Swimraiser in the Caribbean

In October I participated in a 5-mile inner-island swim in the Caribbean. Thanks to numerous donors I was able to raise $10,000!! This race was a challenge to say the least – Not only was I not a swimmer before this race – I had never done a race before, not so much as a 5K run. Race morning – I was so nervous I could barely get dressed… let alone put sunscreen on which I needed a lot of. Once we got to the ferry we went through body marking and I got #29 written on both arms. Once to the island, we had 15 minutes on the beach to “warm up” or get mentally read … I stood trying to calm down. I had my goggles on and my music headset ready.

The horn blew and I let everyone sprint into the water and I walked in behind. I swam a few strokes with my head above water and then took a deep breath and put my face in. Instantly my ear buds to my music came out, I rolled to my back to try and fix them but with the waves I was unsuccessful. I gave up and rolled back to my belly to keep swimming and saw a scuba diver below me – checking on me. It was nice knowing there were safety kayakers and divers, literally surrounding me from top to bottom

The first 2 miles crossing the channel from Buck Island to St. Croix were the most physically challenging; the swell was bigger than I had anticipated. The next 3 miles were along the coast of St. Croix – it was breathtakingly beautiful. I saw several sea turtles, 2 stingrays and really pretty fish. I missed the drink station boat but luckily had a kayaker offer me a bottle of water. He kindly opened it and handed it to me at which point his kayak capsized with his young son in it. I dropped my water and tried to help. Once they were safe I pressed on. I was parched. The hardest stretch for me was 3.5 to 4.5 miles. My shoulder was hurting, my tongue was like sand paper, I was starting to get seasick and I wanted to quit. I thought of all the generous donors and kept kicking. The final turn buoy felt as if someone was slowly pulling it further and further as I swam towards it. It reminded me of teaching a child to swim and backing up as they come towards you.

I finally could put my feet down and heard a ton of cheering; I had an overwhelming feeling of relief and accomplishment. I finished 4 minutes over time but was so proud I completed it. There were some serious competitors – even Gold Medalist Misty Hyman was there! 5 miles was definitely further than I had imagined (think of it as 88 lengths of a football field). And 4 hours in the water was longer than I had ever thought possible. Thank you to everyone who made this swim-raiser so successful!

~Michelle

Knocking Out 2011 – A Look Back at the Year

27 December 2011

It is hard to believe we are coming to the end of another year.  It was a great year for Knock Foundation as we continue to grow and expand our reach in the developing world.  As you reflect upon this year, we ask that you make a commitment to Knock Foundation so we can continue helping under-served populations in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia.  Below is a summary of all that was accomplished this year.

• Moved the 20 current children and welcomed 15 new children to the brand new Matumaini Child Care Center in Rau, Tanzania.

• Provided 18 deserving students with educational scholarships to varying primary and secondary schools.

• Sent a team of volunteers to the Maasai Mara in Kenya where they worked on construction of a new primary school.

• Donated a full shipping container of medical supplies to the Nyanza Provincial General Hospital in Kisumu, Kenya and also completed a second medical mission to the hospital.

• Arranged our 4^th annual HIV/AIDS – Healthy Living Seminar for 150 participants in a new location in Tanzania.

• Hosted 17 volunteers from Teen Insight in Tanzania, where they worked with the students of Mrupanga and Longuo Primary Schools and completed a beautification project.

• Purchased 30 desks, hundreds of books, and built a playground at Tulivu Kindergarten in Tanzania.

• Provided school lunch for 400 students at Mrupanga Primary School and in October, added another 430 students from Longuo Primary School to our lunch program.

• Four Knock Directors completed intense physical challenges as fundraisers for Knock, raising a total of $55,000.  Bruce hiked rim to rim in the Grand Canyon, Michelle swam a 5-mile ocean race in the Caribbean, Barry hiked to Little Meru and Kim hiked Mt. Meru to the summit.

