The Coronavirus pandemic has brought a new set of challenges to our children in Kenya. The government has closed schools for the rest of the year. While this decision was made to help curb the spread of the virus, it has left many children vulnerable to hunger, boredom, and academic regression. And, because the majority of children in Kenya do not have access to any type of virtual learning, the government has decided that all children will repeat this school year starting in January 2021.
Our Greatest Needs
Tutoring: We have set up 3 tutoring programs in Nairobi, Embu town, and Embu village to provide educational support for our sponsored kids and the team we work with in Kibera. Joseph has hired teachers to provide a basic curriculum, so the kids don't lose skills they have been working on. We need funding to hire trained teachers in Nairobi and expand our outreach services to the wider community in rural Embu.
Food: With schools closed, many children will miss their guaranteed daily meal. And with many parents and guardians struggling to find work among closures and economic downturn, families are struggling even more than usual to provide food. We have been distributing food parcels to families in the communities we serve intermittently, but would love to be able to do this on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.
Income-Generating Projects: To provide more sustainable support, we are looking to expand agricultural and livestock projects at the farm Joseph recently acquired and for the guardians who are caring for the orphaned children in rural Embu.