Dr Ray sent a message to Antonio Urcelay Chairman and CEO, Toys R Us, Inc. that said:
Dear Mr Urcelay,
We are a UK Registered Charity working with children and we are facing, what to us, is a major crisis.
We run a Children's Home in rural Kenya. We provide accommodation, food, education, clothing and medical care for 77 very vulnerable children who would otherwise be living on the streets, begging, stealing and in most cases dying from starvation or disease. However as outlined below, due to a change in the law in Kenya we need to erect 2 new dormitories by June or most of these children will end up back on the streets, begging, stealing and often dying. The cost is minimal but beyond our present resources.
We took over the home a few years ago when it was simply a local community project desperately trying to save these precious children's lives. There facilities were virtually nil. They used a field as a toilet, had no kitchen etc.
We have made a tremendous difference. Since we started supporting this home we have achieved the following: (NOTE This is in addition to providing the children with food, accommodation, clothing, medical care and an education)
* Built 2 toilet blocks with wash rooms. Prior to this the children used a local field. This has had a significant positive impact on their health.
* Built and equipped a nursery room for the young children.
* Erected a security fence around the property to protect them from predators (human and animal).
* Provided beds, bedding, mosquito nets etc. for all the children.
* Erected a temporary kitchen. (Now replaced with a permanent kitchen see below)
* Provided all the children who are of school going age with school fees, exam fees, uniforms, text books, note books etc.
* Repainted and repaired the dormitories
* Replaced the floor in their church which the children use as a meeting place every day
* Established a first-aid system which has reduced the money spent sending children to the local medical clinic for minor injuries.
* Established good working relationships with the local authorities.
* Arranged a number of unannounced visits to check on the home.
* Installed solar electricity in the Home
* We have just finished putting up a permanent kitchen for the Home.
* Appointed a qualified Social worker and qualified Childrenâs Home Manager
NOTE. All supplies etc. are purchased locally. We do not waste money shipping out things that they can obtain from a local supplier. This saves money and benefits the local community. We do however insist on detailed, official receipts and for items such as beds, uniforms etc. photographs showing these items on site.
Now that things are being run so much better the local authorities have decided to flex their muscles and we have been informed that our dormitories are too small for the number of children thus not providing adequate ventilation.
They are correct but we had to prioritize the needs with our very limited funds.
The authorities have now given us 2 months to either build 2 new dormitories or they will remove all except 30 of the children. By the 19th of May they want us to show that we have the funds available to start commissioning the building work.
When asked what would happen to these children we were told that they will be taken back to their home village and dropped off there. Or to paraphrase it they will end up back on the streets begging and starving.
Building costs are far lower than here in the UK and it will cost us approx. £8,000 to build and equip the required dormitories.
Would Toys R Us please consider a charitable donation towards this urgent need. We are a UK Registered Charity.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Ray
