The Help to Hope QuestProgramme

“Every child, despite geographic location has the right to live comfortably and be educated, and have every

opportunity to reach their full potential in life.”

The Story

The resting place of Mama Paulina Okello, the selfless woman who spent her life caring and nurturing the vulnerable children of Mukuro.

Joseph Oloo. The visionary and hard-working man who has dedicated his life to offering quality, affordable education to the children and families of Mukuro, Kenya.

2

The Mama Paulina School of Hope is being established on the inherited family land of Joseph

Oloo, a young man who was raised in Mukuro, Kenya. His Grandmother, Paulina Okello was a kind-hearted and loving woman who used to look after dozens of local children, mainly orphans of the community, offering them food, a roof over their heads, love and educating them to the best of her abilities.

Mama Paulina’s compassion for the vulnerable was passed onto her grandson throughout his childhood and as a teenager growing up in the region, he saw the difference she was making to these young lives. After her passing in 2007 Joseph’s vision and desire to continue his grandmother’s work grew stronger, as he had seen the profound effect she has made on the vulnerable children of the region.

At that moment, Joseph began to build a brick dwelling, with the hope of creating something beneficial for his family through potential business or trade. But as each hand-made brick was moulded and as the walls grew taller, it was clear to him that a school was being created before his very eyes.

After finishing the building, I heard a call, that I needed to involve the community directly. What of the children who have nothing, and families who cannot even support themselves? I had developed a sense of responsibility for the less fortunate directly from the actions of my Grandmother. I also knew that by setting up a school not for financial gain was going to be a challenge as we are also from a poor family, but I have the opportunity to give those who have nothing, something. Out of love, we can achieve what we cannot afford.

The SchoolThe Mama Paulina School of Hope is a Primary

School located in the remote town of Mukuro, Kenya. (Approx 8-9 hours bus drive from the Capital City, Nairobi)

The School offers quality affordable education to the vulnerable students of the region, who unfortunately come from very poor families, it is a sacrifice and a financial stretch for these families to even send their children to school!

There are approximately 140 students currently enrolled, with a growing percentage of these students, orphans. The students range from 3 to 8 years of age.

The School currently has a 5 classroom brick dwelling, and two drop pit toilets.

Cramped classrooms, basic furniture, little to no teaching resources...each day can be an enduring task.

Financial support for the School is minimal, the fees the children’s families pay for their education, simply cannot sustain the school expenses day-to-day. A percentage of what fees are received go back to the children directly, feeding and nourishing them at the start of the school day and directly and supporting attending children who do not have parents or a reliable support network.

The dedicated staff are unique. They all work with passion and enthusiasm without the financial rewards that quality teachers receive in a higher feeing paying public school.

The children and the teachers hold up their new School Emblem, designed by SCRIBE Magazine which marks the beginning of an ongoing overseas assistance programme.

SCRIBE Director, Cam Allen during his time at the school in April 2012 assisting with the nourishing programme for the school students.

3

4

Planting the SeedSCRIBE Magazine Director, Cam Allen heard a similar

call in 2011. Coming across Joseph Oloo was a blessing in disguise and as soon as dialogue occured between them, two like-minded men came together as distant brothers. After many conversations via email, both quickly shared a passion for positive change, and a desire to enrich lives of the less fortunate and creating educational opportunities.

Enter Kate Miller, from Destination Dreaming. Kate and Cam came across one another through a common interest in service learning through both of their educational endeavours. After a few telephone conversations from opposite sides of the country they both realised they shared much of the same passions and a desire to create meaningful educational experiences.

Both Kate and Cam had been touched by Joseph’s vision and without hesitation two tickets to Kenya were booked and very soon three strangers would meet for the first time. After a long and arduous series of flights and a marathon bus trip into the late hours of the night, the trio finally met and quickly formed a bond and unique friendship.

All three of them were driven by a burning passion to assist in a cause that felt absolutely necessary. They all felt the same when they met, and spent hours talking, walking, laughing, reflecting and planning. Very quickly their eyes opened up to the potential that collectively they could make a real difference to the lives of young children and their families in this remote area.

The Help to Hope Quest had just been born.

Three strangers Cam Allen, Kate Miller and Joseph Oloo with a common goal, banding together in Kenya to create a positive change to a remote school community.

Destination Dreaming and SCRIBE Magazine, two Australian entities aimed at inspiring others through service learning and educational experiences.

5

The Quest - Our GoalsEducation occurs through any experience that has a

formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. A good educator facilitates these experiences with passion and open-mindedness.

