The J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust is a charitable fund established in the memory of Kirby Simon, a Foreign Service Officer who died in 1995 while serving in Taiwan. The Trust is committed to expanding the opportunities for professional and community service and personal well-being of active Foreign Service Officers and Specialists and their families. The Trust has been funded with contributions from Kirby Simon's colleagues, friends and relatives and other persons interested in the purposes of the Trust. The Trustees are present or former members of the Foreign Service - State Department community and Kirby Simon's parents.
In the Fall of 2000, following the pattern established in the four previous years, the Trust invited proposals for the support of projects initiated and carried out by Foreign Service personnel or members of their families, or by other U.S. Government employees employed at American diplomatic posts abroad. In response to this invitation, the Trust received 55 proposals from 39 countries. The very modest size of the Trust permitted funding of only 29 of the proposals – and, in many cases, at less than the requested levels. The 29 grants range in amount from $250 to $3504, for a total of $51,793; they support projects conducted in 25 countries. (As noted below, it has not been possible to implement one of the grants that was awarded.)
There follows a description of the projects awarded grants in 2001. (Material in quotation marks comes from the texts of the proposals received by the Trust.)
Albania - Tirana: Publication and distribution of a comic book explaining democratic principles, a project developed by Kristen Pisani, Assistant Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy.
Albania is experiencing a challenging transition to democracy. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the government and with flawed elections, against the background of “economic, political, and social chaos.” Even though the country is “fragile, democracy continues to take root.” A comic strip “with a childlike storyline to attract readership, while delivering clear messages on democracy to the target audience,” will be produced in Albanian and English as a teaching tool “in order to develop future democratic leaders and a populace that understands and believes in democratic principles.” As the author of the story, Ms. Pisani will work with a local illustrator, one of Albania’s most experienced comic artists. Funding from the Trust will help defray the illustration and publication costs. (The Albania Education Development Project of the Open Society Foundation for Albania has provided additional funding, at the suggestion of the Trust.)
Bangladesh - Dhaka: Sign language materials and translation costs for the Bangladeshi School for the Deaf, a project organized by Ralph Hamilton, Financial Management Officer at the U.S. Embassy.
Half of the 130 million residents of Bangladesh live below the poverty line, so one can “understand how the needs of handicapped children (like the deaf) are not being addressed.” Deaf children are not accepted into “most schools, because the schools are not equipped to address special needs. The Salvation Army-supported Deaf School is an attempt to reach twenty-four of these deaf students.” Although the school teaches lip reading with the help of hearing aids, the success rate is low, partially because the hearing aids have to remain at the school when the students finish. There are no resources to replace them. Teaching sign language “does not require expensive hearing aids or batteries.” In addition, family members can participate in this instruction, reinforcing the learning process. With Mr. Hamilton’s supervision, the Trust’s grant will support the purchase of Deaf Education and Sign Language books and the translation of these books into Bengali for the Deaf School’s use.
Bolivia - La Paz: Washing equipment for the Hogar Virgen de Fatima orphanage, a project overseen by Fred Brems, Supervising Community Liaison Officer in the U.S. Embassy, and Rita-Claudia Morosani Schrager, spouse of a Foreign Service Officer.
Hogar Virgen de Fatima orphanage was established in the 1940s by the Bolivian government to house “orphans and abandoned children during the war . . . . The orphanage now operates under the auspices of the Bolivian social services agency SEDEGES. Since 1993 [the orphanage has] had financial and administrative assistance from the NGO Para Los Niños.” While the maximum capacity is 120 children, “the number of children accommodated fluctuates between 90 and 180,” ranging in age from 0 to 8 years, with a few older children accepted to allow siblings to stay together. “Half of the children . . . are under two years old.” “Although the needs . . . are great, [the] most pressing need is simple. Currently orphanage personnel are washing diapers, clothes and bedding for 60 babies per day . . . .; nearly all the wash is done by hand.” With the supervision of Mr. Brems and Mrs. Schrager, the Trust’s grant will purchase two 10 kilo load washers and a dryer.
