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Electronic MailPlease think about adding your name to our electronic mailing list – in addition to our newsletters, Kate sends out letters and updates electronically throughout the year and announces special events as well; without an email address, donors and sponsors may miss these communications . If you do not have a computer – consider asking a family member or friend if you can provide their email information – when Hekima News is received, they can print the information for you!!! We appreciate your help to reduce our printing and mailing costs.

Kate UpdateKate wants you to know that she is deeply grateful for the love and concern that has come her way since her auto accident.

It has been over 4 weeks since the accident. Kate was operated on to “put her leg back together” on March 10. Since then Kate is practicing a lot of patience as she convalesces. The airbag did not deploy which caused a lot of muscular injury to her upper body which must heal on its own. Unfortunately, these injuries are slowing down her use of the walker and crutches. Kate’s leg has eight nails in it and she is “thinking so much of how Jesus bore the nails in his hands and feet”.This definitely helps to ease her pain and complaining. Kate hopes to use her crutches soon and can’t wait to be up and about. Her doctor is pleased with the healing process and she will have the nails removed soon. We are all grateful for that. She has learned “ouch” is really pronounced “ooch” by her colleagues and that provides some humor as she continues to heal and those “ooches” get less and less.

She was greatly missed at our Engine House event and as she said, “I will weep as I think of all of you in that sweet place with all of that good food”. Please feel free to contact Kate via email at hekimaplace@yahoo.com. Kate looks forward to hearing from everyone and seeing everyone in August.

The Third Annual Hekima Place Golf Outing will be held at Olde Stonewall Golf Club, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania on September 3, 2014. Old Stonewall is a Western PA premier public golf course and we welcome the golfers that have supported our past outings and many new golfers to our event. For further details, check out our website as the event gets closer.

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We were delighted to visit Hekima Place and have an opportunity to positively impact the lives of those young girls. Being there as collegiate students and as athletes, it was our hope to add to the encouragement that Kate Fletcher and all associated with Hekima Place give these young girls to live their dreams

and know that anything in life can be possible by believing in yourself, and by showing the way to becoming strong, educated women. The joy the girls gave us while there,

the trust they placed in us, and the unspoken reminder of the power of a simple smile and a warm embrace was amazing. As a head soccer coach overseeing this group, I watched the interaction and heard the laughter between our college students and the girls of Hekima Place and it was a joy to behold.

Also, we experienced first-hand the power of love shown by the staff at Hekima Place to young children desperately in need of that sense of belonging and self-worth. Love, compassion and education will pave the way for them to grow up and know that the cycle does not have to continue. Central to it all, is their faith and that gives them comfort and hope as they live day to day.

Most of all, what we learned during our time there is that the education of young girls is vital. It is said that women make up seventy percent of those living in poverty across the globe. Education is the stairway that can lead them out of poverty, empowering young girls to be better than how society often views them. One thing we heard that struck us is that we are not better than the people in Kenya, and we are not smarter; it’s just that we are luckier. And it is so true! Talent is universal, opportunity is not.

During our vistit, we saw the daily plight of young children and adults on the streets and the devastating conditions they are constantly faced with in an underdeveloped country. Driving by the slums of Kibera opened our eyes for sure. The challenge as we get back into the comforts of our lives and far away

Spring 2014

“Athletes For Forgotten Angels” Visit Hekima PlaceBy Noreen Herlihy, Slippery Rock Head Women’s Soccer Coach

from seeing it, is that we don’t forget that somewhere in the world, our fellow human beings are suffering in horrific poverty. We can all make a small difference, and it can be as close to home as in our own neighborhoods and local communities, or in another part of the world. We are all part of the human race and we can certainly make a difference in the lives of others, and especially in the life of a child. We all have something to contribute; we simply just have to choose it! We (all) will truly remember the experience we had at Hekima Place.

Be blessed in knowing that your love and generosity is being well received. The girls continue to grow in beauty, grace and wisdom. Thank you Mum Kate and staff for all your love and hard work.

We will all truly remember the experience we had at Hekima Place and we want to thank everyone for their support of Hekima Place. Be blessed in knowing that your love and generosity is being well received. The girls continue to grow in beauty, grace and wisdom. Thank you Mum Kate and staff for all your love and hard work - its immeasurable.

On behalf of Hekima Place, we thank the SRU athletes for their time and the love and compassion they showed our girls. The Athletes for Forgotten Angels group began in 2008 at Slippery Rock University (Slippery Rock, PA). The group chooses one destination each year and in January, 2014, led by Noreen Herlihy,, the athletes made their first trip to Africa and choose to visit Hekima Place. Joining Herlihy on the service trip was women’s soccer players Dana O’Neill, Izabel Scott, Nicole Krueger, Brooke Edwards and Shannon Mahoney and softball players Kalli Wakefield and Emily Lobdell.