As we transition into 2012, we at Knock Foundation are excited about new endeavors and possibilities in store for the organization.  In addition to expanding our current projectsWe will be sponsoring a medical mission and school building trip to Ethiopia, further expanding our reach in eastern Africa.

Please join in our movement to provide sustainable change that will allow people to lift themselves out of poverty.  Every donation makes a difference.  Make your year-end donation today.

Thank you for your continued support.  We wish you a happy and healthy new year.

Sincerely,

Michelle, Barry, Bruce, David and Kim

Co-Founders and Directors, Knock Foundation

Medical Mission, School Building and Hiking

25 July 2011

Knock’s Medical Mission to Kenya

This April, Knock Foundation and Columbia University’s Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) sponsored a successful return trip of medical professionals to Kisumu, Kenya.

During the visit, our urological team screened hundreds of patients and performed numerous surgical procedures. A sample of the cases included:

• A teenage boy impaled through his rectum and prostate. Through reconstruction surgery, our team of surgeons corrected his painful condition to allow him to lead a normal life.

• A middle aged woman with a renal tumor so painful she couldn’t walk and was wheelchair-bound. She underwent removal of that kidney and had a remarkable recovery with minimal residual pain.

• An elderly gentleman had been living with an artificial drainage tube in his bladder for 2 years because his prostate was so large he could not urinate.

In addition, Knock  donated a shipping container full of a wide selection of heath care products and supplies. This will enable Knock to expand its ability to provide care to the various communities it serves in Kenya.

 

Building A School In Kenya
Also in April, a team of volunteers traveled to the Masai Mara in Western Kenya to build a primary school. Working (and laughing) side-by-side with community members, the school will open in time for this summer’s school session.

 

Climbing Mt. Meru, Tanzania
In February I climbed Mt. Meru as a fundraiser for Knock, along with Edward Lyimo.  Together with over 70 donors supporting the climb, we raised over $27,000!  The first two days of hiking were steep, but only about 4 hours each and with beautiful surroundings.  The hike up to the summit was incredibly difficult.  We woke up at 2 am after a serious amount of rain had fallen earlier that night.  We started off with normal switchbacks and the weather was nice.  Once we reached 3800 m, the top of a hill called Rhino Point, it became extremely foggy, cold, windy and rainy.  The rain was coming at us horizontally from the right for several hours.  The climb at some points was traditional hiking along narrow ridges with very steep drop offs, and at other points was extremely difficult rock climbing, either literally scaling slippery rock walls or using hands and feet to climb up.  Because it had rained, there was snow/ice for much of the way, which made the rocks slippery.  The summit climb took us about 6.5 hours which is longer than usual, but the weather played a big part in that.

There were several peaks along the way that when we reached each one, I asked our guide, Mussa, “that’s the top right?” and his answer was always the same, “not yet, Kim, not yet.”  I definitely lost hope a few times and Edward’s boots were soaked through early on and his feet were freezing, but we had no choice but to keep going.  When we finally started approaching the summit, I completely lost hope when I saw a steep rocky ridge that I knew would take a lot of time and strength I felt like I no longer had.  But we just took one rock at a time and climbed slowly, and when we saw the Tanzanian flag up at the top, we were filled again with hope and excitement.  Arriving at the top was a rush that is hard to explain.  It was thrilling to know we had done it!  And then came the realization of having to then get ourselves down!  But hours later we had reached camp, exhausted and sore, but having accomplished our mission.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported us! - Kim

 

2011 Off To An Exciting Start!

22 March 2011

The Children Move Into Their New Home

On January 15, the Matumaini children moved into the brand new Knock Foundation donated center near Moshi, Tanzania!  Seeing the kids in the new space has been incredible. They are so happy and getting used to all the new amenities. Watching them eat their lunch at tables inside a nice dining hall has been the greatest thing to see. They used to sit on the porch of the old place, all cramped together, eating off their plates on the ground. Now they are sitting upright at tables and it is a wonderful sight to see.