The Help to Hope Quest is a fundraising programme aimed at such people who can also serve as ambassadors for positive change.

It is a programme aimed at team work, extensive fundraising and uniting individuals who have an opportunity to support a meaningful, grassroots education project.

The team is chosen by selecting individuals who can not only raise money within their school, business and/or communities, but can offer something to this cultural service-learning experience.

Collectively, funds raised in 2012 by each team member will directly and immediately support the development of the Mama Paulina School of Hope in the following ways;

• Fund, establish and erect a new teaching block for 2013 so that the school can continue to educate beyond Class 3. (At present, there is no room to develop and accept any new students)

• Fund and improve the facilities of the school with practical classroom furniture and better learning and teaching resources and materials.

• Fund and install electricity to the school and surrounding village dwellings/huts so that parents will have the opportunity to be educated at night and information and communication technology can be introduced into the school, creating new opportunities and connecting them with the world.

• Fund and install water storage tanks. (Water is one of the most precious and expensive commodities in Kenya - At the School it is crucial for consumption and construction!)

• Fund the associated local labour costs for construction and purchasing materials including bricks and timber.

Joseph Oloo and Cam Allen sitting in one of the existing classrooms discussing what is required to develop the school into 2013 and beyond.

Some of the children playing in the school compound next to one of the brick kilns! All of the bricks that make up the existing block and future blocks are hand-made from the red earth of the school grounds.

6

The Quest - The journey to KenyaDAY 1The adventure commences when we arrive in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. We spend the evening getting to know one another, enjoying dinner and an orientation to the Quest.

DAY 2 After an early breakfast, we hit the road, for the long drive to Mukuro. It is a long journey, but provides a fantastic opportunity to take in the countryside, hustle and bustle of Nairobi and village life. If we’re lucky, we may even spot a giraffe or zebra by the roadside. We stop off to look out over the stunning Rift Valley, and later for lunch. We arrive at Mukuro in the evening to meet the amazing man behind the School of Hope, Joseph Oloo.

DAY 3We are greeted with our first morning in beautiful Mukuro. After breakfast, we enjoy a lesson in the local dialect and culture, which will assist greatly in immersing ourselves in the community for the week to come. Then it’s time to meet the students, teachers and parents of the School of Hope. We spend the afternoon in the classroom, speaking with members of the school community and settling in. Later in the afternoon, we take a walk through the village behind the school grounds, chatting with locals and taking in the sunset.

DAYS 4–7For the next four days, we throw ourselves into supporting the School of Hope community and learning from the diverse and warm culture of the residents of Mukuro. For teachers, this provides an amazing personal development opportunity to experience teaching in a low-resource, intercultural environment. This is also a two-way learning experience: for you to share lesson ideas and strategies with the local teachers and to take home creative new ideas for your classrooms and your businesses.

We also spend time supporting aspects of the project that lie outside the classroom, which may include farming, painting, making bricks… just be prepared to laugh and get dirty!

DAY 8It’s the weekend, so we take a trip to nearby Lake Victoria, to gain an insight into the local fishing industry. It’s a beautiful spot to take stock and relax with a cold drink. In the afternoon, we explore the local fish markets and pick out some of the fresh catch for dinner. If we’re lucky, the cooks with let us in on the secret to preparing ‘tilapia’, a delicious type of fish found in Lake Victoria.

DAYS 9–10 The morning of Day 9 brings an emotional farewell to the students, staff and parents of the School of Hope community. It has been an incredible week, of highlights, challenges and much learning from one another. Though it is hard to say goodbye, this is not doubt only the very beginning of our relationship with Mukuro and the School of Hope.

No Kenyan journey is complete without experiencing some of the incredible wildlife, so we hit the road for Maasai Mara, one of the most famous game parks in Africa. We spend the afternoon and following day on the hunt for lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, beautiful bird life… an African game drive is really an incredible experience.

DAY 11After breakfast, we begin our journey back to Nairobi, winding back through small villages and the Rift Valley to the city. We enjoy a final supper together, followed by a reflection on our time in Mukuro and the steps we may take to continue the quest upon returning home.

DAY 12 Today brings our last morning in Nairobi. After breakfast, we head into town for a quick visit to the shops - few visitors to Kenya can return home without their quota of coffee beans! Then it’s off to the airport for our flight home. The end of an amazing journey for a pioneering group… but also just the beginning…

7

NB: The above itinerary is a rough overview of the January 2013 Trip to Mukuro. Full details will be released before November 2012.

