Global Gallery

Brique Zeiner

Who am I? Well, I'm just an American English teacher living in Germany. I had the life-changing opportunity to experience children and their families living in such extreme poverty in the Rhonda... read more Who am I? Well, I'm just an American English teacher living in Germany. I had the life-changing opportunity to experience children and their families living in such extreme poverty in the Rhonda slums of Nakuru, Kenya. I decided not just feel sympathy for them – but do something with my own abilities to change the direction of their lives and futures. I think that it is important to give people the chance to learn how to help themselves. That can only be done through education. That’s why I founded the nonprofit organization – Leben und Lernen in Kenia e.V. - in English - Live and Learn in Kenya NGO. We assisted the NGO LDK, which is based in Nakuru and run by Philip Ndeta. We ended that partnership in 2007 when obvious misapproriation of funds surfaced. Since then we have registered our daughter organization - Live and Learn in Kenya International directly in Kenya. It is now a registered non-profit organization in Kenya. I am the chairwoman, a German woman is the Treasurer and a Kenyan is the Secretary.We are very,very satisfied with the situation now and are sure that we are going down the right path. Our project "Shared Joy"has had an enormous effect on the way the children are nourished. Please read about it on our website. It's a great way to celebrate a birthday or any other holiday!!! Our main objective is to educate the children and our motto is "Education is the key to the future". But we need to keep the children fed so that they can learn - and healthy so that they even have a future. We pay for their daily school meals and provide meals at the weekend and during school breaks. In August 2009 we will be organizing the first Summer Break Club for the children. Young volunteers from the British organization, AVIF, will be teaching and guiding the children during the entire month of August. You can read about it on our website. We are especially proud of our HIV/AIDS and Hygiene Awareness Seminars and our Girl's and Boy's Clubs - for teenagers. The people - children and their parents - are so poor and desolate - yet still so friendly and welcoming. It's a pleasure and an honor to know and work with them.