We have been working with a local Primary School in Mombassa since 2010. The school has grown from its humble beginnings as a care centre known as Precious Vision to a fully-fledged school. As the centre grew and developed, this project has helped to cater to its diverse and ever-changing needs. Currently, funds are used primarily to fund a feeding programme and to cover the wages of some of the teachers that work at the school, however, we are raising funds to build a 100% sustainable school that will have no running costs and will cater fully to the 280 students that are currently enrolled in our school.

14.5 million Kenyans are facing food insecurity and poor nutrition every year! This is a crisis for children who are of school-going ages as their concentration and success levels are directly linked to their nutrition and access to daily meals. With the food crisis the way it is, lack of funding and little government assistance this seems like a problem that the poor communities of Kenya are unlikely to tackle alone, which is where we step in. Working with local partners we aim to provide daily meals to the children at the local school as well as provide educational resources to help maximise their learning opportunities.

Our school is located in a particularly deprived area of Mombasa. Many children can’t access education due to lack of facilities, resources and funds for teachers. This means that families and communities struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Inconsistency or lack of teaching staff due to funding is common and a huge barrier to children’s education. Health issues, in particular, hunger and its related ailments, keeps children away as food is prioritised over education.

Donations made to this project are used to subsidise teachers’ wages and the Feeding Programme, which has been running since 2011. By ensuring that teachers can get paid, we are able to provide consistency for the staff and children, helping to keep them in school and maximise their learning capacity. The feeding programme feeds 249 children two nutritious meals a day, improving their health and concentration levels.

Consistent wages mean that the teachers can focus on delivering lessons and provides essential continuity for the children. The feeding programme improves the health and wellbeing of children. Once our sustainable school is built we will be able to continue feeding and providing education to all 280 children without any ongoing support. This new school is the way forward for communities that lack a big or consistent income, as it covers the running costs through activities on site as well as providing a safe and quality learning environment