PLANT-A-BOOK INTERNATIONAL HELPS NAIROBI KIDS

Plant-a-Book International helps Nairobi Kids! This blog represents two registered nonprofit organizations, PAB and KKIN-UK, that provide support for the students at Galilee Primary School and Waddington High School, and children living in the Holly House orphanages in the slums of Nairobi Kenya. We are dedicated to lifting children from poverty through literacy and education. For more information, please visit PAB's website at www.plantabook.org.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Wishing You a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From Fanuel, Lorna, Brenda and the children of 
Galilee Primary School, Waddington High School
and Holly House orphanages!
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Friday, December 9, 2011

Friday's Featured Child - Make Erick's Birthday Special


Erick is 13 years old and will be in Form 2 in January.  He lives with his parents and his chore is cleaning the compound.  Erick's best subject is biology and he wants to be a doctor.  He scored 293/500 on the KCPE exam.  Erick enjoys visiting new places.  His birthday is Dec. 12, 1997.  Would you like to be Erick's new sponsor?


Sponsorship fees for the Basic WHS Sponsorship Program are only $12.50/month. The lunch-included program is $20/month.  What a difference you can make in a student's life by becoming a sponsor.  For more information, please email info@nairobikids.org.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

World AIDS Day

Imagine a place where 1.2 million orphans have lost their parents to AIDS. This is Kenya.
 
As HIV and AIDS sweeps across the country, it leaves in its wake what UNICEF calls the "orphaned generations." After all, if one parent is affected, the other is at risk, too. And sadly, hundreds of mothers inadvertently pass on HIV to their children each year.

Nairobi's slums don't offer much comfort to these children. Some orphans are fortunate enough to be taken in by extended relatives, but for those who don't have any known relatives, Holly House orphanages provide shelter, meals, care and something even more important: hope for a happier future.

To help orphaned children today, sign up to sponsor a child at Holly House, Galilee Primary School, or Lorna Waddington High School. One-time donations are also welcome! They help provide these children with meals, clothes, and mosquito nets to prevent malaria.

Through education, these children can lift themselves out of poverty and show the world what they're really made of. In the meantime, for so many AIDS orphans, Holly House is home.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Another School Year is Wrapping Up

November is coming to a close and our Galilee Primary School and Waddington High School students are beginning their winter break.  In Kenya the school year is from January through November, divided into three "terms" (January to April, May to August, and September to December).  You can imagine the faces of the children as they complete the year--just as our children here feel at the end of the school year in June!  Some of our students will stay close to the school, in their homes in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  Some will travel "up country" to rural villages to visit distant relatives.  Our Holly House children will enjoy more free time on campus, eagerly looking forward to the Christmas dinner made possible by the generosity of our donors and sponsors.

The month of December will fly by and soon our dear students will once again be sitting behind their rudimentary desks, eager to learn once again.  Until then, let's wish them a happy and restful winter break.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Friday's Featured Child - Lameck

Lameck is 16 years old and will be in Form 2 in January.  His birthday is Feb. 9, 1995.  He lives with his parents who are unemployed. He has two sisters and a brother. Lameck likes to travel and his best subject is geography.  He would like to be a pilot someday.  He scored 287/500 on the KCPE exam.  Lameck has some eye problems.  Won't you be Lameck's sponsor?

For more information please email us at info@nairobikids.org.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Thanksgiving Thoughts

 In a couple of days we will celebrate one of the biggest holidays in America -- Thanksgiving Day.  It's a day when we join together with family and friends, prepare a feast of food, and give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.  The fact that we have plentiful food is a blessing that is missing in the homes of our Galilee and WHS children.  For most of our Holly House children, their friends and family are right there in the orphanages with them.  But they, too, are thankful.  Their thanks ring out in their letters to their sponsors, in the smiles on their faces, in the hope in their eyes. 

Thank YOU for making a difference in the lives of our "Nairobi kids."  You are making a bigger difference than you'll ever know.
 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Auction Closes Today!

There is still a little time left to get in on the auction:

SHOP OUR AUCTION
Nov. 12-19, 2011
100% of proceeds will go toward paying KCSE exam fees for our 2012 graduating class students. Visit our auction site here:

OR go to www.ebay.com and use search KCSE.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Last Weekend for the Auction!

