I’ve been volunteering with CMETrust for 5 years now.  Volunteering is something I’ve been doing since I was a teenager.  From being a girl guide leader to working with children with disabilities, I spent much of my youth in community hall basements and at camps.  Why did I volunteer?  I volunteered so that I could contribute to my community, learn new skills and gain experience – plus I got to hang out with great kids!

In 2007, I started volunteering with CMETrust.  I chose CMETrust because it was a cause I could believe in – high school education for kids who grow up in a slum in Kenya – a pretty easy sell, especially to a Canadian.  I was also drawn to the organization because of the great leadership, passion and enthusiasm of the CMETrust Board of Trustees.  If you asked me a few years ago why I volunteered for CMETrust, I would have said things like, “I want to contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty in the Mathare slum and I want to build and contribute my skills to the organization that focused on educating the youth.”

When you ask me today why I volunteer for CMETrust, my answer has slightly changed with who I’ve become. I volunteer for CMETrust because I am a mom.  Of course, all the reasons I mentioned earlier still hold, but my main motivation to volunteer
comes from being a mom.  You might think, “wait a second, now that you are a mom, don’t you have way less time to volunteer?”  The answer is “yes,” however, I do my best at making time because the work of CMETrust matters – it matters to the families of Mathare and especially to the moms of Mathare.

My whole world changed when I had my little girl. I now understand what “mother’s love” really means.  It’s a love so deep that it hurts and you would literally do anything for your little ones.  All you want is for your children is to live a healthy and happy life.  You want to open their eyes to all the good in the world and protect them from all the bad.  All moms know that getting an education is a key part in setting their children up to succeed in life.  It is the foundation that children need in order to protect themselves, build their confidence and make good things happen in the world.

High school fees should not be the deciding factor as to whether a child has access to education or not.  Since it is in Mathare, I want to contribute my skills and passion to help raise money to cover the cost of school fees for the children in Mathare – not just for the children’s sake but for the sake of the moms who only want the best for their children. Why do I volunteer for CMETrust?  I do it for the moms of Mathare.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Photo and caption by:  BONIFACE KITHEKA KALITI, WANG’APALA HIGH SCHOOL – FORM TWO

In spite of lack of job opportunities in Mathare slums, some people especially the youths have opted to fetch water to get some payments.  The man in the photo decided to fetch water to earn money.  Water is so insufficient and those who can provide it are paid heavily.

Dawn Bott surrounded by fellow Kitchener-Waterloo volunteers at a garage sale fundraiser in 2011 (from left to right: Kris, Heather, Dawn, Shari, and Malinda)

Upon hearing how the CMETrust came to be, I was surprised and intrigued to hear that it all began with the determination of one caring, young woman who wanted to do what she could to change the world around her.  The more I heard about Kenya, the Mathare Slum and the work the CMETrust does there, the more I felt the desire to help and become part of this amazing organization.  Given this, when it was decided that a K-W Chapter would be started, I did not hesitate to volunteer my time and effort for this deserving cause.

There were certain things I expected out of the experience of volunteering with the CMETrust. Having gotten to know many of the Board Members and volunteers through mutual friends, I knew I would be working with a group of amazing, warm, caring individuals who would welcome me with open arms. I knew we would all be helping a group of kids who would otherwise have little opportunity to rise above their circumstances and receive an education. I even expected that I would feel some satisfaction out of doing something purely for the benefit of someone else.

What I didn’t expect however, was that I would feel as fulfilled as I do every time I think about the accomplishments of my fellow volunteers and myself. Having only been part of this organization for 3 years, I can already see the difference our fundraising efforts have made on the ground in Kenya. I have never been as inspired by a group of people as I am by the CMETrust Board Members, volunteers, donors and Kenyan Agents, who are all making a difference both in Kenya and here at home.

Given the K-W Chapter is quite a small group, event planning and fundraising can be a great deal of work. However, I am always left with a great feeling of happiness and pride at what our little committee can do.  Whenever I see the stories, pictures and videos of the grateful students of Mathare, I can’t help but be overjoyed by the magic that happens when we work together to make the world a better place.

Dawn Bott

CMETrust Volunteer

K-W Chapter

Photo and caption by: BONIFACE KITHEKA KALITI, WANG’APALA HIGH SCHOOL – FORM TWO

The boy in the photo stands on a stone outstretching his hands in the middle of a river, in the river there are all kinds of wastes and stones.  The stones are used as bridge.  The boy is greatly proud of his environment besides the effort of living in a dirty environment which can sustain diseases-causing organisms.  This is actually a big risk that can cause great loss of people and lead to many infections.

The perfect spring dress for all the little girls in your life is here! Red Thread Design has created the Love Dress especially for CMETrust – $5 from the sale of each dress will go directly to CMETrust, to help us continue providing scholarships to students from Mathare slum… Check out the short video about the dress on YouTube!

