Freemasons in the United Kingdom are helping five teenagers raise Ksh1.4 million (10,000 pounds) to facilitate the schooling of poor children in Kenya.
According to Portsmouth, a British publication, the freemasons facilitated two of the five teenagers with a hall in Horndean through which they hosted fundraising on Tuesday, May 3. The duo, Mia Rattley and Tom Jones were given the hall free of charge.
The teenagers, who include Taylor Masterman, Leila Dixon and Xander Harris, noted that they were raising the funds to build school facilities and help coach the youth in Nakuru County.
So far, the youngsters have raised Ksh75,000 through charities, businesses as well a crowdsourcing platform called Just Giving.
They also held sponsored walks, tabletop sales, car boot sales, and selling refreshments during school productions.
Mia noted that she looked forward to interacting with the children in Kenya in her charitable act which is also good for her well-being.
"I’m really looking forward to working with the children in Kenya and helping them.
"This will be a big achievement for me as I suffer from anxiety but I know this will not only help them but will also personally be good for me," she stated.
For the five children, the fundraising act was their first ever and they look forward to doing some good in Kenya.
They noted that they were touched after realizing that most of the children in some schools in the region came from poor families and attend schools with limited facilities while some miss government funding.
Their parents also joined in the fundraisers and support the teenagers, who are all aged 15 years, through programmes like baking cakes for sale as well as car boot sales.
The masonic community has for years contributed to Kenya's social and economic development.
Indeed, the secretive community had its members put up major structures in Nairobi - including the All Saint’s Cathedral, Parliament buildings, McMillan Library, Pan Africa House, National Archives, State House, Kenya Railways headquarters, City Hall, among others.
