During the summer of 2023, Hazel’s Footprints Trust made a grant of £3,600 to Kidogo Kids, supporting disadvantaged children in Nairobi slums, Kenya. The grant was provided to pay for the salaries of a headteacher and an accountant. The Trust continued another year of grant funding, with a further £3,600 provided in August 2024. We’ve received an update on how the project is getting on. Kenyan are suffering from hard times, made worse for this project by a fire which has caused damange to the school. However, we are pleased to hear that the children are making good progress.
Kidogo Kids update
The school continues to thrive and both the Headmistress and Accountant are working very well in their roles and together. In October, nineteen children sat the state exams for entry into junior secondary school. Eighteen of these children have been accepted to new schools. The nineteenth child is about to start with a vocational training college to study mechanics. It’s also pleasing to hear that children supported by Kidogo Kids last year are now progressing well in their respective schools.
Fire in Nairobi
On New Year’s Day there was a fire in a house adjoining the school that did considerable damage, destroying many homes in the area. The school did not escape impact from the fire. Thanks to the quick action of the staff and the local community, much of the school was saved. However, most of the desks and textbooks have been either burnt or have had severe water damage. As the school was due to open a few days later, Eunice, the Headmistress, did a quick assessment of the damage and through an appeal, we raised enough to purchase replacement desks and books so classes were able to start on time, in temporarily patched up classrooms. This rapid response by Eunice saved the day.
Financial hardship for parents
Kenya has suffered badly due to the global financial crises and the price of everything has risen. This hits the poorest the hardest and Eunice, the Accountant, has a difficult time collecting school fees. She visits those families who cannot pay and many genuinely cannot afford to send their children to school. These children cannot just be turned away and therefore miss the chance of an education so they are allowed to continue, free. This means that the school’s income is currently still too low to pay all the teachers’ salaries.
Hazel’s Footprints support in covering the salaries of both of these ladies makes a massive difference to the futures of all these children and also to the smooth running of the school.
