To spread awareness and to provide education in a safe, healthy and secure environment for underprivileged children in Nairobi, Kenya.
The vision for City Shine Community is to support a full range of programs that will help improve the lives, futures and surroundings of the students. Not only is our goal to improve the quality of education by donating all equipment needed, but to raise enough money to buy a piece of land and build a new primary school, secondary school and a kitchen. As of now the school is paying rent for an unfinished building, which is in desperate need of improvements. However, any improvements that are done will bring the risk of the landlord raising the rent.
Having a kitchen will allow the staff to prepare healthy meals (1-2 per day) for themselves and the students. This will not only improve the health and concentration of the children, but will also relieve financial strain on the children’s families.
The sponsorship program allows students to continue their education at a higher level after they finish their studies at City Shine Secondary. These students will have the opportunity to lead independent, self-supporting lives, as responsible, contributing members of their community.
The feminine hygiene program supplies the female students and teachers with the appropriate products during their menstrual cycle so they can continue to go to school and work during this period. Before this program was in place the female students would be forced to miss a week of school, putting them behind on their studies.
We are a non-profit organization that started to first develop after a trip to Kenya in 2008 where we saw first hand the need for proper education and a safe environment in the area of Soweto slums in Nairobi.
After speaking to the high school students and the teachers we realized how little they had in equipment, materials and resources and knew we had to do something.
So with the help of friends and family over US $5000 was raised and brought to the school during our trip in May 2010. We were able to equip both the City Shine Secondary and Reannon Clarke Primary School (re-named during our visit in May) with textbooks, exercise books, lab equipment, art supplies, stationary etc. We were also able to get desks and chalkboards made by a local carpenter. Since that trip we have become a registered foundation with the Dutch government.
The schools together have around 145 students with 90% of them being orphans, HIV/AIDS affected or abandoned children. As a result of extreme poverty some of these children are unable to attend classes on a regular basis due to lack of food, no school fees/supplies or being forced to work to support their families.
There are around 500,000 inhabitants in this area living in conditions that are unimaginable, it is also among the highest in HIV/AIDS rates and vulnerable children.