Happy Villages

POSITION VACANT - EDUCATION FACILITATOR

2011-03-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

Position Description

Job Title: Education Facilitator
Reports to: Education Coordinator
Based at: Lieta village, South Uyoma location in Rarieda District
Purpose of the Role:
To assist Lieta Community to meet the Millennium Development Goals (particularly universal primary education) through facilitation of education programs using integrated community developments initiatives within the community.

The Organization:
Happy Villages is a small NGO working towards a world without extreme poverty. We are based in Kisumu, Kenya.

Specific Responsibilities:

Managing a tertiary education sponsorship program for young women, including reporting, monitoring and evaluating.
Assist in conducting, in-servicing; capacity building and professional development of teaching staff in the community.
Assist in the preparation of fundraising proposals for education based projects including infrastructure.
Assisting in project implementation, developing initiatives under the ongoing projects. This will entail relating with local community structures, CBO’s, local government officials, and international/local organizations within the community.
Conducting school community consultative meetings.
Assist in the procurement of libraries and learning materials.
Preparing monthly reports and budgets on activities.
Assisting local education institutions to develop and implement strategic plans.
Maintenance and operations of accurate records systems and files for all matters pertaining to the education department.
Assist in creating/strengthening advocacy institutions for education (including PTA, community education committees/task forces).
Sensitize community to universal primary education.
Sensitize the community to the importance for education for girls.
Facilitate pre and post primary education programs and initiatives including ECD, mentoring, apprenticeship programs and entrepreneur training.
Partner with other Happy Villages departments to integrate literacy campaigns into their trainings.
Partner with Happy Villages Health Department to provide health education including sexual and reproductive health.
Skills and Experience

Report writing skills
Graduate in KCSE (C+ average) with excellent English skills (minimum B +)
Excellent communication and facilitation skills
Planning and organizational skills
Strategic Project management skills
Needs to have advocacy and liaising skills
Computer skills
Qualification

At least Diploma in Strategic Planning and Management or Education

Terms of Employment
Salary 12,000 Ksh
Three month probation period after which you will be assessed based on the performance before confirmation of a one year contract.
Letter of application indicating interest

Applications should include;
• Current Curriculum Vitae with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses
• Three letters of reference with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses
• Copies of Certificates, Diplomas or Transcripts

Note: Applications will be accepted only through e-mail or to our P.O BOX:
Recruitment Committee, Happy Villages Organization
E-mail: recruitment.happyvillages@gmail.com OR
P.O. BOX 19573, 40123 Mega City, Kisumu, Kenya

Deadline for Applications: 31st March 2011
Shortlisted Candidates will be contacted by the 14th April

Community Action Planning - Lieta Week 2

2010-11-21T04:25:00.000-08:00

For photos and regular updates during our second week of the Community Action Planning in Leita check out the photos section on my facebook page.

Mike

Terms of Reference ICDAP

2010-09-09T23:16:00.001-07:00

Terms of Reference ICDAP

Please read/download the full Terms of Reference for the ICDAP Consultancy here.

