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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-03-05 Daily Xml
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YOUNG AUSTRALIANS IN KENYA

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (15:29): I support the general tenor of the Hon. Ms Schaefer's remarks. I think dairy farmers have enough on their plate without animal liberationists getting on their case. I think the Hon. Ms Schaefer is probably correct, that the ultimate objective of many animal liberationists is to see the cessation of farming, which is a legitimate position for people to hold and advocate if they wish but it does not entitle them to take the law into their own hands.

I rise today primarily to speak about the Siloam Fellowship Ministry Academy in Kenya. I should perhaps declare an interest here in that my niece, Madeline Kathleen Barnett, spent a month or two over the Christmas period at this facility in Kenya, and she is the source of my information. I commend her and the other young Australians who travelled to Kenya and spent some time helping with this particular work.

The Siloam Fellowship Ministry Academy has been running for about 13 years or so in Kibera, Kenya. It was started by a married couple named Esther and Stephen. Stephen is a pastor who started a church at the orphanage. The orphanage started with one child named Neema, now 13, who was found dumped on the street when only a few days old. Esther and Stephen took her in and, ever since, have had quite a few children come into their care who are now cared for in this academy. The academy has no government funding. Stephen has a full-time job as a surveyor and Esther teaches at the school attached to the orphanage. So, while Stephen earns enough money that he could live comfortably in an apartment, he is instead devoting his time to this particular work.

During school, the children receive lunch from a program called Feed the Children. It is very difficult for the academy to stay solvent or to find the resources it needs, so paying the teachers is obviously its first priority. Of the 42 orphans at the facility, the youngest is three and the eldest is 19. My niece and the other young Australians who were there assisted in raising money by making bracelets, as well as receiving donations, and they were able to achieve quite a bit with those donations, which included some from very distinguished citizens in our community.

During the time that my niece and the other youngsters were there, they were able to purchase and organise the manufacture of 14 triple bunk beds which provided bedding for 42 orphans who had previously been sleeping on the ground of their classroom on empty rice sacks. They were also able to purchase crockery, cutlery, mattresses, bedding, bookshelves and books, and they rebuilt the kitchen of this particular facility. The young Australians were able to celebrate Christmas with the orphans, and they brought with them some gifts from Australia, as very few had any personal belongings besides their clothes and very limited schoolbooks.

As I said, the difficulty that the academy faces is in finding the resources to continue its work. It has been unable to pay teachers' salaries from last year. This year, they have two students who are undertaking their final year of high school, but they are unable to pay the fees for them to sit for their exams. Two students who graduated last year are unable to pay to get their certificate so that they can go on to college, and they cannot afford the college fees. These are the sorts of challenges facing this facility.

It is encouraging to note what can be achieved by a small group of people dedicated to assisting the lot of others and that the types of resources we would consider relatively modest can achieve an extraordinary amount in that sort of environment. I put on the record my commendation of the young Australians (including my niece) who went to Kenya to assist in this effort, and to the founders of the institution, Esther and Stephen. I wish them all the best for the future. In particular, I hope that resources will be made available for them to continue their work in educating young children in Kenya. We all know the value of education in progressing people's livelihoods, and that is no less so in developing nations such as Kenya.

Time expired.

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