Burkina Faso - Ouagadougou: Equipment and supplies for the Oasis Project’s clinic and dispensary, serving HIV-positive persons and their families – an activity organized by Christopher Palmer, Foreign Service Officer, and Paulina Julia, Foreign Service National Health Unit Nurse.
“Since 1993, the HIV/AIDS rate . . . has risen . . . to between seven and ten percent of the adult population” in this landlocked sub-Saharan country. The per capita annual income is less than $300, making the most basic health care unaffordable. The non-profit Oasis Project provides “free assistance, including medical aid, to persons who are HIV positive and their families.” It is, indeed, “a refuge for persons with HIV/AIDS who would otherwise have no place to turn.” The basic equipment and supplies requested will aid the physicians, nurses, social workers and others who volunteer their time to carry out Oasis’s “noble mission.” With funding from the Trust, Mr. Palmer and Ms. Julia will be able to arrange for the provision of these supplies, which will be of use for years to come.
Burma - Kalaw: Beds and mattresses, food, and training costs for approximately 50 children at St. Agnes’ Orphanage, a project assisted by John Haynes, Foreign Service Officer, and coordinated by Randy and LaVonne Mills, American teachers in Burma and regular volunteers at the orphanage.
Currently, the children at the orphanage have “inadequate food, clothing and shelter.” Two forms of support are needed: (a) “Direct assistance,” used to purchase beds and mattresses and otherwise improve facilities and provide food to the children. (b) Funds that will provide stipends for local artisans who train the children in income generating skills, including the production “of woven products, candles or other small items to market to tourists who overnight in Kalaw (. . . on the road from Rangoon to Mandalay. . .).” The Trust is providing both forms of support through Mr. Haynes and the volunteers at the orphanage.
Burma - Rangoon: Equipment for a foster home for orphaned children, part of a construction project coordinated by a group of volunteers that includes Catherine Wycoff, a physical therapist and spouse of a Foreign Service Officer.
“The average Burmese citizen believes that our socioeconomic situation in this life is the direct consequence of our behavior in prior lives. An orphan must then have done something quite horrible in a prior life . . . .” Foster Families Association has been created by a group of volunteers “to introduce the idea of foster families to slowly start changing the image of the orphan in the average Burmese’s mind.” Construction of a model orphanage is one of the first projects of the Association. “The children from this orphanage would be placed in foster families whenever possible.” Trust funds will purchase equipment for this project, in which Ms. Wycoff is involved in all aspects, including work as a staff trainer and consultant.
El Salvador - San Salvador: Educational materials (and oranges) for children at a camp for earthquake refugees, a project organized by Wesley Harrison, the spouse of a USAID Foreign Service Officer, with the help of Embassy employee volunteers.
“In the aftermath of two major earthquakes in El Salvador, . . . nearly 10,000 displaced Salvadorans are living in the Cafetalon refugee camp.” The children in this camp “do not have access to a school or recreational activities.” Ms. Harrison “has been making an effort to partially fill this gap by going daily to . . . read with the children” and by “collect[ing] materials [and] organiz[ing] other volunteers.” Some of the materials also address another need: “a healthy way [for the children] to express their fears resulting from the earthquakes and their feelings about having their homes destroyed.” The Trust is funding the purchase of educational and other materials, school supplies and copying costs, as well as oranges to supplement a fruit-free diet.
Ethiopia - Addis Ababa: Wheelchairs, walkers and rugs to be used by physically and mentally disabled girls at a Missionaries of Charity facility, a project coordinated by Patricia McCarthy, Secretary to U.S. Ambassador Nagy.
