AYA Projects-Kenya

It is estimated that there are over 250,000 children living on the streets of
Kenya. Extreme poverty and the AIDS pandemic have left these children
without the support of their families. Instead they survive on their own
often begging, eating from garbage, using drugs, and enduring physical
and sexual abuse. AYA has partnered with six orphanages in Kenya that
have reached out to these desperately needy children to provide them
with care and a loving home. Hands with Hope and Rehema Day Care and
Orphanage are located in the slums of Nairobi. Gospel Believers
Children's Center, Rafiki Caring Home and Tumani are in the rural western
area of Kenya and the Immaculate Home of Peace provides a home to
children in the drought-stricken southeastern region.

All of these homes began by individual families taking in children from the
streets. While they struggle to provide even the most basic necessities
like food, shoes, and blankets, the children express feeling loved and
secure. AYA strives to help our partner homes in providing the care these
children deserve. Donations are essential to help in purchasing these
basic needs. As well, child sponsorships are a great way to provide care
and education for a child while giving them a sense of hope and the
knowledge that someone cares about them.

Schools

Kenya implemented free primary education in 2003. While the intentions
were noble, the government lacked significant funding and infrastructure
to adequately provide education to all children and costs such as
uniforms and supplies are still required. The Kenyan government
estimates that 1.5 million children are still not in the formal school
system. Non-formal schools provide educational opportunities and
support for Kenya's poorest children. These are schools run by
non-government and faith-based organizations. The schools typically lack
textbooks and enough desks, are housed in tin or mud structures that
allow little light and have dirt floors that become muddy when it rains, and
rarely have funds to pay their teachers. As well, close to half of
non-formal teachers have had no training in education. However, Kenyan
children are desperate to learn and are grateful to have any opportunity.

AYA has partnered with 18 non-formal schools in the Nairobi area and
supports their development through funding for textbooks, desks, and
classroom construction. We also facilitate a school-fee sponsorship
program that has a dual benefit of paying school-fees for orphans and
desperately poor children which then allows the schools to use the fees
to pay teachers and improve feeding programs (often the student's only
meal of the day). AYA also administers a two-year, government-certified,
training program for teachers of non-formal schools. Click to see a video
of Candle Light, an AYA non-formal school partner and location of the
teacher training project.

Comboni Mission Sisters

Over 150,000 Kenyan children are infected with HIV. Unfortunately,
most of these children do not have access to even basic medical care.
AYA has partnered with Comboni Mission Sisters in the Korgocho slum
of Nairobi to provide needed services to the children of Korogocho.
Through an AYA grant, Comboni is able to provide home-based care,
nutritional support and medication to HIV-positive children, and medical
training for their guardians. As well, we have been able to administer
anti-retrovirals to HIV-positive pregnant women, so that transmission of
the virus to her baby can be prevented.

Comboni Missions Sisters also provide care and hospice services for
over 1500 HIV-positive adults. Because of the desperate circumstances
of living in extreme poverty, the children are often the caretakers of their
dying parents. Comboni trains the children in how to care for their
parents and provides emotional support for them, as well as monitoring
their other needs and connecting them with relatives or orphanages after
the death of their parents.