New Kibera Foundation

Last Updated on Sunday, 13 December 2009 21:12 Written by Teach Magazine Admin Saturday, 07 November 2009 11:50

Education for poor families in Kibera has received a major boost through a new foundation.

The Children of Kibera Foundation is already helping orphans and needy pupils and students in Africa’s largest slum.

Set up by Kibera-born Ken Okoth in 2006, the foundation has been able to source money to pay for 15 students through their entire secondary education.

In 2008, the organisation sponsored the first group of four girls to enter Form 1, and this year they were able to sponsor eleven more.

According to the project coordinator, Mr. Japheth Ochieng, this has been realized through mostly US-based donors. However, some local donors have also assisted. He added they continue to look for more benefactors so as to serve an ever greater number of needy children.

Mr. Ochieng explains that the foundation selects and supports candidates strictly on the basis of merit. He urges all applicants to be serious about their studies.

Teach also learned that since its inception three years ago, the foundation has been running other projects in Kibera. Thus Kibra Academy is supplied with a modern computer lab which can be accessed by 30 students and teachers.

Computer-assisted learning is a priority according to Mr. Ochieng, and plans are at an advanced stage to equip more schools. The foundation has also been able to organize social events in the area and in July it organized a secondary school music festival in which ten schools took part.