Annual General Report 2021

President’s Report to the annual General meeting of power of Education Africa Foundation

May 31, 2022

2021 was the ninth year of Power of Education Africa’s operations in Canada and Kenya. This year was one of renewed hope for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and a lessening of restrictions and a return to what would become our new normal. We continued to experience challenges, both here and in Kenya, and we had expected to travel to Kenya in April of 2022. Further Covid outbreaks around the world had us decide it was still not safe to do so. This was a difficult decision and one we were tremendously disappointed with, as were our helpers and students in Kenya. 

I am happy to say that we have a group of dedicated volunteers who allow us to make sure the Foundation continues to function successfully. These include our Board of Directors in Canada, our Board of Directors in Kenya and our specialized volunteers here, all generous with their time and knowledge. We have several excellent helpers in Kenya who are paid a stipend to do our work for us there.

Just like in 2020, we were not able to hold either of our two large events: The Annual Reception or the Festive Tea due to the COVID-19 restrictions. We are hopeful we will be able to hold an event in the late fall of 2022. It has been a very long time since we have been able to meet, and share with our generous sponsors and donors and other people interested in finding out more about the Foundation.

Since the Foundation began in 2013 we have provided a high school education for 179 deserving young students. In 2021 we had a total of 124 students, 74 in high school, and 50 in post-secondary schools.

Activities in Kenya

High Schools and Universities in Kenya did not experience any further lockdowns, and other than a compressed school year for the high school students, everything returned to normal. Students continued to follow the Covid-19 safety protocols as outlined by their government and followed by their individual schools.

Our helpers continued to use masks and hand sanitizer to stay safe as they often travelled using crowded public transport. They also distributed masks to our students.

There were 27 high school graduates for the 2021 school year who wrote their final exams in March of 2022. Our helpers in Kenya will meet with these grads to discuss their future goals, and provide guidance as to the process of applying for post-secondary programs, and obtaining government subsidies and sponsorship through POEA. Many of our high school graduate sponsors have already committed in advance to support their students through their post-secondary

programs. This makes our conversations with the students much easier as we know we will have the funds to support their continued educational needs.

We are happy to report that 10 of our 2019 graduates have joined university, or college programs. These students had delays and great difficulty getting started due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Despite the delays, they are very excited to continue with their education.

Law student and Kenyan Board member, Felix Miruka graduated with his LLB and plans to return to school for his Advocate training, but that has been delayed for a year. He continues to coordinate and support the post-secondary students, and has been doing this since the spring of 2020. His efforts have proven invaluable as it would be almost impossible for us to communicate with all of our students from Canada. Aside from the time difference, the difficulties are due to the fact that each student has a different program, attends a different school, has a different timetable, and Covid-19 has impacted them in a variety of ways. Felix also helps the high school graduates navigate through the process of choosing a post-secondary program, and of applying for entry to their chosen school. He also tries to answer their myriad questions since most do not have a family member who has any experience in education beyond primary school. We continue to trust Felix and our students know him and accept his advice and guidance. We plan to add another helper in 2022 because the other required work is too much for one person to manage, especially as we expect Felix to return to school soon.

We are in regular contact with all of our high school students, and can report that they did not have any serious issues in 2021 that needed our intervention. A few lost elderly grandmothers, and one tragically lost her teenage brother. We provided our support to these students as needed; such as transport home or small gifts of food for the family. Often, the only family our students have is an elderly grandmother as their parents have both passed away. In light of this, we always reach out to the students to ensure they have the emotional support they need to cope with their loss.

We are happy to report that a student who was having serious family and behavioural issues has done very well in her final high school exams. In 2020 and 2021 we placed her with another family and provided a counsellor to her during school breaks, which has helped immensely. She now looks forward to applying to a post- secondary program. She attributes her success to the support of her foster family and the counselling she received that taught her valuable tools for coping with her complicated family situation and behavioural issues. Her father was very grateful for the help from the Foundation as it was not possible for him to provide the kind of support she needed.

We had a few students became pregnant early in the 2021 school year but prior to the lockdown period. They would have had to leave school soon after, but due to the long lockdown period they were able to deliver their babies and return without losing any school time. The Foundation always supports our students who become mothers at such a young age. We reach out to them during their time away from school to ensure they know they will be supported if they want to return. We ensure the school is also aware of this plan. Most students do return and their families find a way to care for the baby. This familial support is a fine example of how important their child’s education is to the families of our students.

