One of my favourite projects. Our free school uniforms to children living in the slums around us..

 

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. Often to be married to a much older man for a dowery of a few heads of cattle.
Tragically, it is always the girl child who does not receive her high schooleducation when funds are tight.  Instead, she’s married off to a much older man for a dowery of a few heads of cattle.
We have been privileged to be able to provide free school uniforms, school supplies, and lunches plus pay for school fees for so many underprivileged children over the years.
This is one of the main reasons why I’m so proud of the massive success of our project in Nakuru, Kijiji Mission. To be accepted into the program a girl has to come from a very poor background. Many of our girls hear about us at one of our food hamper distributions. Others are brought to us by area chiefs, often when the girl is in danger of being married off at a young age. This practice is accompanied by FGM prior to the girl’s marriage. Our girls learn so much during the 12 months they live with us at Kijiji Mission. Of course, they learn a trade, tailoring. However, they also learn beginning computers, business and money management, household management, health, and hygiene, including reproductive health just to name a few of the valuable services we provide. We also provide counseling as most girls accepted into our program come from severely traumatized backgrounds.
By the time our students graduate they are confident, highly-qualified women.