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Jenny's Cause

This whitey is my bless-ed life long pal... Jenny E. M. Shnitka!

She received her Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Manitoba and spent 2 yrs in Thompson, MB which is a northern community with many great nursing opportunities. She has since then broadened her horizons and is currently in Nairobi, Kenya volunteering as a teacher in a centre for children. She has also been able to donate her time and use her nursing talents at a few free medical clinics that have popped up around Kenya, which she was really excited about. This is a blurb copied from one of her first emails home.

"For the past two weeks I have visited and taught English and various other subjects to some children ranging in class one (our grade one) to class 7 (our grade 7). The children in a place called Agape (translation 'God's Love) Hope Center, are children who come from 'slums' government homes that are really only peices of mud land that you can now build for yourself. "
takes needy children who most of are orphans but have been accepted by a guardian; or if they are lucky enough, have their own parents. Agape charges nothing because the parents have no money obviously. The only two qualified teachers on the premesis are the young couple who had the vision to start the program. They are Margret and Oliver and you would all fall in love with them if you met them. They are only young, 32 and 34, have been married for 4 years and have a beautiful 3 year old girl named Crystal. They started Agape 4 years ago once they were married and wanted desperately to help needy children to keep away from the streets and have a potential future with free education. The government of Kenya has stated that their public schools will become free, however they sneak in administration fees of $1000 Kenyan shillings and parents who have no money obviously cannot afford this, therefore their bright child cannot learn a thing, and is turned to options of stealing or begging on the street. Agape has now accepted over 160 children. They have classes in their compound for baby class, pre unit (kindergarden) and class 1-7. The children arrive at 9am sharp and start playing and running around. Then they line up and at 9:30 and start singing songs with the teachers and ofcourse pray. A lot of praying goes on around here cause that has become many peoples last resort. After prayer, they all go inside and start their classes. They have a couple 10 minute breaks and around 2pm they are let out for lunch. They all must pray and give thanks before they take their lunch. Lunch usually consists of either rice or ugale, and then a side of cabbage and beans, or beans and spinach. It's always nutritious and always there for the children. For 3/4 of them, this is their only meal of the day. For that reason Agape even opens saturday so that the children have somewhere to safely play and eat atleast once that day. Agape cannot afford to pay any teachers so they ask for volunteers. There is a cook who has been there for a year and hasn't been paid a penny, there is a grounds keeper named Mike who comes faithfully everyday and as well without pay. There is a young boy named Bromwell who is 25 and lives on the compound, so for free rent he teaches for free and attends the grounds as well. There are other young men and women who come and go devoting a few months at a time because they are qualified teachers who need to look for paying jobs eventually; but out of the good ness of their hearts atleast help with what they can. There is one young girl there right now who has said she's willing to volunteer to be a permenant teacher of the class two's. She has no formal training, just highschool, but an amazing teacher none the less. The only income that comes into Agape is that they have had to take some paying children into class 1 and kindergarden so that they can atleast survive and pay rent for their compound. They have gone many days looknig for food for the children because they have run out of money, and are now asking for a charity donation from somewhere nearby. They were so desperate one time Oliver sold his radio for a bag of rice and beans for lunch that day. The children are aware and greatful for everything Agape gives them. One small thing I would love to do for Agape is see that they recieve school supplies. None of the children can afford text books and neither can Agape, so the teacher teaches from one text book and writes everything on their chalk board. The children almost always have no stationary so they share passing pens and pencils to one another all class just to get their work done. It's sad and frustrating all in one because you want to squeeze in as much learning as possible with them but they take so long doing short tasks due to their stationary problem. I have witnessed the same problem in the other orphanage called 'Good Samaritan' which is situated in the second biggest slum in Nairobi called Keybera. "

Jenny has such a huge heart and even greater spirit! When she realized that the young couple who run the centre where scrounging for enough food to feed the children on a daily basis, she knew she could help out even more. Because Jen comes from good stock :) , her mom donated $100 to help out by placing the money in Jen's bank acct. Here is another blurb to help you understand just how big of a deal this donation was!

