Live and Learn in Kenya Int'l Sponsorship Program

For twenty-five years, Live and Learn in Kenya International has carried a simple but powerful belief: when a child is given education, care, and someone who believes in them, everything can change. Sponsorship is not just financial support—it is a promise that says, you matter, your future matters, and you are not alone.

What began as a small, heartfelt initiative has grown into a vibrant education community in Nakuru, Kenya, caring for and educating thousands of children over the past quarter century. Today, we celebrate not only how far we have come, but the living proof of what sponsorship can achieve: four of our current teachers once stood in our kindergarten classrooms as small children themselves. They were sponsored, supported, educated—and they chose to come back. That is the miracle.

In Kenya, education is never free. Even public schooling requires families to cover school fees, uniforms, shoes, books, meals, hygiene supplies, and sometimes transportation. For families in the Baruti slums and surrounding communities—many surviving on less than a dollar a day—these costs make education feel impossible. Parents are often forced to choose between food and school. Sponsorship changes that impossible choice into opportunity.

Through sponsorship, a child receives everything needed to attend school with dignity and consistency: full school fees, uniforms and shoes, learning materials, daily nutritious meals, medical and dental care, and access to sports, arts, and life-skills programs. Just as important, they gain the steady presence of caring adults—teachers, social workers, cooks, and sponsors—who believe in them. For roughly one dollar a day, a child’s entire future can be redirected.

Each year, the neediest children are carefully identified and welcomed into the program. Once sponsored, a relationship begins that often lasts many years. Sponsors receive letters, school reports, artwork, and updates. Some visit in person and meet the child whose life they have helped shape. For the children, sponsorship means far more than material support—it means knowing that someone, somewhere in the world, believes in them. That knowledge builds confidence, resilience, and identity.

Over the years, the impact has been profound. Hundreds of children are currently supported, and well over a thousand have been sponsored since the beginning. The vast majority of LLK graduates continue on to high school, vocational training, or university. And now, after 25 years, the circle has beautifully closed: former sponsored children are teaching in LLK classrooms, guiding the next generation with empathy that can only come from lived experience. They know what it means to arrive hungry. They know what sponsorship feels like. And they teach not just lessons—but hope.

Sponsorship reaches far beyond the classroom. When one child is supported, families are strengthened. Parents gain relief and dignity. Siblings are inspired. Communities begin to shift. School attendance rises, early dropouts decrease, and children grow into young people with choices instead of limitations. Education breaks the cycle of generational poverty—not overnight, but permanently.

LLK is committed to transparency and trust. Sponsor contributions go directly to child support, while administrative costs are covered separately. Sponsors are kept informed, welcomed, and encouraged to see the work firsthand. Many who arrive as visitors leave as lifelong friends of the community.

After 25 years, the message is clear: sponsorship works. It works quietly, patiently, and powerfully. It turns children from slums into students, students into graduates, and—sometimes—graduates into teachers who come home to give back.

To every sponsor who has supported a child for one year or for ten,
To those who are considering taking that first step,
And to everyone who believes that one child truly matters—

You are the miracle.

Because of you, children are learning.
Because of you, futures are opening.
Because of you, the story continues—classroom by classroom, generation by generation.

Asante Sana – Thank You

With deep gratitude,
Brique Zeiner

The Miracle of Sponsorship

How one simple act creates a lifetime of change
Live and Learn in Kenya International – Sponsorship Impact Report

Sponsorship is more than just financial support—it is a lifeline. It is a promise. It is a miracle. At Live and Learn in Kenya International (LLK), the power of sponsorship transforms lives daily, lifting children from the harshest realities of poverty and placing them on a path toward education, self-worth, and opportunity.

Since its humble beginnings in Selb, Germany, LLK has grown into a dynamic non-profit operating in Nakuru, Kenya, thanks to the generous hearts of sponsors from all over the world. These sponsors are ordinary people doing extraordinary things—changing the trajectory of young lives and creating ripple effects that strengthen families, communities, and future generations.

Why Sponsorship Matters

In Kenya, attending school isn’t free. Even public schooling requires families to pay for:

• School fees

• Uniforms

• Shoes

• Exercise books and pens

• Daily meals

• Hygiene supplies

• Transportation (when needed)

For families living in the slums of Baruti and surrounding areas, these costs are simply impossible to bear. Many parents live on less than a dollar a day and are often forced to choose between feeding their children and sending them to school.

This is where sponsorship becomes a beacon of hope.

For just US$360 per year, a child receives:

• Complete school fees

• Two school uniforms and shoes

• Books and supplies

• Access to a fully-equipped school facility

• Daily nutritious meals

• Full medical and dental care

• Access to sports, arts, life skills, and extracurricular activities

• Support from social workers and caring staff

That’s just $1 a day—to completely change a life.

How It Works

Each year in October, the local chief introduces the thirty neediest children from the Baruti slums to LLK’s project manager. These children are carefully assessed and registered into the program. If they receive a sponsor before January, they begin school at the Live and Learn in Kenya Education Center with the start of the new school year.

If not, they are placed on a waiting list—and the team works tirelessly to find a sponsor for each of them.

Once a child is sponsored, the relationship begins. Sponsors receive:

• A personal profile and photo of their sponsored child

• Annual letters and artwork from the child

• School reports and updates

• The opportunity to write, send gifts, and even visit

The child, in return, receives more than financial support. They receive love, motivation, and identity. They learn that someone far away believes in them. That they matter.

Impact by the Numbers

• Over 580 children currently benefit from LLK’s sponsorship program.

• More than 1,500 children have been sponsored since the beginning.

• Over 90% of LLK graduates go on to high school, vocational training, or university.

• More than 100 sponsors have traveled to Kenya to meet their sponsored children.

• 100% of sponsor funds go directly to the child’s support—administrative costs are funded separately.

Stories of Change From Slum to Scholar

A girl once living in a shack with six siblings, barely able to eat once a day, is now studying nursing at college —thanks to her sponsor of ten years, who supported her from first grade to college.

From Sponsored to Sponsor

One young man, now employed as a teacher, was once sponsored himself. Today, he is one of the best teachers at the Live and Learn in Kenya Education Center, instead of teaching at a better-paying government or private school as a way of giving back. “Someone once believed in me. Now it’s my turn,” he says.

Beyond the Classroom

Sponsorship helps children access not only education but also confidence and creativity. Many join sports teams, art classes, and even drama and music clubs. They grow in every directio

Sponsor Testimonials

“I thought I was just sending money to help a child go to school. But I gained a friend, a daughter, a family. Sponsorship gave me more than I ever expected.” – Martina, Germany

“When I met my sponsored boy in Nakuru, I cried. It felt like meeting someone I had loved for years. It made it all real. He’s now in high school and I couldn’t be prouder.” – Steven, UK

“I can’t fix the whole world. But I can help one child. That’s enough.” – Helen, USA

How Sponsorship Transforms a Community

When one child is sponsored, the effects reach far beyond the school gates. Sponsored children bring hope home. Parents are empowered. Siblings are inspired. Communities begin to change.

• More sponsored children = fewer dropouts, early pregnancies, and criminal activity.

• Sponsored children become role models, helping to uplift others.

• Sponsorship reduces generational poverty by enabling education, health, and employment.

The LLK Commitment to Transparency

LLK operates with complete financial transparency. Every sponsor is kept informed of how their donation is used. School reports and letters are regularly shared. And all donor funds go directly toward the child’s support.

Visits are encouraged. LLK welcomes sponsors to Nakuru to meet their sponsored children, see the Education Center, and witness the impact firsthand. Every sponsor becomes part of the LLK family.

How You Can Become a Sponsor

Becoming a sponsor is simple—and life-changing.

1. Visit our website or contact us directly.

2. Choose a child or ask us to match you with one in urgent need.

3. Commit to US$360/year or €360/year, payable annually or monthly.

4. Receive your welcome packet with your child’s photo and short description.

5. Watch a life transform—letter by letter, report by report, year by year.

Special Sponsorship Options

• Partial Sponsorship: Share a college or university support with another sponsor.

• Group Sponsorship: Classrooms, companies, or families can sponsor together.

• Emergency Sponsorship Fund: Help support unsponsored children temporarily until a full sponsor is found.

A Message to Sponsors – Past, Present, and Future

To those already sponsoring:
You are the miracle. You are the reason a child is in school, healthy, and dreaming of a better tomorrow.

To those considering sponsorship:
You don’t need to be wealthy. You just need to care. One small decision can change a lifetime.

To every single person who believes in children:
You are the heartbeat of Live and Learn in Kenya. You make the impossible possible.

Asante Sana – Thank You

From the children of Baruti,
From the teachers, cooks, and caregivers,
From the mothers and fathers whose hearts are fuller,
And from all of us at Live and Learn in Kenya International:

Asante Sana – Thank You.
You are making the world a better place, one child at a time

Brique Zeiner