Although Kenya is rebounding from the crippling effects of Covid on its tourism sector, by the beginning of the rainy season the drought in the Horn of Africa looked like entering its sixth year, creating more food insecurity, water rationing, conflicts over livestock grazing, and extreme uncertainty in the agricultural sector, which accounts for one-third of the country’s GDP and employs 70% of the rural population. “We have to walk for seven kilometers to find water,and sometimes what we find isn’t safe to drink.” This dried-up river bed is this area’s only local source of water. I find it absolutely staggering how much the cost ofRead More

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  We are getting more and more requests from parents for assistance with school fees. Most poor rural families depend on seasonal farm work to support their families, pay school fees, rent, and provide food. Many of the vulnerable families we assist live in tiny two-room tin or mud houses with up to three generations under the same leaky roof. Imagine not receiving any income for months on end. Or in the current situation, years on end.  You are forced to choose between paying school fees and feeding your family. Unfortunately, it’s the daughters who are the first to be taken out of school. OftenRead More

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I want to share an update with you on one of the girls the Springs of Hope Foundation provides school fees and supplies for, Mercy, who I have known and supported since she was 5 years old. Mercy joined high school last year and is now in Form 2 (grade 10). Mercy and her two older sisters came to live with us in 2012, at the request of their HIV-positive parents who were struggling to pay the girl’s school fees and were seeking our assistance with their educations. Mercy is now a proud high school student. She has been the most disciplined girl in her grade, always with a contagiousRead More

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Following four successive failed rainy seasons, Kenya is amid the worst drought in 40 years. Crops have failed for the 4th season in a row, causing what little food there is available to be prohibitively out of reach for many struggling families. River beds have dried up in Northern Kenya, resulting in both wild and domestic livestock dying. Here is our Nakuru project manager’s unedited report of our most recent food distribution to West Pokot and Turkana counties. Hello Everyone, Earlier this month Springs of Hope Foundation loaded two pickup trucks of food hampers to be transported by courier to  Kapenguria, West Pokot, and Lodwar,Read More

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This week was very busy for us as we welcomed and settled in 20 very excited young women, the class of 2023. The girls trickled in over the week from every corner of the country. From as far north as Turkana, West Pokot, and Samburu, Kisumu on Lake Victoria, the western border of Kenya, Narok and Masai Mara on the southern border. Little do these young women know what lies ahead for them over the next 12 months. By the time they graduate, they will be strong, confident women. Our program not only teaches tailoring, we include beginning computer skills, including Word and Excel, smallRead More

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Jambo, It was a day full of joy and jubilation as our girls here at Springs of Hope Foundation’s Kijiji Mission Project in Nakuru, Kenya were graduating, marking the completion of their one-year training course. The day started with the hall decorations and their work e.g., dresses, shirts, blouses, beadwork, and table runners were displayed outside the hall for the parents to view as the new group and the graduating girls wore their own self-made attire and graced us with songs and dances from their different cultures. The occasion was graced by parents who traveled from many regions, including the parents of the students fromRead More

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I can’t express how proud I am of Antoinette and the team of volunteers who embarked on last week’s trip to the West Pokot and Turkana regions of Northern Kenya. East Africa has been devastated by the worst drought in 40 years. With little rain in the past five years, rivers and watering holes have dried up and people and animals are dying from a lack of water. It was a long and exhausting trip, but in every picture, everyone on the team is beaming with the joy of being able to give to those who are so desperately in need.Here is Antoinette’s unedited reportRead More

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I’m landing in your inbox on the eve of the 10-year anniversary of International Day of the Girl (IDG), because I know how invested you are in creating a more equal world for girls. As you know, International Day of the Girl is all about shining a light on the unique challenges that girls face globally and celebrating their enormous potential to bring about change. Springs of Hope Foundation is dedicated to lifting young women out of poverty by providing vocational training along with life skills. One such young woman, who joined our tailoring course in August along with nine other young women, is Joy.Read More

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For over two years now I have had to attend our graduations virtually. I’ve always said what a blessing our dedicated team in Kenya has been during these very trying times. I would like to introduce Antoinette, one of the newest members of our team along with Julia, (her name has been for her privacy), one of our recent graduates. Please read Antoinette’s full account of Julia’s accomplishments despite the many, many challenges Julia has overcome in her young life. It will bring some hope and joy during these very troubling times.Warmest regards,Jennifer Hughes-BystromFounder/CEOSprings of Hope Foundation Hello Everyone, My name is Antoinette. I joined the teamRead More

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The increase in the cost of food over the past three months has been staggering. Maize, that for the 15 years Springs of Hope Foundation has been working in Kenya seasonally fluctuates between 2,500K/- and 3,000K/- for a 90 kg sack is now 6,500K/- if you can find it in the market. Beans have been around 6,000K/- for a 90 kg sack for many years. Last week we managed to purchase the last three sacks in the market for our food hampers for 12,000 K/-.  Our food hamper program is still ongoing, despite, or should I say, because of the staggering increase in the priceRead More

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