Kenya

Woni Education Trust works closely with four local villages in Kenya, Nzoiani, Muthwani, Ngunyumu and Amboseli Maasai village. We have seen unprecedented growth, going from 40 to more than 1,500 local villagers who have immensely benefited from our work in five short years.

The East African Country of Kenya is much like the State of California in its flora and fauna; it has the coastal areas, the mountains and the desert areas.  The climate is very similar also to California, except the seasons are opposite.

The people in Kenya are warm and friendly to everyone, welcoming you into their homes, and give you food that maybe they can ill afford to give, but hospitality is one of the wonderful cultural things about the country.  You have a mixture of religions, from Muslim, Baptist, Catholic, and many others.  All of these different religions live in harmony with each other side by side in their homes or cities.

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and is a rich mixture of high rise buildings, and with tiny shops selling their sim cards for the cell phones that everyone seems to have.  Everyone is busy, walking or riding a Matatu (mini van with designated routes to pick passengers).  Not everyone owns a car, to own a car is to have had a good paying job for most of your life.  They dress when they go to work, in suits, dresses, they are professional about the fact they have a job, never mind they don’t own a car.

There are many restaurants in Nairobi that are world renowned, such as the Carnivore Restaurant which serves wild game meat, and is a must to have either lunch or dinner there during your stay.

When you leave the city and travel out into the interior of the country, you see how the lives are changed, poverty, for one.  As away from the city there are not many jobs that can sustain a family.  The man may work in a rock quarry all day, while his wife tends to the farm, or a small piece of land they have had in the family for years.  The children if they are lucky get to go to school for six years.  But by the sixth grade when you are visiting a school, you will notice there are very few boys in the sixth grade classes.  This is due to the poverty level in the area, and the boy is made to go to work alongside of his father to help with feeding the family.  The girls are also taken from school to help their Mother find and carry water.  Sometimes during drought times they may walk for ten miles or more just to find clean drinking water, and then carry the water jugs back home.  This takes the most part of the day, thus, the girls education is put aside to help the family survive.

Many people from all around the world come to Kenya for the wildlife safaris, while on the safaris they pass through towns that are very impoverished, but many don’t see this, they think that the people like this type of life, which is not true.

Many people ask questions, to find out the most they can about Kenya, some remember the answers, which are education, and water.  These are two most spoken words in Kenya to an outsider. 

If each village had a clean water well within two miles of their homes, more young girls would be able to get an education.  With water they can grow their own food, and not go hungry. 
Woni Educational Trust in it endeavors to help those in the rural areas attend further schooling have helped many young people towards a better education so they can then support their families and themselves.  They have taken children and placed them in Boarding schools for their high school education, they have seen some of those go on to a college education. 

You, I am sure have said to yourself, I don’t have a lot of money how could I help them.  First to have the thought of helping is a good thing, and if you are sincere, you will find a way, small donations go a long way in Kenya, as the costs are not big as they are in the USA.  A quarter of a school year in a boarding school is close to $400.00US.  That is a roof over the Childs head, schooling, and meals. Many children when vacation time comes do not want to leave the school, as they know when they return home, there may not be food three times a day.

Kenya is a big, beautiful country, with lots of growing to do to make sure everyone is educated, has clean water and food every day. Would you like to help us so we can help those who need it.  You would get the school reports of a child, if you choose to “adopt one”.  You will have photos of that child and know about their family history.

To help a child is to help yourself