It's been a long summer in the making and I am proud to announce that the Lisha Mtoto Initiative website should be up SHORTLY. We have been working nonstop this past week to get content finalized and to make sure all of the formatting looks professional. This really has been a much harder undertaking than any of us ever expected. We have run into a slight hiccup this week... apparently, Kenya is not one of Paypal's approved countries, and therefore we are currently looking into alternative payment methods so that our sponsors/donors can easily and safely send money via credit/debit card online. I am crossing my fingers that we will have the site up by the middle of this week!
I'm planning to write a lengthy blog at some point on my reflections from this summer... it feels weird that we only have a week left in Kenya, and I need to find the time to sit down and gather all of my thoughts and feelings about this adventure. I think that the goodbyes are going to be incredibly bittersweet, though I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't extremely excited to come home. I need to sort some of these emotions out, so keep an eye out for a new blog soon.
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Hey Ali!
ReplyDeleteSafaricom currently allows people to do western union money transfers from the UK directly to Kenyan's MPESA accounts. They are planning to extend the service to the US (though its really not clear when, and I'm trying to look into it).
Basically, you go to Western Union location with the recipients cell phone number and request to do a money transfer. Western Union sends it to the specified MPESA account in Kenya (ie; Eric's cell phone). He can go withdraw the funds as needed. You can send up to like $435 in each transfer (35000 shillings).
Just like with PayPal this will have fees, but its not clear how much the fees will be (they will be based on the amount of money transferred). However, as I understand it, the fees are paid by the sender which may make it easier for Eric. In addition, I'm sure the fees will be less than those for international wires.
As I said, its not currently operational in the US but its definitely a good option when it happens.
Emily