On November 14, we welcomed guests DG Jerry Chapman and District Foundation Chair Christine Kempff. Our own PP Ben Carssow and Foundation Chair Frank Ivy, accepted for NxNE Austin Rotary Club a Foundation Banner which recognizes a per capita Foundation donation of $100 or more, and a EREY Banner which recognizes that every member of our club donated to the Foundation. Both of these banners were in recognition of our efforts in the 2017-2018 Rotary year.
Next Christine Kempff, District Foundation Chair, awarded seven Paul Harris pins. Tink Hill received a pin for a Paul Harris plus one; Ben Carssow, Aziz Saleh, Denis Cowhig and Tracey Ippolite (in absentia) received a Paul Harris plus two pin; Fernando Kempff a Paul Harris plus four; Shirley Dean a Paul Harris plus six; and Ernie Dean a Paul Harris plus seven. What a momentous day for our club!
The program was presented by Kathy Kempff, Fernando’s daughter, who told of her reluctant entry into the world of Rotary at the insistent recruitment by Fernando’s daughter-in-law Christine. Her first experience was in Kenya which changed her life forever. She quit her job, founded a nonprofit with Christine, and they now are co-directors of Moja Tu (Only One). Their service is to rural areas outside Nairobi and is based on the philosophy of “one sponsor, one child, one education.” Sponsors commit to a sum every month to cover one child’s uniforms, school supplies, field trips, and an allowance. The student also has access to counsellors and tutors if necessary. The student and sponsor communicate with each other by email, face time or skype, and report cards. The required minimum commitment is for one year, but most sponsors find the relationship so satisfying they continue year after year. Most of the students are in private schools to avoid entanglement with an unstable political/public education situation. At the present time Moja Tu has 25 students in university,100 in high school, and will have two university grads this year, each of whom will receive a computer. There is every expectation that these grads will make a big difference for their families and in the world by giving back to their communities their expertise, by sponsoring a Moja Tu student themselves, and by encouraging and counseling those younger students coming up through the “one sponsor, one child, one education” program. The Q&A period provided the fact that their effort is to achieve a 50%-50% balance between boy and girl students, they especially target orphaned or abandoned children, and they make at the very least one trip a year to visit their students on site. For more information, beautiful pictures, and videos see their website http://www.mojatu.org.