This is the last weekend for our eBay Auction to raise funds for the upcoming Form 4 KCSE exam fees!
Come shop with us!
Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students. 

Waddington High School and Galilee Primary School serve children living in horrible poverty in the slums of Nairobi.  These children often come from homes made of tin walls with no electricity or running water.  Some live in Holly House orphanages on campus.  It is a dream come true for these students to receive a high school education, but at the end of their senior year they face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in.  
 PLEASE HELP THESE STUDENTS!
The auction ends on Saturday, November 19, so please join us in raising funds to help these deserving students.   Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  
 
 
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Holiday Gift Cards are Here!

Make a donation of $5 or more in someone's honor for the holidays and we will send them a Happy Holidays greeting card to let them know!  Perfect gift for that tough person to buy for, a child's teacher, or use as a stocking stuffer.  The card reads:  "A donation has been made in your honor to help Galilee Primary & Waddington High Schools in Kenya.  Visit www.plantabook.org."  We will mail the card to you or directly to the recipient.  We will  add your personal greeting and sign your name on the back.  To order, make your donation using the Donate button on the left and then send an email to us at info@plantabook.org with your name, recipient's name and address, and any greeting you would like us to add.

You can even give the gift of a Galilee Primary School sponsorship for only $25.00.  Please visit our website at www.plantabook.org or www.nairobikids.org and click on Child Sponsorship - GPS to see the deserving children available for sponsorship.  

Friday, November 11, 2011

Time for the Auction!

Our Annual eBay Auction starts TOMORROW!
Come shop with us from November 12 - 19 to help raise funds for the KCSE fees for our upcoming Form 4 students!

Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE or go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.

At the end of their senior year our Form 4 students face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in. 
This is where YOU can help!
Please join Plant-a-Book International for our annual eBay Auction Fundraiser to raise money for exam fees for our Waddington High School students in Kenya.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.  Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  
 
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!  

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Message from Fanuel, the School Director

Hello,
I hope  you and your families are doing well.  Thank you so very much for the big efforts you have and continue doing towards sponsoring  children in our schools as well as the drives you  are doing that are enabling us put learning materials in the hands of the children and teachers. These efforts  in the long run  are going to help our kids to improve their academic standards and thus have higher chances of  passing the national examinations and success in life.
Another successful year is coming to an end, we can not say how  fast time is flying , thanks to your efforts we have moved. We moved a big step, the latrine land is now fully bought,  four latrines were put up by Feed the Children and are fully functional , the kitchen is now done though few finishing touches are still in progress or waiting, the number of kids who are sponsored continue to grow, the drives you have done so far has made   a big difference. For all these to have taken place, it shows what a collective effort of a dedicated group can do.
The year started on hard note economically and it has remained so to date,  times have been hard, especially with food and many life essentials, prices went through the roof, but we thank God that you stood with us all through and now we are coming to the end of the year still strong enough to continue . We pray that the coming year would come with a difference and that the world economy will have come out of recession  and things will brighten up  somehow.
Thank you so very much those of you who have been shopping on our online shop for your sponsored kids, those who been sending parcels full of gifts to their sponsored kids and many of you who have taken time to write letters and cards with encouraging words to their  sponsored children.  You may not know but all these motivates the children so very much and thus many work even harder in class.
Step by step we are changing our Soweto slums community, When we look back and see the number of kids who have joined universities, some who have been lucky to join middle class colleges and those who might have not been able to join college but doing something for themselves . Even those who have not been so lucky, we are still happy for them at least they are not illiterate and thus they will know how to take care of their children .
Lastly please allow me to mention a few  of sponsors who have  been putting in more hours volunteering in doing different tasks for the smooth running of the programme, Christy, Julie, Lynn, Brenda and Lorna,  thank you so very  much  for the big efforts .
May the Almighty bless you and your families abundantly.
Thank you
FANUEL
Fanuel Okwaro
School Director

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Friday's Featured Child - Mary Needs Encouragement

Mary's birthday is September 12, 1999 and she is 12 years old.  Her father left and her mother is unemployed, so Mary lives with her grandmother in the slums.  Her chore at home is fetching water.  Mary's best subject is social studies and she wants to be a lawyer someday.  She likes to play football (soccer).

