Rotary District 9212 National Emergency Response Team celebrates all our distribution agents and partners across the country and is grateful for their support. This article acknowledges the silent HEROS who are supporting Rotary District 9212 National Emergency Response Food Hampers distribution, during the COVID-19 Crisis. The food distribution program, which has delivered 3500 food hampers, works in partnership with Rotary Clubs across the country and local distribution agents to reach the most vulnerable members of society. The local agents are silent HEROS, who work selflessly within the communities - They are remarkable not only for their amazing deeds, but also in the humble quality of their leadership. This article celebrates a few of these wonderful individuals who have been working silently within their communities and who 'stepped up their game' to support the Rotary District 9212 Food Hampers Program. Each food hamper feeds a family of 4 for 2 weeks. We are unable to mention all the delivery agents and the individuals who have helped deliver almost 3500 hampers to date, across the country and in hotspots of Covid-19, but the District 9212 is grateful to all of them. Below are mentioned a few outstanding individuals and organisations.
The CEO of HEART, Lydia Njoroge, who runs Women Equality Empowerment Project (WEEP), received 300 food hampers from Past District Governor Geeta Manke. The WEEP project focuses on supporting single mothers with HIV in Kibera, Kakamega and Kisumu. Two recipients, who are silent HEROS, also attended. Rodah Maviala is a WEEP mother from Kibera WEEP Centre. Rodah is currently the Kibera WEEP Centre coordinator and a mentor to the WEEP women and their children in the Kibera informal settlement. She was divorced by her husband in 1999, leaving her with 3 girls to raise on her own. In 2005, Rodah tested HIV positive while she was very sick. She was enrolled into WEEP Project in 2006. She is now in charge of 50 WEEP mothers in the Kibera WEEP project. Another WEEP recipient is Joyce Anyango, who has 4 Children. Joyce tested HIV positive in 2008 and was abandoned by her husband shortly after that.
Samson Waweru, Chairman of Kenya Society for the Blind, received 60 Food Hampers from Rotary District 9212. Samson Waweru has been visually impaired since the age of 2, and attended Kilimani Primary School and later St Lucy secondary school for the blind in Meru. He went on to study at University of Nairobi and graduated with a degree in Art & Political Science. On receiving the hampers, he said "The blind and disabled are often forgotten, so this donation is very welcome for some of the most vulnerable members of our society". Samson champions the cause for the visually impaired and has worked tirelessly since he graduated, supporting the education & rehabilitation of visually impaired youth. Accompanying Samson, was Director of Kenya Society of the Blind, Solomon Bukhala who has served the visually impaired at School of Blind in Kapinguria, West Kapot (1987-1997) and then helped set up & develop the Blind Unit at Kilimani Primary School (2002-2009).
The Rotary organisation has a remarkable infrastructure that has true global and local penetration - both vertically and horizontally. One section of Rotary that not often visible to the public are the Rotary Community Corp (RCC) - made up of community members living in informal settlements - which often delivers on the implementation of projects into the informal sector, under the mentorship and support of a 'mother' charter Rotary Club. The Rotary Club of Nairobi, which is the flagship Rotary Club in District 9212, has a very effective RCC operating in Mathare informal settlement. The RCC Mathare of Hospital Ward in Mathare has delivered over 500 food hampers in partnership with District 9212, during the COVID-19 crisis.
Bernard Ochieng, President of the RCC Mathare Hospital Ward speared headed the distribution of almost 550 food hampers across 5 separate villages in the Hospital ward and Mabatini ward of Mathare.  Bernard is a graduate of applied computer technology from United States International University - Africa (USIU-Africa), and is currently pursuing a Masters in Information systems and technology at USIU -Africa as well as Advanced Diploma in Technical Education at Kenya Technical Trainers College (KTTC) Gigiri.  He is also the founder, Chairman, and Trustee at Kujia Trust, a non-profit social enterprise, started at USIU Africa Innovation hub; which runs youth mentorship, enterprise development, youth exchange, and leadership development, to reduce the unemployment problem among Kenyan youth in Nairobi's local urban communities.
The District 9212 Food Hampers distribution is only possible due to the generosity of Donors - who are individuals donating 50 - 500,000 shillings and large corporations who donate Millions of shillings. Every shilling donated goes directly to the recipient, because Rotary Food Hampers Project is operated by volunteers only. The larger companies are often acknowledged in newspapers or Rotary bulletins. However, there is a small business that has silently supported the distribution of 3500 Food Hampers for the past 2 months, by providing free transport of the food hampers, as and when required. The founder owners, Moses Nyakundi and Saum Siraj of Dukestop Freight Logistics Ltd have supported the Rotary District 9212 wholeheartedly. The company which provides transport, forwarding and warehousing serves worldwide must be suffering from the 'shut down' of travel and economic downturn due to COVID-19, but they still support the Rotary District 9212 in feeding the most vulnerable members of society. True HEROS only give, they never ask for anything in return.
Rotarian Anuja Prashar is a lecturer in International Business at KCA University, heading up the Rotary District 9212 Food Hampers Project, during the COVID-19 crisis.

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Flora

Flora is our fashion aficionado always up to date with the latest trends. A sucker for dogs and their cute goofy ears. She is the events and newsletter editor.

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