Nyota is in the slum of Shauriaku, a particularly deprived area of Mombasa. Many children can’t access education due to lack of facilities, resources and funds for teachers. This means that families and communities struggle to break the cycle of poverty. Inconsistency or lack of teaching staff due to funding is common and a huge barrier to children’s education. Health issues, in particular, hunger and its related ailments, keeps children away as food is prioritised over education.

We have been working with Nyota Ing’arayo Primary School in Mombassa since 2010. The school has grown from its humble beginnings as a care centre known as Precious Vision to a fully fledged school. As the centre grew and developed, this project has helped to cater for its diverse and ever-changing needs. Currently, funds are used primarily to fund a feeding programme and to cover wages of some of the teachers that work at the school.

Consistent wages mean that the teachers can focus on delivering lessons and provides essential continuity for the children. The feeding programme improves the health and wellbeing of children. Access, to what may be the only meals they receive in a day, incentivizes families to send their children to school. Children who are fed nutritious meals at school will be more able to engage with school activities and have greater prospects of reaching their full potential.

Donations made to this project are used to subsidise teachers’ wages and the Nyota Feeding Programme, which has been running since 2011. By ensuring that teachers can get paid, we are able to provide consistency for the staff and children. The feeding programme feeds 249 children two nutritious meals a day.