Consultant for Community Development Action Plan

2010-09-02T22:54:00.000-07:00

Position Description
Job Title: Consultant for Community Development Action Plan
Reports to: Happy Villages Organization Board – Kenya
Based at: Kisumu & Rarieda District, Kenya
Purpose of the Role:
Facilitation of an Integrated Community Development Action Plan.
The Organization:
Happy Villages is a small NGO working towards a world without extreme poverty. We are based
in Kisumu, Kenya.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities:• Facilitation of a consultative process with all key stakeholders to develop and build consensus
concerning an overall strategy to establish a diversified sustainable local economy, and to
identify a number of projects (agriculture, health, education, SMEs) that will be implemented by
the Happy Villages Organization.
• Evaluation and preparation of detailed cost estimates and/or economic models and
implementation schedules for selected projects.
• Preparation of an overall plan for the Happy Villages Organization based on selected
sustainable projects, and which clearly identifies sources of funding and revenue flows,
potential partners, cost estimates, implementation schedule, roles and responsibilities, and
monitoring and evaluation processes.
Skills and Experience• Communication & facilitation; participatory planning processes & organizational & institutional
development
• Community development, public consultation, participatory processes.
• Proven track record of experience with integrated community development programs;
• Experience with human dimensions of community development and management;
• Good analytical skills, ability to provide practical sound advice on rural development issues;
• Proven track record in writing and preparation of reports on community/rural development;
• Good understanding of community, institutional and government roles and responsibilities;
• Capacity to work within tight deadlines
• Ability to work independently, set aggressive schedules, take initiative and think creatively
• Preferably English & Swahili speaking, with knowledge of Luo.
Terms of Employment
Three month Consultancy contract reviewable to be converted into a full time contract at the
completion of the ICDAP Project.
Remuneration: Compensation is non-negotiable with Consultancy offered 120,000 Ksh for the 3
months all inclusive.
Applications should include;• Letter of application indicating interest
• Current Curriculum Vitae with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses
• Three letters of reference with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses
• Copies of Certificates, Diplomas or Transcripts
Applications Due: 18th September 2010. Applications will be accepted only through e-mail to:
Recruitment Committee, Happy Villages Organization
E-mail: recruitment.happyvillages@gmail.com
NB: Full Terms of Reference are available at www.happyvillages.blogspot.com

First impressions of Lieta through Australian eyes

2010-07-25T03:26:00.000-07:00

It is not often that a parent is asked by a son to help with the running of a Non Government Organisation [NGO] in Kenya, especially one he has started from scratch. So there I am on the board as a director of Happy Villages Australia. Everybody has heard of AusAID, World Vision & the like but who has heard of Happy Villages? Well a heck of a lot of people will have heard of it & be part of it over the next 5-10 years.

It is a fledgling Non Government Development Organization very much in the embryo stages & has only been officially running for 12 months in both Kenya & Australia. As its name suggests, Happy Villages is about improving the overall living standards of people in villages in Kenya. This involves education, health, well-being, improved farming & food availability, water supply, etc. In short making one village at a time just that little bit more happy.

All the ground work is now complete in regards to the overall management of Happy Villages. It is a very lean & mean organisation, no fancy offices or fancy cars, no highly paid managers or employees with expense accounts. In fact it is currently 99% managed & run by volunteers from all walks of life & varying ages.

After exhaustive, comprehensive research & reporting - all of which is compulsory for an NGO to operate in Kenya - the first village, Lieta, has been selected for help & advice. Working hand in hand with the village we will work towards a world without extreme poverty .... one small village at a time.

I am very fortunate to be in Kenya at the moment with my wife Jenny. I was lucky enough to travel to Lieta & have a look around the village.

The road to the outskirts of Lieta is one of the best highways in Kenya, which was a surprise to me. It is approximately one and a half hours from Kisumu (the third largest city in Kenya) where our son Michael & the Kenyan team are based.

As I drove to Lieta the thing that struck me was the gradual deterioration in the quality of the soil. Once we arrived at Lieta it was obvious that this village had very little going for it as far as farming crops was concerned. That in turn means that any form of livestock production is also very limited. The soil is very poor compared to other areas.

The little village square we drove through was well laid out, but unfortunately no market was in progress, so I didn`t see the produce or general items for sale.

However, Budwa Beach is right on the banks of Lake Victoria, just past Ndigwa & opposite Homa Bay, on the other side of the lake. On the lake itself you go through some narrows to enter Winam Gulf, so maybe fishing is the main source of food? But I am told fish stocks are very low due to commercial over fishing. We drove down to Budwa Beach & my first thought was "if this was any where else in the world there would be a 5 star resort here". I`m not sure if you can swim in the lake & I don`t know about any water sports either. But it was absolutely beautiful & as they say in real estate - Position, Position, Position !!! But no - this will probably not happen.

