WHY WE WORK
"The ongoing failure to respond to the orphan crisis will have grave implications not just for the children themselves, but for their communities and nations."
- Carol Bellamy, UNICEF
It is estimated that there are over 2 million orphaned children in Kenya. We believe that the best place for these children to be is within extended family networks, and we recognize that many orphaned children, without such options available to them, are faced with the realities of homelessness, crime and prostitution. Our vision is to provide these vulnerable children with the care and resources they need to build exceptional lives, families, and communities.
HOW WE WORK
At Home
Flying Kites provides high quality residential care to some of Kenya's most desperate orphaned and abused children. We believe that in order for children to have a chance to impact this world significantly, the care provided to them must be exemplary. The site of our Children's Home and Leadership Academy is in Kinangop, Kenya, a 90-minute drive from Nairobi. The Flying Kites Leadership Academy occupies 5 acres of land in the foothills of the Aberdares Mountain Range and leases 3 acres of additional land for housing and farming.
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Family
Central to the design of our site is the Family House. By living in small family houses, rather than in conventional dormitories, our children participate in the many facets of Kenyan life. Upon completion of our Capital Campaign, each build ing will house no more than fifteen children who will be cared for by two houseparents. Carefully chosen and intensively trained, these staff members give the children the same love and guidance as a traditional family. At full operating capacity, we aim to have 150 children living in ten separate houses.
School
Education is, of course, the only way for a child to permanently break free from the cycle of poverty. We currently run a small school that serves students from the local community, in addition to the orphaned children who live at the Flying Kites Home. At our Leadership Academy, community service plays an important role alongside the academic syllabus. Our three-year goal is to be accredited to teach the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program. The IB organization is one of the world's leading providers of academic curricula. It is a highly demanding curriculum that takes a comprehensive approach to a child's development.
In The Community
Flying Kites engages the local community through outreach programs and offers support and material grants to families caring for orphaned children.
Around the world
We partner with individuals, non-profit organizations, and corporations that specialize in various areas of development - agriculture, education, environment, health, infrastructure, human rights, micro-finance, and women's issues - to provide a more powerful, systemic community impact. To combat the cycle of poverty affecting the children and families we serve, we collaborate with an array of organizations who offer services that strengthen our efforts.
Learn about our newest partner: Njabini Apparel, an initiative that empowers disadvantaged and handicapped Kenyan mothers through fair trade enterprises and micro-business development programs. Read More >