Mary will be in class 8 starting in January.  It is a very important year for our students as they prepare to take exams to determine if they can move into high school.  Therefore, Mary would really benefit from a sponsor who would encourage her.

We are still offering our Basic Sponsorship Program at only $25 per YEAR!  You will receive three letters a year from your sponsored child and can write to her as often as you wish.  With an OLS and the ability to send small packages, you can send occasional gifts if you desire. We are also offering Holiday Gift Cards -- for a donation, we will send a Holiday Greeting to the person of your choice.  What better gift for both a child like Mary AND someone you care about then to send a Gift Sponsorship!  We will send a holiday card announcing the gift sponsorship.

For more information, please email info@nairobikids.org.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Shop and Help Our Students!


Announcing Our Annual eBay Auction Fundraiser
November 12 – 20, 2011
Come shop with us!

Waddington High School and Galilee Primary School serve children living in horrible poverty in the slums of Nairobi.  These children often come from homes made of tin walls with no electricity or running water.  Some live in Holly House orphanages on campus.  It is a dream come true for these students to receive a high school education, but at the end of their senior year they face the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) exam.  The exam fees are cost prohibitive to students coming from the level of poverty our students are engulfed in. 
This is where YOU can help!
Please join Plant-a-Book International for our annual eBay Auction Fundraiser to raise money for exam fees for our Waddington High School students in Kenya.  Simply go to www.ebay.com and search for KCSE OR go to our website at www.plantabook.org and click on the eBay button to be taken directly to the items offered to benefit our students.  Plant-a-Book International is a registered nonprofit 501(c)3 organization.  We are completely volunteer operated.  All auction items have been donated so 100% of the proceeds from the auction (minus PayPal fees) will be used to pay for KCSE fees for our upcoming final year WHS students.  


  
You will find home décor items, jewelry, collectibles, baby items, scrapbook supplies, and much more!  This is a great time to do your holiday shopping and help needy students as well!

For more information about Plant-a-Book International and the work we do visit www.plantabook.org.
Thanks for shopping at our eBay Auction site!   

Friday, October 28, 2011

Friday's Featured Student - A Life of Faith


Faith is needing to live up to her name -- she has had a very rough life.  Faith is 13 years old and in standard 7A.  Her birthday is June 6.  Her father died when she was very young and her mother, due to extreme poverty, abandoned Faith.  The school director at Galilee Primary School offered her food and shelter at Holly House orphanage.  Faith is an average student who wants to be a teacher someday.  Her best subject is science.  She enjoys skipping rope and dancing.  Faith would really benefit from the kindness of a sponsor.  Please consider sponsoring her -- a full sponsorship is $30/mo or a co-sponsor is $15/mo.

Please email us at info@nairobikids.org if you can find a place in your heart for Faith.
UPDATE OCT. 30:  FAITH HAS BEEN SPONSORED!  THANK YOU TO HER CARING NEW SPONSOR!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Exam Lab Equipment Drive

 
The Form 4 students are scribbling away on those KCSE exams this week. Tomorrow they take the Physics portion of the exam. One of the challenges school administrator's face is last minute requirements in order for the students to perform tasks on the exams. This year it was determined that the Physics test would require Semi Circular Glass Blocks. So all school administrators scrambled to find enough of these glass blocks for their students to participate. Soon there were none to be had, so what did the merchants do? Raise the prices! :(

In the end the school had to take out a loan to purchase the glass blocks to the tune of 115,000 ksh for the 40 needed ($1160). So now the school needs to raise the funds to pay off the loan. It is a shame that schools are not informed of these required items sooner so there is not the issue of last minute supply and demand. The only bright side is that the blocks will now be part of the school's lab equipment for future years.

If you can contribute to our Exam Lab Equipment Drive, please make a donation on the Donate Now button on this page. It will be greatly appreciated and you can sleep well, knowing you made a significant difference at Waddington High School!

Please send good thoughts to our Form 4 students on the Physics exams tomorrow!  We're so proud of them!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Letter Writing Ideas

The letter above was written by one of our newly sponsored WHS students - his joy at being sponsored rings throughout his letter! 