We also saw one of the small schools of Lieta called Agok Primary. It was neat & tidy as are a lot of schools in Kenya. You see education is vitally important & the kids love school... it may be their passport out of poverty. It is a pity the teachers are paid so poorly or indeed at all... Then it was time to head back to Kisumu.

It was just a fleeting visit to Happy Villages first village, Lieta, but all in all, after the site village reports & now having seen part of the village area for myself, it is quite apparent that to help these villagers it is going to take some long hard work. But with the full co-operation & consultation with the village, progress will be made.

It is not for us to change their life, we are only there to help them improve it.

To do this we need lots of money. We have the human resources, but cash is required to buy the necessary goods to implement this huge program of improvements. $1,000 Australian can buy quite a bit in Kenya & to help a village the size of Lieta will require at least $200,000 to $300,000 utilised in varying ways over 12-18 months & then more money to keep it improving.

There are many many organisations chasing the "Donor Dollar" but there are very few operating on the management cost structure that we at Happy Villages have. We are under no illusions. The implementation of improvements will be time consuming & difficult to begin with. Do it we will. We have 100% support from the village & with people helping financially, actual physical work of the job ahead will begin & get on a roll.

It was a real eye opener to see this village & compared to other villages I have been to over the years this one needs a lot of TLC.

Happy Villages will get on with the job, with your generous help.

Happy Villages Poster Competition

2010-06-30T04:37:00.001-07:00

The Happy Villages Poster competition is both a fun way to raise awareness of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17th October and to help Happy Villages achieve our mission.

The brief is to design a poster that delivers the message ‘Working towards a world without extreme poverty, one happy village at a time’ which will be considered for use in future Happy Villages communications.

To register and submit your design, build a fundraising page and upload a digital version of your poster (or take a digital photo of your poster and upload the photo). Use one of the links below to start building your page now and when you have uploaded your design, ask all your friends, family and colleagues to donate to your page. http://www.everydayhero.com.au/happy_villages_poster_competition_under_16_years
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/happy_villages_poster_competition_open

The competition is open between 1st July 2010 and 16th October 2010.

You may download logos for use on your poster from http://picasaweb.google.com/HappyVillages/Logos# if you wish.

The designs may be used by Happy Villages in a variety of media such as t-shirts, banners, web pages, brochures or newsletters. Entry is free and is open to all interested participants, subject to the Terms and Conditions.

Participants agree that, if requested by Happy Villages, they will:
1. supply high resolution digital files; or,
2. if their submission is a photograph of their poster they will mail in the original artwork.

How to win
Happy Villages prize packs will be awarded to two adults and two children who receive the most support through their EveryDay Hero pages in terms of:
a) the number of people who have donated; or,
b) the total amount of funds raised.
by 5pm 16th October, 2010.

The way to win is to ask all of your friends and family members to donate through your page.

Thank you for your support.

Poster Competition Terms and Conditions

2010-06-30T04:34:00.000-07:00

Registration and submission will be conducted online at http://www.everydayhero.com.au/happy_villages_poster_competition_open and http://www.everydayhero.com.au/happy_villages_poster_competition_under_16_years between 1st July 2010 and 16th October 2010.

Notification of result
The competition results will be published after 16th October 2010.

Authorship
Each competitor must be able to satisfy the competition organisers that the submitted design is an original piece of work and that he/she is the bona fide author of the design he/she has submitted.

Publicity
Happy Villages reserves the right to publicise the poster competition, any submission, and the result in any way or medium it considers fit.
Illustrations of any design – either separately, or together with
other designs, with or without explanatory text – may be used
without cost.

How to enter
By submitting a digital design, or a photograph of a poster to the competition page at EveryDay Hero. Participants agree that, if requested by Happy Villages, they will:
1. supply high resolution digital files; or,
2. if their submission is a photograph of their poster they will mail in the original artwork.

How to win
Happy Villages prize packs will be awarded to two adults and two children who receive the most support through their Happy Villages Poster Competition EveryDay Hero pages in terms of:
a) the number of people who have donated;
b) the total amount of funds raised.
by 5pm 16th October, 2010.