I first met Devorah Miller, creator of Red Thread Design, at the One of a Kind show in Toronto, in 2008, when I bought an adorable shirt with elephant appliqué for my friend’s new baby girl.  Well that little baby is now a wonderful three and a half year old toddler and since that first meeting Devorah has been generously donating her beautiful works to CMETrust silent auctions.

Last year, Devorah approached me with a new idea – how about designing a dress for CMETrust as a fundraiser?  And the Love Dress was born, aptly named by Devorah’s daughters.  The dress features a simple A-line cut in a deep blue floral print, with two vibrant intersecting red lines. The design echoes a Chinese proverb about the interconnectedness of all humans, even across oceans: “An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.”

This gorgeous dress can be purchased online, at RedThreadDesign.ca, at Toronto retailers Planet Kid (on Roncesvalles), Kid Culture (in the Junction) and 100 Mile Child (on the Danforth), or you can visit Red Thread Design’s booth (F-11) at the upcoming One of A Kind spring show & sale in Toronto, March 28th – April 1st, and meet this incredible, talented, and generous woman for yourself!

Personally, I can’t wait to give a Love Dress to my friend’s little girl this spring…

Read Devorah’s blog post about the Love Dress to hear about why CMETrust’s work struck a chord with her.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for the Love Dress in the April issue of ParentsCanada Magazine and the May issue of Canadian Family Magazine!

The Mathare in Focus Calendar is a collection of the finest of these photographs accompanied by provoking and powerful written descriptions. Through this project, CMETrust scholars are given a voice to express themselves and to tell their stories of life in the slum in their own words.

DANCING GROUP

Photo and caption by: PAULINE AUMA OSIR, WIYETA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL – FORM ONE

The photo shows the dancing group, they are some of the children living in Mathare and are learning in a school called MCEDO Beijing.  It shows how the children in Mathare are interested in dancing even though they still need some equipments to make them be proud of themselves and the school they are learning in.  The children dancing shows that all people are equal, there is no discrimination where boys and girls dance on their own. There is gender equality among them.

One night when we were talking about plans for the upcoming week, Jessica mentioned that she was a volunteer for an organization called the Canada Mathare Education Trust. She explained the organization and that her co-worker was the founder/ president. I said, “sign me up.”

Who knew that trying to help a friend get settled into a new city would eventually lead me to fulfilling my dream of volunteering for an organization that helps children internationally, and that makes a difference in the lives of people who don’t always have the same opportunities that we do here in Canada? Before meeting Jessica I didn’t even know where to start to find an organization to volunteer with in Ottawa.

Jessica and I have now been volunteering with CMETrust for over a year. Being part of CMETrust is like being part of a family. Everyone is working together to ensure that children in Kenya can go to school and achieve whatever they set their mind to. It’s refreshing to be part of an organization where everyone is willing to help and lend a hand. You never have to ask twice. Someone is always there to support and get you through.

My dream of volunteering for an international organization came true: I can now help a child in Kenya achieve their dream, from right here in Canada. An added bonus in all this is that I now get to see one of my best friends more often, and planning fundraising events together gives us an excuse to hang out even more!

Volunteering with CMETrust has helped me call Ottawa home, which is pretty hard for an East Coaster.

CMETrust Alumni Rosemary Mueni and Board Member Kathie Oginsky

As an outsider coming to Mathare, it can be hard to really grasp how somewhere so different can feel like home to someone else.

Today was my fourth time to visit Mathare. Every time I visit, I learn more and feel more comfortable. The more I visit, the more I move beyond seeing Mathare simply as a place and toward feeling Mathare not only as a place but as a community and home.

My last visits to Mathare in May 2011 involved meeting CMETrust Alumni to see how, now as graduates, they could remain involved in CMETrust and to continue to give back to their community. A group of Alumni was interested to work together to produce, market, and sell their Mathare in Focus calendar locally in Nairobi. This idea was partly a practical opportunity for Alumni to run their own business of sorts but also represents steps toward CMETrust becoming more locally-run and sustainable.

For me, the most powerful part of my most recent visit to Mathare was reconnecting with some of the CMETrust Alumni who I had met in Mathare in May and feeling a sense of continuity from that visit. This growing familiarity and excitement to see them again and catch up where we had left off made my world feel smaller.

Each time I visit Mathare, there is at least one experience that really marks the day for me. What I took away with me from this visit was seeing our CMETrust Alumni “in action”.

As usual, we were joined at the petrol station on the main road to be lead down into Mathare by Titus and Benedict. This time, they were also accompanied by Lucas who had just graduated and returned to Mathare a few days earlier.

Just steps down into the valley, we met Rosemary. Rosemary invited us up to see her apartment on the top of a very basic and very worn five story stone building. I had never been inside one of these apartments and had always wondered what they were like. Rosemary invited me into her apartment and showed me some of her assignments from her first semester at Kenyatta University. She told me about her first semester, mixing with other students from outside Mathare, and her upcoming exams. I had visions of a flower blossoming, the strong woman Rosemary was developing into. We stepped out and looked out over Mathare and she unknowingly taught me more with every word she spoke about her new experiences and how she was piecing them into the fabric of her life here in Mathare. I was full of admiration.

