Schools across the world have been dramatically impacted and likely changed forever with COVID-19. Unfortunately in Kenya the option for remote schooling is not an option for most, meaning that the school year was cut short. As students frequently receive food at school having them home also added additional stress to families.
Over the next two years Kenya will have condensed school years to make up for the time that was lost this year. We can only hope that next year will bring more normalcy for the students.
Fortunately, we were able to help out with many families and throughout the year with food hampers and other financial assistance. For Christmas Hampers this year we provided 205 children with food hampers and a new outfit so that every family accessing the center could have something to eat on Christmas day.
During the challenging year we also lost one of our students due to illness. Bruno had a tough childhood and came to the community centre in Kawangware 7 years ago. At the time he and his aunt who was only a year older than him, both suffered from Kwashiorkor, a protein deficiency that can be seen by distended stomachs in starving children. With food services provided by the center the two quickly put on weight and were able to focus in classes. In November, Bruno developed a chest issue which quickly led to his passing. The exact cause is unknown. His family greatly misses him, but his aunt Risper is continuing on her education in hopes for a brighter future for the family.
With such loss we look towards the future and how to try to reduce this from happening to another child. We hope that with a regular school year returning in January that the students will be able to receive proper nutrition daily and that there will be reduced stress on their families. If you’re interested in sponsoring a child please let us know as there are several at the learning centre who are hoping to attend grade school in 2021.