Disclaimer
Happy Villages accepts no responsibility and disclaims all, or any, liability for any loss or damage incurred by any person, whether directly or indirectly, as a result of postage, delivery or handling of original artwork.

Licence
In consideration for the opportunity to enter the Happy Villages Poster Competition, participants agree to grant royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive licence to reproduce and publish work in all media of expression now known or later developed and in all languages in the winning artwork Happy Villages Australia without reservation including, but not limited to, all intellectual property rights to reproduce and publish any entry and to change and/or reproduce any part of any poster in relation to other promotional activities.

Participants further agree that Happy Villages may publish, in relation to promotional activities, any personal information provided by the artists in connection with their entry including, but not limited to, their name, age, community and State/Territory of residence and warrant that there is no cultural or religious reason or any other impediment that prevents the winning artwork from being exhibited, published or reproduced.

Renny - a Young Women of Kenya Scholarship student

2010-03-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

I am 19 years old. I stayed in Nairobi with my mother, father, four brothers and my sister Mercy when I was a child. Dad worked for the government. My mother passed away in 1999, when I was still very young.

When I started high school, Dad could only afford to send me to an upcountry school. I had to go to stay at our ancestral home and look after my younger brother Oscar. It’s out in a village near Kisumu. Dad had to spend time with my siblings in Nairobi so that they could complete high school without being disturbed. I stayed near my grandmother and I saw her every day.

Because I had always lived in the city, I was only fluent in Kiswahili and English. Our tribal language, Dhuluo, is the only language my grandmother knows. Although it sounded familiar to me, I could only understand it a little and could not speak it at all. I have now spent a few years at home and can speak Dhuluo as well.

I aimed to achieve A grades, but I was frequently sent out of school because we couldn’t afford fees. I managed to complete school at the end of 2008 with a C- grade. I spent a stressful few months after school just in the house trying to work out how to continue my education.

I had dreamed of becoming a school teacher. I even volunteered at a school, but it seemed for a while that it would be impossible to afford the fees to get qualified.

Then in September I applied for a scholarship through Happy Villages. I was so happy when I found out that I’d won.

I am now enjoying my Early Childhood Development course. I am looking forward to the day when I can work with children and help my father by supporting myself. If I get a good job I will take Oscar to a very good school.

There but for the grace of God go I.

2010-01-26T22:38:00.000-08:00

I’ve realized a dream to travel to Africa.

An opportunity arose to go to Kenya recently and it was Happy Villages that made the yearning ever stronger. A desire to see this wondrous place and meet the people I’d been connecting with through the Happy Villages family.

The trip was wonderful. Full of wonder. And I’m most grateful for my experiences. I visited Kisumu on Lake Victoria and met Kenyan families and visited villages, witnessing their lifestyle and endeavours. I saw much countryside in my overland travels in Kenya and Tanzania, many amazing sights, both natural and of mankind. I also went on Safari – camping at the iconic Masai Mara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater - saw Mt Kilimanjaro and the jewel-like waters of Zanzibar, amongst many other places full of awe.

The most uplifting part was meeting & engaging with local people. Witnessing their strong family and friendship ties, connected community life, often their strong faith, their gentile and kind regard for one another, and for me. By far the most difficult part was seeing their environs, particularly the slums, and knowing the difference between that, and its consequences for them, and what I am fortunate enough to take for granted at home and the available opportunities here. Knowing how life can be.

Just one basic example: what seemed like the majority of villagers having to carry water in very large containers back to their homes. Often children helping with this task. Usually these containers (think 20 litre plastic drums) are carried on their heads as they walk along the roadside seemingly great distances. Perhaps lucky to have found available water. In this day and age, still such a basic need. Amazing.

I appreciate the answering of a long-held question, why do Africans have more or any children when poverty prevails and learning that without a welfare system the children become just that - your family, your children are your support system. Often your only support. And with a high prevalence of child mortality, having more than one child is therefore a must. And of course that basic human need to belong, to connect, to care for one another.