Over the years the Foundation has been in operation those of us fortunate enough to have travelled to Kenya to do the work on the ground have been privileged to meet, and work with many committed and caring people. These include our helpers, but also teachers, parents, principals, city councillors, priests and nuns, to name a few. Together with our helpers we have

built relationships with our students and the school administrators. These relationships allow us to provide the continuity and support our students desperately need. The relationships carry on year after year, and are the backbone the Foundation needs to ensure we can do our very best work in Kenya, even when we are not physically present.

While we were not able to travel to Kenya to select new students in January/February 2021, we did take 7 new students. These students were referred to us by members of the community, principals and our helpers.

We encourage our students attending the same school to support one another. The girls enthusiastically take on the role of mentor whenever we add a new student to their school. This provides the new student with a small second family to help support them when they are far from home, usually for the first time in their lives. Some of our students have never travelled farther than their home village so really need the nurturing this camaraderie provides.

It is inspiring to meet young girls who are struggling with adversities such as extreme poverty, family issues, being

orphaned at a young age, and being left with no one to help them except perhaps neighbours. These girls often attended overcrowded and underfunded primary schools, and this limited their ability to reach their true potential. They are used to existing without running water, or electricity, and most especially, adequate nourishment. Caring for younger siblings is a norm as parents are often working

away from home and cannot afford childcare. The girls need to do domestic chores at home until late into the night which leaves no time for studying. Chores such as going into the countryside (for some this is far away from their homes) to collect water or firewood, put them in grave danger from wild animals and other predators, and they readily accept this as a normal part of their daily lives. If we ask them if they have bad things happen to them rarely do they say yes. From their perspective, the worst thing that could happen to them would be to be left behind and not be able to attend school. They firmly believe, as do we, that education will lift them up and out of the level of poverty they are used to.

Despite all of these hardships students still do well in their final grade school exams and can be accepted to a good high school.
The Foundation, with the generosity of its donors and sponsors, has been able to help the girls attend boarding schools. The schools offer them the ability to learn unburdened by household chores, threats of abuse and neglect, and caring for younger siblings. They can study with proper lighting, are well fed and can make lifelong friends who come from many different communities. They grow and flourish in this diverse environment, and we have seen many go on to attend university with a willingness to continue the hard work they know is required to improve their future.

As expected, Covid-19 has impacted our student’s grades and many are lower than normal. It is impressive that the students have coped so well with more adversity, such as compressed school years, safety protocols, and the uncertainty of further lockdowns, as well as the knowledge that their families are suffering more than usual. At school, our students already have to deal with gender bias and the

lack of a voice. They are not encouraged to speak out if they feel something is unfair and can be punished if they do. Yet, they continue to do the best they can within the parameters they are given and simply take on the new hardships and carry on.

Our Power of Education Kenya AGM was held in early May and our Annual Financial audit, Annual NGO Report and the Kenya Revenue Agency Annual returns were all filed on time.

Activities in Canada

The Foundation continued to work with the challenges of Covid- 19 restrictions, but we have a good system in place with our helpers in Kenya and this allowed us to continue to support our student’s care and well-being as well as school fees. We continue to rely heavily on our helpers in Kenya, but we still administer the program from here. This involves a lot of telephone, email, WhatsApp and Zoom correspondence. The different means of communication available to us ensures we have been able to get our work done efficiently and make certain our students are not inconvenienced, or struggling unnecessarily.

We continue to send our sponsors and donors regular updates on what is happening both in Kenya and here in Canada. It is heartening to know that their kind and generous support of girl’s education in Kenya continues even though many have likely experienced their own struggles as a result of Covid-19. Everyone responded to our requests for fee payment without delay even though the dates for payment have changed due to the compressed school years in Kenya.

We regularly encourage our students and our sponsors to write to one another. It is nice to see sponsors send words of encouragement and we know the students really appreciate receiving the letters. Our students are always amazed to find that someone who has never met them still cares enough to help them build a better future through education.

2023 will see the Kenyan school year go back to the regular schedule and begin in January. We plan to travel to Kenya in early January and hope to be able to take our usual, approximately 20, new students but it will depend on our ability to get enough new sponsors before that time.

We are continuing to hold our Directors’ Meetings through Zoom. This has worked very well as members find it easier to find a common meeting time that works for everyone and there is no need to travel. It has also allowed us to meet without worrying about Covid-19 exposure.

