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Newsletter for Rafiki AIDS Ministry  Po Box 1680 Kikuyu Tel. 06631175 Web site: www.marafikiglobalaidsministry.org Email: rafikiaids@wananchi.com

PROJECT MANAGER KENYA OFFICE
EZEKIEL KAMUYU KAGUATHA; KATC, CPA

Mission Statement 
The mission of Rafiki AIDS Ministry is to provide food, shelter, medical care, education, a safe Christian living environment and loving support to children worldwide who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

From The Manager's Desk

"If left alone consumers will ordinarily not buy enough of a company's products". This is a marketing managerial philosophy. 

Marketing is a social and a managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need or want by creating, offering and exchanging a product of value with others. Marketing can also be defined as the management process responsible with identifying, anticipating and satisfying consumer needs profitably.

Analysis of that definition.

1 Marketing as a process. 
Marketing is a process made up of various components and not a single activity. The components of marketing are two:
    -controllable variables
    -Non controllable variables

2. Marketing involves exchanging. 
Marketing is an exchange process that involves giving up and simultaneous gaining something of value. Marketing precludes activities like robbing, stealing, begging and production for own consumption.

3. Marketing is both a social and a managerial process.
Marketing encompasses both profit making and non- profit making individuals and organization. Thus if companies have to market their products to consumers, If political parties and election candidates have to market themselves to the voters; If job seeking individuals has to market themselves to prospective employers and if religious groups have to market themselves to potential followers then Rafiki AIDS Ministry have to market its orphan caring services to its well-wishers.

MARKETING MANAGERIAL PHILOSOPHIES
These are orientations towards doing business. There are five concepts.

1. Production concept
It holds that consumers prefer products that are widely available but low in cost. The company management focuses on high production efficiency and greater distribution coverage. The assumption is that; 
  -Consumers are interested in product availability irrespective of quality.
  -Consumers will prefer low prices. The concept works only; 
  -when the product cost are high and have to be reduced through improved
    efficiency.
  -When demand is higher than supply.

2. Product concept
It's based on the Kiswahili saying "chema chajiuza kibaya chajitembeza" (good thing sells itself). It holds that consumers will prefer high quality products and shun inferior goods. Economists may regard high quality products as goods of consternation while inferior goods as giffen goods.

The company management focuses on production of high quality products and improving them overtime. Such companies may be regarded as suffering from marketing myopic. Examples are the Electronics and Vehicle companies.

3. Selling concept.
Marketers contends that although consumers look for quality products, if they are left alone they will ordinarily not buy enough of a company's products and it must engage in aggressive selling and promotion that is hard selling. The philosophy accepts that some selling efforts must be expended if a firm's products are to be bought in sufficient quantities. Examples are fundraisers, political campaigners, unsorted products etc

4. Marketing concept. 
It holds that the key to achieving organization goals is by identifying or determining the consumer needs or wants and delivering them efficiently and effectively more than competitors. One way of identifying consumer needs is through marketing research. The company management focuses on the sovereignty of consumers and thus expressed in colorful ways like "consumer is always right, at your service or with you always".

5. Societal concept
In this age of environmental deterioration, hunger, shortage of resources, poverty diseases like AIDS and neglected social services, it is questionable the appropriateness of marketing concept.

The concept holds that the key to achieving organisation goals is by identifying or determining the needs and wants of a target market and delivering them efficiently and effectively more than competitors in a way to preserve consumer and society well being.

In satisfying consumer needs, marketers should consider the societal consequences of his activities e.g. Kenya Breweries should in delivering consumer needs (Beer drinkers) consider about the high rate of road accidents caused by drunk drivers, poor health and family quarrels.

After considering the above marketing philosophies Rafiki AIDS Ministry have decided to launch its first Marketing and Finance committee who will be obligated with marketing the services to well-wishers and donors.

Launching the Rafiki Network

FORAM is an acronym for Friends of Rafiki AIDS Ministry. The network was launched by Hon. Philip Gitonga former Mp. Lari Constituency on the June 24, 2004 at the Rafiki Orphanage. Over sixty people attended the luncheon and all promised to be true friends to the orphans whom we are sponsoring.