8

The world is proving that there are still humble, loving, listening and caring hearts who are ready to sacrifice and join together in helping to implement this vision to a mission.

Fundraising TOOLBOX

1 – ONLINE FUNDRAISINGCreate an online fund-raising page. Create a web page, send the link to your family, friends, co-workers, colleagues, team mates, etc. and collect donations via credit cards online. It’s easy and simple, and eliminates spending a lot of time sending letters, calling people, and organizing big events. Set up a paypal account, a quick and easy way to receive payments. Have a look at the Links section on Page 11 to see some handy websites.

2 – LOCAL SPONSORSHIPWrite, email and phone local businesses in your area and see if they can sponsor you personally so that you can reach your target amount. You may like to offer them an opportunity to showcase their business on the SCRIBE Magazine website, or become a ‘Help to Hope’ Sponsor. They will be publicly acknowledged and promoted for their selfless donations. We can supply appropriate promotional material for your cause.

3 – WALKATHON This is a good way to raise money and also help everyone stay fit at the same time. You can collect pledges from your friends, family and neighbors for

every mile that you walk. You can even organize an event where a few more people will join you walking. This will not only help raise more money, it will also let more people participate and contribute towards a good cause.

If you are a teacher in a school, you can arrange with the Principal or Senior Executive to allocate a walkathon for staff and students with proceeds going towards your cause. It may start out at an assembly where you have the opportunity to present your fundraising idea to the entire school/company community, and then build on this momentum.

4 – DROP YOUR CHANGEDonation boxes at the cash counter in stores and malls, or at your school/business reception where there is a picture or a message on the box stating where or for which cause the money would go to. You can use this idea and do the same thing in your school, college or business. This principle works well when you have numerous boxes in a variety of locations.

9

Although fundraising is a rewarding and worthwhile activity, it is although challenging and can often take you outside of your comfort zone. When an individual is challenged and is willing to put themselves out there, great things can

and generally do happen.

Fundraising is one of the best ways you may do to earn money for your cause or charity. It is also considered as an independent way because you make your own money by selling something that many people like very much. However, the things you sell must be potential to raise your money significantly. It means that you sell them and get great deal of profit. Therefore, finding the right place to get cheap fundraising items to sell should be very important for you. Besides, you also need to find the best place that provides you various items to sell so that you are able to choose what items meet your needs.

The following 25 fundraising ideas have been put together with the Help to Hope Quest in mind and the variety of different ways you can achieve your target amounts in your school, workplace or community:

Fundraising TOOLBOX5 – SAUSAGE SIZZLESOne of the most effective fundraising activities. Arrange with your sporting club, school, business, shopping centre or friends. We will provide you with the necessary imagery and resources to assist with the promotion of the event, including the official ‘Help to Hope’ poster and flyer highlighting the cause.

6 – RAFFLEThis is by far the most common method used in fundraising events. Everyone just loves the idea of contributing to a good cause, and at the same time being in with a chance of winning a prize. This also can be done in two ways. In the first method, you determine a buying price for each ticket, and get the prizes sponsored by local businesses and stores, whom of course you will give publicity to at the event. In the second method, called a 50/50 raffle, keep half of the proceeds as the big prize for the winner, while the other half goes towards your charity.

7 – EMAILStill use e-mail to get the word out, just do not make it your only way. E-mail is still great for reminders and for those you may not have a physical address for, but you can get pretty creative if you need to!

8 – NEWSLETTERSIf you know someone that writes stories for the neighborhood newsletter or blogs on-line, ask them to feature your story. The local council and businesses also send out newsletters. Ask if any will write up a story for you. If you are working in a school, promote your fundraising in the weekly newsletter or the online newsletter to parents, this will ensure you reach a larger and diverse audience.

9 – BLOG ABOUT IT!Sign up for Squidoo and blog about your charity. You can earn money on your popular articles called “lenses”,

sell products or set them up to donate to charity. You are paid via paypal monthly.

10 – JEANS DAY, FREE DRESS DAY Ask your employer if they will host a jeans or casual work day in exchange for a donation to your cause. Particularly effective in Schools if you have flexible leaders!

11 – PRODUCT DONATIONSAsk companies and businesses you frequent often if they are willing to donate any items for a raffle, drawing or auction. (A similar process to receiving prizes for Quiz Nights)

12 – SELL YOUR SKILLSIf you have a certain skill or interesting service through your current employment or even if it is a hobby, donate some of your time at a reduced rate. Eg. If you are good with a camera, offer family portraits at $200 for a couple of hours, in return they will get a few dozen photos on disc for a fraction of the price they would normally pay for such a photo.

