Kiwimbi

Kiwimbi ~ Committed to Opportunity Through Education Kiwimibi sees a world where all people are empowered through education to enrich their lives and reach their fullest potential. Kiwimbi's first program is in Africa and based in Amagoro, a small rural town in western Kenya.

Kiwimbi Library and Community Centre ~ Kiwimbi established the first public library in Busia County in western Kenya.

• Opens Library every day to children, teens, and adults, hosting 200 to 300 people daily
• Delivers books to schools too far from Kiwimbi Library, currently 90 schools
• Operates satellite libraries, seven in total
• Houses textbooks containing K through 12 curriculum not available in local schools 

Academic Programs ~ English is the language of learning in Kenya. Students must master English to succeed academically to pass a gateway exam in grade 9. The score attained determines the curricular area for secondary school, for example only high-scoring students are allowed to study STEM subjects. Then they must pass the KCSE (Certificate of Secondary Education) exam that determines their placement in higher education.

• Augments learning in English ~ reading, writing, and speaking this third language ~ and math at local schools and the Kiwimbi Library
• Runs the Prep for Success program in three Primary schools to help students prepare for their exams 
• Runs learning camps after school, on weekends, and during school breaks to help students prepare for exams

Free Lunches ~ Students often live several miles from school, and traditionallly walk home for lunch. Free lunches save time and energy.  

• Provides nutritious lunches for students in the Prep for Success program and those attending Kiwimbi camps to keep students at school and guarantee that every student have at least one good meal a day

Vocational Programs for Adults ~ With only 3 of 10 students succeeding to high school and far fewer going to college, vocational training is critical to long-term well being.

• Enables adults including young mothers to earn a livelihood by developing vocational skills
  • Grass weaving to produce mats, hats, and other items
  • Sewing and tailoring
  • carpentry and woodworking
  • Agroforestry and farming
  • Painting and beading

 Why Does Kiwimbi Care?

• Schools are impoverished. Classrooms in rural areas are overcrowded ~ 40 to 140 students to a classroom ~ and under-resourced ~ lacking books or basic supplies for students.
• English is a third language after the students’ native ethnic language and Swahili, but required to succeed academically.
• Most students enter school not knowing English, but national exams are given in English.
• Parents may have limited academic experience and speak no English.
• Most households have no access to electricity, so students have no light necessary to study in this equatorial region of 12 hours of daylight.
• Only three out of 10 children in rural areas such as this pass the KCPE exam due to lack of books, adequate programming, and money for basic school supplies.
• The pass rate improved to six out of 10 in the first year of Kiwimbi’s Grade 8 program in our pilot school, Amagoro Primary School. 
• A secondary school student must pass the KCSE  exam to attend university in Kenya and pass with high scores to receive government funding.
• Very few students can afford to go to university, yet all need to earn a living in their hometown.

 What’s Next?

• Replicate our Grade 8 program, including its lunch program, focus on language acquisition, and preparation for KCPE exams in other schools
• Create more programs for additional grade levels and schools
• Expand teacher training for schools
• Develop additional vocational programs, such as pottery making, and fine arts

What Does Kiwimbi Need That I Can Contribute Toward?

• $50 Weekly internet for Library
• $150 Lead Teaching Assistant salary for one month
• $360 Monthly lunch program for for two students for an entire year
• $700 Fifty novels by African writers 

Please donate now to continue and develop Kiwimbi’s programs in Kenya.