In Addis Ababa, a facility run by Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s order) cares for approximately 40 disabled girls, 25 of who cannot walk or do so with great difficulty. Wheelchairs and walkers will enable the girls to be mobile, allowing them to pick up food from the kitchen or avoid emotionally devastating accidents when they are unable to get to the toilet on time. The use of the wheelchairs and walkers will also provide much needed exercise to atrophying muscles and stiffening joints. For those children who pull themselves along the cold concrete floor, easily cleanable, durable mats are needed to prevent scrapes and bruises and discomfort. The Trust’s grant will support the purchase of wheelchairs, walkers and mats, under the supervision of Ms. McCarthy. (NOTE: Subsequent to the award of this grant, the head of the Missionaries of Charity in Addis Ababa, who had previously approved this project, informed Ms. McCarthy that “we cannot do any fund-raising, or allow anyone else to do so on our behalf” and declined to accept the Trust’s assistance. Both Ms. McCarthy and the Trustees very much regret this change of position.)
Fiji - Suva: Equipment for occupational skill training at the Homes of Hope program for unwed pregnant women and single mothers and their children – a project coordinated by Marcia D. Barker, the spouse of a Foreign Service Officer.
Homes of Hope, a program founded by Mark and Lynne Roche in 1997, “offers help to unwed pregnant women and young single mothers and their children who otherwise suffer the scorn and ridicule of society . . . .The mothers are both ethnic Fijian and Indo-Fijians.” Homes of Hope rents two houses to provide housing, a counseling base, and a teaching center. The program includes academic and vocational training to enable the women “to build a self-sufficient life for them and their children.” The occupational skill training has “led to income generating projects . . . . A bread baking business is in place, . . . and the sewing and ironing business” is taking off. With funding from the Trust, Ms. Barker and other volunteers will purchase an oven and sewing machines and accessories, equipment that is crucial to the income generating activities.
Greece - Athens: Seeds, tools, petrol and other supplies to provide a vegetable garden, walkways and patios, a playground and heating at the Kurdish Pendeli Refugee Camp – a project directed by Herro Mustafa, Foreign Service Officer, and Seija Cleverley, spouse of the Deputy Chief of Mission.
“There are currently 200 [refugees] living in the camp; most are Kurds from Iraq.” (Last year the residents included 140 children.) Since the camp is built on earth, it is very dusty and hard to clean, making for an unsanitary environment. The walkways and patios will improve the sanitation and appearance and will provide a basic infrastructure. Seeds and tools will allow the refugees to grow their own vegetables, giving them “something constructive to do in their free time”; the vegetable garden will also help nourish the refugees (they are only fed once a day) and will brighten the appearance of the camp. The proposed playground will have some grass around it, giving it a park-like appearance, and will help keep the children off the streets and out of trouble. Petrol for the heaters is another need: “Although winters are mild in Greece,” winter nights can be cold, and, presently, the petrol received by the camp is used to keep the children warm during their language lessons, leaving families without heat in the evenings. With the Trust’s funds and the help of volunteers, Ms. Mustafa and Mrs. Cleverley will implement all of these projects.
Guyana - Georgetown: Dissemination, through the media and leaflets, of information about HIV/AIDS, targeted to young people in three urban areas – a project organized by Kimberly Hoffstrom, Foreign Service Officer, in cooperation with a local group, Artistes In Direct Support (A.I.D.S.).
“Guyana is the third poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean and also carries the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence after Haiti.” Although “this epidemic is a crisis situation, the government and donors have been slow to respond to the problem . . . . The avenues through which HIV/AIDS prevention education can reach the high-risk youth . . . are quite limited.” It has been discovered that the “most effective way to reach the general youth population is through the media.” The A.I.D.S. group radio has created radio and television scripts “that have been received with great enthusiasm by the people of Guyana,” but the need for reiterative broadcasting is immense. The Trust’s grant will assist Ms. Hoffstrom and the A.I.D.S. group in the dissemination of leaflets, newspaper, radio, and television ads.
Guyana - Georgetown: A library of recorded literature to be made available to blind and visually impaired people in Guyana, a project administered by Michael Scanlon, Foreign Service Officer.
