WE Charity - 25 years in ....
Only a scant hour or so from Nairobi is the fabulous Mount Longonot National Park. Arriving in the early hours with an intrepid group of hikers, we started the climb to the crater rim passing zebras and giraffes all too familiar with the comings and goings of 2 legged intruders. There were 3 Americans in the group though that didn't prevent us from having lively and interesting conversations 😁 about the work we do in Kenya and the state of affairs given Covid19 etc.
Ted, a 20 something hedge fund accountant escaped Manhattan to help build more efficient Jikos (Charcoal powered cooking stoves) while Annie has committed all her years since University to various projects helping kids with malnutrition. Another 10 adventure craving souls completed the group as we ascended what is a pretty steep and unforgiving slope up the to the crater rim. However - once on the rim, its a relatively pleasant 14 kms to complete the hike. The 4 hours trek around the rim in the sun was a perfect time (when I could resist chatting up my hiking companions) to contemplate the recent changes and perhaps total demise of WE Charity.
Above is a news photo now more recognizable in Canada than the "Last Supper" as WE Charity founders Mark and Craig are joined by Judas and his wife... oops - I mean The Canadian Prime Minster and his wife on stage at a WE event in Canada a couple years ago. This Charity, the one who so generously employs me and allows me to work at something I love, has just announced that it is winding down Canadian operations.
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1787559491722
The PM in a recent press conference (see the link above) talked about how unfortunate it is that the Charity is shuttering operations. In particular, he noted, it is unfortunate for the Canadian kids who won't get compensated for their charitable work.
I have a slightly different take on how unfortunate the demise of WE Charity is. As much as Canadian kids will certainly miss those dollars to assist with school in the coming year, they are unlikely to have to worry about being married at the age of 11 and having little to look forward to other than a life of backbreaking field work.... a relationship more akin to slavery than the Harry and Megan fairy tale.
After 25 years of work, there are so many success stories, it's impossible to count. Students going on to accomplish so much in life, serious illness addressed allowing community members to tend their farms and enjoy life.... etc.. Those stories of success come from the community members who benefit from our Farms, hospitals, schools and programs in forgotten corners of the globe.
A recent story I heard is of a man badly crippled with little to look forward to other than a harsh existence. Through the work of WE - he was given a cow - which recently gave birth making him a wealthy man in the community, Tears of joy are the currency that WE charity has received most often and most importantly. That is a concept not easily understood from a press conference of even the recent Macleans article on the rise and fall of one of Canada's greatest charities.
https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/we-charity-kielburgers-scandal/
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| A group of girls in front of our girl's secondary school. |
So what does it all mean? The Charity has stated that it will liquidate it's assets (mostly Real Estate in Toronto) to provide a stream of funding to continue International operations. Well if that's all that remains - it will just have to do as we look for ways to bring the greatest amount of aid to the communities we serve, I hope I will be chosen to continue work within the Kenyan project and continue with the team to do exceptional work . We will have to see I suppose. It's a messy messy affair. ... with significant challenges ahead. Wish us luck!!!
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| Not all that glamorous - shower time in the field. 😀 |
Thanks for Reading ......Layno!!!
