The Ronnie Fund is a humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering the people of Wongonyi, Kenya and the Kenyan people to a better quality of life, moving people from poverty to prosperity. The fund, named for Ronnie Mwachia Mdawida, was initiated in 2006 by Peter, Kathy, Jeremy and Martha Wood of our congregation. Ronnie lived with the Wood family for three months in the fall of 2005 as a participant in the Canada World Youth Eco-Leadership program. 

Ronnie's home village of Wongonyi is located about 478 kilometers south of Nairobi in the Voi Division of the Taita Taveta district, a Coast Province of Kenya. Ronnie and his wife, Serah Much Mdawida, are the Project Managers while the Wood family provides financial resources through a network of international supporters and donors who support the sustainable community development projects.

The Ronnie Fund is pleased with the relationship it has developed with Bracebridge United Church over the years as a dedicated supporter of its outreach work along with many individual congregants who are loyal donors. The organization is deeply grateful to BUC for donations over the years from the Special Gifts Committee, Men’s Breakfast Group, BUC Youth Group and Faith Trek as well as being the recipient of many Communion collections. These important financial gifts have helped in the purchase of an ambulance trailer, building of beds for the District Hospital, renovations to the newly opened Health Clinic, provision of bio-sand water filters, resources for Wongonyi Primary School library, renovations to create a special needs classroom, purchase of building supplies for 3 new homes for widows, training workshop for soap making, and agricultural resources along with assistance for ongoing projects and programs. The people of Wongonyi village are truly grateful to BUC for giving them a hand up not a hand out , providing them with dignity and self-esteem in transforming their lives for the better.

Visit The Ronnie Fund to learn more about this amazing life-changing experience in Kenya.

RONNIE FUND UPDATE 2023

As One Year Ends, A New One Begins

"Hi Mum and Papa,

We are grateful for life on this side of the world. It has certainly been challenging but most of these come with their joys as you learn to surf the wheel of life. We dwell less on what is going wrong and focus on how we can respond mentally. This year I poured myself more into what solutions we can have to address various issues facing women and youth. In Kibera and Mathare Slums and in the village we focused on product development. I was involved in a lot of brainstorming and initiating Mwanzo Mpya (New Beginning) and Mathare Yetu (Our Mathare). These projects are geared towards supporting local youths, connecting them with ICT (Information and Communications Technology) skills they can use to generate income and become self employed. I am happy to report various young people can now develop apps that they have sold, some can build websites as well as create digital content providing them with income. Some have also built marketing pages for Women's groups in their communities and are able to sell some of the items the women produce online with some commission.

We had two highly successful medical clinics at our Wongonyi Health Clinic with people coming from four villages to be assessed and seek treatment. One clinic was led by the University of Lucerne medical students and the second by a group of medical practitioners from Slovenia. The Slovenia clinic dwelt mostly on training the social health care workers. The Slovenians have been sending them health care materials along with providing books to help with the various situations local health care workers are encountering. Together they were also able to home visit 12 people with different ailments including prostrate cases.

We continue to lead workshops about remediation to soil erosion during the rainy seasons through re-forestation as we endure the effects of climate change. We also registered Mghongo Eco-Leadership Centre in a government tree planting program which will help us access tree seedlings from local nurseries at better prices.

As we transition into 2024, we have a few needs moving forward:

• Dispensary Medicare support inhalers, antibiotics,

      blood sugar medication - cnd $650

• Mkokoteni (handcart) improvised - cdn $470
• Workshops on Food security (handout resources) - cdn $500
• Buying 800 tree seedlings from Mrangi womens group - cdn $325
• Farm Equipment (wheelbarrows, Fork Jembes, spade) - cdn $500
• Women interested in goat milk goats - cdn $150
• Sewing machines for women's group - cdn $250
• Mghongo Eco-Leadership Centre building projects-- cdn $1,600

As always there are continuing requests for school uniforms (clothes, school bags, shoes) along with mattresses and supplemental food needs for orphans and those unable to work, but we know that we cannot help everyone as the need around the world is great at this time. I want to say "Thank you" to all our supporters. You helped us meet so many needs and achieve more. No support is too small. There is a lot of demand for work for people who want to have something special for Christmas as well as raise school fees for their kids. I cannot name everyone for all they have done but it makes a huge impact and we don't take any of your support for granted. It is highly appreciated more than you can know."

Happy Holidays,

Ronnie