Legacy of Hope

Dear Mikinduri Children of Hope supporters,

Mikinduri Children of Hope has been transforming lives in Kenya since it began as a registered charity twenty-three years ago. 

Ted Grant visited Kenya in 2003 and saw the extreme poverty of the people in Mikinduri. Many children were malnourished and unable to attend school because there was no money for fees. Disabled children were without medical care or services, and the subsistence farms they depended on did not provide enough food for families to be healthy.

Ted believed it was possible to make a difference by offering a hand up, not a hand out, and this became his life’s mission. He worked tirelessly to create supportive registered community-based organizations in Kenya to identify community needs and in Canada to raise funds to meet the needs.

Ted worked closely with Silvanus and, following his death, Dr. Bernard Mware, our international liaison, who ensured your donations were effective, cost-efficient, and offered a sustainable hand up.  In 2017, Ben, seeing the improvements in lives in Mikinduri, asked MCOH to expand to the western region of Bondo and Mageta Island. There, he established Beyond Limitations Community Based Organization, which has become an active, hands-on board guiding programs that are flourishing.

What we achieved together:

Ted and his team have been strong advocates for the communities in Kenya. 

• They organized medical team trips with many different types of providers to hold clinics which offered care to hundreds of underserved Kenyans.

• A medical camp for the disabled population led to a Rehabilitation Clinic.

• Canadian donations-built classrooms, set up water tanks and created school gardens that provide education and nutritional lunch programs in 11 schools, feeding 3000 children daily.

• Many donors assisted with primary school fee payments and, in some cases, post-secondary education. Under Ben’s guidance, alumni have joined to give back to their communities.

• Farmland was purchased and crops grown and harvested using best practices for drought resistance and improved nutrition for the benefit of children and the subsistence farmers around them.

• Every program set up by MCOH in its twenty-three-year history considered sustainability. The question “Will this contribute towards community members' ability to achieve independence and maintain it themselves?” was always asked.  Much has been done to prepare for a time when MCOH revokes its charity status and hands over the work to Beyond Limitation Community Based Organization (BL) and the boards in Mikinduri and Bondo.

  
  

The future is local 

Beyond Limitations has dedicated board members and staff, including an enthusiastic agriculturist who travels to communities to educate and encourage best practices for farms and gardens, supports school feeding programs and environmental programs for students and runs productive model farms at each centre.  A social worker administers financial support for student and needy families. Staff facilitate self-help support groups, through successful micro-financing programs and education in finances and parenting. A team leader runs a youth sexual health and menstrual supply program. BL has organized large-scale, multi-day community HIV awareness, testing and counselling events, financed by the Kenyan government, which contribute to their program costs.

 Canadian donors created a library on Mageta Island which has become a busy community hub for reading, computer access, and as a meeting place.. Teachers credit it with changing community attitudes towards learning.  The enthusiasm has spread to Bondo, where the high school has started a library so students have access to books and a place to study.

We write today to thank you for your long years of support

Ted was a fundraising wizard and mobilized impressive resources that have had a long-term meaningful impact on lives in Mikinduri and Bondo. But the world is changing. Churches and service organizations, which have been so generous, are now financially struggling. Small NGOs are challenged to meet the criteria for grants, now focused on large-scale research and policy.  Many grants are looking to fund local, Kenyan NGOs, as many Kenyan organizations have well-educated people who understand the challenges and culture and are better equipped to serve the needs of their own population. 

MCOH can be proud to have been part of that change. Our efforts and donations have helped create a healthy environment with water, food and schools and education where community members can participate and thrive. There remains much to be done, but with infrastructure and support in place, we are confident in the team’s ability and dedication to move forward.

Ben and Beyond Limitations have expressed gratitude for and pride in the many benefits MCOH has provided. Dr. Mware, in a recent letter outlining his vision for the future of their organizations, stated,

“Many tangible benefits have created a living testament of enduring achievements and are the legacy of MCOH. We are committed to sustaining the legacy and building on these achievements through relentless effort and trust in God.”

Mikinduri Children of Hope will retain our charity status until December 31, 2026. If you would like to donate, you will receive a tax-deductible receipt, and as always, all money will be sent to the registered Kenyan organizations serving Mikinduri and Bondo.

We are certain they will proudly and respectfully build on the solid groundwork started by  Ted and Rita Grant, Mikinduri Children of Hope, and all of you. 

With deep respect and appreciation,

 Mikinduri Children of Hope board members,

Cheri Butt, Kathy Mutch, Elaine Black, Diana Clarke, Todd Gallant, Shawna Quinn-Blue