An NGO in Kajiado county is spending Sh12 million to Sh13 million monthly to support feeding programs for 51, 000 pupils in primary schools.
The Light Up Hope, an NGO that is receiving funding from the Seeds of Change, a US-based humanitarian organisation, is also giving full education scholarships to 160 students in the other 46 counties and 34 students in Kajiado.
Talking to the Star on Saturday, Light Up Hope’s country director, Moses Ignatius, said his organisation is moving out from the other 46 counties to concentrate on Kajiado.
“This means that the majority of the program’s beneficiaries and schools to benefit from the feeding programs will be selected from Kajiado,” said Ignatius.
Ignatius said his target in the feeding program is to look for vulnerable children and support them so that they can attend classes.
“The 34 students in high school for whom we are providing full scholarships are fully catered for. All of them are getting full uniforms, pocketing money and transport from home to school,” said Ignatius.
The country director said he is spending Sh3.4 million towards the 34 students in scholarships per year.
He said the devastating drought being felt in Kajiado has driven families into selling their remaining livestock at throw-away prices to be able to support their children.
“As we speak now, many children may have not reported to schools because of the prevailing drought situation. The Maasai community used to sell goats to raise fees and feed their children, they are dependent on famine relief,” said the NGO director.
He said his NGO endeavours to address the education barrier as the root cause of poverty, and that they are doing so by offering education scholarships, school feeding programs and community empowerment targeting the most deserving in the society they serve.
