Friends,
It is the beginning of a new school year in Kenya. And what better way to start than by hearing from St. Catherine’s—one of our new partner schools—about the impact KCEF is having in their community thanks to the generosity of our donors. In addition to these much needed infrastructure improvements, KCEF is strengthening the capacity of the 407 students at St. Catherine’s school through support services in quality education, Christian character formation, and post-secondary opportunities, along with the provision of a nutritious daily meal. This year, we are seeking to raise $8,800 for much-needed curriculum, textbooks, exam booklets, and teaching supplies. This is only $21 per student for the whole year. Please help us meet that goal! And enjoy this update from the Head of School, Teacher Florence, and her students Abigail and Tania.
All the best,
Jennifer M. Jukanovich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Watch the Intro video on Facebook here
Dear KCEF,
It is my pleasure and honor to write on behalf of Saint Catherine’s School fraternity and express our sincere joy and gratitude to KCEF for the support they have given us by building us new toilets and a classroom.
We have been having insufficient and dilapidated toilets for many years. They were in poor condition and smelled filthy since they had a small capacity for holding waste.
Whenever it rained the toilets could overflow and pose a danger of children getting waterborne diseases.
Also our learners were congested in our small classroom until KCEF friends came in and built us a very beautiful classroom.
This has not gone unnoticed and our learners have this to say:
Dear Donor,
I would like to take this opportunity to express the joy that you brought to us here at Saint Catherine’s. You have done a lot for us such that we can’t explain our joy to you. First you built us toilets. Previously we had poorly built toilets. They were small and squeezed and when they were emptied, they made the whole school smell like a rotten fish. The other challenge was that girls couldn’t dispose of their pads properly. They used to throw them in the latrine pit. The toilets are no longer squeezed and you have bought us pad bins. We thank you for what you have done. May God bless you abundantly.
– Abigail, grade 9
Tania a grade 8 learner could also not hide her joy. This is what she wrote.
Dear Donor,
We are taking this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done for us as a school. On opening day 2026 we were very happy to see the changes in our school. You have made our school look attractive and beautiful! Thank you for the toilets you built for us. You solved the problems we had with the old toilets. Those toilets were smelly and small and now our toilets look beautiful, smart and neat. Thank you also for our new grade 8 classroom. I have never been to such a class like that. We have tiles on the floor! The learners in the old classes come to see our beautiful classroom. And we hope next year all classes will be made of stone and shall have tiles. We are now working hard so that we can pass well. We have never seen such kind people like you. Thank you very much. God bless you.
– Tania, grade 8
Having constructed an amazing classroom and new toilets brought changes. The learner population has risen from 393 to 407.
The improved environment is conducive to helping learners settle. The well-maintained toilets will improve hygiene and thus help avoid waterborne diseases and a bad smell. As we build better classrooms we shall have many learners both from the low-income and high-income classes bringing their children.
With a good classroom, nice ablution, and good learning materials, we shall be able to teach our learners better. Through the quality education we are giving them, they shall one day be able to improve their own lifestyles when they achieve their dreams and shall then support other people living in low standards.
May God bless you and keep you safe,
Teacher Florence
We invite you to partner with KCEF in support of children like Tania and Abigail! You can do so by donating online through this link or via check made payable to Kijabe Children’s Education Fund and mailed to 6 Maple Street, Essex, MA 01929.