Guyana, a “so-called Highly Indebted Poor Country, . . . can only provide a limited range of social services,” and there are “approximately 7,500 Guyanese with visual impairment.” These people “are often shut away,” with their awareness of the world limited to “what they hear from family members or radio broadcasts.” Recorded literature “is intended to enhance the quality of life for these persons.” A library of cassette tape recordings will be established and made available through the Guyana Society for the Blind, local lending libraries and local broadcasting services. Sighted persons, especially students, will be recruited to participate in the making of the recordings. Mr. Scanlon will help “recruit and audition persons to make the recordings and to assist in the recording sessions.” The recording equipment will be obtained with funding from the Trust.
India - Calcutta: Books for a library at a school for 120 slum children of the Iqbalpore area, a project coordinated by Harinder Singh, Economic Specialist at the U.S. Consulate General.
Many poor children in Calcutta drop out of school because they do not have the money to buy schoolbooks and cannot complete their school assignments. The Mayurbhanj Joint Citizen Center, which “runs a school for 120 slum children of the Iqbalpore area of Calcutta,” seeks to address this problem by starting a library that will include basic school texts. Those children who cannot afford to buy books will be able to use the library’s books to do their school assignments. At this time, however, “the school has space for a library, but no money to buy any books.” With the Trust’s grant, Ms. Singh will organize the purchase of books for the library.
Israel - Jerusalem: A piano for the Peace Center for the Blind in Jerusalem, serving visually impaired Palestinian women – a project coordinated by Ann Staal, a trained music teacher and spouse of the USAID General Development Officer in Jerusalem.
“A relatively high incidence of congenital blindness exists within Palestinian society . . . . Many families are embarrassed that they have a blind child” and therefore “many visually impaired girls are kept at home” without schooling. “The Peace Center for the Blind provides education and vocational training” for visually impaired Palestinian women. The Center also seeks to promote a “service to the whole person,” in part by teaching elementary music history and appreciation and through musical instruction. As a trained music teacher, Ms. Staal is “trying to introduce some lessons in singing, recorder and piano.” Funds from the Trust will allow the purchase of a used piano for the women “to continue learning to play” and to “expand the possibilities for other music activities.”
Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur: Installation of a playground for the Desa Amal Jireh orphanage, a project organized by Ninette Reis, Chairman of the Community Services Network (CSN) and spouse of the Deputy Chief of Mission.
CSN is a totally volunteer-organized and volunteer-run charity committee within the U.S. Embassy and is “currently working to fulfill the commitment made to Desa Amal Jireh” to build a playground “for the younger children in [its] care.” The orphanage houses “eighty children between the ages of two to eighteen,” and there are “eleven elderly destitute men also being cared for.” Although a large, open city-owned field is available to the older children for team sports, there is currently “no safe playground on which the younger children can play.” The Trust’s grant will assist the efforts of CSN and Mrs. Reis to establish the playground.
Mexico - Tlamacazapa: Training of local women as health promoters and traditional midwives – a project coordinated by Catherine Kommer and Barbara Lindenfelser, Registered Nurses employed at the U.S. Embassy Health Unit in Mexico.
“The overall goal is the improvement of health and well-being . . . of rural Mexican women and their families” in Tlamacazapa, a large indigenous village in central Mexico. “Approximately 50% of the children are . . . malnourished,” and the “majority of women are illiterate.” Because of many of the traditional beliefs, mistrust of outside personnel and lack of sanitation knowledge, assistance efforts are hampered. Through the “exceptional health and development program, Caminamos Juntos (CJ),” Ms. Kommer and Ms. Lindenfelser have been able to volunteer their time and expertise as health promoters. With the Trust’s funding – for trainers’ honoraria, video equipment, and transportation expenses – 14 women will continue training as health promoters and midwives, resulting in improved quality of home birthing, pre- and postnatal care, and family planning services.
Mozambique - Maputo: Training costs for a therapeutic horse riding program serving disabled children, a project organized by Nicholas Jenks, USAID Foreign Service Officer.