13 – CHOCOLATE DRIVESCadbury offers fundraising committees and individuals a choice of carry boxes, which include top selling products such as Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate, Freddo, Caramello Koala and Cherry Ripe. www.fundraising.com.au/

10

Fundraising TOOLBOX14 – JELLYBEAN/LOLLY COUNT - GUESS THE JARA Jellybean count is often part of a wider fundraising event, e.g. school fete. A large jar is filled with Jelly beans or other lollies. Children pay to guess how many sweets are in the jar. At the end of the event the guess closest to the correct amount wins the jar of sweets. Don’t forget to count the sweets as you are filling up the jar! You can specify $3 for 1 guess, $5 for 2 guesses!

15 – THE HEART MEMORIAL BRICK PROGRAMMEThis is an initiative which will assist in your fundraising efforts, all you need to do is sell the bricks to your contacts! A $500 donation will purchase a brick for the foundation of the new block at The Mama Paulina School of Hope. The recipients name and message will be engraved on a anodised metal plaque, and placed on one of the bricks in the centre of the school, the Heart Memorial, which will be erected in memory of ‘Mama Paulina’, the Grandmother of the School founder, Joseph Oloo, whose life work forms the foundation of the School and his efforts in providing quality education to the underprivileged. The Heart memorial will be the location where future school assemblies will be held, and where the School of Hope flag will be raised proudly to celebrate the growth and development of the school, moreso, a dedication to all of the friends who donate to help keep the school alive! The other significant part of this programme, is that all bricks that form the structure of the existing block are made by hand, an expensive undertaking and time-consuming process….more bricks are needed to be made quickly, for the second block to be erected.

The donor who purchases a brick will receive personal letters from children at the school, a personalised photo of their aluminium plaque and brick with the children, plus be placed on the donor network, so they will receive monthly updates of the progress of the school and see exactly where their money is going! Their

contribution wil also be published in SCRIBE Magazine, with a profile of themselves/their business.

All of the resources are already prepared for you, all you need to do is hand it out to your contacts, we will take care of all of the admin, plaque production and freight, and the balance is contributed directly to your target amount! (Contact Cam for more details)

16 – BOOK SALESAsk all of your friends, co-workers, and extended communities to donate a ‘Book for a Cause’, then create a book sale, with all of the proceeds going towards your target amount. You would be amazed at how many people will donate a variety of different books. The idea is that you sell them at bargain prices. This is a very effective way of fundraising in schools but also at Swap-meets on Sunday mornings around WA.

17 – BENEFIT PERFORMANCE/SContact your local Arts Centre, Council, drama group, local musicians and/or choirs and organise a charity performance with proceeds going towards your cause.

18 – DONATE AN HOUR’S PAYAsk your collegaues to join you in donating an hours pay on a certain day, make it known to the local community newspaper, newsletter and or media in order to profile the generous people willing to sacrifice their hard earned mony for a good cause.

19 – BASKET RAFFLEEvery class picks a theme for their basket — something like sports, chocolate, or summer fun. Items for the basket are donated, and raffle tickets are sold for each basket. You can make quite a profit with this idea!

11

Fundraising TOOLBOX20 – HOST FRIDAY NIGHT/ARVO WORK DRINKSAsk your colleagues at your place of work if you can host one of the Friday afternoon drinks sessions, make it a bit different offering a greater variety of drinks and nibbles, ask for gold coin donation for the food and charge for the drinks accordingly, a good one-off fundraiser. This is particularly effective if you promote it by giving staff as much information about your cause/charity so they feel they are contributing to something worthwhile!

21 – CAR WASHFind a local car wash business to sponsor your event, or have a DIY car wash in a prominent parking lot where you supply the helpers, soap, water, and towels. If you are in a school, Kids can design signs to advertise your fundraiser on main street corners. You can be very creative with this one!

22 – BAKE SALEThis is an easy fundraiser to run. You will want to give a call out to all of the bakers in your group, business/school and have them make their specialty. Make sure you have an assortment of different types of desserts ranging from cookies and muffins to whole cakes and pies. You will want to package items individually (single cookies) and in larger groups (plates of cookies) so that you have something for everyone. Clearly label all items with a price and ingredients list. Clearly mark anything with nuts so you don’t have any allergic reactions. On the day of the sale, set everything up on a long table. Have a cash box and have at least twenty dollars in small bills and coins for making change. Sell bottled water and soda to wash down the yummy goodness!

