Charles Dushek Family Supports Child Students UPENDO Village in Kenya SA From 2006 Onwards...Sr. Florence Muia

The Charles Dushek Family have been financial and tactical supporters of the UPENDO Village of South Africa to its Leaders and Orphaned Students since 2006.

UPENDO Village has a Mission to Enable the Survival and Early Education Schooling of Orphaned Children and Teens.

In 2006, Marge and I were invited to attend a Fund Raising Dinner organized by one of our Rotary Club of Oakbrook IL members to learn about the hardships in South Africa, and what we could do to support orphaned children needing Food & Shelter subsistence, and Early Age Education.

We met Sr. Florence Muia, ASN, located in Wheaton Illinois, a native of Kenya...It opened our hearts and lives to learn what children in Africa badly needed.  It was likened to have adopted children....which lived on the other side of the world.

We are so grateful to have been chosen to help humanity with children, who we will never meet face to face in our lifetimes.

 

The Younger UPENDO Students

 

Pre-Teen UPENDO Students

UPENDO School, Students and Staff

Inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan, Sr. Florence Muia, ASN, a native of Kenya, explored with Sr. Marge Zulaski, OSF, a Wheaton Franciscan sister, how to offer assistance and support to Kenyans with HIV/AIDS. The two began by establishing a partnership involving the Wheaton, IL, congregation; the Assumption Sisters of Nairobi; and community members in Kenya.

 

Sister Florence with Marge & Chuck Dushek

These partners have worked together closely to secure local community members' buy-in for a care program, study models for success, build a program infrastructure, secure funds, staff up, and interact with government agencies.

The Dushek Family made direct financial donations monthly of $500 to cover the Full Living & Schooling Expenses of 6-8 children beginning in 2006.

Further, Mr. Dushek worked with Sister Florence, advising her about Ways and Means to establish a local Subsistence Farming Operation, to grow year-round food crops in fruits and vegetables.  The Project involved several strategic inputs to facilitate the Ag-Operation:

 

Walk-Behind Diesel Cultivator Tractor.

These machine has a power-rototiller, a drag-plowing blade, a 5 Kilowatts generator, and a tractor operator pull behind seat with wheels, plus a tow-hitch to drive & pull a 100 gallon poly water tank cart to transport fresh drinking water from the local well to people's homes within a several mile radius.  

 

UPENDO is repurposing Donated FEMA Water Storage Bladders that are filled from the local Deep Well and then store 5,000 gallons of water for drip irrigation for the Upendo Garden Plot Below...This irrigation process allows for year-round growing of Perennial Vegetables, such as: Tomatos, Peppers, Eggplant, Okra and others.

 

Establishing a Drip-Irrigation System has Year-Round AG Watering Through Rain & Drought Seasonal Weather.

 

 

The UPENDO Village Founders and Staff thank the Dushek Family for their Multi-Year Support.