Our partnership with Mwanzo

Since the government-mandated closure of all schools in the Republic of Kenya on March 16, 2020, the Mwanzo Education Center (MEC) in Rabuor, Kenya, was forced to cease schooling and feeding programs (twice-daily warm meals) for MEC’s 220 preschool and primary school students. Their students’ family members, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers, have also been impacted economically. The closure of public markets restricts farmers’ abilities to sell their harvests and earn money for necessities. Together, these consequences of COVID-19 present a concrete threat of starvation for a portion of families whose children study and receive their daily nutrition at MEC. In late April 2020, our partnership with Mwanzo initiated an effort to address the adverse educational and health impacts of COVID-19, beginning with the purchase and provision of beans, corn, and rice for 40 MEC families that have the greatest risk of extreme hunger. In partnership with One Day’s Wages (ODW), Mwanzo will use partners donations and ODW’s matching funds to expand our support to these families by: Purchasing hand sanitizer, soap, and portable containers for frequent handwashing; buying a high-volume copier to prepare and distribute class materials so that students can continue their studies while at home; and providing utilitarian cell phones to key staff members/teachers so they can remain in frequent contact with the families of our students.