I have spent the last week here in Kenya and already it has touched my heart in a way I could not have imagined. I originally came to Kenya to volunteer and gain experience in a local hospital.

However, shortly before I arrived in Kenya I found out that the man who I was staying with was opening a free preschool education center for the needy children in his village. With my background in early childhood education I was so excited to help get this preschool off the ground. 

Location
The village where  the center is located, is called Nyabiosi within the city of Kisii. Kisii is located 150 miles west of Nairobi. It's main industry is agriculture, unfortunately that industry is suffering due to a terrible drought that has lasted two months. This effects not only their ability harvest but also their access to clean drinking water. 

Stories of the Children at Jo Hannah's Center 

Nyabiosi is a village of 3,000 households. Jo Hannah's Education center currently takes in 40 of the villages neediest children. These children are not only recieving a free education but also one meal a day, and a safe space to rest. Most of these children are being raised by their grandmothers whose children have died or left. These women do not have an ability to work and therefore they are unable to provide their grandchildren with food or clothing. Eduacation is not free in Kenya so without Jo Hannahs these children would have no hope at getting an education and the cycle of poverty would not be broken. 

Needs of the Center
Currently Jo Hannah's Education Center is funded entirely by donations. There are two teachers at the center who travel in every day and pour their hearts out for these children. Up until now these teachers have not been paid, they have their own families to support so giving them a salary is a top priortity. The center also has very little resources. So far we have chairs and tables. We would love to raise money to give these children toys and learning resources to better their education here. We would also love to expand the center to provide education for more children since the demand from the village is very high. Currently we have been donated a building with enough space for the children we have. We have the land for another building we just need funds for the building supplies and labour costs.


Needs of the children
When I arrived in Kenya I was able to bring with me just 7 pairs of shoes. Most of the children do not have shoes of their own and are picking up diseases and parasites from their long walks in the village. I would love to give each of these children their own pair of shoes, and possibly get them uniforms so they have an extra set of clothes used only for school. 

Here are the children with their new shoes!

Where do we go from here?
At this point we have some pretty big dreams for the center. It has only been open a week and already we have impacted these childrens lives in an extrodinary way! Please give whatever you can to help us grow and give these children a shot at a better life that they never had before! 

Please Donate Today! (USD)
Shoes: $5 each
Uniform Shirt, Shorts & Sweater: $10
Whiteboard: $80
Teachers Salary for 1 Month: $150
Food for 1 Month: $150 
New Classroom: $600

I will be in Kenya for the next three and a half weeks. I work with the children every morning, and in the hospital every night. The money you send today will be used by me to make purchases for the children! 100% of the profits will be going to Jo Hannah's Education Center.