Our partnership with Mwanzo

Early in the Pandemic, when the Kenyan government mandated closure of all schools in March 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. The students’ families, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers, were simultaneously impacted by the sudden halt to commerce. The closure of public markets restricted farmers’ abilities to sell their harvests and earn income. Together, the consequences of COVID-19 pushed many of the children and families who study and receive daily nutrition at MEC into severe food insecurity.

One Day’s Wages partnered with Mwanzo in late April 2020 to initiate an emergency response. We immediately provided food packs of beans, corn, and rice to 40 of the most vulnerable MEC families. Additionally, Mwanzo provided Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like hand sanitizer, soap, and portable containers for frequent hand-washing to the community and began creating and distributing class materials so that students could continue their studies while at home. Lastly, Mwanzo was enabled to equip staff with cell phones allowing for ongoing, distance support to the students and their families.