For the first week, the water wasn’t working well which meant the kids were still showering with buckets. One evening, all the girls were in the bathroom and the water started flooding out of the showerhead.  Monika, dressed in a blouse and skirt, ran to stand underneath it.  She had a huge smile on her face and was giggling incessantly. It took not but 10 seconds for all the other girls to jump into the shower, fully clothed, with Monika. It was a happy day.

One Sunday evening, the kids had organized a boys versus girls acrobatic competition in the dining hall. The boys were all standing on one side while the girls were standing on the other. There was a ton of happy noise emanating from the hall while Stefani would do some sort of flip and thus challenge one of the girls to do something better. At one point, Stefani folded his legs up onto his thighs and started walking around the dining hall on his knees. All the kids started hysterically laughing. It was so heartwarming to see them so joyous and really making use of their new home.

Matumaini Welcomes New Children

In our effort to begin filling up the new Matumaini Center, we welcomed three new children in February: Anna, Suzy and Anita. Suzy and Anita are 6 and 8 years old respectively and are sisters who have been living with their grandmother.

Anna is 7 years old and comes from a village south of Moshi town. Her father passed away several years ago and her mother just passed away 2 weeks ago, leaving Anna to stay with her 19 year-old sister, who has a new baby. When we met Anna, she had yet to start school and there were no plans for her to do so. She was eating scarcely and living in a dark, rented room. She starting fitting in at Matumaini right away and has been attending kindergarten classes everyday. We hope this is the beginning of a new life for her.

Knock’s Upcoming Medical Mission to Kenya

This coming April, Knock Foundation and Columbia University’s Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) will be sponsoring a return trip of medical professionals to Kisumu, Kenya. Our team of volunteer doctors will be putting their incredible skills to work in a part of the world where basic medical care is often lacking. During our stay, the team will screen patients, perform surgeries and train local medical staff. In addition, Knock is donating a shipping container full of a wide selection of heath care products and supplies. This will enable Knock to expand its ability to provide care to the various communities it serves in Kenya.

Building A School in Kenya

Also in April, a team of volunteers will be heading out to rural western Kenya to build a primary school. In keeping with our core belief that everyone has the right to an education, the new Knock Foundation donated primary school will provide a safe, friendly environment for local children to pursue their dreams for generations to come.

Mrupanga Update

The Kilimanjaro Education Foundation has approved the Mrupanga Primary School’s budget for the construction of brand new latrines, a septic tank system, and reserve water tank! We are very excited to be collaborating with this great organization and continuing to improve the environment and sanitation at Mrupanga. Construction will begin soon!

Anita, Angela, and Anna

Stefani

all the kids at their new home

Suzy

Anna

Anita

Knocking Out 2010 – Year in Review

23 December 2010

We can’t believe 2010 is coming to a close.  It was a very busy year for Knock Foundation, during which much progress was made.  In spite of the tough economic times, we managed to raise funds in an amount commensurate with 2009.  As we close out this year, we ask that you make a commitment to Knock Foundation so we can continuing expanding our reach and providing opportunities for more people in the coming year.

In 2010, Knock Foundation…

• Constructed the brand new Matumaini Children’s and Community Center in Rau, Tanzania from start to finish.

• Provided 15 bright and deserving individuals with the opportunity of education through educational scholarships.

• Completed a medical mission to Kisumu, Kenya where participating physicians performed numerous surgeries and helped train local doctors in urology.

• Fed 400 students school lunch every day for the year.

• Planned and hosted two Life Skills – HIV/AIDS Seminars for over 350 participants.

• Gave 15 volunteers the opportunity to participate in our work in Tanzania and Kenya.

As we move into 2011, we are hopeful that Knock will continue to grow and help even more people in underserved communities in Tanzania, Kenya, and possibly other countries.  We ask that you join in our movement to provide sustainable change and life-changing opportunities that will allow people to lift themselves out of poverty.

There is no shortage of need and we look to you for continued support.  Every single donation makes a world of difference.

We thank you so much for your support and wish you and yours a happy and healthy new year.

Sincerely,

Michelle, Barry, Kim, Bruce, and David

Co-Founders and Directors, Knock Foundation