Welfare

Most of the welfare projects are in the ‘New Village’. At the moment the Catholic Church and the housing are already there. The Assembly Hall is already finished. The plans are to build a High Altitude Training Centre, Police Station and a Guesthouse. This all together with the schools and the hospital is the ‘New Village’.


Children's Home for Orphans
Orphans and other vulnerable children were identified by the communities where MEO employees live. A lot of them are aids orphans. The Trust was asked to assist and with the help of some sponsors a temporary accommodation was made available and the first children were accepted into care in 2007.  The new orphanage was built during 2009/2010 and the children moved into their new home in April 2010. The most desperate cases have been enrolled in the Children’s Home. At the moment there are 28 children. Other children will have to be fostered by their relatives in the community with support from the Mount Elgon Trust for those families to be able to feed the children, give proper shelter, food and education. 





 


 

Children's Home

The children playing with each other

An employee on her way home to 'her habitat'

Housing project
In 2010 MEO/MET in co-orporation with DEG started the project ‘Habitat for Humanity’.  It aims to provide the poorest people in the community with economical housing and a small piece of land. This is done by offering an affordable loan and by building low-cost, high quality, permanent housing. People will be offered the opportunity to buy land through an interest free loan. Monthly repayment is based on 15% local wages.

A start capital for the construction of 100 houses was needed to successfully establish a revolving fund. The average cost per house amounts to about KSHS 200,000. Loan repayment will be completed in 6-10 years. Monthly repayment are approximately KSHS 2,200. The people are very proud of their habitat and also call it ‘our habitat’.