Improving Communities
Kenya Kesho works with children, their families, teachers and community elders to implement programs at the grassroots level in education, hygiene, environment, and water & sanitation projects. Although education is ‘free’ (?!?) in Kenya, books, uniforms, boarding fees, travel, etc. are expensive and very elusive for poor families.
Kenya Kesho educates bright kids from the Pongwe-Kidimu location in Kwale/Msambweni District on the South Coast of Kenya. This year (2011), we have 15 boys and girls in secondary boarding school on full educational scholarships including uniforms, books, bedding and utensils, fares to and from school, and a small amount of pocket money to buy essentials and necessities.
At present we are paying the salaries for 24 teachers. Kenya Kesho will complete, by the end of this year, two dormitories at the Kichakamkwaju Unit for the deaf, as well as a Matron’s cottage and kitchen and dining facilities.
A Commitment to Education
Possibly the best chance of empowering children and young people — enabling them to change their lives for the better — is to provide them with the basic elements of education. We take the children, identified by The Kenya Kesho Trust, all the way through secondary education and into college or university or vocational training. We provide funding for all their needs during this time. An educated, informed child, in time, becomes an employable adult, who in turn can look after his or her family and break out of the cycle of poverty. Without education, the population will remain poverty stricken.
Kenya Kesho’s ideal world is a place in which all children realise their full potential in educational and leadership qualities. We ensure that children and adults are involved in all aspects of our work so that there is a beneficial contribution to the community in general. Basic learning and life skills are vital for children and adults to contribute to the development of their communities.
Common Sense Initiatives
Our work includes supporting local schools to carry out renovation and building projects and to improve the quality of basic education by employing and placing extra teachers at the schools. We have 7,800 children at primary school within our location with only 94 teachers.
Another project is working on long term plans to enable primary schools in the area to become self-sufficient through a system of initial capital investment followed by drip-feed revenue ie. income from planted trees for building and energy. We support and build class rooms and are presently building a dormitory, Matron’s cottage and a dining and kitchen facility for the Deaf Unit.
The Future
As funds grow we will build a secondary school in the location on land we already own. The projects will be developed over many years to build trust and a sense of concerted effort between all parties, and will educate people to a better, healthier, and ‘greener’ way of life. A shocking fact is that our district came bottom of the education league in the whole of Kenya in 2007: 67th out of 67.
Need more info about what we do? Then visit our Projects section of our weblog!
Related links:
