Sponsoring Children through school

So many children and young adults are unable to complete school and university due to personal or family financial difficulties. Our sponsors have committed to paying for some of these youngsters to complete their education.

Jeremiah is studying Aeronautical Engineering at the Nairobi Aviation School.

He has just completed his internship with Kenya Airways and says,

’I want to be the best possible aeronautical engineer with knowledge of advanced aeronautical science.’

As well as paying for his fees, his sponsors enabled him to move out of his slum dwellings to a safer environment more conducive to study.

Supporting schools

We support the building of classrooms and playgrounds in schools and supply them with stationary and books. Recently we have secured regular supplies of fresh food for schools that are also run as homes for orphans and displaced children. The trustees and donors of the schools have seen a visible change in the health of the children.

Breakfast programmes

Many children in the schools we work with arrive at school hungry. To facilitate better learning we provide regular support so that children can have a basic and nutritious meal to start the day.

Providing books to schools and libraries

We have seen an entire class of forty children share one text book. To ameliorate this situation, we collect and buy books that are suitable for school and library use.

Wheelchairs for the Kenya paraplegic Association

Children and adults with mobility disabilities often rely upon shuffling on their bottoms or being carried by relatives if they wish to go out. Sometimes they resort to travelling about in a wheelbarrow or a garden chair rigged up to bicycle or supermarket trolley wheels for use as a makeshift wheelchair. This is dangerous as it can lead to pressure sores and unnecessary accidents.

We are working with the Kenya paraplegic association to provide wheelchairs for as many of the paraplegic children and adults who have been assessed and registered by the association as being in immediate need of a wheelchair.

‘There is no more heart wrenching sight than that of a disabled person carried in an oxcart or a wheelbarrow or worse still crawling to a wheelchair donation site. More often than not, this is the painful reality that confronts us. When poverty is compounded with disability, it pains twice as hard. Most of our people can’t afford this direly needed device. That is why wheelchairs mean so much to our members.’

Timothy Wanyonyi, Chief Executive, Kenya Paraplegic Association,
www.kenyanparaplegic.org

Livelihood Projects

We are working with Tania Integrated Centre to establish a livelihood project that aims to enable them to be self sufficient. The project grows class 1 tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables in hydroponic greenhouses to sell on the open market. The profits will be used to fund the building of dormitories, dining halls and kitchens so that they can move from their makeshift accommodation to more solid and sanitary buildings.

Livelihood projects that are self sufficient and sustaining are an essential part of our work as they enable people and projects to become independent of reliance upon donations.

Other initiatives

Some of our other projects include

Provision of sanitary towels.

Many girls are excluded from class and activities due to the unavailability and expense of sanitary towels. Provision of these items has led to a marked improvement in the hygiene for the girls involved and has enabled them to participate more confidently in classroom and social activities.

Counselling and training services.

We arrange for the counselling of individuals and provide training for others to deliver this in various circumstances and situations. We are working with the Nairobi Spinal Injury hospital, Kenyatta University and other institutions to provide counselling and psychology training.