Thereafter the FORAM elected a nine member committee that was to head the Rafiki Marketing and Finance committee. The names of the members are;

• Mr. James Mbatia Thande-chairman

• Mrs. Loise M. Kamuyu-Secretary

• Mr. Kenneth Mungai-Member

• Mrs. Lillian Mwaura-Member

• Mr. John Mbugua -Member

• Mr. Stephen Kiiru-Member

• Mrs. Njoroge Regeru-Member

• Mrs. Elizabeth Kuria-Member

• Mr. Ezekiel Kamuyu-Member

The members are competent men and women who have met severally discussing ways to fund raise for Rafiki AIDS Ministry. Largely they have dealt on the container that has been lying at Embakasi since the beginning of this year. We applaud the Honourable minister of Finance for giving us Exemptions on Custom, excise and VAT duties. Currently we are fundraising for over Ksh 300, 0000 to fully clear the Container. The said container is a 40ft container packed with 100 used computers, boxes of shoes and clothes and toys that were donated by various churches in the USA.

We kindly request any person to come forward and assist financial or otherwise in clearing. We have printed small cards with denominations of Ksh 100,200,500 and 1000 to fundraise. Please if you need some call the project manager on 0722816102.

Please also note that registration of FORAM is only Ksh 1000 and is open to all members of our community.

Below are some of the photos taken during the luncheon?

ORPHANAGE CHILDREN YEAR 2004

We added three children in the orphanage as from 1ST May 2004 making a total number of 14 girls and 16 boys. Their names are as below:
1. Mary Wanjuhi
2. John Njoroge Wanjiku.
3. James Mbugua.

Year 2003 we had 3 children who sat for Form 4 exam. Their names are as follows:
1. Sarah Wairimu - Mutitu SDA Secondary School Form 4.
2. Simon Mbage - Gathiga Secondary School Form 4
3. Rosemary Wambui - Komothai Girls Form 4.

We have some of our children who are in colleges and their names are as follows: 1. Leah Nyambura - Ananda Maga Releif Team (AMURT).
    She has finished her Coarse. She can be able to do tie and dye.
2. Ndungu Kinyanjui: Gwithairira Polytechnic doing mechanic.
3. Patrick Kinyanjui: Isenya polytechnic doing mechanic.
4. Rachael Njeri Njuguna: St. Edward Youth Polytechnic
   taking a dress making coarse.
5. Leonard Kanai: Gikuni Carpentry doing carpentry coarse.
6. James Wachaga: Tom's Workshop Thogoto doing mechanics.
7. Rose Muthoni: Mama Eyan Computer college taking some packages.
8. Rosemary Wambui: Chemi Systems taking a computer coarse.

We have 11 students who are in class 8 this year 2004. Their names are as follows:
1. Alex Muhoro - Kinoo Primary School class 8
2. Caroline Wairimu Njeri: Rungiri Primary School class 8.
3. Ann Njambi - Muguga Primary School class 8
4. Faith wanjiku muriithi - Ndongoro Primary School class 8.
5. John Kahura - Renguti Primary school class 8.
6. Mary Wambui Muhuri - Kerwa Primary School class 8.
7. John Nganga - Muguga Primary school class 8.
8. Paul Wandere - Magutu-ini Primary School Class 8.
9. Sam Njenga - Wangige Primary School class 8.
10. Stanley Njunge - Magutu-ini Primary School class 8.
11. Teresiah Ruguru - Magutu-ini Primary School class 8.

We have 25 students who are in secondary school this year 2004. Out of these students we have 10 students who have joined form I, 6 students in Form 2, 2 students in form 3, and 7 students in Form 4. Their names are as below:
1. Anthony Kahuria: - Uhuru Secondary School Form 1 with 243 Marks.
2. David Karanja Wairimu: - Kikuyu Day Secondary School Form 1 with 28