Habari ~ Welcome!

AVIF is an innovative online charity, assisting with sustainable development via online & onsite volunteering in rural Kenya, East Africa. Being virtual means negligible administration costs for worldwide impact. We believe in efficiency, honesty and transparency. We don't charge fees.

[Panorama shot above by Simon Gardner, a volunteer, taken minutes before the storm hit him while cycling through Kenya on the Tour d'Afrique. His full journal and pictures are here].

More results in Nairobi

Written by Alison | 09 December 2009

Yesterday, Ingrids Angels received a 2nd gift. In 2010 the Ingrid Education Centre are moving another class up to Grade 4 and Zoe, visiting at the moment, offered to help with the construction of the new classroom. Within 5 hours they'd all finished.

Zoe leaves for Maseno Thursday morning to visit The Mercy Home. Thank you so much for your help, Zoe x

Funds have also now been cleared from Justgiving to buy the land the centre is sited on so this is now in Kenya, no thanks to Moneygram!? who extortionately charged us an additional GBP65.00 via the use of lower exchange rates. I've appealed to have the money returned to the children of Ingrids and will keep you posted.

We received our first Payroll Giving commitment also, many thanks to the contributor. This will fund the feeding program at Ingrids. Most children attending only get one meal a day, at Ingrids!

It may come as a surprise to some that through various agencies (in UK) chosen by the employers, for example: a contribution of £90 per month (which will fund a feeding program for over 100 children in Kenya) will actually only cost you £54 – "an absolute bargain". Your employer can explain more or go to the section on our website.

We're also initiating a project looking into Kenya's "desperate need for alternative energy sources". Wind power and small scale turbines will quite simply enable developing communities to leapfrog the negative effects of the fossil-fuel era and stop the serious degradation of their environment. We'll keep you posted but if there is anyone wishing to get involved please contact us.

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Can Copenhagen alleviate poverty in Africa while protecting it from climate change?

Written by Alison | 07 December 2009

On the dawn of the Copenhagen UN Climate Change Conference, Paula Kahumba has made a video with the simple question:

will Copenhagen face the challenge of how to alleviate poverty in Africa while protecting us from climate change?

Paula lives in Kenya where she manages a blogging platform for wildlife conservation on http://wildlifedirect.org, brainchild of the famed palaeoanthropologists now politician Richard Leaky.

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More gifts of advanced nutrition for malnourished children

Written by Alison | 03 December 2009

My wonderful contact at MannaRelief has just rang to offer another 6 months supply of MannaBears to us, fully funded.

With these "glyconutrients" we can add to the "current food programs which are mainly cereal-based and lack many of the nutrients young children need ... filling a child's stomach not only fails to correct the problem, but it serves as only a temporary fix to a much bigger problem." This product ... "provides children with plant-sourced nutrients in standardized and nutritionally effective amounts. ...Nutritional Chews can be eaten directly from the packet and do not require refrigeration or mixing with scarce clean water."

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The spirit of Christmas is alive and here

Written by Administrator | 29 November 2009

We all just wanted to express our huge appreciation and .. well .. Douglas and wife Grace who run the Ingrids Education Centre in the Matopeni area of Nairobi are just speechless.

The generosity of "A Friend" is staggering, donating 64% of the target funds needed via our JustGiving site with a simple message Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We'd like to also thank Nick, Nicola, Jack, Robert, Liz, Sammy, Simon, Charlotte, Sally, Charlotte N, Ralette, Alec, Steve, Mary, Steven, Eleanor, Mike, Leila, Bridgette, Deb and all anonymous donors too for their generosity in securing the future of the 116 children currently being cared for and given the hope of an education under the watch of Douglas and Grace. ASANTE SANA

Since our "friend" was a UK taxpayer, JustGiving automatically provide Gift Aid from the HMR C which means the target has already been met by that Gift Aid supplement alone. I will be sending the funds directly to Kenya via Moneygram.

Merry Christmas to Everyone x!x Kuwa na Krismasi njema x!x

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Make this Christmas extra special for Ingrids Angels

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Written by Alison | 28 November 2009

The Ingrid Education Centre was visited this Summer by a handful of AVIF's volunteers; Beckee, Sam, Mariam, Stan, Deb, Alec and Charlotte spent time with the Director, Douglas aka Wesley Snipes ;-) and his wife Grace and family, assisting the wonderful work of the centre in the Matopeni slum area of Nairobi. Children here are fed and educated rather than spending a day breaking rocks with thier hands, alongside their parents or guardians in the nearby quarry, day in, day out. The volunteers were lucky enough to help teach some the lessons to the children, they cooked chapatis, they bought a water tank and helped install it too. It was a success for all.

.... but now there's a chance the hopes of all the children there could be lost. Although a deposit secured the plot of land temporarily there are only 41 days remaining!!! to help secure the future of the Centre by raising the £2,440 needed to legally buy the land, or the owner has to sell.

If you can spare just a dollar $1 or just a "quid" £1 we'd hugely appreciate it, you'd be buying a share in the future prospects of many children. Simply go to the JustGiving fundraising site it will only take a minute to help, or if you prefer not to give our details on the internet and have a Paypal account you can send a secure payment via our email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it