I am thrilled to have another opportunity to travel with INGAGE Unlimited this summer! This July I will going to Kenya!
As with last year's trip to Guatemala, I will be working in an area where extreme poverty greatly impacts a child’s ability to achieve an education. Children growing up in these settings face unique challenges, and the teachers often do not have the training to address their academic or social/emotional needs. In Kenya, an estimated 3.5 million children are in the labor market, and school dropout cases are on the rise. The number one killer of girls under the age of 15 is early childbirth. Educating girls is a main focus to end poverty in our world.
We will be working with the teachers in Kenya to learn of their unique situations and needs. Over the next several months my INGAGE Unlimited team and I will begin to create professional development workshops to help meet the academic and social/emotional needs expressed by the Kenyan teachers.
Since we will be learning about the history and culture of the community in which we will work, I will also be looking for ways that I can bring this experience back into my own classroom and develop connections within my curriculum where possible. I am so excited for this opportunity to volunteer somewhere new, providing support for those who do not have access to it.
While in Kenya, we will be working with two partners. Our first destination is Kibera, the largest urban slum in Africa. There we will be working with the teachers from the Bringing Miracles School. Next we travel to the city of Naivasha to work with the teachers and students at Light of Hope Home, whose mission is to provide refuge, restoration, and redirection for the abandoned, abused, orphaned and neglected girls of Kenya. Educating and empowering girls is key to ending global poverty. In poorer nations, girls frequently receive little or no education, often marry at an early age and bear more children. Each year of education a girl receives increases her future wages and often increases the age at which she will marry.
Would you consider being a part of my support team by making a donation? Because this is a volunteer service trip facilitated by the non-profit organization INGAGE Unlimited, all contributions are 501(c)3 tax deductible donations, and they can be made online here. This link should take you directly to my donation page. Your donation will assist with our travel and provide support for the families and students with whom we meet along the way. Verbal and spiritual support are also very welcomed and appreciated!
I look forward to sharing our experiences with you. I’ll try to post on Facebook during my journey, and I will also send out pictures and updates following the trip to share about our experience. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Thank you so much for your consideration!
With gratitude-
Jen