Our Club has been famously known for Vasha Installations “Vasha” is a short form of the resort town of Naivasha some 89 Kilometers away from Nairobi. Its home to the famous Lake Naivasha known for its strong populations of hippos and flamingos. There are over 1,500 hippos in the area, and you are almost guaranteed to see one. The lake is a birder’s paradise as it is home to over 400 bird species and it’s a good distraction from the hustle and bustle of the City. This year we celebrated our 5th Installation Ceremony and the 3rd in the town.
Our Club is also pioneering a Digital Literacy Project at Garden Estate Primary school, with a student population of 700 pupils serving the residents of the Marurui, Thome and Ruaraka lower segment neighborhoods. The project is halfway done but more resources are needed to be fully operational. Only 20 desktop computers of the targeted 40 computers are in place. Secondly, we are investing in Njathaini Primary School also under the areas of focus of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Disease Prevention and Treatment and Basic Education and Literacy where we have an ablution block under construction, the superstructure is complete awaiting the fitting of a specialized bio digester since the area is not yet connected to the Municipal Sewer. Further it is a COVD-19 Response initiative in protecting our estimated 1300 pupils from the disease by improving sanitation in their school.
When our RY 2022/23 Installation Committee meet and start to plan for the event, members from the onset agreed that Vasha must not only be known for fun but largely for impactful projects that is has a possibility to yield. It was during our numerous discussions that our President Chris Ndirangu encouraged us to think innovatively of technological innovations that would drive our funds appetite to fund our ongoing service projects enumerated above. Planning for the first fest took four weeks, failure was not an option. We wanted, above all, it to be beneficial to all concerned. Even big fundraisers seem to become most successful when fundraising is less important to the club than creating fun.
Innovatively, the club as guided by one of Fundraising Committees members, Rotarian Paul Mwangi, approached an IT solutions Company name Owo technologies to together crafted a USSD Code *483*33# powered the 2 Major telcos in Kenya. Funds raised
will directly go into funding the above whilst allowing the Rotary Family Members to win amazing prizes that include a fully paid up May 2023 DCA registration, a fully paid air return ticket from Nairobi to Addis Ababa for the May 2023 DCA, A fully paid up trip for two at Mombasa Serena among other premium assorted prizes.
We call on all Rotarians of action to support this initiative by dialing the USSD code and following the prompts not only win amazing prizes but also to support our noble cause.
