Our Story

Our organization started as a result of a vacation gone awry. In 1998, Maureen took her husband, Ian, to Kenya for his birthday. There was a fire in the hotel on their first day there and they ended up sharing a room with two other ladies for the afternoon, just until the smoke cleared. They asked Maureen and Ian to excuse the mess in their room as they had brought out lots of things for the children of Africa. They told about a little school they were visiting in the next few days and invited them to come along. Maureen and Ian visited the school with these ladies and, while there, and asked if any child needed help. They were presented with a list and chose a little boy, Samson Chivatsi, and took on the opportunity of sponsoring him. When Maureen returned to the U.K. she could not leave behind what they had experienced and realized that this experience was an answer to her prayers. Since that vacation, the children of Kenya have been Maureen's whole life.

The Samson Chivatsi African Children's Appeal was established and registered in the United Kingdom (Articles of Association). The charity came to life as Maureen began working with a private Kenyan school, obtaining sponsors for children so they could attend. That affiliation was broken when it became apparent that the funds weren't entirely being spent on the children, as had been promised. Maureen decided that in order to ensure things were being done right, she would have to do it herself...so she went out on a limb, leased an old disco club on the outskirts of a village, and began what has become the Jolaurabi Schools.

As of 2008, we have over 700 students attending classes in three separate schools (a Kindergarten school, a Primary school, and a Secondary school). 2008 has also been a banner year for the charity as we opened the long-anticipated orphanage for children who attend the school but have no family or other home.

Maureen is joined in this work by her husband, Ian, and her daughter and son-in-law, Yvonne and David, and several other key contributors, young and old.

It is only by and through the generosity of others that we are able to continue our programs. Hundreds of individuals all over the world, and many business and corporations have partnered with us in building and maintaining the schools. To learn about how you can help, follow this link to the sponsorship page.

Some background facts...

Kenya is located in Eastern Africa. Utange, the village we are working with, is located about ¾ mile from the coast. Up until about 10 years ago, this area was completely in the bush and the people could not go out after 6pm due to the intensity. Kenya is still very much controlled by its 52 different tribes and the head of the tribe still has much to say regarding the jurisdiction of the village. Utange is a suburb of Mombasa, a city of 500,000 people covering 13 kilometers, mostly surrounded by water.

The Kenyan government has a standard of education that is strictly adhered to and includes exams that all students participate in. Children are allowed to start school at 3½ years old, if they are big enough (they must be able to put their hands over their heads and touch their ears). There are 3 kindergarten grades and then standards 1-8. The children work hard to achieve marks that will enable them to move to the next grade.

Utange is a one street village. Most of the houses are made from adobe (mud). When the hard rains come, the homes must be rebuilt. The children of the village have no place to play, except the school, where they gather as often as they can. The people must buy water, making it very difficult to grow their own crops. Very few structures have electricity… the school is not one of them.

The children in Mombasa do not see as much wildlife as one would assume. The animals normally associated with Africa are inland from the city, however, monkeys, baboons, and snakes are very common. The children suffer from a variety of diseases, malaria and typhoid fever being the most common. They also suffer from "giggars"…little worms that embed themselves in the feet and lay eggs. These worms have to be removed and leave the feet in a terrible mess.

Mombasa is 90% Muslim with the remaining 10% being Hindu, Christian and others. A new heart has renewed the Utange community, due, in part, to the help they are receiving and the churches are packed. They are now working side-by-side for the welfare of the village and the school.