Dear Friends,
As another year comes to a close, we reflect on the work we did in Kenya in 2023. As always, we like to share that work with you (without overburdening your inboxes of course ;). We sponsored another 5 students to our sponsorship program. We will cover their school fees for high school, university, and then work with them to find suitable jobs. This brings the number of students we have sponsored to over 60 children!
Additionally, as our Foundation gets older, so do some of our students. Below we have highlighted two really great stories! Lewis, who scored in the top 1% on his national exam in the whole COUNTRY! And Kafia, our oldest student who gets promoted at her job so much that we sometimes have trouble keeping up.
My warmest regards
Stephen A. Fleischer
Because of your contributions, we have 5 new students in our program. Just like all of our beneficiaries, they will be supported for high school, and university, receive mentorship, and receive assistance to obtain jobs after their schooling. A big welcome to Blessing, Vivian, Virginia, Michelle and Racheal!
Student Spotlight: Lewis Kea
Lewis Kea Lewis just recently completed high school and therefore, took the Kenyan national exam required of all high school graduates. Roughly 1,000,000 students took that exam this year and with his A- score, he was within the TOP 1%. For context, only about 2,500 of 1,000,000 students score an A- or above. This is a remarkable achievement for Lewis who had to overcome significant challenges to reach this level of academic excellence.
Because of this score, he was contacted by Equity Bank to join a leadership program before he eventually joins the best public university in the country – the University of Nairobi. We are so darn proud!!!!!!!!
Student Spotlight: Kafia Ali
Kafia Ali is the oldest student in our program. Her example shows us that our model WORKS! After working as a tour guide at one of the museums in Nairobi, she was spotted by the owner of a luxury leather bag company called Sandstorm Kenya. She was offered a job to give tours at this company’s factory, and after doing such a great job there, she was recently promoted to be a sales associate.
– She is the 1st one in her family to complete university.
– She is under contract with a formal salary.
– She is afforded an insurance policy and social security.
And we are SO proud.
Thank you all for being the reason this success story happened!
Secondary School Project Update
We are thrilled to let you know that phase 2 of the construction work is complete. This saw 2 classrooms fully built, and the foundation slabs for the entire educational side of the compound complete (labs, staff rooms, offices, etc). In 2024, we will work to complete the entire educational side of the school, and in 2025, we plan to complete the boarding facilities. Our goal is to build a school for the most underprivileged in Kenya. A center of excellence, using modern technology and construction techniques, and moreover, a school that provides a safe & nurturing environment that will enable these children to achieve their full potential.
Mentorship Sessions and Volunteers We successfully organized three week-long mentorship sessions over the past 8 months. These workshops include a wide range of activities including personalized counseling, supplementary education, talks with local business leaders, & meetings with educators.
What’s even more heartwarming is that our students in university INSIST on attending these sessions as faculty. It was so nice to see them their supporting their younger counterparts within the Foundation.
Thank you! As we entire the season of giving, we would be so grateful if you would consider supporting our mission and these wonderful children in Kenya. We do everything in our power to avoid costs that do not relate to our mission and are proud to currently have an 84.92% program expense ratio. Showing that the large large portion of every donation received goes to children who need & deserve it.
To learn more about how you can get involved or make a donation, please click the below link. Thank you for your generosity!
We also accept donations via Mpesa:
Paybill number 7604851
Account Number: Your name.