Kageno Worldwide, Inc. (Kageno) is a non-profit, international community development organization based in New York that operates two community development projects in Kenya and a third in Rwanda. The name "Kageno" translates to "Place of Hope" in Kenya Dholuo dialect.
Kageno was founded in 2003 by Dr. Frank Andolino, Peace Corps worker, Rob Place, and Kenyan community organizer Alphonce Okuku.
Video Kageno
Program
Kageno involves local people at all levels of the project. Community members participate in identifying needs and designing, implementing and evaluating programs - including micro-enterprises, clean water and environmental initiatives, health clinics, and schools. The Kageno organization model is influenced by Partners in Health (PIH), and PIH co-founder, Paul Farmer, sits on the Kageno board. In 2008, PIH and Kageno collaborated with SolesUnited - the philanthropic branch of the US Crocs shoes manufacturer to provide 10,000 pairs of shoes for distribution in Haiti.
Sponsorship Korfo Orphan program helps provide care for orphans in Kageno Village. Children's needs are addressed through the Kageno initiative including access to safe water, sanitation, education, medical care, and nutrition programs. Drena De Niro became the Spokesperson for the program in 2006.
Kageno organizes all of its activities into the following core program areas:
- Ventures (including Economic Diversification, income generating activities, Microfinance)
- Environment (including Reforestation, Water Supply, Sanitation, Horticulture)
- Health (including Medical care, Pharmacies, Voluntary Counseling & Testing Programs (VCT))
- Education (including nursery school, feeding program, orphan sponsor, community education)
Maps Kageno
Project location
Kenya
The first Kageno project was established on Rusinga Island - a small and isolated island in Nyanza Province on Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. To date, Kageno has created around 600 new jobs, built two nursery schools, opened health facilities that have reduced typhoid and malaria fever, built solar-powered water systems, and planted thousands of trees.
In 2011, a chapter dedicated to the Kenya Kageno project in the book "Problem Solving for Better Health: A Global Perspective," by Barry H. Smith, MD, PhD, Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, and Pamela Hoyt-Hudson, BSN , published partly by the Dreyfus Health Foundation.
Rwanda
Kageno also operates a project in Banda Village in Rwanda.
Impact
According to the UN Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, Kenya is home to about 650,000 AIDS orphans. Particularly devastated are communities along the shores of Lake Victoria in western Kenya, where Kageno operates its flagship project. Two hundred AIDS orphans have been taken through the Kageno program in Kenya, where Kageno also runs a voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) center that provides access to anti-retroviral drugs for those tested positive for HIV/AIDS. In addition, Kageno organizes events on Rusinga Island every year on World AIDS Day which is attended by more than 200 locals. Kageno recently partnered with Intel Corporation to roll out an initiative that will train thousands of Kenyan students from rural areas on how to use computers as a learning tool. Kageno's latest partnership with Intel Corporation continues to show great progress and students make great strides when computer literacy becomes a part of their everyday lives. Nicknamed "Computers on wheels", Intel-sponsored Rusinga Technology Class offers interactive e-learning programs to students on the island. Program Coordinator Arphaxad Nguka who also acts as the main facilitator in the field ensures free flow of interactive learning sessions. This is made necessary by periodic visits by volunteers from the Intel education service corps. They provide capacity building on efficient project management. Intel Rusinga technology classroom is a project of its kind. It acts as a pilot project for the introduction of digital literacy and incorporates computers as part of a basic education curriculum where subjects such as math and science can be taught using a computer. The primary goal for the early stages is to get students on remote islands exposed to the latest computing technologies despite the limitations. then the program will be incorporated into their learning curriculum plus internet connectivity provided to ensure interaction and sharing of learning resources. Hundreds of them accessed the program and gradually developed their computer literacy skills. The program proved to be a great success more so when proper financing/resources, collaboration and choosing the right technology are maintained. It underlines an ambitious rural e-learning strategy that is capable of providing access to advanced computing technology to a large number of learners.
Note
External links
- http://www.kageno.org
- http://www.pih.org
- http://www.vimeo.com/user1588573 (Video)
- http://www.andolinoorthodontics.com
- http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JIEA/article/view/18382
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments