Canadian donors give Tongareni pupils Bedkits

It was joy for six hundred pupils, 300 boys and 300 girls of Siangalamwe primary school from Soysambu Mitua ward in Tongaren constituency between the age of 6 and 12 years after each of them was given a bed kit by ‘Sleeping children around the world’ a Canadian based NGO in conjunction with Nairobi rotary club.

Gideon Akwabi the director of community services at the Nairobi rotary club said they saw the need to help the children from poor backgrounds to sleep well saying it helps a lot in having the children concentrate in class which transforms to better grades.

He said the NGO and the rotary club has had the program running for the last ten years with this year being the eleventh one saying they have spent 165 million in the last ten years and they have received 15 million this year saying they have so far distributed the kits in Makindu, Nyeri, Gilgil, Bungoma and will also distribute Narok and Nairobi.

“A typical bed kit would have a mattress, Mosquito net, shirt, short, school bag and school stationery and each kit averages a cost of 3 thousand shillings and with the six hundred beneficiaries today a total of 1.8 million has been spent to the children here” he said

He further disclosed that they are focusing on improving the lives of the children at the grass root level to make them be independent after acquiring education rather than be dependent on other people saying education is an equalizer.

On their part the couple that helped the program be implemented at Siangalamwe, Patrick  and Christine Wandabwa expressed their appreciation to the donors for having brought the kits to the children and welcomed them to come back and assess the impact it had created after some years.

Their sentiments were echoed by Lawyer Nickson Sifuna who called upon the parents to take care of the kits given to their children saying some well wishers from Canada have denied themselves so as to help the poor children saying they must be able to transform their lives thereafter.

He also took the opportunity to give out a football to Siangalamwe primary school saying children should not only concentrate on their academic work only but also in co curricular activities which he termed to be vital in grooming an all round student.