Sponsor a child

Sponsor a child in Kenya

Sponsor a  child in Kenya, Africa through their education. We only support those children who would not go to school without your help.

Comments from sponsors who support a child in Kenya:

“Thanks for the letter from Gabriel. It’s all so very humbling.”

“My children (aged 16 and 13) really are learning so much about the Maasai culture through our association with the charity. It has encouraged them to seek out more information on Kenya and to really think about the issues of social inequality. In a way, you are helping to educate them and all the other families who sponsor children to attend the school, which is really quite something.”

Selecting children?
In this Maasai area of Kenya, everyone is poor, so we have to be careful that we chose the very poor over the poor. Children are selected on a needs basis. Orphans or children from a single mother are automatically considered and next, children from parents where neither have a job. These children would not go to school without this sponsorship.

Cost?
It cost the charity around  £25 per child per month to support the school. This  covers:

  • the normal teachers’ salaries and other school running costs
  • books, computers, teaching materials
  • a  morning milky tea or porridge and a mid day school lunch for each child and school worker.

You are welcome to support 1 child (£25) or more children.

The child’s family pays all other expenses such as uniform, although the charity will cover these in cases of extreme hardship. We also ask the child’s family to pay £2 per month to the school as their contribution to the school’s running cost. Again, this is omitted in the case of extreme hardship.

Receiving a sponsor's letter.
Receiving a sponsor’s letter.

Contact
We allocate 1 or more children to each supporter. The children make regular contact by writing or drawing pictures. In Kenya, all school teaching is in English so the letters are in English from about age 8 and they give an interesting insight into the Maasai culture and lifestyle. The younger children keep in contact through drawing and school work. The  school has email, so you are able to contact them through the school secretary.  We take photos or videos each time we visit (every 4 months or so), meet the headteacher and inform sponsors on attendance and progress.

How is the  money used?
100% is used to support the children by paying the running costs of the school. As the charity only has volunteers, nothing is deducted for any UK expenses as we are a 100% charity. At school, the children receive a mid morning snack and lunch. For many of the poorer children, this is the only solid food they will receive during the day. During the school holidays and at weekends, many will only have milk from their family’s cattle. Some sponsors are eligible for gift aid and any surplus received from this is used for providing uniform for the poorest children and improving the school to provide a better education for all.

Writing a letter to their sponsor
Writing a letter to their sponsor

New sponsors required
We sadly lose sponsors throughout the year, so if you would like to becoming a sponsor, please contact Tracey Moore (tracey.osiligi at yahoo.com) who will provide further details.  Sponsoring a Kenyan child really does make a difference to their lives.

Many of our new sponsors are friends and relatives of existing sponsors, so I guess we are doing something right!

Have a question? Perhaps our frequently asked questions page about sponsorship can help.