Green Education Center for Kenyan Street Children

Thank you for building it!  We now need your help to make our Jitegemee Education Center come alive in the New Year.

Purity is one of those students who will live her dreams in the new building.

Purity showed her excitement as she took my 13 year-old son, Vidar, and me to the tailor’s shop for our custom-made Kitangas.  She had led a hard life on the street and it showed in her face.  The things that seemed to bring her guard down and bring on a radiant smile were working with the younger Jitegemee kids, talking about her plans for travel one day, and the destination for our trip - her internship at the tailor shop.  You and your support made her internship (they’re called “attachments” in Kenya) possible.  As is the case with all our young people who complete an internship, Purity will be able to bring her extended family out of poverty.  If she has children one day, her children will be better nourished, better educated and better able to avoid poverty because of the training you helped her receive.

The new building that you supported and funded means that more young people will get the chance to earn a living and bring others in their family up with them.  They will have more spacious classrooms and vocational training spaces. They will also have access to the wider world through the Internet and a library, and improved nutrition.

We have a wonderful building to house their dreams but now we need your help to bring these dreams into the light.  Please make a donation in any amount you can afford.  Even $25 dollars will change the life of students like Purity. She used to be one of the young people who are at the mercy of the elements and predatory adults as they sleep. They hide behind the temporary security of the large vehicles at the truck stop. They are young people who will walk miles for a chance at an education or a job.  We want more of these young people to find themselves under the care of the loving and dedicated Jitegemee staff. 

Purity and the other students at Jitegemee have not had a lot of heroes in their lives.  When I spoke with them during my visit, they expressed their gratitude for the heroes in the United States whom they had never met.  People who had no reason to care beyond a belief in our shared humanity and a sense of fairness – people like you.  I have no doubt that Purity will one day own her own tailor shop and it will employ young people who traveled her same journey.  You helped put her on a better path.

Sincerely,

Hans E. Hageman

Executive Director

Wow. Wow. Wow. This has been such a long journey that you've been on with us. When we set out to raise money for a new state of the art education center for the street kids of Machakos, we weren't sure it was possible. However, over the past four years we have consistently been amazed by the amount of support that we've recieved to help make this center a reality. On GlobalGiving alone we'ver recieved over 750 donations. That's amazing!

Thanks to YOU, on August 12th, we officially opened the doors to the new school! Many of the staff and supporters who have worked tirelessly on this project were able to be in attendance, for what was a truly amazing day in Machakos. We've attached some pictures of the festivities!

There is still some work to do to complete the second phase of the building, as well as outfit our digital learning center, so we will keep this project open for those who still wish to contribute. But, for now, enjoy the truly remarkable accomplishment that you helped make happen.

Asante Sana!

Links:

• Jitegemee's Website