"Lots of the kids guardians don't pay the wages that must be paid to cover rent of the center too and the couple who runs the center for the 170 kids dont' have the heart to send the kids home so they just keep them without pay, and they have to make ends meet at home too cause they have a little one and another on the way. THey have a cook who has cooked for them everyday for a year for free cause they have no money to pay her. They have two other young men who help teach there for free, plus do grounds keeping; and in return have a place to sleep at night, and one free meal a day. the meals usually consist of half your plate being filled with rice or somethign called ogale (its' a thick, almost rice like thick mash, or as thick as mashed potatoes but it's just corn or maize flour mxed with water, it's not bad but you need something obviously to eat with it.) so then they normally a cabbage with beans mix or a spinach and "skuma weeke" some veggie that's green and grows above ground n big leaves, almost cabbage colored but darker, sorry for the poor description and it's direct translation is 'push the weak' casue apparently its easy to grow and it at least fills you when you're weak and can't get other food so it'll 'push you when you're weak' and give you enough to keep on rollin' so lately at the hope center they've been very tight on food. I saw them scroung for money for 2 days in a row looking for money just to buy for that day and it was distressing cause I know the couple well now and I dont' like seeing them fret over how they're going ot feed the children cause that's the last thing they want is for the kids to come to school thinking they may not get fed that day. so at the end of day 2 I asked James (the maiin dude runnign Fadhili helpers) and asked if he'd take me to the market with some donated money (I dont' like to say where i get the money just only that it's not mine personally and that it's donation only cause otherwise you may be asked everytime they're short and i just dont' have the funds for that here). So I went with him with $100 Canuck( that's 6,000 kenyan shillings) that my mom donated and we bought 12 cabbages, a big bag of tomatoes and onions a big box of cooking fat, a huge bag, the size of me of beans, and 4 cartons, of 14 pack bags of maize flour to make the ogale and 10 kg of rice all for that, oh not to mention it paid for the taxi we got to take us to the market and drop it all off at the hope center. And that will feed the kids including me for 5 days! That is their one meal a day but fuck i've spent that one night at the bar. "


So when I found out how much just a few dollars bought for these children, I wanted to help too! I read Jen's email to my family and sent out a mass email to some of my work friends. It went as follows:

"Hello all,
This is not a forward from my mailman's, sister-in-law's, third cousin's ex. :) The message below is copied from an email that I received from a very close friend of mine, Jenny Shnitka, whom some of you may know, or may even have received the email. Anyway, she is currently in Nairobi, Kenya volunteering for 3 mths where ever she can. She is a Nurse but because of the strict volunteering rules for certain lengths of time to volunteer and money it would have cost her to sign up, she wasn't able to get on as a nurse over there but is volunteering as a teacher in a hope centre for orphans. Many of these children's parents are dieing of AIDS. This is a very lengthy message but I found it very powerful. She mentions that she had to witness the couple that run the centre, scrounge for enough money for 2 days in a row to feed the 170 kids who go there. Between herself and her mom, they donated $100 to the centre for food. This amount, which many of us are close to paying for a tank of gas, was enough to cover the cab ride to and from the store as well as feed Jenny and all the children for 5 DAYS! Jenny personally purchased these groceries and supplies which made me want to help as well. I have spoken with Jen's mom and received her bank acct # so that I can directly donate to the cause as well. My family has also given me money for the centre and I am now up to $300!
I know that there are several organizations that do this but it is very comforting to know that every cent is getting to the children in need! This is one of my closest, life long friends with such a huge heart and an even bigger spirit and I know this money will make it into capable hands! If this email moves you, as it did for me, I would love to add a few extra dollars to this great cause. As you can see, it doesn't take much $ to purchase much needed supplies. If you don't want to that's okay too. I just wanted to share this info with you all... if only to make us think for a second. :)
Best regards,
Marlee"

Well, the money came pouring in from supporters with well wishes for Jen and prayers for what she is doing. I didn't know what to expect when I sent that email as there are so many great charities that people donate to but was hoping to add a few more dollars to the pot... So the amount as of this moment that I have placed into Jen Bank acct. (as funds are still finding there way to me) is..... $1095!
The following list of angels are all receiving prayers from the children at the Agape Hope Centre in Nairobi, Kenya!



Marlee Ritchie
Marjie & Grant Ritchie
Richard & Beth Clark
Pat Brunsdon (Nan-se-fran:)
Mary Lynn Brooks
Irene Giesbrecht
Shannon Toback
Kevin Tierney
Stacey Halayko
Kim Azaransky
Maggie Forbes
Hilary Holland
Nicole Beausoleil
Estella Moffat
Margaret Krzyzelewski
Joanne Sigfusson
Ryan Phair
Denise Borowski
Carissa Embury-Hyatt

A Huge Thank-you to all of these people who gave big to such a great cause! Thank-you Jen for being who you are, for being so beautiful, for being a free spirit and for making a difference in the world.

Take care everybody!

Marlee