Update + an Urgent Need!

Many of you have asked how the girls at the Kakenya Center for Excellence are doing. Here’s an update as well as an exciting opportunity to help.

When the Kenyan government ordered all schools closed in March, KCE students returned to their homes. Now all the KCE students are “distance learning” – which is especially challenging without reliable electricity and internet access! But the KCE staff is making every effort, traveling to each student’s village to deliver books as well as care packages of basic necessities, such as food, sanitary pads and soap.

This commitment to supporting each and every girl exemplifies what we love about KCE:  Kakenya and her staff care for their students like family, even under the most difficult of circumstances.

The KEEP-supported eighth grade girls, however, face an extra challenge: This fall, they must take the government exam required to gain admission to high school. They will be competing against eighth graders nationwide, many of whom will have had greater access to test preparation resources.

Worried about this predicament, we asked Kakenya, “How can we help?” She immediately replied, “Solar-powered radios and lights!” While KEEP will continue to cover full tuition for the eighth grade class, we would also love to provide each girl with a radio and a light!

With a $30 radio, a girl can listen to government-broadcast instruction while she is gathering water and firewood. With a $30 light, she can study after sundown when she has finished her chores. These simple devices will enable the eighth graders to prepare for their national exams even while they are away from KCE. 

And we have AMAZING news about fulfilling this need: Thanks to the generosity of a private foundation, KEEP will match every donation made toward this effort! 

A donation of $30 will be matched to provide a radio and a light to one girl.

A donation of $60 will be matched to provide radios and lights to two girls.

A donation of $90 will be matched to provide radios and lights to 
three girls.

Let’s show the girls KEEP is committed to helping them through this crisis!

As always, donations of any amount are always appreciated, and all donations are fully tax-deductible.

Thank you for your generosity during this challenging time! Together, we will help the girls overcome yet more adversity – surviving and even thriving despite difficult circumstances.  We couldn’t do it without you!

With gratitude,
Cynthia Braun, Celeste Crosby, Elizabeth McGoldrick, Ruthie Rosenberg and Elena Rover

P.S. This need is urgent. Please consider donating today.