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the bulldozer was raised in a single night. The operating engineers kind of led the charge, but they got all the building trade unions and all the contractors from the build- ing trades on board, said Flynn. Everybody threw in $10,000 or $5,000. All the trade unions have allegiances with each other and they compete with each other so once the carpenters found out electricians were giving $10,000 then they had to give $10,000 and when the bricklayers found out the carpenters were giving $10,000 then they had to give $10,000. It was just one of those things that grew and grew and grew. The bulldozer made its way to Kenya by the spring of 2009 where it has been busy ever since. On Wednesday, Mulli took a moment out of his visit to Canada to stop by Flynns constitu- ency office and show him the difference the bulldozer has made. This machine, this gift has done such great things, said Mulli. It has constructed fish ponds, cleared bush so we can plant vegetable gardens and more. Mulli said that with the arrival of the bulldozer he has been able turn 100 acres at his orphanage near the village of Yatta into usable farmland. The bulldozer has also been used to dig four 80 metre by 60 metre fishponds, which are used to farm thousands of fish. With these improvements Mulli is not only able to feed the 2,000 children he is cur- rently looking after, but has been able to res- cue an additional 148 orphans from the streets. That is 148 people who will no longer Look for our flyer in todays paper! Only in selected areas. See in store for complete details. Carpet Cleaning Specialists Since 1952 FREE 250 mL SPOTTING BOTTLE www.onthespotcleaning.ca WALL TO WALL FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY AREA RUGS PERSIAN & ORIENTAL 1446 WALLACE RD. OAKVILLE, ON Truck Mount In-Plant Service Water Damage Restoration RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Spot! QEW Speers B ro n te Wallace See the transformation of what we can do in relation to others! 905-825-4256 VOTED BEST CARPET & RUG CLEANERS 9 YEARS IN A ROW! 25% Drop-off Discount! S t a r t i n g a t DENTURES $379 905-815-8208 LIMITED TIME OFFER $4 ea. 1 3 Frid ay, Ju ly 29, 2011 O A K V ILLE B E A V E R w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It may only be one bulldozer, but it has changed the lives of more than 2,000 Kenyan orphans. About three years ago the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 793, which is head- quartered in Oakville, held a fund- raiser intent on raising $180,000 for the purchase and shipping of a bull- dozer to the Mully Childrens Family Foundation. The foundation, which was intro- duced to the engineers by Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn, provides food, shelter and education to children, who would otherwise be condemned to live on Kenyas exceedingly mean streets. These kids have lost their parents to the HIV/AIDS virus, said Flynn, in a previous interview about the foun- dation. Theyve been street kids. Theyve been abused. Theyve been through things that you would just not imag- ine. You think youve heard it all in Canada until you hear the stories that these kids tell you. The abuse that takes place over there is just some- thing that would make street life in this country look not too bad. During a visit to Kenya, Flynn met Charles Mulli, a self-made millionaire who walked away from a life of wealth and privilege to create several orphan- ages. After seeing the amazing work Mulli was doing, Flynn decided to do what he could to help. During his visit Mulli told Flynn that a bulldozer would allow him to expand his operations so he could better look after the 2,000 children already in this care and bring aid to others. Flynn got the operating engineers involved and during the April 5, 2008 fundraiser the $180,000 required for One machine has had a great impact in Kenya SUBMITTED PHOTO BUSY BULLDOZER: A resident of Kenya is seen with the bulldozer that was paid for and shipped to the African country by the International Union of Operation Engineers Local 793 in Oakville. know lives of abuse and starvation because of what was done in Oakville on April 5, 2008, said Mulli. Mulli also said surplus food is being distributed to street people in Nairobis Kibera slums and is even being exported to raise money for the vocational and educational programs needed at the orphanages so the children may one day depart as productive members of society. The bulldozer, Mulli said, has also been used to help plant trees in a reforestation project taking place on the slopes of Mount Kenya. We are just so grateful for this machine, said Mulli. Flynn was amazed by the impact this single bull- dozer has had. Thats fantastic, to see something like that to see what its actually doing, said Flynn after seeing video of the bulldozer in action in Kenya. As the leader of a project like that you are always worried. If the bulldozer goes missing or something isnt done with the bulldozer Im not going to look very good, but I had faith in Charles. I had seen on my first visit what they had been able to do without the bull- dozer and knew they would be able to do great things with one and they have proven that now. Thats what I wanted to see. This has impacted lives directly. Mulli is still looking for assistance for his orphan- ages, stating he is hoping they can move from pit latrines to a proper sewage system at some point in the near future. Flynn is in the process of finding the right people to assist Mulli with this endeavor. To learn more about the Mully Childrens Family Foundation, visit www.mcfcf.ca.