Tucked in the pockets of many of our sponsored children are letters -- letters written by their sponsors that they now keep and cherish.  There is no way to describe the joy and encouragement the children receive from their sponsors letters!   Knowing that it doesn't take much to make your child's day with a few words, here are some letter writing ideas from sponsors:

~ Let your child know about your family.  Who lives in your family?  Do you have children?  How old are they and what are their names?
~ Are you a student?  Tell them about your studies and what motivates you to be a good student.
~ Share what kind of work you do.  It's not necessary to get technical, but help them imagine how you spend your day.
~ Send photos of you and your family..  Just as you like to see your child, they like to see you.
~ Print off photos you receive of your child and send them back to your child.  We try to take a photo of the child with items you order them through our online shop.  If you receive one, it is a wonderful gift to your child to send a copy to them.  You might consider sending a little mini photo album to put photos in.
~ Tell about attractions in your area -- statues, parks, tourists spots, nature spots.  Supplement with a postcard if possible.
~ Share a funny or interesting story.  It could be about one of your pets or something that happened in your community.
~ Tell about your hobbies.  Ask them questions about what they like to do, what book they have read recently, and what they do after school.
~ For fun, add something in the envelope.  You can buy a book of mazes, crossword puzzles, dot-to-dots, word search, or coloring books and tear out one page each time you write to your child to enclose with your letter.  Kids love stickers, too.
~ Older students may enjoy a sports magazine article or an interesting clipping from the newspaper.
~ Ask your child about school, their favorite subject and what is their hardest subject.  Encourage them to study hard.  As they get older, ask what they hope to do someday.
~ Send special occasion cards for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter.  Some of our children do not know their birthdays so sponsors may wish to celebrate the anniversary of their sponsorship instead.  Plan ahead and mail the card about 3 weeks before the event.
~ Compliment them on their letters and drawings and any school successes they share. They hunger for praise!

Most of all, let your sponsored children know how much they mean to you!  Do you have ideas to share?  We'd love to hear from you!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Christmas is Coming to Holly House

Every year around this time I sit and reflect on our children at Holly House.  This is their home.  They have no other place to go and their dorm-mates are their "family."  As I anticipate the shopping we'll do for our friends and family, the meals we'll prepare, trees we'll decorate and laughter that will ring through our houses, I think about what a difference just one special meal would make to the Holly House children.  Christmas dinner:  warm beef stew, rice, a special treat of ice cream and soda pop.  So simple to us, so special to them.
So today my heart is bursting with joy because our sponsors have come forward to make a special meal possible for these kids!  We had set a goal of raising $510 to provide Christmas dinner to approximately 100 children -- and we reached it!  Thank you, thank you, for your generosity.  I know we will all enjoy our Christmas dinners a little more, knowing these dear children are also smiling through a Christmas meal.

Scenes from last year's HH Christmas Dinner:


~ Brenda

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday's Featured Student - Victor Has Been Waiting


Meet Victor - SOS49
Victor is 11 years old with a birthday on June 27, 1999.  He is in Class 6.  His best subject is science and he wants to be an accountant someday.  Victor lives with his unemployed parents and has grown up in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  He enjoys playing football.  This dear child has been waiting for quite awhile for a sponsor.

Victor can be sponsored on the Basic Sponsorship Program (only $25 per year) or on the Breakfast-Included Program which includes a nutritious fruit breakfast, basic school uniform annually, and basic school supplies for $12.50/month.  Can you help Victor by being his sponsor and friend?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Auction Items Needed


It's not too late to participate in our eBay auction which will be held in November so clean out those closets, garages and kitchen cupboards, and ask your local businesses for donations!  We can definitely use more gently used or new items to make our auction a success. This is our largest fundraiser and all monies raised will go toward KCSE fees for our upcoming Form 4 students.

Imagine struggling to complete four years of high school and not getting your diploma because you don't have the money to take the final exam. That's the harsh reality for the majority of our kids. Many of the families we assist live on less than a dollar a day. The final exam (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education aka KCSE) costs approx $85 dollars per student. Failure to take the KCSE means that the chance to receive further education or qualify for other than menial jobs will be forever denied.

But we need your help to make this years auction a huge success.  We are in need for in kind donations to be sold in our auction.  If you have something you are willing to donate or know of a company we should contact please email us at info@nairobikids.org

If everyone gives what they can, we can assure that every child who is eligible gets the opportunity to take the very important KCSE and their 12 years of struggling to complete high school will not be in vain.

