Matched.

Spring is here and The Wokovu Project is still very much under way!

Thanks again for everyone’s support, interest and continued participation in the Wokovu Project! We’ve come so far in partnering with the small Tanzanian non-profit, Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need.

A social worker has been hired with the funds we’ve sent over and she is working daily with the girls of KYGN. Her name is Asha and she graduated with an advanced degree in social work from the Institute of Social Work in Dar Salaam (Tanzania’s capital city). She’s assisting the KYGN director in the desperately needed areas of counseling, health seminars, housing visits and identifying new girls who would  benefit from this program. Please visit kygn.org for specific details on the KYGN organization.

Each month since January, money has been sent over to Tanzania to pay the social worker’s salary and each month it makes a difference in these young girls lives. Thank you.

And now for the exciting news – an extremely generous donor has offered to match each donation to the Wokovu Project. This means that your $10 donation becomes a $20 donation and has twice the impact.

I so wish I could shout the name of this donor from the rooftops but I’ll respect their wishes to remain anonymous and simply say this: THANK YOU. Thank you not only for believing in the Wokovu Project but also for being my personal source of inspiration. In the end, this project has always had its roots in you and all that you’ve taught me.  I am grateful. The girls in the small Tanzania village of Mabogini are grateful. We are all grateful for who you are.

So,  if you’ve been thinking about donating to the Wokovu Project – this is the time! We’re so close to completing our goal of raising the social worker’s salary for one year and with this pledged match we can get there even quicker.

Please go to the How To Donate tab for information on this process.

Thank you everyone and here’s a big cheer for matched donations!

A Social Worker Has Been Hired!

Happy 2010 to you all!  We have an exciting update on the progress of The Wokovu Project and in particular, our capital campaign to raise the funds for a badly needed social worker for the girls at Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need.

As of a week ago, the director of KYGN (Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need) has hired a highly trained Tanzanian social worker for the girls with the money we’ve raised. We did it people! The girls are now receiving counseling, home visits and individual mentoring attention addition to their education. This is in addition to the funds we already sent over to cover the costs of the cooking/sewing internships for the secondary girls.

Thank you all a million times over for continuing to be a part of this process. We’re currently brainstorming ways to raise the remaining funds to reach our goal of $4000. Please let me know if you have any ideas, have any questions, or would like to get further involved.

I’ll send another update soon but please don’t hesitiate to contact me directly about anything at karenmgray@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Well folks. We’re on our way!

As of today, we have raised over $2300 that will go directly towards Kilimanjaro Young Girls in Need in Tanzania. We are officially over half way there in our goal to raise $4000. THANK YOU!

The Outdoor Movie Night was amazing and The Garage Sale was outstanding! Neighbors, supporters, strangers, friends, teachers (Thank you Mr. Talley!) and family (Thank you Mom!) came out in full forced and made these events out-of-the-park successes. Words cannot do justice of our gratitude.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

garage sale.

Our Garage Sale is just around the corner! If you’re in the Seattle area this weekend, come swing by and grab some good stuff. Seriously, our donors have gone all out and given us some truly great finds!  We’re also still accepting donations of furniture, clothing, books etc through Friday afternoon. Shoot me an email at karenmgray@gmail.com if you’d like to bring some goodies by. Thanks!

Where: 5904 SW Charlestown Ave
Seattle WA 98116

When: this Saturday, August 22nd
8am- 3pm

Hope to see you there!

Outdoor Movie.

Mark your calendars and grab your lawn chairs…

The Wokovu Project is hosting an outdoor movie event on Saturday, August 15 in the heart of Tacoma, WA. There will be live music, good food, good people and all donations will go towards The Wokovu Project. Bring a friend and we hope to see you there!

Where: 1114 South Lawrence Street, Tacoma WA
When: 8:30pm-ish – we’ll start the film when the sun goes down
What: popcorn, live music, the best movie ever and some good people all under the great Tacoma sky..

Q: What movie will we be watching?
A: only the perfect summer movie … The Sandlot!

How You Can Help.

Want to join us? Please check out these three easy ways you can help… 

1. Please consider donating financially to the Wokovu Project. For details on this process, please click on the “How to Donate” tab. Our goal is $4000 to cover the annual salary of a Tanzanian social worker so the girls may receive counseling and support. We can do it! Thank you for your generosity.  

2. We are hosting a garage sale in West Seattle on Aug 22nd and need donations! All proceeds from the sale will go directly to The Wokovu Project and therefore the young girls in Tanzania. If you have any goods, clothes, furniture (we’ll take anything!) please send an email to karenmgray@gmail.com. We’ll be happy to come pick it up from you. 

3. Tell your family and friends about us and pass along our website information. We can only make a difference if we work together!

Welcome and Thanks.

Welcome to The Wokovu Project!

Thanks for stopping by and learning a bit about us. Make yourself at home. Please go to the tab at the top of this page titled “About the Wokovu Project” to learn more about who we are and what we’re trying to do. 

A good story almost always begins with a good acknowledgments section so I’d like to take a moment to thank the following people for their support and encouragement of this little project:

• Anna Mariah & the entire KYGN family for opening their lives to me
• Naomi Kling & Michele Tvedt: partners in crime are always the best
• my extraordinary friends who showed up on that Friday night and changed everything 
• the Gray/Lerfald/Litchfield family for making up the always lively but always supportive cheering section
• The World Vision Experience: AIDS Team for letting me fly 
• the Young Family for being our first donor! 
• countless others who have brainstormed, networked, laughed, thought and worked The Wokovu Project into creation

Thank you! This will be one wonderful ride!