| What’s in our First Quarter 2022 Newsletter: Notes from the Field - Having Enough Food for All ~ P4P Welcomes Two New Part-Time Employees ~ Save the Date- We are Back at the Civic Theatre ~ Are you a Thrivent Member? |
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| "The proper aim of giving is to put the recipient in a state where he no longer needs our
gifts." ~ C.S. Lewis, British author and theologian Notes from the Field By Nereah Obura, P4P Kenya Program Coordinator Dear P4P Friend, When P4P founders Sandy Ivers and Stacey Mainer visited a small, under-funded clinic in Kopanga, they quickly recognized that infant malnutrition was a critical issue needing urgent attention. P4P was founded to address that need. As the years progressed, P4P moved our base to the Ogada Clinic and implemented the Power of Milk program (POM). Infants were weighed and measured, provided with nutritional supplements and caregivers shared a simple meal. The supplement of choice, Plumpy’Nut®, is a nutrition-packed, peanut butter-like substance that supports rapid weight gain and was available (though sporadically) through the government. It was quite successful, but most unfortunately a few years ago-the government stopped providing the supplement. |
| | We have tried many substitutes and finally settled on KMET’s extra-nutri flour. The KMET supplement has proven successful combined with weekly education, home visits for infants who are failing to thrive, introduction of cooked eggs added to the KMET porridge, asking mothers/caregivers to track the infant’s previous and current weight and providing food baskets. Residents in the Kopanga/Giribe area are very poor and face severe food insecurity. The food baskets (which contain 6kg of dry maize, 2kg of beans, 500g of salt, 1kg of sugar, 1 bar of soap and 2L of cooking oil) supplement the family’s nutritional needs, and family breadwinners can concentrate on getting other food to balance their diet, even in a small way. Significantly, mothers also report reduced conflict in the home caused by scarce resources. This has contributed to happier families. Looking at the average time an infant spends in the program over a three-year period, we have found that this integrated approach means babies spend fewer months in the POM program and go on to healthier lives. |
| | | Donate via PayPal or credit card, or send a check to Partnering for Progress, P.O. Box 28191, Spokane, WA 99228. Thank you! |
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| P4P Welcomes Two New Part-Time Employees
By Renee Sande,P4P Communications Committee |
| | Katelin Bayless, P4P's New Development Coordinator Hired by P4P in December 2021 as part-time development coordinator, Katelin says she is
excited to be involved with such an “amazing non-profit organization” and is looking forward to
focusing more of her time helping others. “I appreciate P4P’s holistic approach to improving the lives of the people in Kopanga/Giribe with a focus on the root causes of food insecurity through education, health and economic development. I really respect the work P4P does to support that vision.” Katelin is a long-time Spokane resident who graduated from Lewis & Clark High School, then attended Spokane Falls Community College. She found her first love, got married, settled down and had two beautiful daughters. And let’s not forget their newest addition, a golden retriever named Eli. Katelin’s girls keep her very busy, but when she has spare time, she likes to craft and ride her road bike. Katelin also operates an Etsy shop where she sells cake and cupcake toppers, apparel and home goods (https://www.etsy.com/shop/PoppinToppers?ref=shop_sugg). She's a certified scuba diver, which is the focus of one of her top bucket list items - diving Belize’s world class reefs. Meanwhile, she trains on her Peloton exercise bike, claiming that even though it was a hasty purchase, she is now "fully obsessed" with it. ~~~ |
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| | Anna Miller, P4P's New Administrative Assistant Little did Anna Miller know when she left England 19 years ago, that she would find home sweet home in Spokane.
From a small town called Sleaford in Lincolnshire, England, Anna moved to the Atlanta, Georgia, area in 2003. Both of her parents had already emigrated to the U.S. After 11 years in the South, she acquired a hybrid British/Southern twang (people often think she’s from down under). A job offer in Seattle took her to the Pacific Northwest, but after five years of too much traffic and inflated property prices, she landed in Spokane and hasn't looked back. “I love Spokane and its four seasons. It finally feels like home,” says Anna. Anna is P4P’s new, part-time administrative assistant, and also works remotely for an IT company based in Georgia and has for over 15 years. “I knew I wanted to be a part of P4P when I looked them up online after talking with my neighbor, who cuts Dia Maurer’s hair,” Anna says. “She told me how wonderful Dia is and that there was a job opening.”
“P4P just really lines up with my core values. I love that P4P has had such a huge impact on the
Kopanga/Giribe region and that they are committed to helping the community thrive.” Anna loves spending time and being silly with friends and family, which includes 13-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. They added Redford, a sweet Staffordshire/Bully, to their family five years ago. Anna saw his picture online and instantly fell in love. Welcome to P4P, Katelin and Anna! |
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|  | Save the DATE – We Are Back at the Civic Theatre Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – before he or she decides to strike again. Join P4P on June 8 for an edge-of-your-seat performance of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express at the Spokane Civic Theatre. P4P is partnering with the Kiwanis Club of East Spokane for this in person event to raise funds for our programs in Kenya and Kiwanis Club’s work in the Spokane area. (CDC and state COVID-19 guidelines will be followed.) In addition to a thrilling performance of this renowned play, you can visit with our P4P friends, meet new Kiwanis folks, enjoy complimentary appetizers and wine, a silent auction and a basket raffle. Stay tuned for details on how to purchase tickets. |
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| Are YOU a Thrivent member? Your membership can directly benefit P4P. Thrivent Financials' Choice Dollars® program allows its members to direct Thrivent to contribute grant funds to the charitable organization of the member’s choice. P4P is one such organization. To be eligible to participate in this program, you must be a Thrivent benefit member. Access this benefit by going to Thrivent.com/thriventchoice. The Choice Dollars you earned during 2021 can be directed until March 31, 2022. Please don’t miss this opportunity that will directly benefit P4P’s work in Kenya. |
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| Contact Us Partnering for Progress
P.O. Box 28191
Spokane, Washington 99228
(509)720-8408
info@partneringforprogress.org |
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