In Ngando, one of Nairobi's poorest slums, we provide food, school lessons, tutoring, and mentorship to 100 children ages 6-14 every Saturday and Sunday.
James Mwangi is 6 years old. He wears the same muddy sweater everyday and runs around barefoot dodging rocks while he kicks a soccer ball around. His mother had him at age 16 but now suffers from epileptic seizures and his father has not been seen in years. He is raised by his 53 year old grandmother, but has to do much of the work of raising his sister and two brothers by himself. He is forbidden
to go back to school in January because he has an unpaid debt of $10 from last term. Over 1 million people live in the dangerous informal settlements of Nairobi. Ngando is one of these slums on the outskirts of Nairobi, with limited or no access to electricity, clean water, sanitation, and permanent housing. Most of Ngando's residents have no source of income outside of subsistence farming on tiny plots of land, or occasional work cleaning houses or doing odd jobs. With over 40% of Kenya’s population under 15, children growing up in Ngando have a hard time meeting their basic needs. Parents are largely absent, with many children growing up in single parent homes, and high rates of alcoholism, HIV, and illegal activity among adults. Life is a harsh reality for these children, who are left to fend for themselves, with the oldest sibling caring for several younger brothers and sisters. Instead of going to school, kids as young as 6 are collecting scraps on the streets and selling them to make 5 cents to feed themselves. Many children do not receive the food and education they need to grow up and make a better life for themselves, or the emotional support they need to become productive members of society. Tujuane Children’s Center exists to give the kids of Ngando a childhood. We provide food, school lessons, games, and mentorship to over 100 children every Saturday and Sunday, giving kids ages 6-14 a safe, constructive weekend activity and ensuring that they don’t go to bed hungry. The program is very cheap to run, using many local resources already available. For a budget of approximately $12,000 per year, we provide 4 teachers’ salaries, rent for a small house and grounds, a cook’s salary, food for two meals each Saturday and Sunday, stationery, arts and crafts, music, and small toys such as soccer balls and jump rope. A few times per year, at Christmas and other holidays, we throw bigger events to give the kids something to celebrate. While primary education is free in Kenya, there is no public pre-school or kindergarten. That means that many kids start 1st grade without any previous education, and are at a big disadvantage compared to other kids their age. Private pre-school and kindergarten costs approximately $60 per child per year, which is prohibitively expensive for many Kenyan families. Once children finish free public primary school, many drop out to start making money, as it is often the only way to support younger siblings and to feed themselves. Public secondary school for kids in Ngando costs approximately $100 per child per year, preventing many kids from advancing beyond 8th grade. There are many other factors that prevent kids from going to school. Children are required to bring notebooks to write their lessons, and teachers often send kids home if they show up to school without them. While these notebooks cost less than $5 per child per year, they often become the difference between staying in school and dropping out. Similarly, children without $20 for a school uniform and shoes are often sent home by over-worked teachers. For a small donation of $25, you can ensure that all 100 of our kids enjoy a hot meal. For $50, you can pay one of our teacher's salaries for an entire month. For $100, you can support rent on our land for an entire month. Or with any amount you can support our weekend activities and put a smile on many children’s faces!
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