Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Sponsorship Program

This year - due to all of the missed school and the problems of it all - the new school year will begin in July 2021 instead of in January - which is usual in Kenya.

Live and Learn in Kenya International has taken on 30 new teeny, tiny little 3 and 4-year-old children for the Day Care class. The classroom is practically brand new because it couldn't be used at all in 2020. We are so happy to be able to admit these new children into the Live and Learn in Kenya community - along with their parents and guardians.

They will have a headstart toward a brighter future. "Education is the Key to the Future" is our organization's motto - and these children will be holding the key from day one! And of course, they will also be receiving uniforms, warm meals, lots of time to play and sing and dance and BE LITTLE CHILDREN - even in the hard and harsh world they were born into. They can be all that they want to be - and more!

Asante Sana - thank you so much for your continued support!

Celestine has been a Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l child since early childhood. Now she is off to college!

Celestine was born into desolate poverty. She comes from a family of 5 children, 3 boys, and 2 girls. Her single mother (a widow) does temporary/casual jobs to generate income for the entire family. Her father died in 2000.  With an irregular and very low income, her mother is unable to provide the basic needs for her children.

When her mother wisely and successfully registered her onto the Live and Learn in Kenya International program over 11 years ago Celestine was a scared little girl. She started nursery school and blossomed into a happy, smiling chubby-cheeked little girl. But soon her world fell apart again. When she was in first grade her mother died - as did her father - of AIDS. Over the 11 years with Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l she worked hard. She successfully finished elementary school and went on to high school in Nakuru. Her grades were very good. She's a hard worker with a bright mind. Her older sister took care of her - very good care. They are a very humble Catholic family. Their tribe is Luo.

Now Celestine is studying Supply Chain Management at the Kiirua Technical Training Institute. SHE WILL NOT ONLY SURVIVE - SHE WILL THRIVE!

We would not have been able to support Celestine - like hundreds of other children like her - if it weren't for people like YOU!

Asante Sana - thank you so much!

This is what pure joy looks like. Michelle is a little "Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Kid" living in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya. Her sponsor paid for Christmas presents - food and the dress she is wearing in the photo. Sometimes a little can go a VERY long way. Little Michelle will NEVER forget today - and neither will her sponsor after receiving this photo.

Knowing that the funds that you donate are truly going to the children on the Live and Learn in Kenya International program is what makes sponsors care even more. It is important for us to take photos and send them along with letters of appreciation to the sponsors and donors. People need to see for themselves what their donations are doing. Whether it is paying for a child's education - uniforms, shoes, learning materials, and free meals - or those "little" extras that make a child's life even more special - just like childhood is supposed to be... special and memorable. That special storybook, a toy car, doll, Sunday best shoes, and a dress or shirt and pants - that's not just feeding a hungry child or providing education - it's gifting a child with a smile that will keep them warm and happy even when times get bad and tummies begin to grumble - because they are given hope for the future and the knowledge that there are people out there who care even if they don't know you personally and most likely never will.

So it doesn't matter if you are sponsoring a certain child or not. The warm feeling of knowing that you are bringing a smile of happiness to a needy child is enough to keep you smiling for a while yourself!

Happy New Year 2021 - may it be a year filled with warm SMILES!

Brique

What does it take to save a life - change a life - give a desolate child the hope for a life away from poverty and shame?

Sad but true - money makes the world go around! Without it we can't help children out of the slums and into a better life.

Live and Learn in Kenya International is in its 20th year of changing lives and have seen the poorest and most desolate children who would never have had the chance to go to school, let alone go to vocational training college or university rise above and break out of the evil circle of poverty through education.

Living in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya, most parents did not want to see their children having to copy their own way of living - living from hand to mouth - worrying about the next meal or if they would even have a roof over their heads the next day.

For this reason, hundreds of children were brought to the Live and Learn in Kenya International office to be registered into the organization's education project over the years. Hundreds of children have been able to go to school - even to our very own high-quality school - for free.

Not only is education provided to the children and youths - but also everything that they need for school: uniforms, shoes, learning materials, free and wholesome meals, health and dental care, outings, and other extra-curricular activities.

SPONSOR A CHILD AND MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN FOR A CHILD - AND HER / HIS CHILDREN AND CHILDREN'S CHILDREN. Knowledge is passed on and on...

Four hundred and ninety-one children have hope where there was none before! What does sponsorship at Live and Learn in Kenya International mean in the lives of these hundreds of children? It means that they are now able to go to school wearing their mandatory uniforms and shoes, having textbooks and school supplies for all of their classes and courses, having at least one warm and nutritious meal a day - six days a week, being able to go to the Live and Learn in Kenya Education Center library that opens up a world of books and information, taking part in sports, educational and musical competitions - and having a chance to win because they have been trained and tutored, enjoying games and playing in a beautiful and safe playground and environment, having trained professionals - social workers and teachers - to go to with problems and successes, college students even having their own laptops - and nobody worrying about paying school fees and being turned away from schools, colleges or universities because of lack of funding. Being a Live and Learn in Kenya Kid means enjoying childhood and youth just like children all over the world should be able to - carefree and dreaming of a bright future as long as you work hard for it. Some people say that this is all just a drop in a bucket - but we at Live and Learn in Kenya International say "If he or she were your kid, they wouldn't be a drop in a bucket - they'd be your love and your life". That's what these children and youths are to us - love and life and drops that will join into a sea of a future for themselves and their families - and their country. People coming from the bottom rows of poverty and rising up are the people who will lead with integrity and understanding in the future - whether it is within their own future families, businesses, schools as teachers - or who knows - maybe a future president leading Kenya to a better place for everyone!

Be a sponsor and make a difference in the world of a child who has all of the possibilities to be all that he/she can be. You'll enjoy the photos and letters from the children - and the knowledge that you are the person changing a life for the better!

From the four hundred and ninety-one children on the Live and Learn in Kenya International program, only six of them still need a sponsor.

Asante sana - thank you so much!