Four years since Más en Ellos was born in Kenya, three years after the awakening of KUBUKA in Zambia, and a year and a half of the merger of both. 2017 closes with an infinity of joys, new faces in the team, new partners and sponsorships, goodbyes and sometimes a few sadness, but above all: a significant amount of lessons learned.

The year started with two new projects in Zambia: on the one hand, we inaugurated the tutoring center for students who needed extra classes, and now we have five teachers who reinforce the most important subjects to the children of Mwandi. On the other hand, the Acrobats project was beginning to take shape, and nowadays three evenings a week the whole group meets to educate the youngest children through the acrobatics.

Also in Zambia, a new school in Kasiya was opened, two classes and an office to make education more accessible for the children in the community. Kenya inaugurated its first course at the Polytechnic School (Kyawaa Vocational Center) where Carpentry and Sewing modules are taught, and the Good Samaritan Children Home started to have a new person hired to follow the children.

April was a month of challenges: Nico arrived in Kenya after six months riding his bike, and Enhamed crossed the Strait of Gibraltar guided by Fran. Two examples of authentic courage and self-improvement that encouraged more courageous people like Nacho, Salva, and Vini to go to Mongolia with the sole purpose of raising funds for KUBUKA. They also got it, and thanks to them and many more collaborators.

Also, 2017 has been a year of reforms and improvements that have made us go one step further in the projects. A new garden in Lisha Children’s Home and a new house for the production of hens in Safe House that will help the self-sustainability of the projects. Improvements in the bedrooms, toilets, stairs of Good Samaritan to improve hygiene and avoid accidents. A new fence in the garden to protect the crops and a new system of irrigation by drip in Maramba. A new bus for 4 Stars players and a new truck to transport the Kleanbera material …

We continued to grow for what needed more hands: we increased the team of volunteers from Spain, we hired a matron for Safe House and physiotherapists for St. Francis, we offered training to five Humanitas teachers, and we hired a new person to work from Madrid. Since they started to be part of the KUBUKA family, they gave it their all, and we realized once again that the important thing is not to arrive fast, but to go far, and we were not going to achieve it alone. Each in their way was contributing their bit: some with their time, others with financial contribution, some with materials, and all from humility with their knowledge.

October was a bittersweet month. From Kenya we received the best news: after two years of relationship and meetings, the first children of Good Samaritan moved to Tala. Today, Lisha Children’s Home also has three other new children. Meanwhile, from Zambia, we received another lesson in humility and one of our entrepreneurship projects, the Zammex restaurant, hung its knives, turned off its lights and lowered the curtain to make room for another function.

Parallel to all this, from Spain we continued to organize events, selling merchandising products, holding talks in schools, companies or forums to raise funds and raise awareness. Three countries united by the same objective, paddling from the same boat in the same direction.

As you can see, 2017 has been a year with a lot of everything and little of anything, because our day to day is that: work and work. Going forward, the projects in Zambia and Kenya show the people of the communities how they’re growing thanks to your work so that more children receive an education.

A year goes by in which we have achieved many challenges, but many others appear for 2018. The best of all is that in this time we have realized that with desire, a good strategy and a lot of heart we can with what comes our way.

Here we go!!