Tag Archives: help children in africa

Shelley Callahan | October 1, 2023En Español

This past July, we had a special surprise at our office in Richmond, Virginia when we received notice that our volunteer coordinator, Peter Njuguna, from the St. John’s Community Center in Nairobi, Kenya, would be visiting. Peter has been a long-time coordinator with Children Incorporated, running our sponsorship program that supports children living in poverty in the Pumwani area of Nairobi.

“Our mission is to promote a just, healthy, and transformative community through capacity building, social inclusion, and accountable interventions,” explained Peter.

Peter arrived at the office prepared with a presentation in which he discussed the mission, vision and curriculum at St. John’s. He explained that the school is especially focused on providing a quality education to help break the cycle of poverty in their community through education, sports, nutrition, life skills, and spiritual guidance, which enables students to reach their full potential and become future leaders.

“Our mission is to promote a just, healthy, and transformative community through capacity building, social inclusion, and accountable interventions,” explained Peter.

“We do this through our Competent-Based Curriculum which helps to individualize each learner within a classroom to improve their critical thinking skills, enhance reading culture, and motivate parents to work closely with teachers to help ensure that comprehensive results are achieved by everyone.”

Peter went on to describe the ways in which this model of teaching has its own challenges — mostly in that it requires new textbooks and computer equipment that are not cost-friendly. It also requires training teachers, which is time consuming. Regardless, Peter is optimistic about this approach to learning, especially since many of the children in the community face so many challenges living in poverty. Their lives became even more difficult during the pandemic, when parents lost their usual labor jobs like housekeeping, construction work, and food vending. Peter watched as more and more children dropped out of school to try to help their families when they needed the support of a school environment more than ever.

Today, according to Peter, 102 children are supported through our sponsorship program from first grade all the way to vocational training which takes place after graduation. This constitutes almost half of the 206 children in total attendance at the school, which means our sponsors have a huge role in making sure students are receiving an education. Beyond providing school supplies and funds for uniforms and text books, our sponsors and donors also provide daily meals for students at the school, which improves their physical fitness and makes it possible for parents to carry on with their work without having to worry about the safety of their children, who no longer have to leave school to come home for lunch.

“We take retention very seriously at St. John’s, so we work hard to follow up with parents and guardians about the learning process so they can express any concerns. We also host parenting classes and give life skills lessons to students about substance abuse, child rights and responsibilities, career paths and personal studies,” said Peter.

Before he finished his presentation, Peter shared with our staff success stories of students who had graduated from the school to go on to work in education, mentoring, and youth leadership. Peter feels strongly that these children, who are now young adults, were able to focus on school and become successful in large part due to their sponsors, and was so happy to be able to express those feelings to all of us in person.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | May 25, 2023

In Africa, children living in poverty often face huge hurdles when it comes to getting an education. Often, particularly in the areas where Children Incorporated works in Africa, attending school requires fees for teacher salaries, uniforms, books, school lunches and even the use of a desk. For families who already struggle to make ends meet, sending children to school is often not an option. Even if parents can afford the school fees, impoverished households often do not allow for study time due to lack of electricity, crowded conditions in the home, or the need for children to work after school to help support their families. Children might not have enough food to eat at home, therefore going to school hungry and ill-prepared for the learning.

Our sponsors and donors provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, and educational support to children living in poverty.

Shelley Callahan, Children Incorporated’s Director of Development, says, “What I have seen through my work with Children Incorporated, is that in Kenya and Ethiopia, families have a lot of difficulty choosing between sending their children to school and paying for housing and bills, because they can’t afford to do both. Our support is desperately needed to educate youth living in poverty in these countries, and that can be accomplished directly through sponsorship.”

Facts about Childhood Poverty in Africa

The poverty rate in East Africa hovers around 40%, making it difficult for families to afford school fees
According to the World Bank, more than one-fifth of primary age children are not attending school
Girls are more likely than boys to stay out of school due to household responsibilities, menstruation, or because the family does not think it is important for a girl to be educated

WHAT CHILDREN INCORPORATED DOES TO SUPPORT CHILDREN’S EDUCATION

Children Incorporated provides resources to children in Africa through our sponsorship program because we passionately believe that children everywhere deserve education, hope, and opportunity. Our sponsors and donors provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, and educational support to children living in poverty. These essentials are vital to a child’s growth and ability to attend school and succeed.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can help a child living in Africa receive an education by becoming a sponsor today. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments. This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential – physically, emotionally, and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the simple knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our affiliated sites, who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use sponsorship donations to purchase basic and education-related items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | October 4, 2022

Located in the Great Lakes region of eastern Africa, Kenya is known for its fertile highlands, grassy savannahs, wildlife, and its namesake peak, Mt. Kenya. Its economy relies heavily upon agriculture and tourism. Kenya is also a cradle of civilization, rich in cultural heritage and diversity. The nation’s wealth of natural beauty, resources, and culture, however, belie the poverty in which most of its residents live.

Children living in poverty face especially difficult situations in Kenya.

Tragically, destitution and weak government institutions permit frequent violations of human rights. Kenya is also plagued by a severe shortage of healthcare workers, which contributes to lower life expectancies, high infant mortality rates, and widespread preventable disease.

Children living in poverty face especially difficult situations in Kenya. Education is rarely free, and many families cannot afford school uniforms, books and meals to send their children to school. Although Kenya is seeing a decrease in poverty overall, a large population of children in the country still lives in vulnerable situations without access to basic needs.

Challenges for Children in Kenya

In Kenya, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as poverty leads to lack of educational and basic resources. Right now, vulnerable children in Kenya need your help.

42% of children in Kenya live in poverty
More than one-third of the country’s population is living on less than $1.90 USD per day.
Roughly 1.13 million children of primary school age (6 to 13 years old) are out of school in Kenya
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 53% of students in Kenya were enrolled in secondary school (high school)
School closures interrupted learning for over 17 million children in 2020

Our Work in Kenya

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in Kenya since 1964.

We work with our volunteer coordinators in local communities to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.

Our strategy is to focus on individual children through our sponsorship program, ensuring they are receiving exactly what they need on a regular basis.

Your support makes all our work possible for Kenyan children in crisis.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Kenya?

You can sponsor a child in Kenya in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in Kenya that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Sources:

https://www.unicef.org/kenya/education