23 – SELF-SACRIFICEGive up smoking, drinking, chocolate, anything and donate the money you would have spent to The Mama Paulina School of Hope and your target amount.

24 – FACE PAINTINGChildren love to have their face painted. This is a popular activity at carnivals and fetes. Set up a face painting booth at your next craft show or fair. Enlist the help of some talented artists from your group to help paint faces. Have a practice session before hand so that you will know what you are doing. Face painting kits can be bought online and at some party supply stores. Shop around for the best deal. You will want to have seats, water for cleaning brushes, wet wipes, face paints and examples of face painting that the kids can choose from. As your young customers walk around they will drive more customers to you.

25 – YOUR IDEAOften the best fundraising ideas are those that fit YOU and your day-to-day working, personal and social environments. Utilise your skills, your contacts and your opportuntities, because resilience and persistence in fundraising is the key to success!

12

Fundraising LINKShttp://www.expressions.com.au/fundraising/schools

http://www.australianfundraising.com.au/

http://www.mycause.com.au

http://www.everydayhero.com.au

http://www.schoolfunrun.com.au/

http://www.gofundraise.com.au/

NB: All of the above fundraising initiatives are tools for you to commence your fundraising journey. If you require additional support and visual resources please contact Cam Allen.

Fundraising TIPSONLINE FUNDRAISING is a great way to spread the word about your event and your fundraising efforts. You’ll be amazed at how generous your friends, family and colleagues are when they learn about your activities and commitment.

Every bit counts. Following these simple tips will help maximise your fundraising efforts and make a real difference to marginalised communities need around the world.

1. Inspiration inspiresLet others know why you are fundraising for The Mama Paulina School of Hope. What inspired you could inspire them! Share the resources provided and your passion for the project, this can make a huge impact in inspiring others to donate. Personalise your page or online space with photos and upload videos from youtube.

3. Donate to your own eventIf you are asking other people to support your fundraising efforts, why not kick start your fundraising by donating to your own event? Your supporters will be impressed!

4. Utilise your social networksFacebook and twitter are the two most popular social networking sites. Update your progress and encourage friends, family and colleagues to donate by sharing the direct link to your webpage.Facebook tip: use the direct message option, rather then posting it on your wall as this is not targeted enough. Creating lists of friends, family and colleagues and direct messaging them is more persuasive as they can see you have specifically asked them. By creating lists of people who have a relationship with one another (Friends/ Family/ Workmates) you encourage more conversation and community support around your efforts.

5. Update your email signatureUpdate your email signature with your direct URL to your fundraising page.

6. Ask your boss to match the donations you raiseConsider asking your manager or employer to contribute to your fundraising by matching a certain amount of donations.

7. Keep updating your progress regularlyOften friends who mean to donate simply forget, or get distracted with other things. Weekly email updates to your supporters will help to inspire and prompt them to donate. It’s your opportunity to remind them that you (The Help to Hope Programme) need their help through a donation to your webpage. Consider a Free account to mailchimp, an effective online newsletter programme, allowing you to be as creative as you like and create your own personalised database of recipients. You can also include photos of yourself in your endeavours to fundraise. SCRIBE Magazine will also be posting your efforts on the website, you can refer potential donors to these links!

8. Continue to fundraise after your eventIt is likely that people will continue to donate after your event when they see and read about how it went. Update your webpage including the blog and photos with details on how your event went.

9. Be CreativeIf your ideas are out there, and a bit crazy, the more likely they will work. Give everythign a go, you might surprise yourself how good you are at this!

10. Say thanks!Dont forget to thank your supporters. People like to be acknowledged and it’s great to update them on how much was raised and how well your event/fundraising went.

13

14

ContactPROGRAMME/FUNDRAISING COORDINATOR

Cam Allen - SCRIBE Magazine

Mob: 0402 234 280Office: 08 9330 5373Email: cam@solacedesign.comWeb: www.scribemagazine.com.auSkype: cam.allen

PROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Kate Miller - Destination Dreaming

Mob: 0417 123 799Email: kate@destinationdreaming.com.auWeb: www.destinationdreaming.com.au

TRAVEL AGENT

Jeff Morcombe - Morcombe Travel

Office: 08 9325 5557Email: perth@morcombetravel.comWeb: www.morcombetravel.com