Give Hope to Kisumu's Underprivileged Children

Kitabu Changu Haki Yangu (Swahilli for My Book, My Right) is a literacy program aimed at building libraries and resource centres in the slums and rural parts of Kisumu County in Kenya.

With students in these areas barely being able to access school text books, having access to story books and activity books among a wider range of books is a distant dream. This project makes this dream a reality and introduces the power of imagination and ideas that will open up their lives and dare them to dream of greater possibilities than their current surroundings allow them.

This program creates resource centres that allow both current and future students to have access to text books (something both parents and the government are unable to provide). It is our belief this will take the burden off parents, encouraging them to enrol their children in school at the right age and pursue education. More importantly, it gives the students access to a much needed wider range of books, especially story books that will expose them to different ideas and worlds, improve their literacy and vocabulary and inspire them to dream big.

While the planet leaps from one technological advancement to the next at a dizzying speed, children in these areas continue to lag behind exponentially. Access to hard copies of books is the first step. However, it is imperative that the students have access to newer forms of reading like e-readers to be at par and connect with students of their age in other parts of the country and the world. It will provide a longer-term solution that is cost-effective, space-efficient and easier to manage in the long run.

Why is there a need for a Literacy Program?

Despite being one of the more developed counties in the country, Kisumu ranks very poorly at 30 out of 47 counties in terms of literacy rates. With an estimated 202 million illiterate people, Sub-Saharan Africa is considered to have the lowest literacy rates in the world. 

At 87%, Kenyan youth have a much higher literacy rate than that of Sub-Saharan Africa. Kisumu, however, lags behind at 66%. (Please note: this is the latest data available for Kisumu from a 2013 report. The current number may be slightly different).

What Progress Have we made?

Since starting this program, we have distributed over 1,000 exercise books and pencils each among other learning material to the various schools we work with. We have made small makeshift libraries at 3 schools (Valley, Soko and Elimu) where students now have access to nearly 800 story books. We conducted our first Reading and Storytelling Workshop with some of the most enthusiastic volunteers we have had the honour of working with who spent time with the children teaching and introducing them to books and reading in a fun and positive way.

Links:

• Become an RKF Patron: Make a Recurring Donation
• RKF Blog: A Treasure Chest of Books
• Reading & Storytelling Workshop 2018

New School in Nyamasaria

RKF has taken up a new project called Next Gen. Immaculate School. This school has 40 young students in the age range 2-7 who learn in a mabati (iron sheet) structure in Nyamasaria.

The school independently runs their own feeding program. RKF works with the school to ensure the children receive uji for breakfast and benefit from our various other programs, especially Kitabu Changu, Haki Yangu.

RKF Completes 2 Years!

As we have just completed our second year, we would like to share the progress we have made so far thanks to your incredible support:

• 40,000 meals served
• 250+ students under RKF
• $20,000 raised

To mark the celebration of this occasion, RKF took some pony cycles, a Disney bouncy castle, some hula hoops, cake, chips, juice and bananas to Valley Academy in Nyalenda. It has to be one of the most beautiful afternoons we have had. Here's to seeing bouncy castles for the first time, sitting on pony cycles, screaming with joy and the simple pleasures of chips and tomato sauce on a warm Thursday afternoon.

Watch this video to see the progress we have made so far and what direction we intend to take in the future.

To support our projects, become an RKF Patron by making a recurring donation here.

Links:

• Become an RKF Patron: Make a Recurring Donation
• RKF Turns 2: The Progress so far