“Horseback riding is well recognized as a therapeutic activity for children (and adults) with disabilities . . . . For the physically disabled, it offers mobility and the uses of muscles that would otherwise atrophy. For the mentally and emotionally challenged, it offers companionship, communication and a stress-free environment in which to grow.” Mr. Jenks, with the cooperation of other members of the Machamba de Dona Maria Riding Stable in Maputo, will start the first therapeutic riding program for children in Southern Africa, open to both Mozambican and American (and other expatriate) children. Training of the adult riders will be provided, without charge, by a therapeutic riding expert based in Pennsylvania. The Trust’s grant will defray her airfare to and from Mozambique and related training expenses.
Netherlands Antilles - Curacao: A refrigerator and health care equipment for SILOAM Children’s Hospice/Home for abused, seriously ill and/or incapacitated children, a project coordinated by Patricia Aguilera, Foreign Service Officer.
“The SILOAM is the only home many of these sick children have and will ever know despite the fact that they have family members alive and well.” Since the hospice was founded in 1997, it “has been able to meet the long-term . . . medical requirements of more than 30 children . . . .” Because the hospice is remotely located, it experiences frequent power outages. A “modern refrigerator is critical” to store medications. The hospice also needs healthcare equipment such as privacy screens and a handicapped tricycle. With Trust support, Ms. Aguilera, who has been an active volunteer at the hospice, and other U.S. Consulate Curacao personnel will arrange for the purchase and delivery of the refrigerator and the other items.
Niger - Niamey: Sewing machines and equipment and teacher salaries for an income-generating project located in a squatter settlement school, organized by Dawn McKeever, spouse of a Foreign Service Officer.
“The ‘Case Allemande’ neighborhood is part of a squatter settlement . . . inhabited by a mixed population,” where four languages are spoken “although French is the national language.” Among these poor Nigerien families, “very few children attend school, and those who do often leave school because they are poorly prepared, poorly equipped, and poorly fed.” These circumstances motivated the Case Allemande residents to “launch their own community school.” In order for the school to support itself, a sewing project has been started, advised by Ms. McKeever, to “enable the women” in the community “to make clothes for their families and to sell” for the school’s benefit. With funding from the Trust, the Case Allemande Women’s Sewing Group can purchase four sewing machines and two storage cases, and pay two teachers’ salaries for 10 months.
Paraguay - Asuncion: Computer and projection equipment for the Youth Parliament, to be coordinated by Richard Boly, Economic and Commercial Attaché, and Mark Davidson, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy.
“Paraguay has a leadership vacuum, a poor educational system and a very young population (seventy percent under 30). These factors have contributed significantly to increased political instability [and] economic stagnation . . . ,” but a healthy development has been “the emergence of the Youth Parliament as an independent, autochthonous entity to prepare youth to be critical thinkers, civically active and long-term visionaries.” The Youth Parliament, however, “is in danger of collapsing from its own success. It has no permanent funding source and is loath to accept funds from Paraguayan sources that could compromise its independence.” With assistance from Mr. Boly and Mr. Davidson, the Youth Parliament is planning to install “up-to-date computer [equipment that] would allow the Youth Parliament to develop skills to create and manage a simple Web page, search for international sources of philanthropic support, and develop quality grant proposals.” A combination of laptop computer and LCD projector will also give the Youth Parliament the technical capacity to develop and display quality presentations by its Youth Ambassadors throughout the country and in other countries seeking to replicate the Youth Parliament’s record of success. The Trust is funding these purchases.
Romania - Bucharest: A historical-recreational holiday for home health care children suffering from HIV/AIDS – a project coordinated by Pam Heidt, spouse of the Army Attaché at the U.S. Embassy, and Carol Ayars, a teacher in the American International School of Bucharest.
