info@kenewa.orgTamworth and New England, NSW

What support covers

When new members join, $170 of their $200 joining fee goes into the KENEWA welfare fund, and so does the whole $170 annual renewal fee. This is the modern form of the Kenyan tradition of harambee: pulling together so that no family carries a crisis alone. Support is available to welfare (financial) members and their registered family, and the committee decides each case fairly under the Welfare Fund Policy (PDF).

Bereavement

Financial and practical help when a member or registered family member passes away, including funeral costs in Australia or repatriation to Kenya, meals, transport and liaising with family at home.

Serious illness or injury

Visits, meals, transport and, where approved, financial assistance during hospitalisation or long recovery.

Sudden hardship

Help after emergencies such as fire, flood, family violence or job loss, for example paying an urgent bill on your behalf, plus links to local services.

New arrivals

Practical help for newly arrived Kenyan families: a welcome pack, help setting up essential services, short-term food or household items, and introductions to settlement services.

Outside the welfare fund, the community also celebrates happy milestones with you: weddings, new babies and graduations.

How to ask for help

  1. Contact a committee member

    Call a committee member or send a request through the Get help page. Family or friends can ask on a member's behalf.

  2. We listen and check details

    A committee member confirms membership and what support is needed. We may ask for a document such as a funeral quote or hospital letter, but in an emergency we can help first and collect it later. Everything is kept confidential.

  3. The committee decides

    We aim to decide within 48 hours for a bereavement or emergency, and within 7 days for other requests. We tell you the decision in writing and, if support is reduced or declined, why.

  4. Support is given

    Where possible we pay the funeral director, landlord or other provider directly. If needed, members may also be asked to give to a community collection (harambee). What happens after a death.

How much support?

These are the most the welfare fund can give for each event. The committee decides the amount based on need and what the fund can afford, so meeting the rules does not guarantee the full amount. The fund tops up other help, such as insurance, Centrelink or a funeral fund, and we'll help you apply for those too.

Bereavement: death in Australia
Funeral, burial or cremation costs		up to $3,000
Bereavement: repatriation to Kenya
Plus a community collection if needed		up to $5,000
Illness or hospitalisation
Evidence of need required		up to $1,000
Sudden hardship
One-off, per household per 12 months		up to $500
New arrival settlement
Per family, first 6 months only		up to $300
Emergency help for non-members
At the committee's discretion, per person per year		up to $300

Full rules: Welfare Fund Policy (PDF, includes the application form).

If someone passes away

We will walk with your family

When a member or a registered family member dies, email us straight away at info@kenewa.org, day or night. You don't need to fill in a form first.

Family and friends can email on the family's behalf.

Email info@kenewa.org

  1. One person to talk to

    A committee member becomes your family's contact, so you only need to speak to one person. Your family decides: burial or cremation here, or repatriation to Kenya.

  2. Help with the arrangements

    We help find a funeral director, and if your family chooses repatriation, we help gather the paperwork: the death certificate, the funeral director's certificates and the Kenya High Commission's letter. If the death was sudden, the Coroner may need to be involved first, and we'll explain what that means.

  3. Money, quickly

    We check whether any insurance (funeral, travel, life or visa health cover) will pay, then the welfare fund helps within its limits. For a bereavement the committee aims to decide within 48 hours and, where possible, pays the funeral director or airline directly.

  4. The community stands with you

    With your family's agreement we tell members, organise prayers and meals, and help with airport pick-ups and practical tasks. We check in again in the weeks after.

When a big claim comes in

The welfare fund keeps a reserve of at least $3,000 so it is always ready for the next family, and we are building it towards $5,000. If paying a claim in full would take the fund below its reserve, the whole committee decides within 24 hours how to pay it. A bereavement payment is never held up: we pay what we can straight away and top up the rest.

For a bereavement or other serious event, the committee may also invite members, friends and local businesses to give to a voluntary harambee appeal.

Payments of $100 or more are always made by bank transfer, usually straight to the funeral director or other provider, and every payment is approved by two people who are not related to the family.

Need help right now?

If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. For crisis support any time, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For KENEWA welfare support, call a committee member or send a confidential request:

Get help now

Common questions

Welfare (financial) members and life members whose membership is current, together with the family members they have registered in the members portal (up to 1 spouse, 7 dependants and 7 siblings, plus your parents; if you were raised by a guardian, or have step-parents, you nominate one person for each parent place; the committee checks the nomination and records its decision, and after that support is not given for another person in the same place, except in exceptional circumstances). Community members and other people in New England can be helped in a genuine emergency, at the committee's discretion, up to $300 per person per year.

Yes. Your membership needs to have been current for 3 months before welfare support applies. There is no waiting period for a bereavement or a life-threatening emergency: the committee can help straight away.

Yes. Only the committee members handling your request will know the details, unless you agree to share them with members. Reports to members describe welfare payments only in general terms, without names.

You can ask in writing for a review within 14 days. We confirm we have it within 48 hours and hold the review within 7 days. Committee members who were not part of the first decision review it, anyone related to you stays out, and you can come and speak. You get the decision in writing within 3 days of the review.

Yes, if you can. The welfare fund tops up other help but has limits, and repatriation to Kenya can cost more than the fund can give. Check whether your visa health cover, travel, life or funeral insurance pays for repatriation, and tell your family where your policy details are kept.

No. Support is normally a gift, not a loan. In some cases the committee may offer an interest-free repayment arrangement instead.

Other local help

Protect your family with KENEWA

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