International Service Spotlight: Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls
One of the goals of nearly every Rotary club is to have both a community and international service focus. Often, community service needs are readily apparent and are very fulfilling to participate in. International service, on the other hand, can seem daunting and difficult to arrange, particularly for smaller clubs. This short article highlights how one club leveraged a member’s connections to participate in international service.
The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary is proud to have Dr. Andrew Otieno as a member. Andrew is originally from Kenya and along with his wife, Teresa Wasonga, founded the Jane Adeny Memorial School (JAMS), an all-girls boarding school in Kisumu County, Kenya. The school opened in 2011 with 12 students and today has over 160 students and continues to grow. This connection provided an opportunity for the Kishwaukee Sunrise club to incorporate JAMS into their international service efforts. The club was one of several on a District Global Grant that added a water well to the school’s grounds (among other places in Kenya) and also raised its own funds to pay for the installation of solar panels on some of the campus buildings. Some members also support individual scholarships for girls to attend the school. The club hosted one of the school’s graduates as a program speaker in 2019.
Due to the incredible success of the school, JAMS continues to grow and more work is needed. Clubs who may also be interested in partnering with JAMS for international service projects, both large and small, can contact their US-based non-profit organization, Friends of JAMS, for more information. The President of their Board of Directors is Diana Swanson and she can be reached at dianaswanson@JAMSKenya.org. Friends of JAMS could also be a program speaker for District 6420 clubs interested in hearing more. Additional information about JAMS can be found at https://janeadenyschool.online/ and information about Friends of JAMS can be found at https://jamskenya.org/.