At Doctor Victor Babes Hospital in Bucharest, the children from the Home Healthcare Program “Calm Care” suffering from HIV/AIDS who live at home as outpatients do not have the same programs, support from peers, and staff assistance as the children who are long-term patients. Moreover, the social stigmas attached to HIV/AIDS children in Romania trying to live in a normal environment are significant. In addition, these children have very little opportunity to participate in holiday excursions. The proposed historical-recreational holiday for the children, including a stay in the celebrated Peles Castle – organized by Ms. Heidt and Ms. Ayars – will not, of course, redress all these disadvantages, but it will provide “a historical journey that is rich in the heritage of the children’s country” and a morale boost for the participating children. The Trust’s grant underwrites this holiday.
Senegal - Dakar: Equipment and utilities for a “self-help” computer business operated by Sierra Leonean refugees, employing other refugees as apprentices to teach them employable skills – a project directed by Katherine Fraser, spouse of the Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Embassy.
“The situation for these refugees is desperate. Most of them lost their families, homes, and everything they possessed under the most horrible of circumstances . . . . Most of them lack employable skills . . . [because] most were students when they fled. . . .” Mohammed Turay Williams and Alieu Cissoko, who are leading the computer business, both have skills in installing, programming, and maintaining computers. “Their idea is to start a business with four unskilled apprentices . . . . As the business grows . . . other apprentices from within the refugee community” will be brought in and taught the business. The self-help project will “put these refugees far ahead on the road to self sufficiency.” With funding from the Trust and the help of Ms. Fraser, the refugees will purchase computer equipment and office furniture and supplies and pay for one month’s utilities and the cost of registering a business.
Slovakia - Bratislava: Computing equipment for a Roma after-school program and for a new nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the Roma community – a project organized by Kelly Janiga, Fascell Fellow at the U.S. Embassy.
“The Roma minority is the second most numerous minority in Slovakia.” Because of a lack of education in the Roma minority (parents are unaware of the importance of schooling), the labor market is closed to them. The only Roma settlement in Western Slovakia is near an elementary school that has “initiated an after-school program aimed at providing extra-curricular activities for the . . . ethnic Roma students.” The volunteers in the program, in an attempt to provide a structure for this activity, have applied for official NGO status. With the Trust’s grant, Ms. Janiga will purchase a computer and related equipment that “will directly benefit the Roma children” and the “soon to be established NGO.”
Sri Lanka - Colombo: Support of the “Helping Hands” program that pairs students in the Overseas School of Colombo with street children attending a local school, a project coordinated by Sara Robbins, the eight-year-old daughter of Gary Robbins, a USAID Foreign Service Officer.
“‘Helping Hands’ is an after school activity sponsored by the Overseas School of Colombo (OSC),” linking “OSC students with street kids” attending a local school. The local school children are brought to OSC one day a week, where the program focuses on activities not available to them in their own school. The children are paired up and work together, with the OSC students teaching the children basic English words and reading to them. The OSC students, often isolated from the realities of Sri Lankan life, benefit from friendship with a child from a different culture and lifestyle and from being “introduced to the concept of helping others.” One aspect of “Helping Hands” is assistance to the local school. In this connection, Ms. Robbins, with her father’s help, is arranging to provide the school with needed basic supplies, such as a white board, bulletin board, first aid kit and book rack. The Trust is funding these purchases.
Thailand - Bangkok: Remodeling and repair of the kitchen of the Rainbow House center for abandoned, handicapped children, organized by David N. Kiefner, Agricultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy, and Dianne J. Schroeder, spouse of a Foreign Agricultural Service officer.
Rainbow House, a “school/residence” for orphans with disabilities, “provides rehabilitation through physical, vocational and speech therapies and a school curriculum.” It is “currently located in a small, dilapidated house.” Approximately 60 persons are provided three meals a day from a kitchen that “is in terrible condition.” With funding from the Trust, Mr. Kiefner and Ms. Schroeder will oversee repairs made to the kitchen in Rainbow House, and the purchase of new kitchen equipment.
United States - Arlington, VA: English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) materials for inmates at the Arlington County Detention Facility, to be used in ESL classes offered by William E. Richey, Foreign Service Officer assigned to the Foreign Service Institute.