Friday's Featured Student - Dedicated Daniel



Please meet Daniel.
Daniel is 17 years old and in form 1.  His parents are divorced and in a very poor siituation.  He could not afford high school, but is an excellent student, scoring 366/500 on the KCPE exam.  The school director offered him a place to live at Holly House so he could continue work toward a high school education.  Daniel enjoys football and his best subjects are Kiswahili and History.  He wants to be a teacher someday.  Can you please reach out to sponsor Daniel?  His sponsorship fees are $15.00/month for a half sponsorship program.  Please email info@nairobikids.org .

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Holly House Orphanage

Please meet some of the children of Holly House orphanage.  These children are there because there is no where else for them to go.  Some of them are orphans, while some have only one parent who is unable to provide basic necessities for them.  Some of them are displaced refugees, victims of war, drought, or post-election violence.  Many of the children were discovered living on the streets and brought to Holly House by Fanuel, the school director, so they could receive an education and have shelter and food.  Holly House orphanages (or children's homes) are located on the campus with Galilee Primary School and Waddington High School. Coming here to live provides these children with hope in otherwise tragic lives. Holly House sponsorship fees are $30/month for full sponsorship or $15/month for co-sponsorship which covers three meals a day, shelter and schooling.  Please consider sponsoring one of these dear children.  For more information email info@nairobikids.org


Meet Faith N. - HHB314
Faith is 13 years old and in standard 7A.  Her birthday is June 6.  Faith has had a very rough life.  Her father died when she was very young and her mother, due to extreme poverty, abandoned Faith.  The school director at Galilee Primary School offered her food and shelter at Holly House orphanage.  Faith is an average student who wants to be a teacher someday.  Her best subject is science.  She enjoys skipping rope and dancing.  Faith would really benefit from the kindness of a sponsor.  Please consider sponsoring her -- a full sponsorship is $30/mo or a co-sponsor is $15/mo.

Meet Florence - HHB315
Florence is 8 years old and in standard 2B.  Her birthday is unknown.  Florence is an orphan, both of her parents died.   Therefore, the director of Galilee Primary School offered her shelter and food at Holly House orphanage.  Florence enjoys jumping rope and her best subject is math.   HH   sponsorship is $30/mo for full sponsorship or $15 for co-sponsorship.  Can you be Florence's sponsor and friend?

Meet Wilberforce - HHB316 -Thanks to my new sponsor!
Wilberforce is 13 years old and in standard 7.   His birthday is unknown.  Wilberforce's mother's situation is not known.  She disappeared and no one heard from her again.  His father was upset and unable to continue caring for the boys so left the boys to life on the street.  The Galilee Primary School director, Fanuel, was so moved by their situation that he rescued them and offered Wilberforce and his brother shelter at Holly House.   He enjoys football and social studies.  Someday he would like to be an engineer.  HH sponsorship is $30/mo for full sponsorship or $15 for co-sponsorship.  Can you be Wilberforce's sponsor and friend?

Meet Emmanuel - HHB317 -  Thanks to my new sponsor!
Emmanuel is 15 years old and in standard 6.   His birthday is unknown.  Emmanuel's mother's situation is not known.  She disappeared and no one heard from her again.  His father was upset and unable to continue caring for the boys so left the boys to life on the street.  The Galilee Primary School director, Fanuel, was so moved by their situation that he rescued them and offered Emmanuel and his brother shelter at Holly House.   He enjoys football and social studies.  Someday he would like to be an engineer.  HH sponsorship is $30/mo for full sponsorship or $15 for co-sponsorship.  Can you help Emmanuel?

Meet Ann K - HHB318
Ann is 11 years old and in standard 6A.  Her birthday is August 11.  Ann's father tries to find work as a casual laborer and her mother is unemployed.  Due to the extreme poverty of this family, they could not properly care for Ann and therefore she came to live at Holly House where she could have food, shelter and an education.  Ann enjoys reading story books.  Her best subjects are math and science and she dreams of being a doctor someday. HH sponsorship is $30/mo for full sponsorship or $15 for co-sponsorship.  Can you be Ann's sponsor and friend?

