Kenya
Kenya is known for its breathtaking landscapes, a friendly local population, pleasant year-round weather, and a rich diversity of wildlife. But despite all it has to offer, Kenya is one of the poorest countries in the world with nearly half of the population living in poverty. Poverty can be seen in a child who is malnourished and hungry; in a girl who is married off because her family needs the dowry; and in a boy who has to drop out of school to tend the family’s livestock. That’s why our global community of Child Champions is here, working in hard places to bring help and hope to children.
CHILD RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT IN Kenya
CHALLENGES FOR KIDS AND HOW CHILD CHAMPIONS HELP
Lack of Access to Safe Water
In Kenya, more than 90% of water sources such as ponds and in drought-affected areas are either depleted or dried up, posing serious risk of disease outbreak as people drink water from unsafe sources.
How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Kenya
Kids enrolled at Hope Centers have access to clean water and also are taught good hygiene practices to ward off preventable illnesses. Most Hope Centers have a well that pumps clean water and makes it available not only to the kids, but to the community as well. Kids also have access to health care at their centers in the event they end up sick from drinking contaminated water.
Read an inspirational story from Africa: Quenching Thirst and Restoring Hope
BE INSPIREDChild Marriage in Kenya
Although child marriage is illegal in Kenya, that hasn’t stopped families living in poverty from marrying off young girls in order to receive a dowry and to also have one less mouth to feed when there’s not enough food to go around.
How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Kenya
Child Champions help rescue kids. They hold training sessions with caregivers to give them coping skills and connect children and their families to counselors and other resources. They intervene on behalf of their kids in cases where girls have been promised as brides to older men in exchange for a dowry, such as cattle. They encourage families to allow their girls to stay in school so that they have a chance to find a way out of poverty.
Read an inspirational story from Africa: Taking Back Her Future
BE INSPIREDStaying in School Vs. Dropping Out
School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted learning for over 17 million Kenyan children, who missed more than six months of formal education. Also, many rural areas, such as Turkana, lack roads, schools, and health care facilities so kids never have the chance to get an education and an opportunity to escape poverty.
How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Kenya
Child Champions often tutor children at their Hope Centers to make sure they don’t fall behind in their studies. And through OneChild’s Partners Fund, Child Champions provide children with supplies to make sure they are well equipped for school. Hope Centers also provide holistic support including income-generating training and activities.
Read an inspirational story from Africa: Standing in the Gap to Spread Hope
BE INSPIREDLack of Access to Health Care Services
Health challenges in Kenya include high maternal and child mortality rates and high numbers of infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. Kenya suffers from a shortage of health care professionals as nearly 40% of newly graduated doctors leave the country seeking more lucrative opportunities abroad. In rural areas of Kenya, health care facilities are nearly nonexistent.
How Child Champions Are Helping Children in Poverty in Kenya
Children receive health screenings at their Hope Centers and medicines and care when needed. Generous supporters of OneChild’s Children’s Crisis Fund also donate for surgeries and care that go beyond day-to-day health needs. Kids are taught good hygiene practices to avoid preventable illnesses, and families are taught best practices to keep mosquitoes at bay.
Read an inspirational story from Africa: Mental Wellness for Kids in Hard Places
BE INSPIRED
