Empower Orphans in Kenya with a Quality Education

As the end of the year approaches, we want to thank you for making 2016 a truly great year!

We just received results of the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), a national exam 8th graders across the country take every November.  We are very pleased to share that this year our average test score was the highest it’s ever been, and 13 of our 20 8th graders earned scores high enough to qualify for corporate-sponsored high school scholarships! Our staff in Kenya are currently in the process of helping them apply, and we hope many will receive funding.

We work very hard to deliver a quality education on a small budget, and we are proud that every year since opening we have ranked in the top 8% of 135 schools in our district on national exams. We are still awaiting the release of district rankings for this year, but we expect it to be one of our best years yet, if not our very best!

Other 2016 highlights include:

• We supported 219 orphans and vulnerable children from preschool through 8^th grade. More than half of our students are girls.
• We received our first corporate grant.
• We participated in Global Giving’s #GivingTuesday campaign and raised more than $27,000 in a single day, including matching funds generously donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• We continued to invest in self-sustaining activities in Kenya.

On behalf of more than 200 students, thank you for your partnership and support!

With gratitude,
The Margaret Okari Children's Foundation Team

Kwamboka Okari, our founder and executive director, sent me this story about Isaac, a second-grader and top student at our school:

“Isaac is nine years old. He joined our school in 2013, in kindergarten. When we asked his grandmother for Isaac’s parents' death certificates, she informed us that Isaac's mother (her daughter) is still alive, but that she is a single parent and is mentally deranged. When we listened to the story of her daughter’s mental illness, we had no choice but to admit Isaac to our school. Isaac has turned out to be a very bright and articulate student who leads his class of 23 students.

About two months ago, we got wind that Isaac’s grandmother wanted to sell him. The story we got is that his grandmother, who is an alcoholic, was paid 10,000 Kenya shillings (~$100) for Isaac. This is a lot of money by the local standards. So one month ago, four men together with Isaac’s grandmother came to our school asking for permission to withdraw Isaac, saying they wanted to take him to a different school. However, since we had known beforehand their sinister motive, we advised them to wait until the end of the term [in early August].

When school closed I brought Isaac to my house [instead of sending him to stay with his grandmother, as he usually does during breaks]. I have since reported the matter to the children’s office in Kisii town, who have summoned the grandmother to their office. If she fails to report, they will report the matter to the police.

I would like to add that our [local tribal] Kisii customs do not entitle women to inherit land. Even though the recently enacted Kenyan constitution entitles girls and women to family inheritance, it is not being practiced. As a result, a baby boy born to a single mother in any homestead is considered a liability because there’s no land apportioned to him because ‘he does not belong.’ This makes selling a child like Isaac even more attractive.

So Isaac will remain in my house [until school resumes, along with several other children who stay with me during breaks because they have nowhere safe to go], and chances are he will never go to live with his grandmother again. Being she is alcoholic, we cannot predict what she is capable of doing.”

When I asked Kwamboka if Isaac knew his grandmother had tried to sell him, she wrote back:

“Yes, Isaac is aware that his grandmother wanted to sell him. When I asked him why she would want to sell him, he simply said ‘it's because she drinks too much.’ No matter how cramped up we are in my house, I could never let something like that happen to anyone, let alone our student. And a bright student at that! Since the beginning of the year, his scores [on national exams] have ranged from 465-480 out of 500. And the grandmother wants to sell a future scientist like this one for $100!! Can you imagine???!!!”

Isaac is not our only student whose relatives have arranged to sell them for less than I've spent on single concert tickets. It's a humbling reminder of the contextual value of money. And it makes me proud to be involved with an organization whose leaders make use of a very small budget (~$60,000/year) to keep over 200 orphans and vulnerable children in school. Isaac's test scores are truly outstanding for any child, particularly one from a rural school like ours, and I look forward to seeing where life takes him. 

Thank you for your continuing support. It keeps our school running and gives kids like Isaac the freedom to learn. 

~Jessica, MOCF board