Save Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School

Kogelo Basks in the Sun

The hometown of the President-elect Obama's father enters a new era.

According to Kenya Power and Lighting Company deputy regional manager Michael Adhiambo, applications for 40 connections [in Nyang’oma-Kogelo], including all premises in the market, are pending. Following the announcement of Obama’s victory in the US presidential race, workers from the power company arrived at the hitherto dark village to dig holes for electricity poles. But Mr Adhiambo told the Sunday Nation that Mr Obama’s election had nothing to do with the power project. “It was just a coincidence,” he said. [SNIP]

Since Mr Obama won election as the 44th President of the United States of America, Nyang’oma-Kogelo has generally been on a roll. Apart from the unexpected encounter with electricity, the area’s road network has been upgraded.

For whatever reason, it is good to see the fortunes of the town improving.

With this turn of events, I am inclined to make another Kenyan charity a partial beneficiary of the collected funds--especially in light of this:

The country is in a serious food crisis, with only 1.2 million bags of maize remaining as strategic reserves instead of the usual four to six million bags, the Government has announced.

And the current high price of maize flour could only come down after two to three weeks, Agriculture minister William Ruto said on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists after a meeting with millers at his Kilimo House office, Mr Ruto, however, assured consumers that there was no cause to worry as the Government had put in place measures to address the food crisis.

Suggestions are welcome as to which organization.

Notice

I am going to give up on the Save Obama Kogelo School Project.

Because the organization is a non-profit, I am obliged to either refund the money or donate it to another charitable organization. (Of course I did that on purpose to protect myself and any donors.) This note is a heads-up for all donors. In three days I will send a refund unless you specifically suggest that I donate the money to some other charity.

I'm sorry that my spontaneous gesture didn't work out, but I think that, with Obama's victory, the kids will do quite well. The village Kogelo is getting an upgrade as we speak.

Investors in Nyanza urged to construct more hotels

Obama victory already changing ancestral home

With Obama's election, the world spotlight suddenly flooded this sleepy village near Lake Victoria that was literally without electricity until the government promptly dispatched utility crews the next day to install power lines. [SNIP]

With Obama's growing celebrity, Kogelo has seen increased traffic - and a budding presidential tourism. [...]The government also wasted no time paving the dirt road that leads to the compound.

Excellent.

Take care and pray that we will all do as well.

Congratulations

Barack Obama achieved a landslide victory against John McCain (ECV tally 349-161) and will become the 44th President of the United States of America and the first black American to do so.

Halt

I'm going to ask the prospective donors to hold off on contributing further until the situation in Kogelo is clarified.

Update

According to my one of sources, the village--being world-renown as the birthplace of the African portion of Senator Obama's progenitors--is overrun with persons look for handouts, but Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School is in as bad a shape as was reported back in July, in need of everything--classroooms, a library structure, books, sports facilities, a pick-up, an access road and many other things. My second source will also scout out the school in less than two weeks.

Still Here and Still Waiting

I'm almost ready to take a flight to Kenya myself. But this week should yield some information on Nyang'oma Kogelo's lone secondary school.

Still Waiting...

...for my overseas scouts to report.

Site Issues

As we wait for word from our scouts in Kenya, I decided that it was time to add a few more features to the site--an extra column for a "blog" roll and a photo (hopefully more in-country photos will be available soon).

Yesterday via email, a reader ask me a few questions about this effort.

How much money have you actually sent to this school, and how did you send it?

How much money will you actually send to this school and how will you send it?

If I donate a dollar, what will the overhead cost be and what will the exchange rate be?

I want to know how much of that dollar reaches this school in and what form it will arrive

My answer:

Hi,

1. None.
2.-4. All of the other information must be made public by law (for a 501(c)(3))and it will be. Right now I don't know. That's why I have my father and others scouting out the situation. From information provided by them, further decisions will be made as to how the money is spent (besides upkeep for the non-profit).

When I decided to do this, I could have simply asked for the money without setting up the 501(c)(3)--I know that some who have donated money to this cause trust me enough to do what I say that I will do with the funds. However, my whole point in setting this endeavor up as an official not-for-profit California corporation is to be forced to be accountable for the monies spent.

Okay?

$6000

Parental Unit

I talked with my father--a Nairobi resident--this morning. His contacts have not returned to him with the information that he requested (to get eyewitness information about the school and its needs), so he'll stress the urgency. After that, he and I will talk again Wednesday.

My father has long been an op-ed writer, but I think that I awoke some latent reporter instincts in him; I half way expected him to haul himself up there. But he is seventy years old and a cooler head likely prevailed. In the meantime, I have other informational resources.

We're at $5300!

Thank You

We're at $4500. At this rate, we'll meet the $10,000 goal long before September 30th.

For each donation, I send out an individual thank-you note. However, those who publicize this effort deserve equal gratitude and the many bloggers and pundits who have done so have mine.