Community Service Grant Project: Solar Shower for YouthforHope

NOTE:  As you can read elsewhere on this website, the members of Rotary eClub One are asked every year to propose some small ($500) Community Service Grants and some large ones (about $2000) that could be matched by other local Rotary Clubs and/or Districts.  This is the accomplishments from one of these Service grants to two of our members in Switzerland.

First of all, we like to thank Rotary eClub One and its board of directors on behalf of the organization YouthforHope, whose members have voted to approve each of our $500 community service grants and have further voted to approve an additional $1,000 (for a total of $2,000) to completely fund our project “Solar Shower for YouthforHope”.

Please find below our report on the project. Thank you for your interest and feedback.

Barbara Dueringer & Peter Wild (Switzerland)

The non-profit association YouthforHope was founded on 12^th April 2006 in Oberglatt (Switzerland) to assist the children's home in Nairobi with direct aid. The organization provides education, medical treatment and shelter for those in need. Since 2010 the children's home "Watoto Mbele" has been situated in Ngong, 8 km outside of Nairobi, Kenya.

All members are volunteers and are even benefactors. The association provides 100% direct payment to the orphanage that is used for the defined purpose. In addition, the organization provides necessary jobs for the local assistants, especially for the children's education.

YouthforHope oversees today two projects in Kenya: the children's home in Ngong with 45 children and a school project in the slums for 16 kids.

We met Barbara König, founder and host for YouthforHope, who lives in Ngong, last year in Zurich. She told us about their children's home, all the challenges and difficulties, needs and future projects.

For a long time, Barbara König dealt with the hot water supply in the orphanage. In particular, the shower was a huge problem. Every night the water had to be heated on the stove in the children's home. The hot water was filled into buckets and the children were able to take a shower.

As in Nairobi an abundance of solar energy is available, it was reasonable to install solar panels. But the offer for a 300 liter solar water heating system amounted to US $ 2,000. Her idea to install a solar shower motivated us to ask the Rotary eClub One for a CSG.

Thanks to the financial support of Rotary eClub One and countless hours of voluntary work, the project could be realized: On 20^th May 2015 the solar shower at the orphanage Ngong was installed.

We organized the material for the organization YouthforHope and shipped it to its destination (30 hours of volunteer work for each of us). On May 6, 2015 Hans Haas and Helmut started the construction with Barbara König and local craftsmen. The foundation was dug out and the steel structure concreted. After that, the solar panels were installed on the roof, the shower was built inside and covered with reeds.

We are very pleased for the children and the staff of the orphanage Ngong!

Additional note: By sponsoring anyone can support the children of the home Watoto Mbele

in Ngong enabling them to attend school. As a result, we give the children the opportunity and hope for a better future because only with an education they are able to improve their situation and find later on a good job. The godchild receives annually a new school uniform, shoes and a tracksuit. The monthly school fees, school trips and other fees (for example examination fees) are paid by the sponsor.

Especially, we like to thank for the great donation (USD 2000) of Rotary eClub One for our new solar shower which was initiated by Barbara Dueringer and Peter Wild.