Kawangware School Sponsorship Program
We have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the lives of children and families living in the Kawangware slum in Kenya by sponsoring their school education. For just $30 per month you can enable a family to send a child to school who would otherwise not be able to afford to. This is an investment of a dollar a day for a community in which most people earn less than $2 per day!
For this initiative we have partnered with the Restoration Educational Centre, the school that is operated by our partner church Christ Restoration Centre. The school provides a top-quality Christian education, a loving and affirming environment, healthcare and, not insignificantly for these children, two good meals a day.
Education is one of the most important pathways out of poverty. Christian education moreover deals with poverty at every level forming a child’s identity, worldview, and cultivating faith, hope and love at the most crucial time of life.
Our aim, as a church, is to sponsor 150 places in the school at just $30 per month per place. We would encourage you to become an active partner is this important relationship with this wonderful Christian school and enable the mission of Christ Restoration Church to transform lives in Jesus’ name!
We Aim to Send 150 Children to School Who Would Otherwise Go Without
OneHope Partners in Mission
OneHope Baptist Church have been Partners in Mission with Christ’s Restoration Centre in Kawangware, Kenya now for nearly two decades. Having assisted with the building of their church and community centre, in 2017 we placed a focus on resourcing the School run by CRC in the heart of Kawangware – The Restoration Educational Centre.
Through our Kawangware Helping Hands Partnership, as a church, we invested in the upgrade of the existing classrooms, built a new toilet block, and most significantly worked with the CRC team to secure an ongoing, reliable source of fresh drinking water.
Access to clean water has a huge impact on food security, livelihood, health and sanitation. In Kenya up to 80% of the land area is arid or semi-arid. More than 1/3 of the Kenyan population lack access to safe water.
Before we launched our project to dig a well on the site, the school was having to purchase water which was trucked in on a weekly basis. Late in 2018 the well was completed, securing drinkable water ‘on tap’ at the Kawangware school!
However, 2020 saw COVID take a significant toll on the community in Kawangware, and in particular families financial capacity to send their children to school. Prior to 2020, the school had approximately 300 students enrolled, and was operating at a very small surplus. However, the pandemic and escalating cost of living has seen many parents no longer able to support their Childrens’ education, and so enrolments dropped significantly, while input costs and newly imposed Government taxes materially impacted viability.
Kenya’s Ministry of Education tested learning outcomes of all private schools in 2020. The Restoration Educational Centre was ranked in the top 10 nationally.
About Restoration Educational Centre
Restoration Educational Centre, Kawangware, was started in 2007 with 2 initial class grades and has grown through the years to the current institution it is.
The school currently offers education from baby grades (pre school) through to Year 8/9. Maximum class sizes are set at 30 learners in baby grades and 45 learners in primary grades, with the school having capacity for approximately 320 students. The 2023 School Year closed with 207 students enrolled.
With the guidance of a School Board, which includes bankers, businessmen and education specialists, the school remains formally Accredited with Kenya’s Ministry of Education which was initially secured in 2014. Accreditation is reassessed and issued every 5 years.
All school educators are Ministry of Education accredited teachers. The school has support staff including security, cooks, administration and general oversight/maintenance. The curriculum meets all Ministry of Education requirements and students are taught both English and Swahili, the 2 nationally recognised languages.
The Restoration Educational Centre is the primary way in which the CRC Church can engage with the broader community of Kawangware, embodying the love of Christ through tangible actions. By instilling values of compassion and service, they cultivate a community where each child feels valued and empowered.
Each student attending school receives 2 free meals each school day.
Students receive a level of medical/health support in circumstances where the national health system falls short. While in the past regular medical clinics were held each year, this support is now informal, and on an urgent needs basis.
Students and families have access to high quality water (better than WHO standards) through the well funded by OneHope Baptist Church in 2019. Students and families continue to receive sanitation/health education.
The school also operates a bus service to assist more distant learners in getting to and from school.
The slum of Kawangware is the second largest slum in Kenya, located in Greater Nairobi, approximately 15 km west of the Nairobi City Centre. In the Kenyan census completed in 2009, there were a reported 133,286 people living in the slum. An estimated 65% of the population are children or youth.
Most of the people in the community do not have the funds to leave the community, or to advance their education or their children’s education. With most individuals in the community making less than $2 a day and rent starting around $50 a month, most families are unable to meet the cost of between $30 and $60 a month per child to attend school.
The Kawangware School Placement Program will enable our partner school – Restoration Educational Centre – to advance education in the area by providing sponsored places enabling families to send more children to school. Your monthly contribution covers all educational costs along with school supplies, transportation, uniforms, and two meals a day while at school.
Through education, they offer a pathway out of poverty, equipping the next generation with the tools to break free from the cycle of deprivation. This holistic approach not only transforms individual lives but also uplifts the entire community, demonstrating the transformative power of Christ’s love in action.
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Need more information?
If you have a question about this program or need more information, please contact info@onehope.org.au