I also talked to kids about school, their hopes and desires. We’re not talking playstations here.

Anyway, I’ll leave the orating of African life for others to better articulate.

The Happy Villages holistic approach, working with the villagers and helping them become better equipped, stronger, sustained, with the positive consequences that flow from that, simply resonates as a practical, intelligent, kind assistance.

We’ve heard many stories about the need in Africa and I’ve never doubted this. I’ve never doubted our ability to help either. We are blessed with plenty. And simply by being aware that there is a need for our help we then have only 2 choices. To help or not.

I just wanted to say Congratulations to those who had it in their hearts to help and developed the Happy Villages method of alleviating suffering and provided a vehicle for us to act kindly, to help practically, to connect, and show we care.

Sue Baker, Australia. Happy Villages member.

Fun and games in the field

2009-11-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

My name is Dennis Okoth Otieno. I am a founding board member of Happy Villages.

A couple of weeks ago I started a new full time job as an agro-forester. The organization I am working for works only for the benefit of orphans and vulnerable children through their guardians. But it also operates in a holistic way, in a specific geographical area, so in some ways it is similar to Happy Villages.

The work is challenging. I have realized that working in this field it is impossible to forget that we are in the midst of famine. I go out and work with the community to help them learn how to grow their own food and look after their environment. It is very difficult in this area at this time because rainfall has been so low this year. A teenager admitted to me the other day that the reason they didn’t go to school was because there was no food in the house – they had little energy for anything but trying to find something to eat. It’s very sad.

My workmates and I also run a program of psychosocial support for orphans. On Saturdays we meet with about 350 of them to play games, have lunch together and sing. The purpose is to make sure we know the vulnerable children in the area and can try to address any problems they have. I was shocked to realize how many orphans there are in such a small area.

A number of the children try to enjoy the games while also keeping one eye on the food. They are too afraid to move away and play freely because they cannot afford to miss out on that meal of beans and maize.

At the last games day I was so moved when I saw a little girl of about four or five with her baby brother. I had already met her mother, a volunteer cook, and knew that they’d lost her father not too long ago. It was so cute when she clutched her brother’s hand, put a big smile on her face and brought him into the games saying, “Come on, we are here to be happy.” And for a little while they were.

The best experience I have had so far in the job was meeting the community health workers last week. One old grandmother stood up and said, “Since the non-governmental organizations started working here, infant mortality has gone down drastically. The mothers know how to prevent illnesses and know what to do when children get sick. Before these organizations came we were losing our babies.”

I look forward to the day when the mamas from our Happy Village can say something similar.

Here’s to the end of extreme poverty.

Kind regards,
Dennis

How to donate

2009-09-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

We're all very excited here at Happy Villages. Last week the Kenya NGO Bureau approved our application and we are officially registered!

Now we can get on with the important work of selecting our first Happy Village.

Please help us launch our brand new organisation with a donation. You can transfer your gift to Happy Villages in Australia:

Bank: Westpac
Name: Happy Villages
BSB: 032 587
Account number: 275076
Swift code: WPACAU2S

It's a great way to celebrate with us.

Thank you so much for taking these early steps with us towards a world without extreme poverty.

Kind Regards
Michael Hawthorne
Chairman - Happy Villages Kenya

P.S. If you make a donation, please email happyvillages@gmail.com and let us know so that we can send you a receipt.

Together we can create a world without extreme poverty, one happy village at a time

2009-04-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

So, what is my vision of success? Of course it will vary from place to place, depending on the community, but this is how it plays out in my imagination. Let me take you for a stroll through a Happy Village.

As we walk, the first things we notice are the fruit trees. They are blossoming on roadsides, in school playgrounds and other public spaces. We stop to pick a piece of fruit – there’s plenty for everyone – and we say hi to many other people who are doing the same, on their way to work.

There are a lot of vegetable gardens now, surrounded by trees especially selected to return nutrients to the soil. Agricultural production has significantly increased. The effect has flowed into the local market. The vegetables are so colourful! All the parents now have a variety of nutritious food, including traditional, indigenous, plants to feed their families.

