Education Kenya Project #25776

Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Sponsorship Program

by Leben und Lernen in Kenia e.V.

Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Sponsorship Program

Project Report | Aug 14, 2017
...and the word goes to Martha and Philip

By Debra aka Brique Zeiner | Chairwoman

Martha as a self-confident young teacher

Good is what good does - and Success is what success does and we are seeing this happen every day at the Live and Learn in Kenya Education Center! Of course there will always be ups and downs, but when we take a broad look at all of the success stories over the past nearly 17 years that Leben und Lernen in Kenia e.V. and Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l have been catering to the needs of extremely poor and desolate children in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya, they certainly overweigh the relatively few mishaps over the years. Providing not only food, medical and health care and uniform - but especially education, LLK has been able to raise hundreds of children out of the claws of poverty and giving them the possibility to stand up for themselves, work and build up a life out of the slums and into a better life for themselves, their families and their future families. Our project children not only attend elementary school, high school and vocational training institutes - they are also attending colleges and universities - and graduating with honors.

I would like to introduce a young woman - Martha - and two young men - Philip and Martin.

Martha is the only girl in a family of 3 children. Her single mother who was the sole breadwinner had no stable source of income and therefore the family had a low and unreliable income to sustain the 3 children with their basic needs. Martha was on the Live and Learn in Kenya program from 2001 until she graduated from college in 2015. She has changed her life and the lives of her mother and two brothers.

Here is her story:

I am Martha from Nakuru, Kenya. I am a beneficiary of Live and learn in Kenya organisation. I
am among those who have greatly benefited from this program. I joined the organisation in
the year 2001 when I was in kindergarten. I later attended Eileen Ng'ochoch Primary School, where I met
other children who were being sponsored by the same organisation. I have benefited a lot from the organisation because I was provided with lunch, uniform and textbooks until I completed my primary level education. In 2010 I was admitted into Afraha HighSchool for my secondary education. The organisation was even more helpful. It provided my school fees and other personal needs for the four years. I was never sent home for lack of school fees or late payment as were many of my school mates on a daily basis.
After completing secondary education, I joined Nakuru Teachers Training College for my college level education, where I went through my training as a primary school teacher. Again this was ony possible because of the organisation. All requirements wer paid for by Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l. I am currently working as a volunteer teacher at Live and learn in Kenya Primary School. The children who attend this school are sponsored by the organisation. I am glad to work as a volunteer in this organisation because it feels good to give back something to the society which made my present life possible and show the children what hard work and studying can mean to them in the future.
My experience with the LLK has really inspired me. I have seen people's lives changed. Needy children are now able to access quality education. I am now proud to be a full fledged teacher - thanks to Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l and Leben und Lernen in Kenia e.V.
The management is fair and transparent. It is dedicated to provide help to those who need it - but especially education.

*************************************

Philip's single mother died of AIDS when he was only 5 years old. His aunt and uncle took him in to live with them along with his 2 brothers and sister. They lived in a very small shack together with his cousins. Philip's aunt registered him at Live and Learn in Kenya International. He was provided with everything that he needed to go from kindergarten through college. He is now an electrician.

Dear Mama Brique,

RE:THE LLK INT'L - SUPPORT FOR MY LIFE

I, Philip, in Kenya being a former sponsored child at the Live and Learn Int'l project, hereby gladly and cheerfully write this letter to express my gratitude to what the project has done for me. l joined the LLK INT'L project in the year 2000. This was when I officially started my pre-unit education level. The project provided me with all the learning materials; i.e. books, pens, school fees, uniform and shoes, school lunches etc. ln the year 2002 I joined the primary school level after learning for two years at the pre-unit level. At this level, the project used to pay my school fees, everything that I needed to have for school and provided me with my basic needs without forgetting my birthday gifts and Merry Christmas presents.

Luckily and successfully l graduated from my primary school to the next level. The LLK INT'L project continued supporting me during high school and college levels to the fullest. I secured a job with the Green Energy Geothermal Company (GEG) after l had completed my Electrical and Electronics Engineering Course at the Kenya Industrial Training Institute(KITI).

Fortunately, I am able to provide myself and support my relatives, making me independent. I also look forward to helping other children achieve their goals and create an impact in the society because that's what the world really needs - people who can make a change and touch other people's lives in a substantial way. I hereby stand as a good fruit of the work the LLK INT'L Project together with all the individuals concerned who effectively run the Project's affairs both direct and indirect. I sincerely express my appreciation to all of them. May God bless all of you abundantly.

Thank you and kind regards, Philip

Martin comes from a family of 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. His single mother was the family's sole breadwinner. She works in households to support her children in the best way possible. The family had a low and inadequate income to ensure children's access to basic needs. Martin's mother registered him at Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l when he was he was a little boy. LLK provided him with all of his educational needs. After realizing how profoundly intelligent he was - especially in the subjects Math and Chemistry - LLK provided funds to put him through university. After graduating from Afraha High School he went on to major in Math and Chemistry at Kisii University and graduated with honors in 2015. He is now a high school teacher in Kisii where he also lives. Poverty is his past - and his teacher!

