The key to our program’s success is the supportive community provided to the student, contributing to their success and ability to transform their lives. We provide case manager support, a weekly Saturday program, annual summer camp and encourage parental involvement through an advisory committee to maximize student success. Additionally, beyond the financial support sponsors provide, they often offer emotional support to their sponsored students.
Case Manager Support
One of the most critical components of our program is the role of the Case Manager. Case Managers get to know each of their assigned children and monitor and support their needs. Case Managers are college or university graduates and typically have a degree in social work, community work, child development, or a related field. Learn more about each of our Case Managers here.
Case manager duties are wide-ranging but include the following:
- Ensure that all students receive and actively participate in quality education by monitoring their performance and that of the schools they attend. This includes maintaining a relationship with each school through regular visits, obtaining additional educational support as needed, and ensuring school fees are paid.
- Engage with each student and their family through home visits to assess their health, living situation, and other needs. This includes providing basic health and nutritional support, identifying drug or substance abuse and offering mental health counseling, referring students to other resources as needed.
- Work with each student to develop individualized guidance plans to help students identify and work towards goals.
- Encourage students to maintain a strong relationship with their sponsor through regular communication.
Advisory Committee
Similar to PTA programs in United States schools, we encourage community participation to maximize the program’s impact. The Advisory Committee consists of both parents/guardians and students. It serves as an advocate for the organization to the community it represents by providing feedback. Its primary mandate is to deal with and raise issues related to our programs and give advice or support to the Kenyan staff.
Saturday Program
A weekly Saturday Program, which is mandatory for primary school students, is held in the park adjacent to our campus. Volunteers, many of whom are alumni of the program, help the staff host the Saturday program.
Students participate in fun activities, including games and music. Many students visit the library before the start of each Saturday Program and check out books to read to themselves or out loud to an appreciative audience. Case managers also coordinate writing letters to sponsors.
A fresh lunch is prepared and served by our cooks. And a nurse distributes multivitamins and deworming pills regularly and meets with individual children who are ill, referring them to clinics or prescribing treatment as appropriate.
Check out the 2 ½ minute video about our program produced by KMSP-TV featuring our Saturday Program.
Camp
Each August, with the help of volunteers, we host various camps where students have the opportunity to get out of their normal setting and spend time in a healthy, stimulating environment focused on learning and fun. Learn more.