Hekima Place welcomes the Slippery Rock University Athletes

Christine works on her dribbling skills

SRU hosts a soccer camp for our girls

Baby Blessing is a SRU fan!

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Hekima Place welcomes anyone interested in becoming a sponsor to join our sponsorship program. The donation is $750/year per child which helps to defray the cost of housing, nutrition, school needs and tuition; you can also co-sponsor a girl for $375/year or support one of our university girls by providing for their tuition cost of $1500/semester. For your sponsorship support, you will receive information on the girl you will be

supporting and her picture. Although we encourage our sponsors to write to their sponsor child and send birthday and Christmas cards, it is not necessary, however, you will receive letters from your sponsor child during the year.For more information visit our website at www.hekimaplace.org.

A Remarkable Visitby Mark Rucci

I am lucky enough to go to a university that offers an extended Winter Break; this provided the perfect platform for Molly, my cousin, and I to visit Hekima Place. From the moment we stepped off the plane to the day it came time for us to leave Hekima Place, we felt nothing short of loved by all of Kenya. Initially, our goal was to travel to Kenya and use some of our talents in hopes of bettering the lives of several dozen young girls. After returning to the United States and reflecting on our experience, unbeknownst to us, our mere efforts transferred a sense of hope onto them and Molly and me. Hope for these girls to finish school. Hope for these girls to grow up whole, after having pieces taken from them their whole lives. Hope for these girls to usher in a new role for women in Africa. And, hope for us to share the story of Hekima Place with others in America. Helping has a marvelous side; it rewards the one who serves equally if not more than those being served.

For years, my Grandmom and Mom have talked about Aunt Dottie, Africa Kate, or even sometimes the Flying Nun. Never would I have thought that one day she would come into my life and allow me to develop a fuller picture of the world. If she taught me anything, it was this: the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong in the world. My future plans? Return to Kenya and Hekima Place, of course.(Mark and Molly are relatives of Kate Fletcher; and Mark is a student at the University of Delaware).

My name is Eunice Wawira. I was born on 29th December 1994 in some rural place called nyeri (it’s one of the 47 counties in Kenya). Both parents died on the same year 2002.I have three siblings - two sisters and

one brother who is the last born. After my parents’ death, we were separated to different places. Our aunties took each one of us except my little brother and sister who stayed together. The aunt who took me was kind of mentally unstable; she used to beat the hell out of me. I was lucky to be taken to a nearby public school. I didn’t know how to read or write. I would be chased home to go get money for exam fee which would take me like two weeks at home. I was a poor student. My little sister was the first one to come to Hekima Place. Her name is Arabina. She is in tenth grade. In 2006, I was accepted in Hekima Place.....I was a little nervous because it was the first time to come to Nairobi and to Hekima place because I didn’t know anyone except my little sister. When I got to Hekima Place, I found so many girls who were to become my sisters. It was exciting. I was shown my bed and given some clothes. Later on,that Monday I was taken to school by mum Kate, It was a private school called Hekima primary, I was taken to class five. Since that day my academic life changed, though I still performed poorly, I still had some hopes that someday things would change and I would be a good performer. In my final year I worked day and night to get good marks in our final national exams. I attained 347 out of 500 marks. Everyone was really happy for me. In 2010 I joined high school, honestly boarding life was a bit tough, and I suffered lots of homesick. The following year I changed schools and joined Excel girls high school. It was good and last year I did my final exam and got a C PLUS. I was really excited because I would have a chance to join a university. I am preparing myself to join a university this coming May, I want to pursue a degree in mass communication. I have a dream of helping some other children go to school just like I was also helped. I want to thank all the sponsors, donors and well-wishers of Hekima may GOD bless you so much.Eunice is one of our university bound and we celebrate with her and the other graduates.

A Letter From Eunice…. University Bound

Our high school graduates have made us proud with their final exam scores including two C’s, one C+ and one A-. The A- was the first to be scored in one of our secondary schools and everyone at Hekima Place has been shouting and screaming, even to the cows!!

Kate is currently preparing to find a place for Njambi to study PHARMACY with a hostel included; Eunice will be readily accepted to IT/BUSINESS with her C+; Bea wants INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS with only math as her low mark; and AVIATION is the choice for Maggie with her C.

FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY THOUSAND students took the exam in November, and only one hundred thousand got C+ and above, so all of them are heroes. Congratulations to Njambi, Eunice, Bea and Maggie for their hard work, and the challenges they have overcome to reach their high school graduation and best wishes as they begin their next phase of education in a career of THEIR choosing.

Kate has asked that we “Rejoice as we start the search for universities”.

Have You Ever Considered Becoming a Sponsor?