The river water is clear enough to wash clothes and there are fewer floods than there used to be – thanks to some indigenous trees planted on the banks. Every person has access to drinking water from a rainwater tank. All community spaces, like schools and libraries, have a rainwater tank and a latrine.

Passing the clinic, the nurse tells us that the number of people contracting malaria, HIV/AIDS and typhoid has dropped dramatically since she started working there. The distribution of mosquito nets and condoms has had the biggest impact. With the addition of a well-stocked pharmacy and an emergency vehicle, this happy village now enjoys better health than any community for miles around.

Better health and more sources of safe drinking water have made it possible for girls to start attending school in massive numbers. The burden of carrying water every day and caring for sick family members has been lifted from their shoulders. They have space to dream of their own education, future careers and families, and to simply enjoy childhood.

The increased agricultural production, as well as improving nutrition and health throughout the village, has also allowed a number of small businesses to spring up. A couple of local entrepreneurs bought solar panels and started a business charging mobile phones. Their customers don’t mind paying more than they used to, because the service is now available within their own village. It saves them a two hour walk!

Believe it or not, this is quite a big dream for many villages in Kenya at the moment. But it’s not too much to ask, is it? I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to try. After all, Nelson Mandela was right when he said,

"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life."

How we work

2009-04-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Our strategies are flexible within the following ten point framework;
1. We operate in one small geographical area at a time – usually a village;
2. We use a genuinely consultative process to find out what the community wants;
3. We operate across a number of different disciplines at the same time to address the interdependence of problems;
4. Our staff and volunteers are well qualified;
5. We measure our success against the United Nations Millenium Development Goals;
6. We continuously report back to the community, our supporters and partners on our activities, finances and how we are performing against the Millenium Development Goals;
7. We focus on building good quality partnerships with other organizations;
8. We work in locations that have been neglected by most other charities;
9. We never expect people that do not have enough to eat to volunteer their time;
10. We are persistent.

It is so much easier to create change when you focus your attention. That’s why we operate at village level. We really get to know the communities that we work with, and they really get to know us.

Consultation is not just a word to the Happy Villages crew. It is a commitment to the communities that we work in to completely respect their right to self determination. We take the time to meet with as many of the community members as possible, including women and people of all ages and abilities. We engage them in genuine and continuous dialogue to ensure our programs properly serve them. We do not enter a community with a set of off-the-shelf project blueprints to impose upon the people that live there.

Happy Villages acts like a magnet for assistance for the community by helping them to prepare for interactions with outsiders. One important aspect is to help them obtain a degree of consensus about what will most benefit them. Our role is to find an appropriate partner organisation to fulfill each need and to nurture the relationships between the partners, Happy Villages and the community. If no suitable partner exists, we do the job ourselves.

Our staff (all volunteers at this stage), work across a range of sectors, as follows:
- Sustainable agriculture;
- Environment;
- Water and sanitation;
- Health;
- Education;
- Energy, communications and transport;
- Gender.

While we believe strongly in volunteering, we realize that it has limits. If people are being forced by their circumstances to search for food for hours every day, of course we won’t expect them to volunteer. We do not use the amount of resources donated by the community to measure their commitment. That would further disadvantage extremely poor communities with nothing to give.

We believe that communities with nothing to give are most in need of our help. That’s why we use a genuine process of consultation, conducted by qualified, local (Kenyan), community development workers to obtain and assess commitment.

We also make proper use of local community knowledge when collecting baseline data for indicators across all of the United Nations Millenium Development Goals. I have listed the goals here:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;
2. Achieve universal primary education;
3. Promote gender equality and empower women;
4. Reduce child mortality;
5. Improve maternal health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
7. Ensure environmental sustainability;
8. Develop a global partnership for development.

We regularly measure our progress against the Millenium Development Goals and report the results to the community, our partners, and of course, our supporters. Although we realize that we will sometimes fail, we will try again. We may try a different tactic, but we will persist until we succeed.

