Our Story So Far
Since 2008 until TODAY...
A Message from Mama Kerry...
Since opening in 2010, our greatest achievement despite the relentless challenges, is the progress of the children and young adults we have cared for and nurtured academically and emotionally. Your support and the efforts on the ground in Kenya have ensured that every young person under our care has not only survived, but flourished. What you have helped us to achieve:
Mama Kerry's Place
Your support has enabled us to create and sustain the safe space that is Mama Kerry's Place, which now comprises a small ‘village’ in the Shimba Hills in Kenya. The buildings consist of dormitories, kitchen and dining areas, medical room, library, computer, games and activities rooms. Mama Kerry's Place has been a home, school, solace and safe space for all the children and young adults we have supported.
Education
We strive to give all our children and young people access to a quality education together with opportunities to learn vocational life skills from our onsite Early Years Academy, the programmes and initiatives we run at Mama Kerry's Place and places secured at top performing secondary schools and colleges. Thanks to your support, the future for our children and young people is bright. Some have even gone on to secure places at university and one gained a sporting scholarship to a top national school and now plays professionally in the Kenyan rugby league.
Sustainability
With the support of the Rotary we have been able to secure our own water supply via an onsite borehole to serve Mama Kerry's Place, providing clean and safe drinking water. UK fundraising activities have also enabled us to install apparatus to extend the local mains power supply, thus providing the home with electricity and enabling the children to continue their studies in the evening hours, when previously they would have had no light to do so.
Transport
Mama Kerry's Place is located deep in a rural area of the Kenyan bush in Shimba Hills, therefore access to transport is vital for the operations of The Footprints Family. Over the years the generous donations we have received have enabled us to acquire and maintain vehicles to transport our ever-growing family.
Sustainability
As the size of the Footprints Family has grown, so has the food bill! In Kenya, sustainability is one of our key focuses, so growing our own food and producing our own eggs, milk and meat to become self-sufficient has been important. We have run various projects over the years to teach the staff and children and young people we support farming techniques, so they can work on and develop the onsite shamba (allotment) providing fresh vegetables and running our chicken and dairy projects. Not only does this reduced our shopping bill, but it helps develop hugely important life skills our children can carry into their future.