October 5 Update - Wilberforce and Emmanuel have been sponsored!  Please help us find sponsors for these other deserving HH children.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Friday's Featured Student - Your Help is Needed

Here are several students that are waiting to find a sponsor.  If you would like to sponsor any of these students please email us at info@nairobikids.org .  Please help spread the word by sharing this post.  Thank you!



Victor SOS49

Victor is 11 years old with a birthday on June 27, 1999.  He is in Class 6.  His best subject is science and he wants to be an accountant someday.  Victor lives with his unemployed parents and has grown up in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  He enjoys playing football.  Can you help Victor by being his sponsor and friend?  


Sharon - SOS66
Sharon turned 13 years old on March 9th and is in class 7A.  She lives with her parents, who try to earn a living doing casual labor, in the Soweto slums.  Sharon enjoys reading story books and her best subject is Christian Religious Education.  She thinks it would be fun to be a pilot.  Can you share in Sharon's love of reading and become her sponsor?

Meet Peter - SOS57
Peter is 12 years old, with a birthday on February 24.  He is in class 5B where his best subject is English.  Peter lives with his unemployed parents in a single room house in the slums.  Someday he wants to be an electrician.  Peter would love a sponsor and friend -- could it be you?

Meet Mary - SOS64
Mary's birthday is August 15 and she will be 12 years old.  She is in class 7A.  She lives with her poor parents in the Soweto slums and her brother also attends Galilee.  Mary enjoys skipping rope and her best subjects are math and science.  She dreams of being a nurse someday.  Won't you please consider being her special friend and sponsor?



Meet Lilian - SOS63
Lilian is 13 years old and her birthday is April 24.  She lives with her parents and two siblings in the Soweto slums.  Her parents are jobless and they live in abject poverty.  Lilian is in class 6B and her best subject is Science.  She enjoys reading fiction.  Someday she would like to be a newscaster.  Won't you consider being Lilian's new friend and sponsor?


Meet Felisters - SOS61
Felisters is 12 years old now and in class 7A.  Her best subject is science and she would like to be a nurse someday.  She lives with her parents in the Soweto slums.  Felister likes to play handball.  Her birthday is August 8th.  Would you like to be Felisters' new sponsor?


These students can be sponsored by either the Breakfast-Included Sponsorship Program:  The fees are $12.50/month which covers a nutritious fruit breakfast, a basic school uniform, basic school supplies and a small stipend toward the school's operating costs. These sponsorships provide vital funding for the child's and school's needs. In return you will receive a photo and letters from your child each term, knowing that you are sending your child to school with fruit in their tummy and a nice uniform and supplies.  

or
Basic Program Sponsorship: While breakfast, uniform and school supplies are not included, these sponsorships provide an opportunity for children to exchange letters with their sponsors and provide a stipend toward the school's operating costs. To participate in the Basic Sponsorship Program, choose a child from the list and make a donation of at least $25, $35 or $50, whatever you are comfortable with. You can donate more if you like, knowing that the funds will go toward offsetting the school's operating expenses.

Monday, September 12, 2011

News from the School - A message from the school director

Hello,
I hope everyone is fine.
We opened school for third term on Monday and so far a big percentage of kids have reported back to school, as we move along the rest will be reporting back. I have been away for a week or so but I'm now back. This is a crucial part of the year since it is this term that both our class 8 and form 4 kids sit for their national exams. It is also the busiest being that teachers have to do a lot of revision as well as cover any part of syllabus they may not have completed.
Thank so very much for your continued support for it is your support that enables us to prepare our children well and thus the good results that we get at both primary and Secondary levels. What we are doing for these children , has and continue empowering them to improve on their lot as well as the community in general. Our hope is that we shall continue doing so for a long time to come and thus we shall be able to transform lives.
Please pray with us as we approach KCSE which our students will be doing as from 21st October to mid November so that God may provide them with ability to remember what they learnt in class for the last four year.
Thank you so very much and may God the Almight bless you and your families abundantly.
FANUEL

Friday, September 9, 2011

Friday's Featured Student - A very patient young man

Victor - SOS49



Victor has been waiting a long time for a sponsor.  Please email info@nairobikids.org to learn more on how you can help this wonderful young man.


Victor is 11 years old with a birthday on June 27, 1999.  He is in Class 6.  His best subject is science and he wants to be an accountant someday.  Victor lives with his unemployed parents and has grown up in the Kayole-Soweto slums.  He enjoys playing football.  Can you help Victor by being his sponsor and friend?

