Educating Kenyan Orphans /EKO/
The founder of EKO Educating Kenyan Orphans is Grace Fay.
Photograph: Grace Fay handing over donations.
I grew up in Kisii three hundred miles from Nairobi. My uncle educated me, without him I would not have had an education. Through the generosity of my uncle, I am now able to assist in the education of my six brothers and their children. I left Kisii to find work in Nairobi. I was prepared to clean and work hard to support myself.
While I was in Nairobi I met my husband while he was in Kenya. Good friends paid my fees to come and study in England.
I met Grant again and we got married. I told my husband that I would have to return to Kenya to help the children who are unable to go to school and who have no parents. I have now returned to Kenya, having set up the charity ‘Educating Kenyan Orphans’ in Frome. Through funds raised by the charity I can directly assist many children.
Photograph: Discarded shoes after new ones were given from the opening of the EKO donations container.
I am very proud of EKO, - already it has been able to send a container of much needed educational and medical supplies, as well as knitwear and toys for the children to the Kanganware Province. We were in Kenya when the container arrived and we were able to directly give schools and medical centres the greatly needed supplies.
I met one child who needed the completion of a colostomy operation. He had been ostracized by his classmates because of the smell from his open wound. His mother was incapable of paying the hospital fees because the only money she earned was through selling grated mace in the market but friends gave money to the charity and I was able to have his operation completed.
Photograph: Stanley Muzoliza before and after treatment
Schools, churches and friends in the Frome area have been most generous in supporting the work that I am so happy to do here in Kenya. I feel I belong to Frome and do not know what I would do without the love that the people of Frome have shown me in supporting my work.
Photograph: Children from Angels
of God Academy in Ngong
Life in Kenya is hard but I want my four children to know about my culture, which is their culture too, but having been born in Frome they still think of it as home. So we will often return to see our good friends.