We are donors in the March 8th CBC article, Multiple WE Charity donors raised money for same borehole well in Kenyan village.

CBC did not fairly represent our responses to their questions.

We write this letter to express our frustration and disappointment in the CBC’s reporting. We are concerned that this misinformation will continue to circulate.

We want to ensure that Canadians understand the facts:

1) WE Charity is transparent with us about the use of our donations. Each of us has travelled overseas to visit WE Charity’s development programs. We have seen the impact and know that our donations are being used to help those who need it most.

2) The article does not properly describe how and why we supported WE Charity. It is not simply about building a schoolhouse or drilling a borehole. It is about so much more; it’s about working with the communities to help end poverty.

Many people fundraise for the same program in a village because their funds all go to helping provide water or education in that village.

It is not only about building a schoolhouse. It is about providing high-quality education. It is about training teachers, providing school lunches, helping families prioritize education, and supplying student inoculations.

A borehole is more than what you might think. For it to truly benefit a community, it needs years of funding fuel to keep it running, costly repairs, and educating the community on long-term sustainability.

A schoolhouse or borehole does not succeed without these other program elements.

We are proud to support WE Charity’s holistic model with “5 pillars” of education, healthcare, food security, clean water and sanitation, and alternative income programs.

We support WE Charity because this model best helps people.

Sincerely,

Donor signatures
Donor signatures

Correcting the facts: WE Charity's water programs

CBC’s presentation of WE Charity’s water programs was simplistic and misleading*. Yes, WE Charity raised more funds for water and sanitation programs than the cost of drilling a borehole in a Kenyan village—because WE Charity’s water programs in a village such as Osenetoi included much more:

• Borehole • Piping & Kiosks for distribution • Solar panel and/or fuel costs • Extensions to primary and secondary school • Health education • Hand-washing station • Latrines • And 10 years of repairs and maintenance of the borehole and water programs

Simply drilling a borehole is a proven model of failure (READ MORE).

Correcting the facts: WE Charity's education programs

CBC’s presentation of WE Charity’s education programs was also simplistic and misleading*. Yes, WE Charity raised more funds for education than the cost of building schoolhouses in a Kenyan village—because WE Charity’s education programs in Osenetoi included much more:

• Schoolhouses • Teacher training • School supplies • School lunches • Student medical care • Teacher incentives • Hygiene program • Hand-washing station • Latrines • And 10 years of education support programs!

Developing countries are littered with empty schoolhouses. Support programs ensure the most vulnerable children receive an education.

Referencing March 8th article, "Multiple WE Charity donors raised money for same borehole well in Kenyan village."