Give Us Wings

I chose the agency Give Us Wings  to learn more about an international aid organization.  The agency is a small nonprofit with its office located in St. Paul Minnesota, and other offices located in Kenya and Uganda. 

A mother and daughter started  this agency in 1999 after spending time in eastern Africa and witnessing the suffering caused by poverty.  Dr. Levine in his talk about his book The Blue Notebook said the answer to the issue of child prostitution is education.  Education is also the answer for the people of Give Us Wings.  The founding women of Give Us Wings met a man named Elijah Omolo, from Kenya who is now part of Give Us Wings in Africa.  He answered their question regarding needs by saying, "What we really need is access to information and education. We need people to give us wings."  Many people in Kenya and Uganda are illiterate .  The focus of Give Us Wings is to work with adults and children in Kenya and Uganda to overcome poverty and to become self-sufficient.  They do this with education and micro grants.  Give Us Wings uses a holistic approach to dealing with poverty.  They look at the different causes of poverty and try to tackle it from many different aspects because not just one thing will turn poverty around.  

I had a conversation with Mary Albright, the Project Coordinator at Give Us Wings.  She spent a month in Africa in 2009 working and visiting their sites.  The highlight of her trip was meeting a woman named Elizabeth who lived on the coast of Kenya.  Nine years ago Elizabeth asked for a small business loan to open a small restaurant for construction workers. The money was used to buy pots and pans. Over the course of time she asked for money to go to school.  After graduating from school and getting her teaching certificate, she opened her own school, and Mary was able to participate in the festivities around the school opening.  Over the course of 8 to 9 years Elizabeth experienced success, education, and self-sufficiency with the help of Give Us Wings. Mary shared pictures of volunteers helping to build homes for the Ngiyo Ber Women's Group in Uganda and then a few follow up photos from years later seeing how the women finished the homes and worked hard to make their homes beautiful. The photos take a bit of time to open, but show the success of the women.  Mary told me they celebrate success when the community tells them they are able to see a future and no longer need help from Give Us Wings.  There is a final celebration with the community where food is served.  The programs that have the highest impact are those that support education and work with adult literacy.  Mary told me that there is no application process to become a volunteer at one of their sites in Africa.  The volunteers pay their own expenses to volunteer.  For a two week trip it costs $3000 plus airfare of about $2000. A few people have gone at least 4-5 times.  It sounds like and agency that is making a difference.  I enjoyed learning about it.

Photos



This is part of Jens Finke's Traditional Music and Cultures of Kenya

Kikuyu Creation Myth, collected by Rose Mwangi

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The power that wields the instruments of life and death was mostly associated with Ngai (God) who lived at Kirinyaga (Mount Kenya)... Through him the Kikuyu justify their existence:
   "In the beginning Ngai, who is the God and the divider or the universe, called Gikuyu the father of the tribe. Ngai gave Gikuyu a share of his land with rivers, valleys, forests rich with fruits and animals of all types. Then Ngai went to stay on Kirinyaga.
   Now Ngai used to go round inspecting and admiring the beautiful earth.
   'One day He took Gikuyu on top of Kirinyaga. It was on the highest point of the mountain. He showed Gikuyu a spot in the centre of the country where there were many mugumo (wild fig) trees. Gikuyu saw that the land was very beautiful. And Ngai said to Gikuyu, 'Go. Build your homestead on that spot with mugumo trees,' and he called the selected place where the mugumo trees grew Mukurwe wa Gathanga.
   Then Ngai said: 'You will at times be in need of my help, when the time arises, slaughter a goat for sacrifice, then raise your hands towards Kirinyaga and Ngai or Kirinyaga and Gikuyu will come to your help.'
   Gikuyu went to the chosen spot. Here he found a beautiful woman whom he took to wife. He named her Mumbi (Moulder or Creator). They had nine daughters - they did not have any sons. Now Gikuyu went to Ngai and said that he wanted sons to marry his daughters. Ngai said: "Go, take a lamb and a kid. Kill these under the big mugumo tree near the homestead and the blood and the fat pour them on the trunk of the tree. Let the family make a big fire under the tree. The meat will burn as a sacrifice to Ngai or Gikuyu. When you take your wife and daughters home, go back alone to the mugumo tree. There you will find nine very handsome men who are willing to marry your daughters. Then your people will increase and multiply and fill all the land."