November 2012
A local youth in action group is bringing hope to the village of Eor Ewuaso in Kenya with its continuous fund-raising efforts and dream big approach.
Tumaini, which means hope in Swahili, was founded in February, 2010 by four high school girls from Saint Francis High School in northwest Calgary who were inspired to take action and create change.
“Our first meeting was in Amy’s (co-founder) living room and there were seven of us,” said Tori Stosky, 18, co-founder and president of Tumaini.
The group has grown considerably and has over 30 members including core members who are responsible for maintaining the group and members who participate regularly.
The group has struggled sometimes to find committed members, said Emily Ehman, 19, vice-president of Tumaini.
“The criteria to join is to be passionate about being the change,” said Ehman.
The group’s last meeting was really exciting as over 20 members showed up, said Stosky.
“It was our biggest meeting yet, and we tweeted about it,” said Stosky.
The group also has over 50 supporters who volunteer for events and fund-raisers as time permits.
Katelyn Urban, 14, youth group member, joined Tumaini in March 2012 after seeing a presentation by the founders at her school.
Urban said the motivation and message they brought that youth can actually make a difference, made her want to go home, email them and join right away.
I have really enjoyed meeting the founders and hearing some of their stories from Kenya and how they made such a difference in the adopted village, she said.
“They are having the ripple effect on all of us,” said Urban.
The first project Tumaini dedicated its efforts to was raising money to build a school in Kenya.
The founders of the group chose to adopt the village of Eor Ewuaso after some of them visited Kenya on a trip organized by Free The Children.
The youth group is registered with Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner that provides the group with support and resources for fund-raising.
Free The Children focuses on five core pillars of support for helping developing communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America to end poverty.
The core pillars are education, water and sanitation, health, alternative income and livelihood, and agriculture and food security.
The group fund-raises through bottle drives, bake sales, making bracelets for craft sales, as well as taking part in Free The Children campaigns.
The group tries to hold a fundraiser each month, said Stosky.
Last year, Tumaini organized a large fund-raising event called Blue Gold.
The event was made possible after members of the group won a grant at the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) Youth Summit.
The cocktail reception and silent auction included a guest speaker from CAWST and Brian Pincott, a member of Calgary city council.
Approximately $6,000 was raised with about 80 guests in attendance and the help of many volunteers.
The event was a success and “we hope to make it an annual event,” said Stosky.
As a result of its fund-raising efforts, the group raised $10,400 over 18 months.
Funds not only helped build a school for the village, but also to purchase textbooks and desks, pay for teachers’ salaries for one year as well as accommodations and trees for the school grounds.
After fulfilling its goal to assist the village with education, Tumaini has moved on to the task of raising $100,000 to build a borehole, which will help provide sustainable water for them.
Although it will likely take a few years, the group is on its way to reaching the goal, said Ehman.
Tumaini also feels it is important to support local charities and give back to the community, said Ehman.
The group volunteers at places like The Mustard Seed and senior’s homes, she said.