MISSION

In 2001, Jude Ndambuki, a native Kenyan, living and teaching high school chemistry in the United States, founded Help Kenya Project as a grassroots, Not-for-Profit, registered 501(c)(3) organization with the ambitious goal of addressing the extreme poverty in Kenya.  HKP is a New York-based organization that connects both mainstream and at risk youth in the United States with schoolchildren in Kenya. 

OUR STORY

After working with Kenyan partners to help develop strategies to create higher standards of living in poverty-stricken, rural areas, Jude envisioned an organization whose mission meant not simply giving handouts; Help Kenya Project’s intention is to teach children computer skills, which they may someday use to find better jobs in the global marketplace. Simultaneously, Help Kenya Project is also working to help conserve the environment by requesting that all recipient schools plant 100 new tree saplings for every computer donation they receive; Deforestation is a major problem in Kenya and trees not only help with soil retention but they also provide the children with a shady place to play and take a reprieve from the hot Kenyan sun.  In addition, the children who plant the trees are being empowered with the value of appreciation for what they are being given as well as learning about the importance of improving their own Communities. In addition, a group of at risk, American teens refurbish these used computers, empowering them with computer skills as well, and enabling them to “give back” to their own society-at-large here in the United States.

Jude’s dedication and perseverance to Help Kenya Project’s mission began to see fruition when both financial and computer donations began to flow in from American individuals, Companies, Libraries and Schools.  By the beginning of 2010, more than 2,000 computers and 15,000 books had been shipped to Kenya.  In response, Help Kenya Project's beneficiaries have planted over 200,000 trees. 

We continue to organize twice-yearly shipments to Kenya: one in the spring and one in early summer. After first traveling by container from New York to Mombasa, the 40-foot container is then trucked from Mombasa to Machakos and its rural environs, about an hour’s drive outside of Nairobi. Following the summer shipment, Jude travels to Kenya with both student and adult volunteers with the intention of helping to build and promote interpersonal relationships between Americans and Kenyans.  As a result, volunteers learn about the Kenyan culture and are also given opportunities to teach computer skills in the beneficiary schools, as well as to bring their personal hobbies and skill sets to help enrich Kenyan lives. Jude also uses this time to follow-up on the operation of the program by assessing its successes and identifying any shortcomings.

During the summer of 2010, the first Help Kenya Project Clubs were established at Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, and Blind Brook High schools. These Clubs support the Help Kenya Project mission by bringing together local teens to help further our goals.  The Clubs are run autonomously by high schoolers.  Click Here to read more about Club activities.

EMPOWERING AT-RISK TEENS AT CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

At the same time we are empowering Kenyan’s schoolchildren with computer technology skills, we are collaborating with Children’s Village (www.childrensvillage.org), a residential and educational center for at risk High School teens which is located in Dobbs Ferry, New York.  By providing these at risk teens with computer technology skills which they learn through the refurbishment process of the used computers, the teens are already developing professional skills which they can bring to the global marketplace once they graduate from high school.  In addition, these teens are already learning about the importance of “giving back” to the society-at-large which funds, both privately and by the government, the programs at Children’s Village. A full-time computer instructor works closely with the teens throughout the year, teaching them not only computer technology and repair skills, but is also indirectly teaching them how to present themselves in a professional way, as well as helping them develop good work habits and team cooperation.

Once computers are transported to Children’s Village by the volunteer Pick Up-and-Transfer Drivers, the teens first expunge the hard drives of each computer, thereby allaying any fear that information can be taken from that hard drive. Next, the teens set to work ensuring that the computer’s parts are in good working order and/or they replace or repair any broken components. Once the computer is deemed in good condition, the hard drive is reformatted and new programs are installed which are relevant to the schoolchildren’s needs in Kenya.

The refurbished computers, monitors, etc. are placed in a secure storage facility on the Children’s Village campus while they await the time that the equipment will be packed for shipping to Kenya. Twice yearly, a 40-foot shipping container is delivered to the Children’s Village campus, where volunteers pack the containers.

ALL MONIES RECEIVED GO EXCLUSIVELY TOWARDS THE PACKING AND SHIPPING OF THE EQUIPMENT TO KENYA SINCE WE CURRENTLY HAVE FEW ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND ALL WORK IS DONE ON A STRICTLY VOLUNTEER BASIS.  

To make a Monetary Donation, please click here.  All Monetary Donations are fully tax deductible to the fullest extent that the law allows and will be acknowledged in writing.  We thank you for your support.