Rosemary and Kathie in Mathare

As we continued, we met Eunice, another Alumni. I had never met Eunice before but instantly recognized her as I had seen her school portrait next to her photo captions in the CMETrust Mathare in Focus calendar. She had bleached her hair shock white and looked like a younger yet no less beautiful Angelique Kidgo. Eunice introduced us to her mum at the drinking spot that she runs and then Eunice and her mum invited us inside their small home and shared with us two albums of photographs of family, friends and special memories and we took some more snaps together. Eunice and her mum were full of gratitude toward CMETrust as were we for inviting us into their home.

Continuing on our way, we quickly ran into Elma. I first “met” Elma through her amazing photographs in the Mathare in Focus calendars and the CMETrust video diaries. I had the pleasure to finally meet Elma and work with her in my meetings with the CMETrust Alumni last May. Although only one of these contacts was in person, each of these connections with Elma made me feel like I knew her more. In some ways, I felt like I was meeting a celebrity as I knew some of Elma’s stories and her great photographic eye and talent.

When we made it to MCEDO, I spotted Michael, another of our Alumni and chatted with him about how he had been since we saw each other last May. Calm and quiet and that huge modest smile, it was great to see him again.

Finally, our day in Mathare finished with stopping in to greet and observe a class that Elma and Lucas teach together. Watching Elma at the front of the cramped room, students piled into desks, I was again filled with admiration. I watched her wipe and re-fill the black board, explain to students, and ask them questions.

This is when it really clicked for me just how much CMETrust Alumni bring back to their community. As a CMETrust volunteer in Canada, I am mainly involved in fundraising events and public outreach in Canada. I tell people about how bright our scholars are and how we are trying to send more to school next year… yet seeing Elma teaching others in her community made things come full circle for me. Paying it forward. I felt a tingle as I realized how much anyone can bring to their community by volunteering to do something, to share knowledge or a talent that they have. I felt connected to Elma and all of our CMETrust Alumni as a volunteer working for the same cause. I felt the click of us all working on this together, tuko pamoja, just as if we lived in different neighbourhoods of a very large city.

So, to our CMETrust Alumni, thank you for bringing the human feel to Mathare for me and for helping make my neighbourhood feel bigger and my world feel smaller. Ni na shukuru sana!

The first time I heard about CMETrust I was surrounded by artists, canapés, champagne and hundreds of eager volunteers. The room was abuzz with the excitement of a silent art auction where we donated time instead of money. I was at Toronto’s Timeraiser event!

I had been invited to Timeraiser by a friend of mine and never having heard of the event, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The room was hot and crowded with lights blaring down on the art. Scattered throughout the room were tables with reps from various not-for-profits. As I looked down the list of organizations, I started to hone in on the type of group I was looking for.

I had very strict specifications in terms of how I wanted to volunteer. I was looking for a humanitarian organization that was helping people in need, but I didn’t want the work to be face-to-face as I worried that it would get too emotional. I wanted to get my hands dirty and really get involved, but I also wanted to be able to take a step back when I needed to. Most of all, I didn’t just want to be on call for events and fundraising sprees. I wanted to invest my ideas and thoughts and to really feel a part of something!

I spoke with a few not-for-profit organizations and was offered a volunteer experience that ranged from registering event participants to protesting government agencies dressed in a costume. Having a good feeling about the group, I headed to CMETrust’s table. They engaged me in a conversation that weaved its way from the history and future of CMETrust through to the kind of volunteers they were looking for and what I myself wanted as a volunteer.  And you know what?  They were looking for everything in a volunteer that I wanted to be.  They wanted me to get my hands dirty and really be involved.  They wanted my ideas. And they also understood that things get a little crazy sometimes and you have to take a step back. But most of all, they shared a passion for CMETrust that made me want to jump in head first!

Once I’d found my not-for-profit, it was time to find some art! I had been eyeing one piece in particular all night and had made sure my name was on the top of the list. As I did, the amount of hours I was committing to volunteering was increasing at a dramatic rate. I drew comfort from the fact that I had a year to complete the hours and so many worthy organizations to chose from. But as the seconds ticked down on the clock, I watched in horror as another zealous volunteer walked up to my coveted art piece and slowly wrote her name in big bold letters.

While heart-broken, I walked away from Timeraiser knowing that I had connected with an organization that was a perfect fit for me and my time as a volunteer.

There are several things that I love about volunteering for CMETrust. I love that volunteers on every level are asked to participate in decision making, feedback and event planning. I love that volunteers are encouraged to become leaders and try out new things. But what I love the most about volunteering for CMETrust is how great it makes me feel to know that halfway across the globe the scholars think of us volunteers as much as we think about them.

After more than a year of volunteering with the CMETrust Toronto chapter, I have made some wonderful friends, changed lives and I’m now acting as the Outreach Coordinator and working to raise awareness. I hope to volunteer with CMETrust for many years to come and to help support more and more Mathare scholars through high school. Even though I lost in the silent auction,  I found something that fills a lot more than just a space on my wall.