A humble Beginning

This is the Journey of a Lone man with a vision in faith on what he would achieve for himself and for others. Tom Odhiambo Mboya took a journey on the road which was less crossed by people like him from being like any other young boy in Rusinga Island… and that made the difference already to have a 36-member team to travel with him with a hope fueled by International People of Goodwill who have vowed not to leave the world without a few lives changed for a better tomorrow.

In the year 2004, Tom initiated an education program with the support of Henry Wijinia and Carolin Wijinia to establish a school beside Lake Victoria. It grew up as ‘Eddie Memorial School’ a model of a school so much so that it got the attention of the Government Education Department. He had undergone bundles of emotions within when he was asked to hand it over to the Government due to its policies in the year 2010. Though it was very hard and painful, Tom surrendered the school to the Government with a humble heart. In this school, a number of children for the first time saw that they have a chance to start a new way of life…. A life to better their future, to facilitate them to learn skills and thus develop hope for better earning and assured life.

The Window that got opened when the Door was closed

By this time Tom had developed his own vision for more planned activity. At this juncture in 2011 God opened a new window in the form of FEMI, a Netherlands based organization which introduced Harrie Oostrom, a philanthropic Dutch Donor to Tom. Harrie with a 30-year dedicated service in Kenya was deeply moved by Tom’s initiatives and offered his help to ‘co-create a school that would harbor the children and cager to all their needs. Tom regained his strength and felt that a number of children who would come over to his new school need no longer work for omena (silver fish) or keep chasing the scavenging birds but get educated with knowledge and skills for a better future.

On 14^th February 2014 a Community Based Organization “Victoria Friendly Montessori” was registered with a Vision “Working towards a society in which all people are able to live with dignified existence with equal and just access for their future and a Mission “To develop capacities of grassroots community along the Lake Victoria basin to mitigate against effects of poverty through sustainable community-led interventions”. Today VFM works in 17 villages of Rusinga Island and reached 2,400 households with a population of 10,289 with the support of 36 dedicated staff.

Programmes of VFM at Rusings:

1.Economic empowerment: VFM believes that Gender Equality is possible with the economic empowerment of women. And since it is in the agenda 2030 VFM wishes to train more and more women in skills and let them grow economically using education as a via media.

2. Health Activities: VFM tries to make women understand this 3^rd Goal of SDGs. It tries to create an awareness in the women and the community at large the ways and means of attaining positive health in the target villages.

3. Education Activities: With its process of catching them young VFM now has a school for 300 children. It will strive forward to make sure that scientific mindset is instilled in the children for education with values and skills.

4. Water and Sanitation Activities: Thanks to the donors for their support to develop water supply at the moment to 7 villages. VFM shall strive forward to plan and develop schemes to make sure needed food grains especially the vegetables are well grown and marketed.

5. Social Awareness: VFM stives to inculcate ‘We are feeling in all the community members thus fostering a healthy society with responsibility and brotherhood among all the people. Regular programmes are planned to bring the people into one forum and express on the needs of the society for sustained happiness and amity among all.

The Need of the Hour: Catch them Young:

While VFM can concentrate on a number of programmes in all the above-mentioned areas, it has discovered concentration on the education of the young from their early age is the programme which will assure long term benefit to the whole of the Island.

Education has proved to be a transforming tool to the whole world. African nations are yet to get their children educated even with the minimum that is needed for a healthy life. Well organized school education will take the children of Rusinga Island in the 17 adapted villages way forward in their lives. Possibly in the years to come VEM would be in a position to discover the talents in the children and talents will be recognized worldwide for their creativity and productivity.