Help Feed 250 Hungry Children in Kenya

Every morning, before the first lesson begins, the children at our school in Kenya line up quietly for something small that makes a big difference: a simple bowl of cereal. For many of them, it is the first nourishment they have had that day. Without it, it is hard to focus. Concentration fades. Learning becomes a struggle. But with just a little food in their bellies, they can start their day with energy, dignity, and the chance to succeed.

At morning break, each classroom receives a fruit bowl to share. It is not extravagant, but it is enough. The children enjoy fresh fruit while they laugh and learn. Then at lunch, they are served rice and beans. This meal, simple as it may be, is essential. We used to include chicken and vegetables, but as our student numbers continue to grow and donations have become harder to secure, which we completely understand given how tough things are for many of our supporters around the world with government squeezing every penny from everyone, we have had to stretch what we have. Rather than remove a meal, we have adjusted the ingredients to keep every child fed.

The truth is, the shelves are beginning to look a little bare. We're been busy appealing to the local community, tourists, shops and other local businesses for help and we have seen some small wins but we do still reply on our amazing donors at this stage but we do have a long term sustainable plan for this program. 

To reduce costs, we have gone from two school cooks down to one, it's a very hard decision and we hope it will be short lived. We continue to pay her 300 dollars a month. While the legal minimum wage is around 120 dollars, we know that is simply not enough for someone to survive on. She now does the work of two people with care and commitment and we can't ask anyone to work for less than they do, would you? Her meals are the heartbeat of our school.

At present, it costs around $456 every two weeks to provide rice, beans, cereal, milk, oil, salt, pepper, and clean water. We also spend about $42 dollars each week on fresh fruit and extra milk to meet the needs of our growing school. With this and the salary of only one cook now we're down to around $3.50 a month per student which is pretty incredible, we would rather go back to $5 so we can include a second cook, chicken and veggies to the diet and put a real smile on a child's face. 

Last year, we began something we are truly proud of. We started setting aside 15 cents of every dollar into a sustainability fund. Slowly, we are building toward our goal of installing a vegetable garden and planting 50 fruit trees on the school grounds. This will allow us to reduce costs and create more reliable access to fresh food. We have already reached 30% of the target and hope to reach 50 percent by the end of this year. By the end of 2026, we believe the garden and fruit trees will be producing food for the very children who learn just steps away.

For now, we remain focused on one thing. Making sure the children are fed. That the food keeps coming. That no child is ever too hungry to learn. Every bowl filled and every bite served happens because people like you choose to care.

Thank You