When the Kithoka Amani Children’s Home opened in 2009, IPI was supporting 10 children who had nowhere else to turn. Sixteen years later, there are 83 children and young adults who call KACH home. Given this exponential growth, IPI has created a sustainability model that relies on the outstanding young adults who have been raised at KACH to give back to the community that has nurtured them. For example, if a student who has graduated from high school is interested in pursuing post-secondary education, they need to spend at least nine months volunteering at KACH in order to earn the opportunity to enroll in a university or vocational school. Once a student has completed their degree and secured a job, they are asked to donate a small percentage of their wages to IPI to support the KACH family that raised them. You’ll read of three of these remarkable young people in this appeal.

Today, IPI is facing a critical funding gap. While our budget is as lean as it can be, due to rampant inflation and significant increases in school fees, we need your support more than ever before to ensure that everyone in the KACH family can stay in school and continue to thrive. While we are moving towards sustainability, we need your partnership at this challenging time. Please consider an end of year gift that will allow IPI to continue to support our children.

When you give, you help support KACH students like Nelly!

Nelly’s Story

In 2017, Nelly, pictured left working with her mother, Salome, was creating beautiful handmade pieces to sell at market. But, that’s not how Nelly’s story started. Salome already had one child and was pregnant with Nelly when she discovered she was HIV+. Salome was forced from her home and was in despair and physically unwell. She was connected with a local women’s group in Meru who introduced her to IPI. Dr. Karambu was asked to take baby Nelly in so her mother could heal and get back on her feet. Today, Salome is a successful businesswoman.

Nelly grew from an infant into a hard working student. Nelly’s sponsor supported her throughout her education. Due to her sponsor’s support and her own determination, she thrived in every facet of her education. December 2024 marked Nelly’s college graduation with an associate’s degree in elementary education. Nelly wants to further her education and achieve an advanced degree in special education. But she is not wasting any time bridging the gap and is using her current degree to support KACH and the children she calls family.

Nelly is an instructor at IPI’s new homeschool program for children K-3rd grade. Nelly currently teaches 16 eager-to-learn students employing the Kenyan national curriculum with the core subjects of Math, English, Environmental, Kiswahili, Creative Arts, and Christian Religious Education. IPI’s curriculum adds valuable cultural and social-emotional learning elements. Each step of the program seeks to carry out Dr. Karambu’s vision of raising kind, curious, observant, self-aware, purpose-driven, and community-minded children.  Our children learn alongside nature, building relationships with the land as an integral part of their learning experiences.

Your year-end gift could help us provide this valuable education to our own children and those in the surrounding community. Thank you for standing in the gap this year!

From the Slums to Empowering Change

by: Augustine Mutua, ICSP Scholar

As I sat in my home in Nairobi’s Korogocho slums, I often dreamed of a life beyond my immediate surroundings—a life filled with opportunity, education, and the chance to uplift not only myself but also my family and community. Growing up in a low-income neighborhood, my dreams felt unrealistic amidst the struggles of poverty and being orphaned at young age. However, my connection with IPI transformed my aspirations into a tangible journey. I had long day in the cyber café searching for potential education sponsors. IPI stood out among the all rest. I noted the IPI administrator’s email address and wrote it down and went home, since my money for using the Internet that particular day had been depleted. The next day, I struck a deal with the cyber café attendant to let me clean the café in exchange for letting me use internet. On the morning of April 26th, 2018, I emailed IPI and my life changed forever. Dedicated to supporting bright students from disadvantaged backgrounds, IPI became a beacon of hope for me.

I applied to ICSP with a mixture of hope and apprehension. When I received the news that I had been accepted into the program, I felt a wave of relief and excitement wash over me. The support I received from IPI Scholars extended far beyond financial aid. IPI provided me with mentorship, guidance, and a community of like-minded individuals who shared similar dreams and challenges. The educational resources, workshops, and networking opportunities helped me excel academically and personally. Through the scholarship, I was able to pursue my undergraduate degree, and eventually, I continued on to my master’s studies in human rights. Each step of my educational journey was supported by IPI, that believed in my potential even when I stumbled. Their commitment to my success helped me build confidence, resilience, and a passion for making a difference.

I am proud to be interning with AVSI Foundation-Uganda, where I am conducting research on human rights, focusing on the impact of armed conflict on children’s rights to education. This position is not just an opportunity to apply what I have learned but a chance to honor the support I received from IPI Scholars by contributing positively to society.

As I reflect on my journey, I am filled with gratitude for IPI, whose unwavering support has shaped my life. From the struggles in the slums to the halls of academia, I have witnessed the transformative power of education. My story is a testament to the belief that with the right support, hope can flourish, and aspirations can become reality. ICSP not only changed my life but also gave me the tools to be a catalyst for change in the lives of others.

Please consider being an education partner and support changemakers like Augustine!

Checkmate! Roy’s Story

by: Royford Muthomi, ICSP Scholar

UPDATE: Roy was just awarded 3rd place out of 402 contestants in a nationwide chess tournament sponsored by the Kenya Chess Federation!

When I came to live at KACH in December 2020, I didn’t know what chess was. I used to see people playing in movies but I never understood it. I did not know how to play soccer, basketball, or other games so I decided to learn chess. Another KACH kid named Derrick taught me how to play. Whenever the other kids went to play soccer and basketball I would just play chess and compete against myself. I won games against other KACH kids and I was so happy.

I started a chess club at my school called Kangach Knights. I faced some challenges, including having no chess boards. After talking with our school patron, he brought us one board. Eventually, I beat our trainer, who sometimes left me to train other students. We competed in the county level competition and won the school a trophy! This stimulated our principal to buy us more boards. Our school hosted the regional competition and we got 1st Place! The Kenya Chess Club and The Flying Knights arranged for individual games in which I participated. This time the prize was a money; I won 2nd Place and received Ksh5000 (~$40). To learn even more, I played online and I was ranked a grandmaster in the online app.

My senior year, I competed in regionals and took 2nd Place and won a silver medal. When I came back home from school we played several games with my ‘teacher’ at KACH and I won all of them. I have now played chess for four years and I am continuing to play at Maseno University in Kenya. Thank you for your support and helping me reach my dreams!