• YARD (Youth Action for Rural Development)
• Ruiru Rehabilitation Centre
• Meru Sponsorship Project
• Sikizana Trust (working with orphans and child headed families)
• International Centre of Technology  www.ictcollege.org

Sikizana Trust (Based in Makueni District, a semi arid region in the Eastern Province of Kenya)

Out of Africa has a partnership with Sikizana Trust, a community organisation set up to help the children and youth of Makueni District, a semi arid region in the Eastern Province of Kenya. This area is much in need, food, water is a continual problem.

Sikizana Trust aims to:

(a) provide and promote leadership,
(b) identify and develop talents among the youth and
(c) create an environment where they can fully cultivate their potential and
(d) participate in community development
(e) Link disadvantaged children with well wishers and partner with other development stakeholders to achieve the mission

We have undertaken to find sponsors for some of their most needy children, these children struggle for survival daily, food is a continual problem, and there is no money for school fees, uniform and the basic needs of everyday life.
You can sponsor one of these needy children by going to ‘our sponsor a child’ page

To read more about Sikizana Trust Click here >>

MERU SPONSORSHIP PROJECT

Meru diocese project is located in Meru south, Kajuki parish approximately 250 kilometers from Ruiru town. Out of Afrika together with Kajuki Parish are running education sponsorship in the area, the aim of this programme is to empower needy children whom can demonstrate knowledge in school and to equipping them with essential skills and knowledge which they can use to provide for their needs in future.

Kajuki is in a semi-arid region with numerous social, economical, cultural and political problems, some of the needy and destitute cases in this area are; malnourished orphans/children/ adults, the sick, unemployed youth. This category of people do benefit from the sponsorship program either directly or indirectly because they are the most vulnerable to illiteracy, diseases and starvation.

Vision
To improve the living standards of vulnerable members of Kajuki Community i.e. orphans and needy community members.

Mission
To see orphans/needy children of all ages who are forced to the verge of illiteracy, poverty and desperation succeeding in life through education.

Objectives
-To eradicate illiteracy in the area.
-To fight social problems affecting the community.
-To fight HIV/Aids
-To empower needy community members.

Higher Education

Many children who take their final primary school examinations never have the chance to continue onto higher education. There are many factors; poverty being the root cause. There are many orphans in Kenya, as in the rest of Africa, with no-one to pay their school fees, buy their school uniforms, books and other requirements.

Many children have to go and work in the fields, picking tea or coffee or work on the family shamba (vegetable plot) if the family are lucky enough to have one.

Girls are worse off than boys, and are likely to be married off young and start producing their own families.

Education is highly prized in Kenya, as is evident every January when the KCPE (Kenya Certificate Primary Education) results are announced. Every newspaper carries the results, television news reports covers the results, the talk for weeks is of the top students in Kenya, every Headteacher in the land convenes to a meeting for a week where they choose which children will go to certain schools based on their performance in the KCPE.

Education is seen by parents as the single most important thing in life, children also value education, are prepared to work miles to school, without shoes, go without food
for the sake of gaining an education. They know it is only way to lift themselves out of the poverty trap.

Sadly, rural and schools in the many slums are ill-equipped, lacking in books, resources, desks, teaching staff, are over-crowded and in a state of disrepair.

For more information on the meru project visit their Website: Friends of Kajuki http://www.sunsetproductions.co.uk/kajuki/index.htm