As today is the Day of the African Child I felt that it was a wonderful opportunity to share a perspective from an African child, and about our agency's goal of improving education for children in Kenya. I am the Executive Director and one of the original founders of the Collective for Orphan Care and Education (COCE). We focus on providing educational and health opportunities to underserved people in Busia County Kenya. Today I wanted to share with our donors some of the heart behind the work we do here at COCE and showcase that this is truly a personal mission for me. 

I was born and raised in Busia, Kenya and I go back to visit frequently. Growing up, my family was very poor, like most families in Busia. But I was very lucky, and people took an interest in me over the years. Their support enabled me to become a teacher in Nairobi and then  travel to the United States where I continued my education all the way through receiving an Ivy League degree at Columbia University. It was there, at Columbia, that I was able to develop the skills and networks that I needed to make my vision of giving back to my community a reality. There, in 2005, several colleagues and I founded COCE. 

We are now a 15-year strong international non-profit. It has been a privilege to serve the people of Kenya and since we’ve started, we’ve managed to build 5 classrooms, 4 latrines, provide books to 15 different libraries, and sponsor several children in their educational pursuits from primary school to college. I am immensely proud of the work we have done thus far and the impact that we have made in the community. 

Whenever I return to Kenya, community members come to me asking for my help with things such as keeping their kids in school, providing a job, or helping bury a family member. It is vital to remember that although we have made strides, the reality in Busia, Kenya remains dire. The HIV/AIDS health crisis there means that death of family is a near constant struggle and many young people become orphans. Over 50% of the population are unemployed and hunger takes priority over education. COCE’s projects have helped to ease the suffering experienced by the people there, but this is merely the beginning. I hope that we can make an even greater impact in the lives of Kenyans living in Busia in the future. And, in order to do that, we must support the children.

As of right now we have a couple of projects going. Our priority this month is our “Donate a Desk” project. It is so important because we have the built classrooms and now children need a place to sit and learn. Not only are we furnishing the school that we’ve built, but people have a concrete idea of where their donations are going and what it is doing to further the educational opportunities of children in Kenya. It is powerful to know that you provided the space for children to better themselves through education and I can only hope more people respond to that call to action. It is so important to me that you know that none of this would have been possible without people choosing to take an interest, support, and recognize that we each have something valuable to give. I am so proud of the fact that we are providing a space for a child to go to sit and write at their own desk, in a safe space, and focus on their learning.