In today's world, man needs to reach out and touch his neighbour so that he will not feel done-touch him as a neighbour as one who's near, as someone on whom one can lean on, and with whom one can share one's doubts and hopes. Every person is a gift of God, wrapped differently.
Looking from the outside, some gifts are instantaneously attractive, others look rough and uninviting. Mind you, don't mistake the wrapper for the gift, Every gift from God, be sure, is fascinating, Hence the reason of cherishing others. You know, you can love your mother with your whole heart, and your wife, each of your children. The wonder is that giving the whole of it to one person does not force you to give less to another. On the contrary, each one of them now gets more.
Today's man has learned more to love things and use people. Where as vise versa is true, that is, love people and use things. We should cut the coat to fit the person, not cutting the person to fit the coat. If you have to choose between the dictator of a compassionate heart and the demands of an ideology, reject the ideology unhesitatingly. Compassion has no ideology. Actually people don't care how much you know until they know how you have. Don't talk about people, but talk to people. It's quite impossible to transmit a kiss through a personal messenger. So why not cherish people, care about them, since its nice to be important but it's more important to be nice.
Cherish Others exists to improve the livelihoods of the resource poor communities through information sharing, education and providing support and care while working towards reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence within their environment. The NGO activities are mainly based in TransMara.
In the course of its existence, Cherish Others has built a strong capacity to implement a number of prevention, care and support interventions in TransMara with significant success thus enabling the organization to make a mark in the struggle to reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence and its impacts among women and children in Kenya. The governing body of Cherish Others Organisation consists of Members and an Executive Board. The management is composed of the Executive board, the Advisory Board, 5 full time position members that is, Administrators, Trainers and a Volunteer. The Chief Executive and the secretariat carry out the day-to-day affairs of the organization.
The activities include:
- HIV/AIDS awareness prevention and control
- Promoting Girl child rights and Education
- Campaigning against women marginalisation
- Community mobilization and networking
- Community based healthcare management
- Environmental conservation that includes garbage collection and recycling, tree planting, soil erosion control
- Food production and marketing
- Safe Water and Sanitation
The organization contributes to advocacy campaigns on issues affecting the girl child, such as Female Genital Mutilation FGM, child marriages, education, girl child rights and adolescent pregnancies. It is also involved in mentoring young girls for professional development. The organization is involved in sensitizing the communities on FGM as well as supporting and encouraging girls and women. Currently, the organization is supporting a rescue centre operated by the community in Kilgoris. The centre is a haven for the girls who run away from the cut.
To-date, the organization has contributed significantly to national effort to reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence and impacts especially among women, young girls and children in Nairobi and TransMara In the course of its existence, Cherish Others has built a strong capacity to implement a number of prevention, care and support interventions in Nairobi and TransMara with significant success thus enabling the organization to make a mark in the struggle to reduce HIV/AIDS prevalence and its impacts among women and children in Kenya.
The members of the organisation with the help of friends also support the girl child orphans from the pastoral, strong cultured Maasai community in Kilgoris. Girls as young as 6 years are subjected to female genital cutting, then denied the opportunity to go on with schooling as they are married off immediately. This practice has been identified as a predisposing factor of contracting HIV thereby increasing their vulnerability. The organisation seeks to build the organisational infrastructure and staff capabilities to offer prompt and efficient services to the target beneficiaries.
Cherish Others Organisation has also established collaborating relationships with community groups, non-governmental organizations, provincial administrations and Government Ministries in Nairobi and TransMara. Cherish Others is pursuing the aforementioned activities with partners and collaborative agencies.