Victor can be sponsored on either the Basic Program or the Breakfast Included Sponsorship program.

Breakfast-Included Sponsorship Program:  The fees are $12.50/month which covers a nutritious fruit breakfast, a basic school uniform, basic school supplies and a small stipend toward the school's operating costs. These sponsorships provide vital funding for the child's and school's needs. In return you will receive a photo and letters from your child each term, knowing that you are sending your child to school with fruit in their tummy and a nice uniform and supplies.   

Basic Program Sponsorship: While breakfast, uniform and school supplies are not included, these sponsorships provide an opportunity for children to exchange letters with their sponsors and provide a stipend toward the school's operating costs.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Help us fundriase while you are on ebay


eBay Giving Works is an easy, effective way to show your support for Nairobi Kids! The next time you’re buying or selling on eBay, please give it a try.



How it Works
Use eBay Giving Works to list items on eBay and donate 10% to 100% of your listing’s final sale price to us. It’s an easy way to sell your unwanted items while helping us raise funds for our mission.

Enjoy the Benefits!
Your listing will benefit from several unique program features that have been proven to attract more buyers and raise awareness of our cause such as the eBay Giving Works ribbon and enhanced searchability.

Plus your listings will automatically qualify for the eBay Giving Works Fee Credit Benefit and you’ll receive a tax-receipt for your donation.

Get Started

1. Click “Customize your listing”

2. Look for the “eBay Giving Works” field (Click “Add or Remove Options” if you don’t see it) in the Sell Your Item form in the "Choose how you’d like to sell your item" area

3. Choose “Select a new nonprofit”

4. In the pop-up window that appears, type “Plant A Book" (the offical seller for Nairobi Kids) in the “Nonprofit Name or “Keyword” field

5. Select Plant A Book Int and a percentage (10-100%) you wish to donate to us (please note:there is a $1 minimum donation if your item sells)

Shop to Show Your Support!
You can also support us by shopping for items that are being sold in aid of us on eBay! Be sure to visit our MissionFish page Plant A Book on a regular basis to see all the great listings benefiting us.

Not an ebay seller?
You can also support us by sending us your new or gently used items to be listed in our annual ebay fundraiser coming this Fall. For an address to mail your items to, please email info@nairobikids.org

Friday, September 2, 2011

Friday's Featured Student - A very smart young man

Meet Elvis

I am re-posting Elvis this week, since he has been waiting a very long time for a sponsor.  The students return to school on Monday, after the term break.  Can you imagine the smile on his face if came back to school on Monday and found out that he finally had a sponsor?

Elvis is 15 years old and in Form 2. His birthday is September 14. He has three younger siblings, two of them attend Galilee Primary School. He lives with his parents and his father struggles to earn a living for the family doing manual labor. Elvis is a good student, coming in 10th position in his class recently. He enjoys football and his best subjects are history and geography. He wants to be a lecturer someday. Elvis would like a sponsor -- can you be that special person?

WHS sponsorship fees are only $12.50/month for the Basic Program or $20/month for the Lunch-Included Program. $3 of your WHS Sponsorship fee will go toward your child's required KCSE exam when they reach Form 4.

Please email info@nairobikids.org and help this smart young student have a brighter future.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Annual Ebay Fundraiser is coming soon!

On November 5th, NairobiKids will host it's annual Ebay fundraiser.  This is our largest fundraiser and all monies raised will go toward KCSE fees for our upcoming Form 4 students.

Imagine struggling to complete four years of high school and not getting your diploma because you don't have the money to take the final exam. That's the harsh reality for the majority of our kids. Many of the families we assist live on less than a dollar a day. The final exam (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education aka KCSE) costs approx $109 dollars per student. Failure to take the KCSE means that the chance to receive further education or qualify for other than menial jobs will be forever denied.

But we need your help to make this years auction a huge success.  We are in need for in kind donations to be sold in our auction.  If you have something you are willing to donate or know of a company we should contact please email us at info@nairobikids.org

If everyone gives what they can, we can assure that every child who is eligible gets the opportunity to take the very important KCSE and their 12 years of struggling to complete high school will not be in vain.