At the end of 2002, Kenya’s newly elected government made primary education free. However, this sudden change left schools no time to prepare for the overwhelming influx of new students—a problem that still persists. To improve access to education for all students, we partner with communities, educators and local governments to build more schools and provide quality education. Currently, we’ve built over 230 schoolrooms throughout Narok County and more recently, Bomet County. When it comes to secondary education, it remains incredibly costly and largely out of reach. That’s why WE Charity opened the Kisaruni Group of Schools, which now has two main campuses: Milimani and Ngulot. Through the generous support of our scholarship donors and the Kisaruni Long-Term Sustainability Fund, students at the Kisaruni Group of Schools are able to access quality secondary education, empowering them with skills and knowledge to become confident leaders. We’ve also opened WE College, closing the educational loop for rural students and providing them the opportunity to gain a post-secondary education that will help them give back to their communities. We also work with teachers to create educational programming and set up extracurricular programs and resources to ensure students are equipped with the tools to create transformative futures.

Clean water is the fastest way to change a life yet there is a lack of water services throughout most of Kenya, with its semi-arid to arid climate. This leaves approximately 48 percent of its rural population with no access to clean drinking water (UNdata, 2010). Women and children are forced to spend an average of over two hours a day walking to collect water, time that could be spent earning a livelihood and going to school. That’s why we work with communities to improve access to clean water with projects like constructing clean water systems, safe water storage tanks, handwashing stations, water kiosks and latrines, and providing community education workshops in basic hygiene practices and waterborne disease prevention.

Without adequate access to health care providers, rural populations in Kenya face higher maternal and childhood mortality rates and a low life expectancy due to illnesses such as malaria and malnutrition that are common throughout the country. To ensure communities are healthy and thriving, WE Villages provides basic medical supplies, training for health care workers, mobile health clinics and direct health care services at Baraka Hospital and Kishon Health Centre. We also provide education on how to prevent diseases, seek medical attention and improve families’ well-being with healthy habits.

Much of Kenya’s economy comes from agriculture but droughts and rising global food costs are leaving many rural populations without the means to maintain a nutrient-filled, well-balanced diet. As a result, 26.2% of children under the age of five are affected from stunting (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, 2014). Under our food pillar, we work with the government and communities to provide school nutrition programs, irrigation to school gardens and farms, agricultural training and tree-planting activities. Through these projects, students, parents and communities are empowered with the knowledge, practices and techniques to become self-sustainable.

Many families in rural Kenya lack the time and money to invest in the education and basic health of their children and families. As a result, the cycle of poverty persists. Currently, the unemployment rate sits at 11.5% (UNDP, 2017), with women more likely to be affected due to unequal access to social and economic assets. We work with community members, often mothers, to improve their skills such as animal husbandry to generate income, accrue savings and ensure sustainability. Lending circles, financial literacy and business training are just some of the initiatives we help facilitate. By engaging the local government and developing alternative income programs, we help our partner communities reach a level of self-sufficiency within an average of five to eight years.