Our Secretary of many years, Shaaron Fedora, has retired. We are very grateful for her dedication, expertise, and generosity with her time. We relied on her quiet reserve to keep us on track and her record-keeping was perfect. We wish her all the best in the future as she has more time to spend with her family and friends.

Board of Directors: Roles and Responsibilities

Jennifer Owen Blacklock, Treasurer, has been with the Foundation for more than 2 years and has proven to be a valuable and much-appreciated member of our Board. She continues to prepare our Annual Financial Statement and file the Annual CRA Return. She again negotiated with the Kenyan Auditor, approved his contract, discussed best practices and reviewed his audit. She continues to work with Judy Mostardi, our bookkeeper, to initiate streamlining and centralizing our Kenyan bookkeeping, accounting, reporting and auditing services. Jennifer’s knowledgable, professional presence as a CPA on our Board gives us confidence in all our financial dealings.

Syd Gallinger chairs our meetings and provides steady leadership on the Board. He guided us in putting a sound financial infrastructure in place. Five years ago he retired from his role of Treasurer but he continues to provide guidance to all of us when needed. Syd has continued to provide information to donors and sponsors, so that they are fully informed about the Foundation’s use of their financial gifts. He set up our RBC account to receive and facilitate gifts of securities. He welcomes inquiries about gifts from donors. I have a great appreciation for Syd and how he continues to freely share his gifts of kindness, calm, and knowledge.

Secretary, vacant, prepares agendas and notices of meetings, records comprehensive minutes of our Board meetings, and prepares annual tax receipts. We continue to seek a new secretary and in the interim we are very thankful to Lesley Blok for taking and circulating our meeting minutes.

Lesley Blok, Director of Communications. Lesley is responsible for letters of communication to our sponsors and donors and for responding to their questions and concerns. She partners with me on much of the work, both here and in Kenya. She plans to travel to Kenya again with me in January of 2023.

Bo Fodchuk has been added as an honorary member. Bo is a retired lawyer and is a Co-Founder of POEA. He coined the name of the Foundation, developed our Constitution and Bylaws, obtained our registration as a Society and secured our status as a Registered Canadian Charity. He advised us on new regulations in the Societies Act. He files our Annual Report in Victoria, maintained our Minute Book, and provided legal advice. His contribution to the Foundation is greatly appreciated.

Shiella Fodchuk is a Director and the Founder and former President of POEA. She was instrumental in building the Foundation from the ground up and gathered together an amazing group of people to help further her cause of educating the most needy girls in one of the most impoverished places in Africa. She worked tirelessly, in very challenging and in often uncomfortable physical conditions and forged relationships in Kenya that continue to support us.

Anne Kober retired as a Director in March 2019, but remains an Honorary Member. Over six year period Anne helped us to set up the Foundation as a registered charity. She provided wise, legal and practical advice to the Board. She successfully guided us through the several phases of NGO registration, banking signatory protocols, and the composition of the Board of Directors in Kenya. Anne worked to protect our interests while achieving a balance of Kenyan and Canadian representation. We miss her regular presence among us and her contribution.

Anne Millar has stepped down from multiple roles as Director of Communications and of Student Records, but remains as a Director. Anne’s vast workload has been turned over to two others. Over the years she partnered with Shiella in sharing visionary responsibilities, deliberations and decisions, in almost every sphere of our operations. Throughout the year, Anne assumed the vital work of corresponding with sponsors and donors, sending out hundreds of hand written letters, photographs of our work in Kenya, student letters to sponsors, and tax receipts. She educated sponsors about our protocols, students, the Kenyan education system, and she expressed our gratitude to them. Anne updated our donor and sponsor lists, and our student and family contact information. She maintained our student records, which enabled her to know our students, their schools and home situations, the students’ schools, form, grades, admission numbers. She developed complete student profiles and all other necessary documents for us to take to Kenya.

Dr. Phil Sestak is the CEO of our operations in Kenya, sitting ex- officio on the Kenyan Board of Directors, as well as being a Director on the Board in Canada. Phil has the authority at our Kenyan bank and with the schools to run the operation in Kenya, if needed. With many years of experience working as a volunteer HIV/AIDS physician in Africa, Phil brings extensive knowledge to both Boards of Directors. Phil generously spent a month working with me and our students in Kenya in February of 2020. When our students were sent home from school in March of 2020 because of the pandemic, Phil wrote an information letter to guide them in keeping themselves safe and healthy. Phil’s long experience in Kenya and his cultural sensitivity are invaluable gifts he brings to the Foundation.

