We are thrilled for the students in Kenya as in a few short weeks, they will all go back to school. Students will resume where they left off in March of 2020 and start their second trimester. 

Instead of having 3 trimesters and month-long breaks after each term, students in Kenya will have 4 terms for the next two years, and the breaks will be shorter. The purpose of this schedule is to allow for all the students to start where they left off in 2020, and to resume the normal schedule again as quickly as possible. If all goes according to plan, students will again have three terms per year and the normal breaks starting in 2023. 

We will do our best to lay out what the current plan is (below), and if you wish, you can read the Press Release from the Ministry of Education here. And, as we all know from how chaotic it has been here in the US to figure out schooling of young students, this is the current plan, but the situation could change at any time.

2021 School Schedule:

The initial break in March is longer than the others due to the national exams that the 8th and 12th graders will be completing. In Kenya, the tests are so extensive that they require weeks of actual testing, and then multiple weeks to grade the exams and publish the results. 

*In July, all students will move up and begin a new school year. This means that the students who just completed testing in 12th grade will begin the transition to post secondary, and all the other students will move up a grade level. 

One of our biggest successes this year was the Food from Friends campaign. In March, we explained to our supporters that due to the students staying home from school (where they normally receive two meals a day), and the lack of options for income for their families, we needed to raise the money to be able to feed every single family (and some alumni) in our program. You stepped up in an incredible way, and we are so thrilled to say that we accomplished our goal. We hoped to raise $80,000 to feed 350 families from April through December. With your help, we were able to raise $88,000 and feed 373 children and their families – a total of about 5,000 food packets. 

So many of you donated to this cause. From $20 to our $10,000 match, some of you even choosing to donate on a recurring basis each month. Thank you, thank you, thank you! If you are a sponsor and you have read your student’s COVID assessment report on the sponsor portal, many of the families answer the “anything else we should know?” question by thanking the case managers for the food support. For most of them, it is the only way they have been able to survive the pandemic and resulting lack of income. 

We are so happy that the students are able to return to school in January, and that those schools will once again be able to provide them with the two meals a day that they need to thrive and learn. We have built a robust ‘emergency food fund’ into our 2021 budget so that we can continue to support families who need it. But, the families are reporting that they are back to work, and with students going back to school, we can turn our attention to how we will pay for an extra school term for every student in 2021 and 2022.

As you plan your year-end gift to Friends of Ngong Road, please keep in mind the many ways you can support us beyond making a cash gift.

• Donor-Advised Funds. Donor-advised funds allow you to make a charitable contribution, receive a tax deduction and then recommend the grant to Friends of Ngong Road.
• IRA Rollovers. An IRA Rollover gift can fulfill your required minimum distribution, decrease your taxable income and make a world of difference to our children in Nairobi. Any amount you donate this way counts toward your Required Minimum Distribution and reduces the taxable amount of your IRA distribution. This lowers your taxable income even if you take the standard deduction.
• Stocks. By donating your appreciated stock, you will save on capital gains tax on the increased value of the stock while also making a charitable gift. The entire stock is transferred at its valued price to Friends of Ngong Road.
• Planned Giving. After providing for your family and loved ones, you may want to remember Friends of Ngong Road and the children we serve. A gift from your will, trust, retirement account, or life insurance policy will help to secure the long-term future of our work.

Consult with your tax advisor for final planning. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Development Director, Charlie Levine.

Charlie joined Friends of Ngong Road in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Charlie is a New Yorker raising his children in Minnesota.  He is driven by the Jewish commandment of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world.  He has focused his efforts on improving the world for children, whether his own, his kids’ friends, Minnesotans, or students in Nairobi.  He loves travel and making new friends.

Professionally, Charlie holds degrees in engineering and law.  He spent a decade as a patent attorney for 3M and several years as a financial planner helping families eliminate debt and save for retirement.  Over the past 15 years, Charlie has raised millions of dollars from individuals, corporations, and foundations, led major gift campaigns, and created planned giving programs in various development roles. He has helped many nonprofit businesses, including the Science Museum of Minnesota, The Nature Conservancy, and several human service organizations serve more people.

Charlie loves planning, setting high goals, fighting for the underdog, and travel; he often combines these goals in attending NY Mets baseball games.

He spoke with FoNR volunteer, Steve Kotvis to share more about himself, his hopes and dreams for Friends of Ngong Road, and his thoughts on how he can make a difference.