully. When we are
> back we will book for our visit to you beginning October, if it fits.

> you Greeting from all of us in Waalre.

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: woensdag 7 februari 2007 17:50
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: THank you.

Dear Papa and Mama,

Yesterday I received the five suitecases, full of very nice clothes and toys for the children. You know this year I have 307 very poor children (ages 2 to 16 years) in my three Fanaka schools and another ACF village. They really need these clothes, T-Shirts,jeans and playing dolls. I also need some good shirts (sports,casual and dress shirts- XL-extra large).There are very nice shirts in Holland.

Thank you very much for your sacrifice. Now I know we have a strong ACF-Netherlands. I wish Dr.Barbara can start(the way you started) ACF-Germany. I am writing to a parish in England to start ACF-UK and another one ACF-USA.

I am sure God will bless all our efforts.

God bless-Henry

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: donderdag 18 januari 2007 15:05
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: plans.

Dear Papa and Mama,

Thank you for your email, and for working so hard for ACF. Now I know you are not yet retired. You are still very active and we still need a lot of your experience.

Yesterday I collected two suitcases of clothes and toys from the Intercontinental hotel. Thank you. At least the kindergarten children have some toys to play with. I still have a lot of children.

I have not yet started building new classes or digging the borehole. I have stopped everything because of lack of funds. I  will send you all the quotations. Yes, the need for a technical class (workshop) where the youth can learn carpentry, masonry, tailoring etc is very important. Some youth who cannot continue with the normal school year due many hardships can learn a lot of technical things. I would like to build a 'construction hardware store' where I can store all the building materials, equipments and spare parts, even for farming.

God bless you all-Henry

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: maandag 11 december 2006 16:13
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: An de Bakker.

Dear Papa and Mama,

Thank you so much, I just got the 4 suitcases today. They called from the Hotel and told me they arrived on Friday. I did not know. I have already opened them and seen very very nice things. This is really God's blessings. The blue and white shirts are good.

We have new company at Fanaka centrum. A homeless mother with four children just walked in a week ago. There has been heavy storm in Kenya and lots of floods. All the rain had fallen on her and she was on the streets for seven days with the children. Her last baby is only 3months old and he had no warm clothes. All the children (three girls ages 9,6,2 and the boy 3months) were severely malnourished with heavy malaria. They walked all the way from near Nairobi, looking for any shelter. When they arrived near Athi River they were told about the Fanaka orphanage. Now we have given them shelter, food, medicine, clean water and clothes from you. They are happy but I do not know what to do with them next. Her husband abandoned her late last year and went to Sudan. Before he left he wanted to circumcise all the girls plus the mother according to his tradition. But the woman refused and escaped with the children. That is why he left them. These children have really enjoyed the toys (Dollies) you sent.

I really need a new borehole for the new school. Can I ask a company to send you a quotation? I also need to install solar heaters. Can I send the quotations also?

I will pray for An De Baker that she may get better soon. God bless-Henry

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: maandag 30 oktober 2006 20:59
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: news

Dear Papa and Mama,

Things have become so expensive in Kenya. Construction or building materials, including cement, blocks, sand, roofing timber, desks, chairs, steel-grilled windows/doors, iron corrugated roofing sheets, etc-this is what makes building expensive. Inflation is so high now. I may probably end up building just one classroom.

Thank you for your help-Henry

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: vrijdag 27 oktober 2006 18:35
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: news.

Dear Papa and Mama,

Thank you very much for your email. In my last email to you I mentioned I had received the two suitcases full of toys and clothes. I do not know whether you read it.

Many of the children come from the slums of Athi River. I have now five teachers and I pay them 7,000shillings each every month. This is just minimum to them.

About the three classes I wish to build for January, I am just asking for donations from well wishers. It will cost about 3,000 euros per one class enough for 45children,total 135 new children (three classes) in January 2007.The children want to learn so much. They cry they want to be in school because they want to solve their poverty and diseases.

The Benedictine sisters help me with the medicine and treating the children. All the children are so so poor the way you saw them when we went with the German doctors. I am just asking many people to help my project.

Brother Augustine was transferred to Nanyuki, near Mount Kenya, in June.

Thank you and may God bless you all

Van: acfo@swiftkenya.com [mailto:acfo@swiftkenya.com]
Verzonden: vrijdag 29 september 2006 17:55
Aan: Fred Stetter
Onderwerp: Re: new school

Dear Mama and Papa,

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the two suitcases full of toys and lovely shirts and sweaters. Thank you very, very much. They called me from Intercontinental Hotel where I picked them today afternoon at the reception. I did not meet the airline pilot. May be he was resting. This is very good for the children. Is there any hope of sending more the same way? It is very efficient way of sending such things.

About my plans for the school in January, I hope to build three more classrooms (Standard One, Two and Three). Each class will have 45 children. To build one class for 45 children is about 3,000EUROS.I am also writing to a parish in England and another in America and see whether they can help. I will also build a kitchen, toilets and some shelters for the children who can not go home.

You are right!! I hope some parents will be able to pay a little fees for the teachers.

Thank you so much-Henry