Lauren Selden, our Technology Director, continues to update our website as needed. She creates attractive emails and print invitations for our Annual Reception and Festive Tea. She has worked with Anne and Lesley to facilitate our mass email communications. She formats the Annual Report for publication and edits Keynote presentations for our events. She manages the Foundation’s social media profile. Lauren brings a valuable skill set to the Foundation and for that, I am very appreciative.

Dr. David Yeung, Honorary Board Member and Dr. Moira Chan. We are very grateful to the Moira and David Foundation for continuing their major financial support of the Foundation. They sponsor students and pay for the installation of solar lamps in the homes of our day scholars. Their donations also subsidize our graduate students in their post-secondary education as not every sponsor is willing or able to continue carrying the sometimes considerable cost of their student’s post-secondary tuition and room and board.

Advisors, Committee Chairs and Core Volunteers

Judy Mostardi, our bookkeeper, continues to be an essential cornerstone of the Foundation. Judy is highly competent, dedicated, steady and unflappable. She reconciles our expenditures in Canada. She is working with Jennifer and Syd in streamlining and centralizing our bookkeeping services in Kenya, for which she will provide oversight. She calculates conversion rates and keeps our financial records in two currencies. Judy drafts record-keeping forms and codes for our daily use in Kenya. Judy prepares semi-annual financial statements. She meets with the team that returns from Kenya, scrutinizing every expenditure.

Fr. Timon Ochieng Odeny acts as Secretary on the Foundation’s Board of Directors in Kenya. At home or abroad, Fr. Timon makes himself available to advise and consult with us about students, schools, and our own practices.

Fr. George Ochola, Rector of Ringa Parish, Homa Bay, and former Rector and Principal of St. John’s Minor Seminary, is Treasurer of the Board of Directors in Kenya. A very good administrator, Fr. George is responsible for our Kenyan expenditures when we are not in Kenya. He is engaged in budgeting, writing cheques (with other signatories), sending funds to students, and recording expenditures monthly. He will liaise with teachers and principals, and students as required as he is their point of contact when there is an issue to be resolved.

Megan Otton is now Chair of the Hospitality Committee and she is assuming responsibility for the functions of the Hospitality Team. We are looking for someone who can take over this role as Megan has also agreed to take on the role of Director of Student Records. Megan is highly competent and easy to work with and we are fortunate to have her in this role as she was a former English instructor at Langara College, with long experience in working with young adults.

Lorna Bennett, adolescent psychologist, brings a wealth of experience in working with adolescents to the Student Support Committee. Lorna is the winner of the David Kendal Master Teacher award for excellence in teaching exceptional children. She is experienced in the diagnosis of learning disabilities and has worked extensively with students who have suffered trauma and loss.

Heather Edgar is a member of the Hospitality Committee. Heather’s open, gracious personality makes her an asset in the preparation and service of food to our guests. She also obtained the Serve it Right license.

We thank Molly Jonsson and Ginger Shaw for their ongoing contributions to the Hospitality Committee on the welcome table. Molly and Ginger welcome every guest to our Annual Reception in May and our Festive Tea in November. Nothing is more important than to recognize those who come out and support us.

We thank Shelley Stanhope and Maria Meakin for their ongoing contribution to the Hospitality Committee, and especially for their warm, quiet and friendly way with guests at our events.

Thank you to Martha Lou Henley for her donation of delicious, home-made desserts for our Festive Teas and our Annual Receptions each year.

Future Considerations

As the world starts to recover from the impacts of Covid-19 and with vaccinations readily available and some safety protocols still in place, travel has re-opened. We hope to be able to go to Kenya in January of 2023 as the Kenyan school year will return to its regular schedule. We will interview and take new students, visit our students and their schools and make contact with many others we have missed during our 2-year long hiatus.

I am excited to reconnect with our students and helpers in Kenya and continue our work on the ground. This in-person work helps to reinforce our relationships and also helps those of us doing the work in Kenya and here in Canada reconnect with all of the reasons we are committed to the Foundation.

I look forward to meeting and sharing with our wonderful sponsors and donors as we start to hold our events again and to have the opportunity to meet new people interested in finding out what we do.

Please accept my thanks and tremendous gratitude to everyone who continues to support POEA as we work with young girls in Kenya working towards their dream of an education. Your contributions are vital to the success of our Foundation, and we are very grateful for your support.

With appreciation and gratitude,

Darlene Durrad, President