Sponsor a Kenyan Child's Education

Greetings friends,

We wanted to inform you about what is happening with the children in our Child Sponsorship Program, as well as the educational climate in Kenya in general. 

Students in Kenya went back to school at the the end of January, and we are happy to report that because of your generous donations, we were able to provide school fees for six students who would not have otherwise been able to attend school. Prior to students returning to school, Humphrey went and visited all of the children in their homes and was happy to report that the students supported through our program are excited to get back to school, and are looking forward to continuing their studies without having the burden of worrying about school fees. Additionally, Humphrey visited all of the schools of the children, paid their school fees, and was able to talk with teachers and administrators about our commitment to support each child within our program. Overall, our students are supported, thriving, and looking forward to a strong school year. We want to thank you for your support, because without your support, these students would not have been able to attend school this term!

On another note, we wanted to bring attention to the alarming changes that have happened in Kenya due to new leadership in government. Educational funding has been drastically cut and students and parents are struggling more than ever to pay expensive school fees, which makes our work even more important during these challenging times. Scholarships for students in secondary school have significantly declined and close to 5,000 of the 7,000 secondary students in Bungoma who were previously supported through scholarships, are now not being supported by government funding. This means that these students are sitting at home, idle, unable to attend school, which often leads to an increase in pregnancy rates, drug use, and puts a significant burden on our community. Our desire to briefly discuss this problem is to bring attention to these issues and advocate for changes to educational practices relating to how funding is dispersed and allocated within Kenya. Additionally, these new changes in funding means we need even more monetary support from our donors to assist youth within our community with school fees. Our hope is that you will continue to help empower our most vulnerable youth by supporting the work we are doing! Thank you for your generosity!

Greetings friends,

We wanted to let you know that youth within our Child Sponsorship Program are truly thriving! Currently, we have six children in secondary school due to your generous donations. Within the last few weeks, Humphrey was able to visit each and every child and we are thankful to report back to you that all of our students are happy, healthy, and doing well in school. Additionally, Humphrey has been in constant contact with the caregivers of the six students, and they are thriving as well due to A2A's Microloan Program which has supported cargivers' individual entreprenurial endeavors. Many caregivers are raising chicken, growing maize, beans, and other vegetables, or cooking foods to sell at local markets. As a result of income from their businessses, caregivers are now able to secure food and shelter for their families. Without your continued support, our efforts to support and empower children and their families in Kenya would not be possible. Thank you for all that you do!

Great news, Action Two Africa’s Microloan Program has been expanding! Despite COVID-19 and restrictions that have limited a lot of services and resources for microloan participants, the women in our Program are thriving and there are now twenty women building businesses to empower themselves, their families, and their community. The most exciting news about all of this, is that many of the women in our Program have pooled their money together to lease three acres of land and are now growing maize and beans to create more income for their families. Additionally, because many of these women have to walk miles to secure safe water for their businesses and families and carry the water back in jugs that were bulky and inefficient, WaterStep, a non-profit organization that we have partnered with, has graciously provided water balls to women in our Microloan Program. We are so thankful for their support and for providing these easy-to-transport water balls to women in our program so that they have more time to focus on their families and businesses. We also want to take the time to thank all of our donors and supporters for your generous contributions and encouragement, because with out all of you, we would not be able to do the work that we are doing.

We have some exciting news to share with all of you! Action Two Africa (A2A) recently partnered with a non-profit entity, Goblis Foundation, so that we are better able to serve and empower youth within our community. Globis Foundation works to empower vulnerable youth by identifying, training, and mentoring youth to drive social change that works to break the cycle of poverty. Their mission is to “empower the next generation of leaders through the provision of service-oriented programs to improve their access to opportunities with a motivation to solve social-economic and environmental challenges affecting their communities.” Their goal is to focus on structural, attitudinal, and cultural processes that help youth gain the ability, confidence, and authority to create lasting changes in their lives and within their community. This is done by empowering youth to become social entrepreneurs and build sustainable social enterprises that create jobs and deliver high-quality goods and services to their communities. A2A is very excited about this partnership because we know how impactful collaboration is for creating sustainable and effective changes within our community in Bungoma, Kenya. We look forward to updating you all about our partnership and how this collaborative effort creates changes for vulnerable youth in our community and our community as a whole.

We also wanted to let you know that Action Two Africa recently secured an office in Bungoma, Kenya. Humphrey, who is one of A2A’s cofounders, worked hard to find and secure our new office space. This new space allows us to more easily meet with youth who are in our Child Sponsorship Program, host meetings and events associated with our Microloan Program, and now, have a space to better develop partnerships with other organizations and those interested in creating effective and lasting changes within our community.

Thank you for your continued support. Without your support and generous contributions, we would not be able to continue the work we are doing!

Yes, Children are in School in Kenya!

Greetings friends, family, and Action Two Africa (A2A) supporters! We wanted to give you a quick update on what is happening in Kenya with the children in our Child Sponsorship Program and caregivers in our Microloan Program. Due to COVID-19, most children were out of school from March 2020 to January 2021, when schools reopened, and we are happy to say that they are in school and will continue with school until December 24, 2021, when they will be let out for winter break. We are grateful that children are back in school after a hard year and hopeful because things are starting to improve in Kenya. COVID-19 rates are rapidly dropping, there is more access to the vaccine, and the national curfew was lifted October 20, 2021.

Since March of 2020, Kenya has been under a strict curfew that has put a lot of strain on families financially due to limited work options; however, as mentioned in our previous post, many of the caregivers of children in our Child Sponsorship Program have been involved in A2A’s Microloan Program, which has created economic stability and a safety net for these families. We are so thankful that, even during the most difficult times, the families involved with A2A have been able to thrive. This has only been possibly because of you, our generous donors, who have given funds to help provide microloans and education to vulnerable children and families! Without your support, we would not be able to do the work that we do. Thank you for your continued support and thank you for helping us to empower individuals and families through education and economic opportunities!