As we enter into 2016, we'd like to keep our donors and supporters apprised of all SAWA news. We will be sending out a quarterly e-newsletter to keep everyone up-to-date. Last year was an amazing year for us, and we expect even bigger things this year. THANK YOU for being a part of our journey!

WE DID IT! We bought a new plot of land for the El Shadai Grace Children's Centre in November 2015! On this new plot, we will build a new school and children's home for our orphans and many more for years to come! All of us, including the children, were elated to accomplish this goal.

THANK YOU to all of our amazing donors who contributed to our Stakeholder Campaign.

Now that we own our land, we can begin development. In order to begin building, the property needed to be fenced. We have already built a fence and installed a proper gate. We have also re-used materials from our old school to build a room to store materials as we begin to build the foundation for the new home. We are currently working with government officials and engineers to begin mapping out our construction plans, and we are arranging for water and electricity!

Christmas Day is one of the kids' favorite days of the year...this year we had a very special celebration. We were joined by an amazing male a cappella group, called Ninga Melodies. Back in November, Ninga Melodies organized a special performance for the kids. They brought visitors, food, donations, and of course...their wonderful talents. The kids enjoyed the day so much, we knew we had to ask them back again!

We had an amazing day of eating, singing, dancing, and playing! We are so grateful to Ninga Melodies for their involvement with El Shadai. They are great role models, and they make our kids feel so special. We look forward to a continued relationship with them in years to come!

Visit our Facebook page to see more pictures from Christmas.

The children have moved to a new school! El Shadai used to run a private school of its own for our younger children. After review, it became clear that in our current rental situation the school was costing us far too much money to maintain. In addition, a local sponsor who was helping us pay tuition for the older children has pulled her funding. By moving the children to another school, we are able to send all 21 children in Primary School to a new school for less than it cost for us to keep the private school open for only 12 of our children. When we rebuild the school and home on our own property the profits from tuition from outside students will be much larger, allowing for a sustainable education program for our kids.

We had some Guests of Honor come out to visit last year! Both Mary and Timmy Lawler came out to visit the kids in the fall and had a wonderful time! The kids call Mary "Mzungu Sho Sho" which means "English-speaking Grandmother," and if you watch our New Years video below you will hear that they are anxious to have her back again.

Timmy visited with us for a month and brought along his friend, Sarah, who is now one of our wonderful sponsors! The kids absolutely loved having them here. They were such great helpers at the private school, and they are certainly missed.

If you've ever considered a trip to Africa, karibu Kenya!! (You are welcome in Kenya.)

New Year, New Goals!
I asked the kids "What do you want to do in 2016?" Click to see what they said! Our sponsors have some traveling to do ;)

A note from the Director

Wishing you a Happy New Year in 2016.
I give a vote of thanks to all Cara's family and all SAWA associates for your good will support in past years and this new year, 2016. May God bless you abundantly in your work. Thank you very much from the El Shadai Grace Children's Centre, Nairobi.

Yours,
Director John N. Muvitie

Plans for 2016

Water at the new plot. Even in the meantime until we build the new home, the kids/staff will have full-time access to water...a luxury they've lived without for years. Water has been a constant problem for them. This addition will be life-changing.
Begin building. We have already spoken with engineers and officials to start planning the building process. Once we have official maps and approval, we can begin laying a foundation for the plot. We will move forward one step at at time as funds allow.
Install a septic system. One of our priorities is to improve sanitary conditions for the children. Each floor of the new home will have bathrooms and running water. This will improve sanitation AND safety, as the children currently use a community latrine.
Start a small business. Our ultimate plan is to have the private school serve as a source of revenue for the orphanage to sustain itself. However, this might not come to fruition for a few years. In the meantime, it is important for the orphanage to have a source of income. With a small investment, we could buy chickens or perhaps a cow. A business like this would not only provide eggs/milk for the children, but also some revenue.

How YOU can help

FOLLOW us on Facebook to stay informed on all of our current projects.
SHARE our Page, Posts, and Pictures on your own page. Help us increase our audience!
SIGN-UP for this e-Newsletter. This will be our major means of communication with all SAWA supporters.
DONATE whatever you can, whenever you can. We will have projects ranging in cost from tens to thousands of dollars this year...whatever you can afford WILL help us! With our new donation system through the PayPal Giving Fund, 100% of your donations will go directly to SAWA.
CONTACT US if you have an idea for a fundraiser! We have had several individuals/groups/organizations/companies/etc help us with small fundraisers.
SHOP online with AmazonSmile and eBay for Charity and choose SAWA as your charity of choice! Both programs donate a percentage of your purchase directly to us.
DESIGNATE SAWA to receive your charitable giving! If your company offers the option for charitable giving on your paychecks, you can register SAWA as your organization of choice. We are a 501c3 organization. Contact us for any required information!

In case you missed it...
here's the video from the day we told the kids we bought the new land! Click here to watch them celebrate this milestone!

About SAWA
If you're new to our organization, watch this video to learn a bit more about SAWA and the children of the El Shadai Grace Children's Centre.