Feeding St. Frank

In May 2013, Lauren & I had the privilege of spending two weeks working with a school in Nairobi, Kenya. It was an eye opening experience for both of us and one that we will never forget. Despite that our time at the school is almost over, we plan to continue working to support the school through donations. This is where you come in. We'd like to tell you a little bit about the school, the children, and teachers that we've grown to care about & the great need for support that they are facing every day. With luck, you will be able to make a small contribution to help them.

In Kenya, there are private & government supported schools....but there are also thousands of families that can't afford to send their children to either. So for those kids, if they're lucky, they have the opportunity & proximity to be able to attend a community school like St. Frank. The school is free to attend & the teachers work for no salary. They are only able to stay afloat by donations that they receive from parents & others in the community. That said, they barely bring in enough to pay the rent and keep up the recycled desks and chalkboards in the facility. At times, there is not even enough paper, pencils, and erasers to conduct the lessons for the day, however the great teachers here work hard to come up with creative solutions to work around it. There are over 200 students at St. Frank, ages 2-14, and an incredible dedicated staff. Despite the challenges they face, everyone here is full of happiness, gratitude, and a passion for learning.

Students at St. Frank attend school from 7:00am to as late as 7:00pm, depending on their age. That is a long day for any child, but especially for one with no water to drink. Last year a volunteer donated a 500 Liter water tank for the school, but they have been unable to come up with the funds each month to keep it filled. It has been empty for several months, and as a result most of the students lack water to drink. Additionally, less than half of the students at St. Frank are able to afford lunch. It becomes difficult for them to focus on learning with their growling empty stomachs. No child should go hungry and thirsty during a 12 hour school day. These are basic needs which we worked to help fulfill during our time here & we are hoping with a little help from you, we can continue to fulfill them going forward.

So, just to get down to it:..We are reaching out to you to ask for your help in supporting the children here at St. Frank School. We understand we won't be able to provide nice desks, salaries for the teachers, or an improved facility for St. Frank. We are only hoping to provide the basic essentials critical for the school to function day to day. We want them to know they will have enough supplies to teach the lesson for that day, and enough food and water to keep their bodies healthy and focused. Any amount that you are able to give will have a huge effect on the lives of the students and teachers. We have made several donations to the school to be able to support their basic needs, and want to demonstrate what type of impact a contribution of any size can have.

- $5 donation is enough to provide nutritious vegetables for over 200 students for one day.
- $20 is enough for one pen or pencil for every student in the school.
- $37 is enough to fill the 500Liter water tank and keep the entire students hydrated for a whole month.
- $50 is enough for a notepad for every student in the school.
- $200 is enough to provide the staples of a healthy lunch for every student in the school for one month (Rice, Maze, Beans, Potatoes, Oil, and Charcoal for cooking)

We understand that everyone's ability to give will be different. Please just take a moment to look in your pocketbook, or think of what you might be able to go without for a few days or weeks. Any amount will mean more than you can possibly imagine to this school in Nairobi, and to us. Thank you for your consideration and any donation that you are able to provide.