Most of us anticipate Christmas with joy and excitement even though the parties and pageants and sheer abundance—especially of the food all around us—can begin to feel overwhelming.
As you can imagine, the situation in the slums of Nairobi is very different. Recent communications from our partner schools have focused on fear, scarcity, and hunger. A recent email from Mawewa School in the Mathare slum summarized it this way: “Many families here live on an average of $1-2 per day in rented shacks with unreliable water, electricity and security. Their children’s immediate needs are urgent, but they also constantly worry about the future.”
Those of you familiar with KCEF know that daily meals have always been a critical part of the program in our schools, since the lack of consistent nutrition at home not only has serious health consequences but also leads to learning deficiencies.
At this time, the poorest families in Kenya are facing an impossible dilemma. They were already on the edge, but runaway inflation means that prices of most food items have DOUBLED over the past 12 months. The cost of a 25 kilogram bag of rice, for example, has risen from 1900 Kenya shillings to 3800, or approximately 25 U.S. dollars. A head of cabbage has risen from 40 to 90 shillings, and a bag of onions has quadrupled from 40 to 160 shillings. The price of fuel has seen even higher increases, impacting every aspect of life.
After a long weekend of scarcity at home, students come to KCEF schools on Monday longing for two decent meals and a sense of hope. In addition to serving meals in our schools, we partner every Wednesday and Saturday with five pastors and churches in the Kiandutu slum to provide a nutritious meal for children in that community. Typically, about 400 children came, carrying their plastic bowls from home, eagerly awaiting a serving of hot rice and beans or other nutritious food. Recently, because of desperate need, the number of children coming has increased to over 900, with no sign of a decrease.
Some of the 900 kids in Kiandutu seeking a decent meal and sense of hope.
At KCEF our commitment to education for children must continue to go hand in hand with food for the body. So, as we plan for program expenses in 2024, we are focused on making sure that the 2000 children we serve are receiving the very best nutrition we can provide alongside teaching and learning.
The VERY GOOD NEWS is that we recently received a commitment of a MATCHING GIFT of $30,000 to help us meet the urgent needs caused by rampant price increases. The KCEF donor providing this grant is passionate about education of the “poorest.” His generosity is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to join together in this season of giving and reach out to KCEF children and their families in 2024.
Will you join us? Every dollar will be matched, DOUBLING the impact of your giving. With your help we will “hit the ground running” in January, and continue to serve “the last, the least, the lost.”
Thank you for your prayerful consideration. Together we will continue to strengthen the bodies, minds and souls of these children, shining a bright light of hope in very dark places.
Thank you so much, and Merry Christmas!
Craig Hammon
KCEF Board Chair
hammoncraig@gmail.com