Children’s Homes and Education

The East Africa Partnership has founded or is currently supporting four different orphanages, with 350 children enrolled and another 85 to be added by the end of 2009.  These children are selected by the local governments as the most needy children – 90% are orphans.  They represent many of the different tribes in Kenya.  The children live in a Home environment with caring adults.  The government provides social workers to follow the progress of the children.  A local pastor visits weekly as do members of the Women’s Guild.  These Homes are supervised by a quality Board of Directors, who care deeply for the well being of the children.

The education of these children is a primary concern; they are sent to local schools, then tutored for several hours and helped with their homework when they return.  On the weekends the tutor returns to give the children more attention and members of the local community also volunteer to help the students with their English, a required course in school.  Despite being well behind other students when they arrive, as these destitute children have not regularly attended school, all of our students are now at the top of their classes due to the extra attention they receive.  The older students are now testing for entrance into secondary school (high school) and look to have an excellent chance of entering the top schools in the country.

Unfortunately, secondary school must still be financed by the student and their family.  The East Africa Partnership is dedicated to allowing all the children in the orphanages to complete at least secondary school, and for children who are qualified to enter universities. 
The Partnership currently supports students with the Dick Grace Scholarship program, dedicated to providing access to education for the neediest students who display academic excellence.  Unfortunately, the Partnership only has the resources to support about 20 students in secondary schools or universities. 

While these schools are extremely inexpensive compared to their counterparts in the United States, there are still out of reach for the orphans living in the homes.  The East Africa Partnership is seeking outside scholarships from other charitable organizations and individuals for these students to allow them to continue their educations.  This year about 30 of the students in our orphanages will be graduating from primary school and looking to attend secondary school.  Each year about the same number of students will be graduated into secondary schools.

Access to education is vital to the success of the orphanage program.  We are not doing these children any service if we merely give them a roof and food for a few years and then re-release them onto the streets without education, job skills, or an ability to make a living and life for themselves.  Education is critical to improving the lives of these children and the country they live in.  Our objective is to allow these children to fulfill their potential and reach their goals.  When you sit and talk with these children they tell you what they want to be—doctors, scientists, lawyers, nurses, teachers, government officials.  After they have graduated, the students will be asked to give back to their communities through volunteer work and mentoring younger students for two years.  All students in the program have expressed their willingness to accept this condition, grateful for the opportunity to show their gratitude. 
The scholarship program is essential to allow these children to gain the education they need to follow their dreams.

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