When the world stopped for COVID-19, Optimists around the world went to work. They made masks, collected food and helped children learn at home. Each Club chose projects that would best serve their own communities. We don’t know how long the pandemic will last, but we do know Optimists will be working.
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on Covid The project carried a price tag of 650,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $6,000 US, which prompted the Club to approach a friend of the President who is a philanthropist. In turn, he contacted a few of his friends and they agreed to underwrite the majority of the cost of the project, Odhier says.
Kenyan Optimists form partnerships to provide masks and clean water. The Optimist Club of Kisumu, Kenya decided early during the crisis to focus on the less privileged in the city from the Nyalenda neighborhood, who were unable to afford protection products. Their goals were very ambitious; distribution of 1,000 masks and 1,000 sanitizers, creation of 20 fresh water stations and food for 200 families. “Many of these people were unable to leave their homes to collect food and other supplies because of curfews and government lockdowns,” said Kisumu Optimist President Barack Otieno Odhier. “It’s the reason the Club decided to work with the business community and the government on the project in Nyalenda.” 6 • Optimist
Club Members first went into the neighborhood to register people for distribution while the masks containing the Club logo were in production. There are also now water-distribution stations throughout the Nyalenda neighborhood and some of the money raised from the business community is going to be used for food distribution efforts to those affected by recent flooding in southwestern Kenya.
