Kageno

Kageno Worldwide, Inc. (Kageno) is a New York City based non-profit international community development organization operating two community development projects in Kenya and a third in Rwanda. The name "Kageno" translates to “A Place of Hope” in the Kenyan dialect of Dholuo.[1]

Kageno was co-founded in 2003 by Dr. Frank Andolino,[2] Peace Corps worker Rob Place, and Kenyan community organizer Alphonce Okuku.[3]

Programs

Kageno engages local people at all levels of its projects. Community members participate in identifying needs and designing, implementing, and evaluating programs - which include microenterprises, clean water and environmental initiatives, health clinics, and schools. Kageno’s organizational model is influenced by that of Partners in Health (PIH), and PIH co-founder Paul Farmer sits on Kageno’s board. In 2008, PIH and Kageno collaborated with SolesUnited - the U.S. based philanthropic arm of shoe manufacturer Crocs to provide 10,000 pairs of shoes for distribution in Haiti.[4]

The Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program[5] helps provide care for orphaned children in Kageno Villages. Children's needs are addressed through Kageno’s initiatives 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:[6]

Project locations

Kenya

Kageno's first project was founded on Rusinga Island - a small and remote island in Nyanza Province on Lake Victoria in Western Kenya. To date, Kageno has created approximately 600 new jobs, constructed two nursery schools, opened health facilities that have reduced typhoid fever and malaria, constructed a solar powered clean water system, and planted thousands of trees.[7]

In 2011, a chapter was dedicated to Kageno's Kenya 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 in part by the Dreyfus Health Foundation.

Rwanda

Kageno also operates a project at Banda Village in Rwanda.[8]

Impact

According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, Kenya is home to an estimated 650,000 AIDS orphans. Particularly devastated are the communities along the shore of Lake Victoria in western Kenya, where Kageno operates its flagship project. Two-hundred AIDS orphans have been taken in through Kageno programs in Kenya, where Kageno also administers a voluntary counseling and testing centre (VCT) that provides access to anti-retroviral drugs for those who test positive for HIV/AIDS.[9] In addition, Kageno holds an event on Rusinga Island each year on World AIDS Day that is attended by more than 200 local people. Kageno recently partnered with Intel Corporationto roll out an initiative that will train thousands of Kenyan students from rural areas on how to use computers as a tool for learning.[10] Kageno's recent partnership with Intel Corporation continues to show great progress and the students are making great strides as computer literacy becomes part of their everyday lives.[11] Dubbed "Computer on wheels", the Intel sponsored Rusinga Technology Classroom offered interactive e-learning programs to pupils in the Island. The program coordinator Arphaxad Nguka who also acted as the lead facilitator on the field ensured a free flow of the interactive learning sessions. This was made necessary by the periodic visits by volunteers from Intel education service corps. They provided capacity building on efficient management of the project. [12] The Intel's Rusinga technology classroom was a project of its kind. It acted as a pilot project for introduction of digital literacy and incorporating computers as part of primary education curriculum whereby subjects like mathematics and Science can be taught using the computer. The main aim for the initial phase was to get the pupils in the remote Island exposed to latest computing technology despite the limitations. later on the program would be incorporated into their learning curriculum plus internet connectivity provided to ensure interactions and sharing of learning resources. Hundreds of them accessed this program and gradually developed their computer literacy skills. This program proved to be a huge success more so when proper financing/resourcing, collaboration and selecting appropriate technology are maintained. It outlined an ambitious rural e-learning strategy capable of providing access to cutting edge computing technology to a large number of learners.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Kageno "Who we Are"
  2. ↑ Normal Guy...Extraordinary Vision
  3. ↑ Barry H. Smith, MD, PhD (Editor) Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD , MBA, BSN, RN, FAAN (Editor) Pamela Hoyt-Hudson, BSN, RN (Editor)
  4. ↑ Croc attack: Trendy footwear fights sand fleas in Haiti
  5. ↑ Kageno Orphan Sponsorship Program
  6. ↑ Kageno, "What we Do"
  7. ↑ Barry H. Smith, MD, PhD (Editor) Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD , MBA, BSN, RN, FAAN (Editor) Pamela Hoyt-Hudson, BSN, RN (Editor)
  8. ↑ In the kingdom of gorillas: fragile species in a dangerous land By Bill Weber, Amy Vedder
  9. ↑ AIDS in Kenya: Glimmers of Hope (NPR)
  10. ↑ Kageno/Intel Mobile Tech Classroom
  11. ↑ Kageno/Intel Mobile Tech Classroom
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JIEA/article/view/18382

External links

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