Fifth Annual KDEF Open (formerly the Spring Fling)

132 Church Street,Dorset VT 05251

28 July, 2021

Description

Tennis, lunch and camaraderie to support the Kenya Drylands Education Fund (KDEF). Plus: Silent auction! Handmade baskets, jewelry and more. Join Sarah Hadden and friends of KDEF for the fifth annual KDEF Open!We're planning a fun and fast-paced event with tennis, lunch, and camaraderie — to celebrate summer and support our work to educate young people in the drylands of Northern Kenya. 10:30: Registration and silent auction bidding 11 to 12:30: Round-robin tennis 12:45 to 2: Buffet lunch Your ticket includes the cost of two Opportunity Kits (reusable menstrual pads, underwear, and soap) that will keep a young woman in school for a year or more. The KDEF Open is a fun way to celebrate summer and make a difference in the lives of young people who are studying hard, looking toward the future, and breaking the generational cycle of poverty in the remote and rural arid lands of Africa. Looking forward to seeing you for tennis, lunch or both! PLUS: Silent auction: Bring your checkbook to bid on handmade baskets, jewelry and more! All made by women in Northern Kenya whose livelihood depends on their craft. In developing nations around the world, major progress has been made toward achieving the inspiring United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: to ensure that all children have access to free, equitable and quality education by 2030. In a remote, rural, ultra-poor region of Northern Kenya, we’re answering the call. The Kenya Drylands Education Fund (KDEF) works to expand access to education for students in Marsabit and Samburu Counties. By engaging deeply with communities—by listening and learning—we have developed a holistic approach that helps families to overcome the cultural and economic barriers that have traditionally led to school enrollment rates as low as 30 percent. We focus on education as the single-most powerful level for transformation and community uplift—for all children, but primarily for girls. Stella (above) lives in Ngurunit, home of KDEF's new center in Northern Kenya. A widow, she makes a living by creating and selling these beautiful handmade baskets. Two will be featured in the silent auction at the KDEF Open this year, along with several other handmade items that KDEF founder Sarah Hadden has brought home from her travels across the region.