DeutschHow it all began
It all started with a volunteering trip that changed our lives. In 2011, we went to volunteer at a rural school in Kimilili, Kenya. The idea was to teach the children, but we quickly learned that those children would teach us what life is all about: sharing and caring for each other.
After a long 8 hour ride from Nairobi, we finally arrived at the “school”. It was barely a mud hut, with the walls falling apart, no toilets, electricity, water, nor learning materials! During the first teacher meeting we were told that the Ministry of Education wanted to close the school because of the precarious situation.
A fact which we could not accept: after all, this school was looking after orphans and needy children that would otherwise not be able to attend school! We accepted the challenge to ensure that these children would not drop out of school!
Many years later – and thanks to many volunteers and donors believing in our mission – we have transformed the school and the learning opportunities, achieving sustained successes for the education of those children. Read more about the impact of our Kimilili School Programme.
The community in Kimilili represents the story of many rural villages, where parents struggle to provide for basic needs, often battling between buying food to put on the table and paying school fees. School4Life decided to extend our initial impact in Kimilili, allowing more rural children to follow their dreams. Read more about our additional Programmes, including the Leaver’s Programme and the Corona Support Programme.
Our Impact
Over the past few years, School4Life has had a major impact on the lives of children in rural Kenyan communities including:
– Enabling 1500 children to progress their education
– Improving the learning environment by building permanent infrastructure including classrooms, toilets, a science lab, a computer room and a library
– Pioneering education by opening the first free “Special Needs School” in Kimilili for 30 handicapped children
– Improving the health situation of school children by distributing over two million free school lunches, for many the only warm meal of the day
– Improving the hygiene and living conditions by conducting health campaigns, affecting over 1000 children and community members
– Collecting over 1.5 million CHF / EUR of donations, with every penny reaching the children and communities!