News from our sponsored class in Kenya

Students and social workers of the John Kaheni Residence. Young people are prepared here for the local job market through training or studies in order to be able to live an independent life. The program had to be shut down by Corona for 90 percent and could only restart in October. The picture was taken before the Corona pandemic.

Since 2018, we have been supporting a training year in Kenya – an aid project supported by Cargo Human Care e. V. The association is supported by Lufthansa Cargo AG.

2020 was a catastrophic year due to the corona pandemic: In March all schools closed, the children of the children‘s home were sent home or to hostels, with the exception of ten small residents who have no relatives and were allowed to stay in the home. Social workers kept in regular contact, but several domestic situations were extremely bad. So since late summer a gradual return was negotiated with the authorities.

This long, forced stay with the `families´ had a very negative effect on the behavior and abilities of the children. Since October, the education system has been brought back on track, in compliance with hygiene rules. Now Kenya is hoping for low infection rates, so that the living conditions will at least improve somewhat.

Further information about the project

A major problem is the supply of food: Many fields were flooded by heavy rains and harvests were destroyed by locust plagues. In addition, many families lost their jobs due to Corona: The supply of food became one of the main focuses of the aid project in 2020.

Since the end of March, the aid project has been supporting all needy families of the sponsored children with food and hygiene articles, such as protective masks. Corona has had a serious impact on the Kenyan labor market: many working people have lost their jobs and thus their only source of income. There is no such thing as social security.

From March to October, schools in Kenya were closed, children were sent home, and social workers took care of them and regularly provided them with homework. As far as the domestic situation and infrastructure allowed, lessons were given online or via radio.

The graduating class of the John Kaheni Residence in December 2019 (with the exception of the young lady on the right).