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My first trip to Hekima Place was in December of 2011. I accompanied my daughter* on her fourth visit. Mum Kate was in the U.S. and most of the girls were on home visits. There were nine girls who had no families to visit and we spent quite a bit of time with them. We helped them with chores, took hikes and a few excursions since school was not in session. I was somewhat overwhelmed when Kate and all the girls returned. I tried, but I could not put all the faces together with the names and there just wasn’t enough time to get to know all those beautiful young ladies before I had to return home. This past January, I accompanied the Slippery Rock athletes to Hekima Place. This was a much shorter trip for me; schools were in session and the elementary girls were dedicating time to their studies and there were more volunteers to help out. I figured I would probably re-connect with those nine girls I had gotten to know so well but was pleasantly surprised that I remembered more girls and names than I thought I would, and many remembered me, even though I had only known them for a few brief days, two years earlier. It was a week to renew friendships, and not having to worry about orienting to a “new” environment allowed me to focus more on these relationships and getting to know the mums and uncles that do what needs to be done to insure the girls get housed, fed and loved. The most noticeable thread through all of these interactions is love. The love that Mum Kate has for the girls is reflected by the staff, by the girls, and by the volunteers – and all to each other. What a wonderful experience to have had – twice!

*The “daughter” Tom refers to is our very own Sarah Markwardt!!! And thank you to Tom for graciously accompanying the Slippery Rock group on their first visit to Hekima Place. Tom is a Park Ranger for the US National Park Service and is stationed at Fort Necessity National Battlefield.

Second Annual Engine House Event a Great Success!

Coming May 4th –The 2014 Pittsburgh Marathon

The 2014 Marathon is “sold out” and Hekima Place is once again part of this great Pittsburgh event. This is the second year Sarah Markwardt is chairing this event for Hekima Place. We have more runners this year and we are hoping to surpass last year’s donations. There will be a cheering station located at the corner of Friendship and Negley Avenues and anyone interested is welcome to join in to meet other volunteers and cheer on all of the marathon runners! Also, it’s not too late to sponsor one of our runners. Visit our website, click the Events tab and select “Pittsburgh Marathon Donations”.

So many “thank you”s go out to Janet Hauge - Event Chair, her committee and all the evening’s volunteers, for making the March 29th Second Annual Engine House “Angels in the Outfield” event a huge success. Gourmet appetizers and Engine House wine was enjoyed by everyone; attendees also got to purchase wine donated by the Perryman

Company that had a specially prepared Hekima Place logo label. Thank you also to the individuals and numerous Pittsburgh merchants

that donated to the silent auction and the live auction that included sports memorabilia and a guitar signed by Bruce Springsteen. Jim DiPiero, board president, addressed the sell-out group and spoke about our high school girls recent grades that will propel them into university and beyond and thanked our donors and sponsors for their help to make that happen. And a very special thank you to everyone that attended. Although Kate could not make the event due to her recent accident, she was there in spirit and had to feel the love for her and the girls that was shown by everyone all evening long.

A Father’s Thoughts US Board Welcomes New Members

The Board of Directors recently welcomed 4 new members who are passionate about our organization and will help to insure the success and legacy of Hekima Place. We welcome ...Jenniffer Burk is the Director of Corporate and Foundation Gifts at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. After meeting Kate, hearing the story of Hekima Place, and pondering how she could help such a great organization and cause she decided to accept the board’s invitation and is now dedicated to helping the girls become successful in life and having a chance to contribute to society.Joe Nocito is the Business Development Officer for Nocito Enterprises, Inc. Joe first met Kate during a visit to Hekima Place with new board member Alexis Wukich. When asked to join the board he felt “honored” and is determined to help fellow board members continue the mission of Hekima Place and support its plans to grow and expand its mission into other areas of need.Alexis Wukich is an attorney with Harris Wukich and met Kate when Kate visited the Rotary Club of Downtown Pittsburgh. After Kate’s visit, the club elected to sponsor two students’ tuition. When Alexis and the rotary president felt compelled to do more, they lobbied for their club to consider adopting Hekima Place as a signature project. In order to get a better grasp of the Hekima operation and how to best contribute to it, On behalf of the Rotary, Alexis offered to visit Hekima Place. Around the same time, Kate asked if she would be interested in joining the board and she accepted instantly to have the opportunity to make a serious difference in the lives of Hekima’s amazing children.Chris Zepf is the founder and portfolio manager of Kingdom Ridge Capital. He met Kate when she first spoke at his church, St. Patrick’s in Bedford, NY and their relationship has grown since then. Chris joined the board because Hekima Place has been a Godsend to dozens of girls since Kate started it, and wants to look back in years to come and marvel even more at the impact Kate’s vision and heart have had on many more girls.We continue to be inspired by the difference one person can make - not just Kate, but each board member, donor, benefactor, sponsor, volunteer and friend of Hekima Place.

by Tom Markwardt