School garden, Kakamega

Orphans are among the weakest members of Kenyan society. They often live on the streets and have to fend for themselves from an early age. The lack of a social system makes it impossible for the children to attend school, as school uniforms and teaching materials are not free in Kenya. Thus, there is usually little hope for a better life for these children and no possibility to escape poverty. The same applies to children from poor families, because their parents often cannot afford to send their children to school. Through free schooling, R.U.S.H. (Reaching the Underprivileged for Self Help) offers these otherwise disadvantaged children a good future. These children are helped through education in a sustainable way, and not in the capital Nairobi, but in Kakamega, a town in the west of Kenya where support from aid organizations is often not as strong as in the capital. However, this project not only offers education for primary and secondary school students, but also offers the older students vocational training in tailoring and carpentry in their own colleges.   

Through this project, nearly 500 children per year are given the opportunity to attend pre-school, primary and secondary school free of charge.   

In order to put the school on a long-term and sustainable footing, 3 hectares of land are to be acquired for R.U.S.H. with the support of help alliance, in order to cultivate corn, beans and other agricultural products. The goal is to sustainably establish the R.U.S.H. school through the acquisition of farmland in such a way that the independent supply is guaranteed in the long term. By cultivating its own farmland, the school will produce food to feed its children and create jobs in agriculture and sales. The profits generated by the sale of agricultural products should create a solid basis for independently financing the running costs of school education for orphans and children from very poor families in the Kakamega region.