Most of the inmates in the Arlington County Detention Facility are from Central American countries. These are young men who came to the U.S. as children and “fell through the cracks in the educational system,” often ending up in gangs. They need as much ESL as possible for “quick re-entry into the work force,” whether staying in the U.S. after release or being deported. “Success in learning some English leads some of them to the realization that they can turn their life around in other ways.” Mr. Richey is offering ESL classes on a regular basis at the Detention Facility. With the Trust’s funds (which he will match with his own funds), Mr. Richey will purchase readers, grammar books and bilingual dictionaries for use in the ESL classes and for a small library in the maximum-security unit.
U.S. - Washington, D.C.: Printing and dissemination of a lesson plan workbook to assist persons counseling and otherwise helping Foreign Service family teenagers – a project of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF), overseen by its President, Kay Branaman Eakin.
“Growing up in the Foreign Service is something only those who have lived it can understand fully; children and teens often are not given the choice of living in or leaving an overseas lifestyle. It is imperative to provide teenagers overseas the opportunity to find a successful experience there coupled with a successful integration when returning to home. By sharing successful training experiences with groups both here and abroad, the life of these children will be improved immeasurably.” FSYF is sponsoring the publication of a 92 page lesson plan workbook titled Here Today, There Tomorrow, assembled by Libby Parker and Katharine Rumrill, who ran the “Around the World in a Lifetime” (AWAL) program to help teenagers who have returned to the Washington area. The Trust's grant will support the printing of the workbook and its distribution to U.S. Embassies, Consulates and Office of Overseas Schools-assisted schools.
Zambia - Chilanga: Sewing and knitting machines and supplies for an earned-income program at a club for poor elderly people – a project sponsored by Gail Spence, Project Development Officer, USAID, at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka.
“In Zambia, senior citizens have very few resources to take care of themselves . . . . The Zambian government doesn’t provide any form of social security.” Seniors are viewed as a burden in a country where 80 percent of the people live below the poverty level. Adding to the difficulties faced by the elderly is the AIDS epidemic, which has left many children orphans – and in the care of impoverished elderly persons. The Chilanga Branch Senior Citizen Association assists poor elderly people to provide support for each other, offers donations of food, clothes and soap – and seeks ways to generate income for the group. Ms. Spence has organized a program to teach members of the Association to sew and knit clothing and blankets “to sell in the community to earn income.” With funding from the Trust, Ms. Spence will purchase sewing and knitting machines and supplies for use in this program.
Zambia - Lusaka: LMaterials, transport expenses and stipends to continue and expand a visual arts program previously funded by the Trust at the Fountain of Hope (FOH) – a project that continues to be coordinated by Carol Duffy Clay, spouse of a USAID mission member at the U.S. Embassy.
The work of FOH, a local non-profit that shelters and assists disadvantaged children, “is vital in a country like Zambia that has over 650,000 children that are orphaned because of AIDS.” At its facility in Lusaka, FOH provides children with “hot meals, a safe place to sleep, and a community school where they receive basic education. In addition . . . , the children are now participating in a visual arts program” that was developed by Ms. Clay, who is also a volunteer teacher. The program “offers a unique outlet for the children to express themselves and grow in a positive and supportive environment.” The program’s “current funding level sustains a 20-week session,” but the “goal is to continue and expand . . . . We would like to continue the classes throughout the year (another 40 weeks) and add some additional art projects for the children,” such as creation of a mural that would be visible to neighboring houses and involve children from the community. The Trust’s grant helps defray the costs of equipment, art supplies, local field trips, and modest honoraria for Zambian art teachers.
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TRUSTEES OF THE J. KIRBY SIMON FOREIGN SERVICE TRUST
Liisa Ecola
Cynthia Ely
Herbert J. Hansell
George P. Kent
John Daniel Morris
Courtney R. Nemroff
Kathleen Sheehan
Claire B. Simon
John G. Simon