Thank you SO much to those of you who have expressed interest in the pencil project!

I now have 1,400 pencils!! (see text on left of screen)

But don't let that fool you, my goal is 5,000. So start shopping people!!

Also, don't forget about the sharpeners. I want to take a wall-mount sharpener for every school (so about 8). Sharpeners cost between $20-$50.00 so any donation will be absolutely wonderful!

Let me know if you've got pencils or money! I'll pick them up, wherever you are!

Keeping it Simple

The more I go to Africa, the more I realize you gotta keep it simple.

This year my mom and I want to take enough pencils for every student...(we're talking thousands. Simple just got complicated.)

So here's the deal, we need your help!

We are looking for brand new pencils, the fancier the better! (except mechanical)

I think all-a-dollar has them in large quantities for cheap.

And I bet if you look around your house you might find some!

Let me know, I'll pick them up from you.

We are also going to provide pencil sharpeners for each school, which run from $20-$50 a piece. If you'd like to donate specifically to this project, let me know.

Background info: children in Africa learn without the benefit of pencil or paper. If they are lucky enough to ever get a pencil, it is sharpened with a knife.

Last year, as my mom was sitting in her classroom,

having just done an Africa presentation for her students, one of those students walked back into her room.

He held in his hand a pencil box overflowing with pencils.

Sparkly pencils, smiley face pencils, birthday pencils, you name it, he had it!

He held the box out, and told my mom he wanted her to take it to Africa. Of course she was excited, but curious as to where he had come up with all of them, she asked. To which he replied,

"I have been collecting these since kindergarten. And I want you to have them."

Being the emotional person that she is, my mom started to cry and told him she couldn't take his collection. But he insisted.

So, off she went to Kenya with a box full of beautiful pencils. After arriving in Kenya, she took the pencils and walked to one of the schools Koins has built--

a very primitive two-room building.

Upon arriving, she asked the headmaster if there was anything they needed. Mind you, they have no water, no school lunch, no books, no desks. So, much to her surprise, the first word out of his mouth was "pencils."

Because of that generous boy, she was able to hand him the treasured box of beautiful pencils.

Once again, don't ever underestimate your ability to make a difference.

FAQs about Sponsoring a Student

I've had some questions about sponsoring a student. Here is my best shot at answering them:


Q: How much does it cost to sponsor a student?
A: $300 a year

Q: Do you have to pay it all at once?
A: Not at all! Bryan and I pay it in clumps. You can pay $25 a month, $100 every few months, or however you want to break it up.

Q: Does the full $300 go to the student?
A: Yes. Koins doesn't take any overhead (meaning there are no paid employees of Koins), nor does it go to any other project of Koins. The $300 goes directly to the headmaster of the Mnyenzeni Secondary School to pay the tuition for the student.

Q: How are the scholarship students chosen?
A: There are more students in need of scholarships than are available. Because not every student in need of one can receive a scholarship (sponsor), the students are chosen based on their academic achievement. If they have a good record in school, they have a better chance of receiving a sponsor.

Q: Can I correspond with my student?
A: Yes, in fact, Koins strongly encourages it. Bryan and I get letters from Elizabeth every few months attached to her term grades. She is currently #1 in her class! I have sent a few letters to her, telling her about my life, how I feel about her hard work, and included pictures of us.

Q: When I commit to sponsor a student, is it for the rest of their education?
A: No, when you commit to sponsor a student, you are committing to one year, so $300. If your student still has years of secondary school left, you can choose to either continue sponsoring or not. There is no pressure at all, Koins appreciates every contribution, and the students appreciate every year of school.

Q: Why is sponsoring a student so important?
A: No one actually asked this question, and hopefully you know the answer. But just in case...
From grades 9-12, school is not free in Kenya. Many students must drop out of school after 8th grade because their families do not have the $300 a year to continue their education. When a student drops out, they say good bye to any dream they had of living a better life than their parents. At the age of 13, the drop-out forfeits his future of becoming somebody great who can make a difference, to a future of scraping by day after day.
When you sponsor a student, you are providing the opportunity for another human being to live her dream.
What if everything you have now was taken away because you couldn't come up with $300. This is exactly what's happening to so many children.

Does that answer the question? :)

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, click here.

Cotton Candy Sale!!

If this question ever pops into your mind:

"How much good can I really do?"

Think of this:

A mother at my mom's school donated her time and resources (a cotton candy machine and the yummy ingredients) to raise money for Koins for Kenya.

Out on the blacktop at Windridge Elementary, this one woman charged $1 a piece,
raising over $400.00

for Windridge's sister school in Kenya.

At the moment, the students at Chicomani are sitting on the hard dirt ground struggling to pay attention while the unyielding hot sun beats down on them.

When the afternoon rain comes, they gather under a tree and the teacher continues his lesson. And I thought the old non-air conditioned Davis high was bad!

Thanks in part to this ONE PERSON, the children at Chicomani will be able to learn regardless of rain, wind, or scorching sun.

(click the "chicomani" link to see before/after pics)

Do you think a classroom makes a difference in their lives?

If not, you've obviously never gone without one.

That, my friends, is THE POWER OF ONE.

check out what these sisters are doing to make a difference

I want to hear your stories of making a difference, do share please!!

Sponsoring a Student

Public education in Kenya is free through 8th grade. After 8th grade, the families of the students must pay $300.00 each year to keep their children in school.

$300.00 is the average annual income for a Kenyan.

For this reason, many children must drop out of school to work, forfeiting their chance for a better future.

For the past year, Bryan and I have been sponsoring a student named Elizabeth.

Koins started the scholarship progrm to keep students like Elizabeth in school.

Elizabeth is at the top of her class, and has the dream of becoming a doctor.

There are many students in Mnyenzeni, (the village where Koins stays), who have dreams like Elizabeth's and who are working hard for them, but simply don't have the money.

Let's face it, if Bryan and I can fork over $300 a year, anybody can!

If you're interested in sponsoring a student, click here.

Welcome to the Discussion!

Come July 22nd, this wanderer will be at it again.

I'm headed to Kenya for a humanitarian expedition with a group call

Koins for Kenya. They're doing ABSOLUTELY AMAZING things in the village of Myenzeni.

Click the link to check them out.

Because I want you all to share this experience with me, leading up to the trip, during the trip, and after the trip I will be posting about different thoughts I have.

I started this blog because I want discussion.

I want a raised awareness.

So help me out!

Until then, watch this.

Really do.

This is your way of making the world a better place.