Climb for the Children at the Red Rose School

Hello everyone!
Next month I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with my friend Oscar and our
fathers. This will be quite a challenge as the ascent up the mountain will take about
a week. To be able to do this, I am now working out four times a week at the gym.
However, the climb itself is not the only challenge Oscar and I have set ourselves; we
are also trying to raise money for the Red Rose school.
The Red Rose School is the sister school of Oscar’s high school in New York City. It is
located in Kibera which is a slum in Nairobi. Although public education is
technically free in Kenya, many of the schools are challenged with very high student
to teacher ratios (85 students to 1 teacher is typical), severe shortages in teaching
materials (books are virtually non existent) and high student drop out rates [1].
The Red Rose School was opened to serve vulnerable children and give them a place
to learn. All children at the Red Rose School are poor and some are orphans. The
Red Rose School receives no government funding and is for the largest part
supported through outside donations and organizations such as the Children of
Kibera Foundation. However, families who can afford to contribute something do so
as well [1].

To give you an idea of what a donation can buy:
 $12 = buys 5 pairs of new, red uniform socks 

 $45 = provides 1 new uniform set including a sweater, a shirt and a dress for
the girls or khaki slacks for the boys 

 $120 = sponsors 1 child for three months of school including tuition and two
hot meals at school

 $400 = sponsors 1 child’s tuition, hot meals, and basic school supplies for a
full year

 $750 = pays the school’s rent for three months 

 $1500 = “Adopt a Class” – A gift at this level will provide support for field
trips, textbooks, sports, and other teaching materials; filling the gap between
tuition fees and the full cost of providing a holistic curriculum for a class for a
year. The donor will be assigned a specific class and receive three class-
newsletters in April, August, and December describing the impact of their
gift.  

 $2500 = “Adopt a Teacher” – A gift at this level will pay the full salary for a
teacher for a whole year. The donor will be assigned a specific teacher they
can get three written updates throughout the year about life at the Red Rose
School

 $10,000+ = Leadership gifts at this level and above can help us to secure the
long-term sustainability of the school  by allowing us to plan for purchase of
a more suitable property and the eventual construction of a permanent
school. The school is currently housed on rented residential property
converted into classrooms [1].