Orphans in Africa

Tim Hicks visited SACRENA and sent the following postcard:

"I visited SACRENA and Wycliffe Mboya for 9 days beginning May 4th, 2009. Main impressions:

1. SACRENA is doing good work helping orphans through the core activity of football (soccer) training and development.
2. SACRENA as an organization must take the next step in its organizational development, creating systems for transparency, accountability, management, etc.
3. Director Wycliffe Mboya understands this need and is ready to take this next step. As with all new organizations, there hardly seems time beyond fulfilling the central mission to take on the organizational development aspects.
4. My Master's degree program will be sending two student interns this summer to work with Wycliffe for 8-10 weeks. Part of their work will be assisting in this organizational development.
5. While I was there, Margaret Oluoch, director of the Smejak Trees Promotion Development Group (STPDG) began arrangements to contract with SACRENA for a three-year period for the SACRENA youth to plant trees and raise seedlings for her organization. As part of the exchange, she will require that SACRENA take its next steps in org development and transparency/accountability. Her organization will be able to provide resources and training to help with this development. She said she would also be able to provide office space and support to our students while they are there. An additional benefit of this relationship is that SACRENA youth involved in the tree planting will be required and given support to continue their education from whatever level they are at.
6. In addition to the org development benefits this relationship with STPDG will have, it will provide the SACRENA youth with a positive role model for civic engagement, helping them see that it is possible to build organizations and make a difference. As SACRENA develops, there will be an educational benefit for the youth in learning how to manage and grow an organization.
7. In addition to its work with orphaned youth, SACRENA is engaged in some work helping AIDS widows. Wycliffe has acquired two sewing machines and is seeking capital that will allow him to purchase additional machines and thread and fabric so that widows can sew school uniforms (for which there is a ready market) and thereby support themselves and their children as well as providing some income for the organization. SACRENA also provides some home care support for widows sick with AIDS.
8. Wycliffe has a number of other projects that will lead to organizational sustainability and income for support of projects. SACRENA has purchased two tuk-tuks that provide some income to the organization. He wants to purchase perhaps 8 computers in order to open a revenue generating internet café that would also double as a computer training lab for the SACRENA youth.

All in all, this is very much a legitimate organization doing good work and worth supporting. Over the next 6 months, I believe it will develop the org management systems that will increase transparency and accountability. I believe that there is tremendous potential for SACRENA to make even more of a difference for orphaned youth, widows, and the community at large."

Tim Hicks
Director, Masters Degree program in Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA.