Ensure access to education for children in Kenya

In October we broke ground on our new vegetable garden. It was a more complex project than you might anticipate. Our school is located in a dry, arid, remote environment. The very issues that access to education challenging for the local residents, also make it difficult to grow food. Limited access to water and beating intense sun can limit the vegetable options available to us. But we wanted to try. Our educational model is built upon supporting our students to develop a respect for their local community and the environment. Instead of buying kale, spinach, carrotts, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, and cauliflower every month, we wanted to be able to grow it locally.

So we set out to do just that. We engaged a water resources engineer, we drilled a well, we established a water storage system, we set-up a shade net to block 50% of the sun's intensity, we plowed the land, and we set-up drip irrigation lines across 18 equal rows - preparing ourselves for building the beds and planting the seedlings. Our first vegetable harvest was in December, and now we have a growing cycle established. Our Chef visits the garden every day to evaluate the readiness of the vegetables and plan the menu based on the availability of the day.

And you helped make it all possible. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Tad

Our new classrooms are complete and we are ready to welcome 20 new learners this coming January. Thanks to your generous support, Kidspire is continuing to meet our mission focused goal of getting children from remote parts of Kenya into school. We now have 6 classrooms, 12 teachers, and 120 learners (ranging from the Pre-Kindergarten equivalent up through Grade 2).

The photos attached below each tell an important story:

1. At the end of November, before closing school for winter break, we celebrated the 20 students who graduated PP2, advancing to Grade 1. This special day of celebration was shared with their families. For many of these students, they are the first in their family to attend school and advance to Grade 1.
2. Teacher planning sessions are always important - and especially so when preparing for a new school year. In antcipation of the new school year, our teachers spent 3 weeks together in training, planning, and preparation.
3. With all of our 120 learners in Grade 2 and below, a primary academic goal is reading (or preparing to read). This special photo of Teacher Ramisi practicing reading with one of our PP1 (Pre-Kindergarten equivalent) learners captures the meaningful progress that our students are making as they learn to read.

On behalf of all of us at Kidspire, we extend warm wishes to you and your loved ones during this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Tad