Dear all,
We would like your help: we are trying to raise $10,000 to build a girls’ high school in rural Kenya, and we’d like your support.
As you all know, we traveled through Kenya for three months last year. Early in our travels, we ended up in Lifunga, in the middle of nowhere in western Kenya. The Kenyan government provides education through the eighth grade only, and the few private high schools for miles around are restricted to boys. Girls, therefore, have no access to educational services after age 14 – even though it would cost less than $250 per student per year to allow these young women to continue their education.
We met many school and community leaders who wanted to start a girls’ high school. So, when we returned to Hawaii, we planned to start our own foundation to raise money for a school. Fortunately, we met Bart Abbott, the Director of Emerging Humanity here in Honolulu. Bart started Emerging Humanity a few years ago to do education and health related work in western Kenya; rather than spend the time and effort to set up our own nonprofit, we decided to team up with Bart.
Bart is actually in Kenya right now, installing toilet, sanitation and water catchment systems in several schools and meeting with community leaders in Lifunga to begin the process to build and run a girls’ high school. We are doing everything possible to ensure that the school is community-based and, long-term, economically self-sufficient
Now, however, we need money to get things going. On the Lifunga Primary School campus, there are already two partially built classrooms; we need approximately $10,000 to build walls, install doors, build desks, and begin purchasing books and supplies for 100 students and their teachers.
We would love whatever you can afford to donate. $20 will pay for books for one student. $30 will build a desk (we need 100 of them!). All donations of $250 or more will be matched by one of Emerging Humanity’s existing donors. Something very small will make a huge difference in the lives of these young women. Your tax deductible donations can be made at http://www.emerginghumanity.com/donate.html (and if you’d prefer to send a check, just let us know).
For those of you who want to receive something in exchange for your donation, read on: we’re trying to think of a creative reward system to encourage donations (for example, a few months ago, Dan got Deb’s dad to do my laundry in exchange for a donation to Roswell Park Cancer Institute). So, in that spirit, perhaps you need someone to do yard work at your house? Or you’d like some homemade chocolate chip cookies? Need a babysitter? Would you like to see photos of Deb & me in drag (from when we went to go see Rocky Horror recently, or, for a higher price, from college)? Seriously, we have no shame. Name your price and we’ll name ours.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
With love and aloha,
Deb & Dan
Dear all, 
