The Samburu people are nomadic pastoralists who live in the semi-arid lands of Northern Kenya in an area called Sereolipi, one of the most marginalized and poorest areas in Africa. A proud yet gentle people, the Samburus maintain a lifestyle similar to their ancient origins of thousands of years ago. They struggle with no clean water, transportation (other than camels), consistent health care and limited educational opportunities. The average household income of these indigenous people is less than $250 a year. Most of the children live 10 to 40 miles away from the country’s primary schools and come from families where the parents never received an education.
The Thorn Tree Project - under the auspices of the Sereolipi Nomadic Education Trust (SENET) - was created to provide education to the children of these nomadic families. In the 8 years since the Trust was created by Jane Newman and tribal elders, the Project has launched four initiatives that have resulted in creating schools in the area, cleaning the water supply, supporting an ever-expanding student population and feeding and clothing the eager students. The student body has dramatically increased from 132 students in two primary schools to a projected 1,000 students in two primary schools and an enrollment of 500 students in the outlying pre-schools in 2010. The good news/bad news of this successful effort is that there are not enough classrooms and the existing ones are overcrowded and inadequately furnished, new teachers are needed, old dormitories must be renovated and new ones built, sanitation and health matters continue to be a high priority and modern technology needs to be introduced at a greater level and maintained. Since every cent raised in this effort goes to the children of the Thorn Tree Project (except for 2% of the money which covers postage, tax returns and fundraising preparation) this particular project has established a new and necessary paradigm in the world of fundraising.
The Thorn Tree Project - under the auspices of the Sereolipi Nomadic Education Trust (SENET) - was created to provide education to the children of these nomadic families. In the 8 years since the Trust was created by Jane Newman and tribal elders, the Project has launched four initiatives that have resulted in creating schools in the area, cleaning the water supply, supporting an ever-expanding student population and feeding and clothing the eager students. The student body has dramatically increased from 132 students in two primary schools to a projected 1,000 students in two primary schools and an enrollment of 500 students in the outlying pre-schools in 2010. The good news/bad news of this successful effort is that there are not enough classrooms and the existing ones are overcrowded and inadequately furnished, new teachers are needed, old dormitories must be renovated and new ones built, sanitation and health matters continue to be a high priority and modern technology needs to be introduced at a greater level and maintained. Since every cent raised in this effort goes to the children of the Thorn Tree Project (except for 2% of the money which covers postage, tax returns and fundraising preparation) this particular project has established a new and necessary paradigm in the world of fundraising.