Philip and Brique - still very close

Martin's graduation photo with his proud mother

Martin in his element as a high school teacher

Martha as a young girl

Philip as a young boy

Links:

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Jun 20, 2017
Another Year - Another 30 New Children in the Project

By Debra aka Brique Zeiner | Chairwoman

Smiles in Double Pack! Their smiles tell the story

The list of unsponsored children had dwindled down to 3 children needing a sponsor. It was time to admit another group of children into the project in the hopes of having all of the 30 children sponsored by next January when the new school year begins in Kenya. The difficult process of accepting the most needy children is one that only our two social workers, Mary and Nicholas, can do with as little emotion and necessary detachment as possible. There are so many needy children in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya. Deciding on which 30 of them should have a chance to a brighter future is difficult and one must always keep in mind that no matter how many children you take on to the project, thousands more will be left out. It is a struggle that can only be tackled by professionals.

After the 15 little girls and 15 little boys had been enrolled in the program, the process of having photos taken of each of them and descriptions written so that the possible future sponsors would have an idea of what kind of lives these nursery school-aged children have been living - their ages, religions, tribes and interests. It is also important to many sponsors to know about the child's health situation and the possibility of him or her being HIV+. They are also interested to know about siblings and if the child is living with both parents and if the parents work at all. It is a shock to most people to find out that entire families - usually large families - are forced to live on less than US$ 2 a day. The fact that parents are not able to send their child to school wearing the mandatory uniform and shoes and having all mandatory school supplies becomes understandable. Just sending one child to school and providing the school lunch price of 30 cents the day would eat up more than half of their yearly income. So parents are very eager to register thier children on our waiting list and truly rejoice when they receive notice that their child has been accepted into the Live and Learn in Kenya International education program. It doesn't stop there - that is only the beginning. Parents are expected to become a part of the Live and Learn in Kenya International community by taking part in the different workshops, activities and taking turns in groups cooking and cleaning, building and repairing and farming. This is one factor that makes Live and Learn in Kenya International stand out the most. Parents are enpowered to become a part of the community so that they needn't have the feeling that they are just accepting charity. Instead they are part of the whole picture - and proud of it. Many parents are given the possibility of building up a small business of their own through an LLK micro-credit. This has been especially developed with the HIV/AIDS+ parents and guardians in mind. By breaking the tabu of "being punished by God with AIDS" and coming out to tell our social workers of their dilemma in order to receive a micro-credit they also receive medical care - which is free in Kenya for HIV+ patients. Many parents are now able to live longer lives and are able to take care of their children much longer than before.

So sponsorship isn't just changing the life of a child - it is changing and bettering the lives of the child's entire family. It isn't just "a drop in the bucket" - it is filling that bucket!

We now have 470 children on the Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Sponsorship program and only 27 children are not yet sponsored.

Stay tuned for our next report when two of the former Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l tell their stories of success and of becoming proud and self-sufficient adults and their release from the vicious circle of poverty.

Ready for a Sponsor!

Smililing for the New Sponsor

Let Your Smile Change the World

Links:

The Live and Learn in Kenya Website in English and in German

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Mar 27, 2017
The LLK Sponsorship Program is a Huge Success - Why YOU are making a difference

By Debra aka Brique Zeiner | Chairwoman of Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l

Sharline is the last little girl to be sponsored.

One smile after the other - so many children are sponsored from the Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l program than ever before. From the 450 children and youths on the program in January, 18 sponsored youths have graduated and can now be employed and stand on their own 2 feet and only 5 more little kindergarten children are still in need of a sponsor. Many donations have come in to help provide the school and meal necessities for these children and we will soon be able to take on another group of 30 children - all through YOUR SUPPORT!

... and what happens then? We have several youths attending universities throughout Kenya. Three have already graduated and are now high school teachers. Our former program children are now Kenya Wildlife rangers, teachers, engineers, Green Energy workers, business owners, carpenters, tailors, hairdressers, bank clerks, etc. The list is long - but the most important thing is that desolately poor children have risen above their shadow of poverty to a self-sufficient life that they can be proud of through the support of strangers who care - and through their own hard work being all that they can be at school. Education is the key to the future is our motto and with every new smile sponsored another future is saved.

... and what impact does it really make? Not all of the children are able to go through university or college, but at least 80% of the youths who have left the program after school and training are able to find employment and all of them can read and write - which is a major step considering that nearly all of them are coming from families that are illiterate. Which brings us to the concept of Passing it Forward. The children are growing up and having children of their own who are not growing up with illiterate parents. They now know the value of education and will do everything in their power to make sure that their own children will be able to go to school. That is why helping one child is not just a drop in a bucket - it helping buckets to overflow!

...and what about the parents and siblings? Most children are coming from large families. It is impossible for Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l to provide support for all of the children, but even having one child on the program relieves the parents of the sometimes impossible responsibility of even feeding their children. The LLK children receive meals 6 days the week and families are invited to the many festivities with meals for everyone. But the main thing is, a family member is going to school to be able to change the family's future as well.

Little Sharline just couldn't stop smiling after finding out that she was sponsored last week. She is the last little girl on the program that was sponsored - now only 4 little boys are in need of a sponsor. Be a "smile maker" - it's sure to make you smile as well!

A smiling Esther as she thanks her new sponsor

Happy Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Kids

Links:

Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l

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