Extreme poverty hurts

2009-04-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Imagine the worst flu you’ve ever had. Your head’s pounding like a drum. The pain slices into your limbs so deeply that your bones seem to be shattered. Even if you were well you’d be withering in this heat. You can barely get up. Then add nausea and stomach cramps. It’s not just the flu. It’s an epidemic, and it’s sweeping across the continent like a tsunami, killing your neighbours and family members. It’s malaria.

There’s no pharmacy to get medication, no relief in sight. And now you have to walk forty minutes to collect water.

Every step ricochets painfully in your head. Every! Time! Your! Foot! Touches! The! Ground!

It would be so easy to give in to hopelessness, but you don’t. You just get on with it. You know in your heart that if you persist you’ll get back home with water to drink. You will get through the day.

That story may sound extreme. It is extreme, but unfortunately it’s not an exaggeration. Malaria is a daily fact of life for far too many people in Africa right now, and it is only one aspect of their suffering. Here is the true story of extreme poverty in Kenya (United Nations Statistics Division):
- Over 8.6 million people (23% of the population) struggle to get by on less than $1 per day;
- 24% of primary school aged children are not enrolled in school;
- A baby born today is likely to live just 51 years;
- Of every 100 children born, 12 die before their fifth birthday;
- 43% of people (about 16.1 million) do not have access to improved drinking water.

We created Happy Villages to assist people out of this misery, out of extreme poverty. The scale and complexity of the problems makes them seem insurmountable at first glance, but they’re not. Jeffrey Sachs, International Development Expert, argues,

“The basic truth is that for less than a percent of the income of the rich world nobody has to die of poverty on the planet. That's really a powerful truth.”

In one way it’s very simple. On the other hand though, the causes of poverty are extremely complex. Community development projects frequently fail. Natural, political and social processes are inextricably linked everywhere in the world, and nowhere more so than in Africa. We have designed our way of working with that knowledge in mind.

Why we do what we do where we do it.

2009-01-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

Unless you have been to Kenya and witnessed the poverty first hand, it is difficult to understand just how hard life can be. The statistics just don't do the stories justice, so I'll just give you a few:

1.4 billion people in the world live on less than $1 per day (2005);
18% of women and 12% of men in Nyanza Province, where our headquarters are located, are infected with HIV. One third of girls are married by age 18 (2008); and,
77 out of every one thousand children born in Kenya in 2003 did not reach their first birthday.

But you knew that. Or if you didn't know that, you probably had the feeling that there was something terrible happening in the world that you just didn't want to know about. It's that feeling that makes you change the channel when you see African kids on TV.

That's the thing about Happy Villages. We know that that feeling is only necessary for long enough to motivate us to action. There is no need to feel helpless and hopeless. There is no need to shut your eyes to reality and pretend poverty doesn't exist. You can join us and do something about it.

The first thing to do is to follow this blog and sign up to our newsletter. Get educated. Open your eyes. When you see how you can help, you won't want to close them again.

The Happy Villages Story - Chapter 1

2009-01-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away... well in Kenya, actually ... a group of friends lamented that so many people in the world suffer in extreme poverty. Washington, Reagan, Dorothy, Phannice, Dennis, Michael, Alison and George had always believed in taking action rather than talking about problems. But at this stage they needed to talk. All agreed that the degree of synchronicity in their thinking was amazing. The six Kenyans and two Australians decided to form a committee to start a Non Government Organisation (NGO) for the relief of poverty.

The ideas came tumbling out, one after the other. We want to align our aims with the Millenium Development Goals, we want to be an inspiring and fun organisation, we must be honest, transparent and accountable, it is essential to properly consult and engage with the communities that we work with .... our vision is of a world without extreme poverty. Who could argue with that? Who would want to?

That's how, on a balmy tropical evening, at Mike's kitchen table, Happy Villages was born.

We are currently seeking registration in Kenya as a Non Government Organisation and hope that it will be finalised in March this year.