Providing education and support to Nairobi children living in poverty whose families are affected by HIV/AIDS.
I just returned from my 13th visit to Kenya in the past seven years. My overwhelming impression from this visit is that the core elements of the Primary and Secondary Programs are working incredibly well.
We have focused on improving our selection processes in the past year and I believe we are recruiting an ever-higher caliber of student. This is important as we know that good students in primary school generally have the best chances of success when they become adolescents. [Read more…]
Our top four KCPE exam scorers:
Each year, students finishing 8th grade take the Kenya Comprehensive Primary Exam (KCPE) the results of which determine the caliber of high school they will attend. Since this exam is so important to their future, we invest in ensuring each student does as well as possible on the KCPE. For example, all 8th grade students in the program are encouraged to attend special tutoring sessions to prepare them for the exam. The KCPE is a 500-point exam; the national average in 2013 was 244. [Read more…]
By Sally Kenney
During my first trip to Kenya, we visited a compound where Masai women could flee to avoid being cut or married off as girls to old men. On this trip, I wanted to learn more about women’s activism and microenterprises. As always, I was on the lookout for new birds. But mostly, I wanted to spend more time with the children I sponsor. [Read more…]
Naomi Kamanda was the first employee of Ngong Road Children Association (NRCA), and like all other NRCA employees, she began her work with the organization as a volunteer.
Naomi was born in Nairobi and lived in Kibera (the largest slum in Nairobi) for most of her childhood. Her mother is a seamstress and her father works in the electronics field, primarily for a company in Tanzania. She has four brothers and is now 26-years-old. [Read more…]
In 2013, we formed a partnership with an organization in Kenya called Digital Divide Data (DDD). DDD is an organization in the business of converting hand-written records into a digital form. They also have a social mission – to provide impoverished high school graduates who achieve a C+ or higher the opportunity to get a university education.
Marline Wanjiku – our first placement
In 2013, Marline Wanjiku (who graduated from high school with a C+ in 2012) was admitted to DDD’s program on a probationary basis for 12 months. After three months, Marline has received a strong performance review and she is now in the final nine months of her probation. [Read more…]