2024 impact report
Students at Bujwang’a Secondary School listen to a speaker at a health workshop (Photo courtesy of Anne Truphosa, July 2024).
NEF IS A COLLABORATION OF MANY GENEROUS HEARTS, HANDS & MINDS. Together, we’re helping youth achieve their full potential through education. Here are some highlights from 2024.
Provided scholarships to 19 students – this is our largest cohort to date!
14 secondary students – 7 girls & 7 boys at two community schools, including one recent graduate
5 tertiary students - all of them women and first-generation college students
Provided new uniforms, shoes, solar lanterns, underwear, belts, and bedding to the beneficiaries.
Donated 50 boxes of sanitary napkins ($800 value).
Donated 2 large boxes of textbooks for NEF students at Busijo & Bujwang’a Secondary Schools to help with their studies ($500 value).
8 male students received new belts and underwear to help them feel put together and confident in school.
Most needy students received new beddings to help with a good night’s sleep.
Sponsored and organized 2 all-day student workshops facilitated by Kenyan professionals, reaching over 1,540 youth, as well as teachers and administrators. The workshop sessions covered reproductive health and sex education, conflict, anger and anxiety management and goal-setting.
We conducted a successful workshop feedback survey to understand how we can improve the future workshops and other topics they would like to explore.
Facilitated quarterly goal-setting sessions and academic progress check-in meetings with the NEF scholarship students, their parents/guardians and the school advisory committees.
Provided one-on-one guidance to first-generation college/ university-bound students.
Provided financial compensation to members of the School Advisory Committee as tokens of appreciation for their support in implementing the NEF scholarship program.
Supported two part-time Kenyan staff.
Organized two successful fundraisers: the Backyard Boba Party in June 2024, which raised $2,009, and Giving Tuesday on December 4, which kicked off the end-of-year fundraising campaign for NEF and raised a total of $8,002.
The NEF secondary students carried out community service activities during their holiday break to avoid idleness during the two months off and develop leadership and livelihood skills. Some worked independently and others worked in groups, even engaging their friends to form volunteer committees to plant trees, carry out chores for elderly neighbors, and clean local churches.
Feminine hygiene supplies donated by NEF.
READ THE FULL 2024 IMPACT REPORT
Annual NEF School Workshops
On July 9th and 15th, 2024 NEF hosted workshops at Bujwang`a and Busijo secondary schools to raise awareness on key issues to strengthen students’ positive school/home relationships for healthy educational pathways. The workshop topics identified by the schools included: goal setting, conflict/anger/anxiety management, boy/girl relationships, and human sexuality development. Teaching youth about their health and relational issues are recognized as central to attaining, sustaining, and accelerating progress on universal access to education.
Student participation was high, more so for Bujwang`a Secondary School where 1,463 students were in attendance, for a 98% turnout rate. Busijo Secondary School had 154 students in attendance, for a turnout rate of 54%. Attendees characterized the workshop as very successful. They were very satisfied with the workshop speakers and the topics discussed. Attendees also noted increased awareness and knowledge gains as a result of the workshop topics presented. Ninety-seven percent (97%) of the attendees said that they will apply what they learned from the speakers. They also noted that the speakers and their presentations were outstanding, inspiring and educational. Furthermore, 88% of the participants agreed that the workshop attendees were very motivated, and the speakers were very interactive. Attendees gave recommendations for improving future workshops by providing more time and expert trainers, and additional topics to be covered in the coming workshops. They asked NEF to conduct at least two workshops (per school) annually.
The principal of Busijo had this to say about the workshop: “It was keenly and precisely organized, the topics addressed were relative and very educative. I liked the interactive format.”
READ the workshop report and the student feedback survey results.
Student Community Service Activities
The NEF secondary students carried out community service activities during their school vacation to avoid idleness during the 2-month break and develop leadership and livelihood skills. Some worked independently and others worked in groups, even engaging their friends to form volunteer committees to plant trees and carry out chores for elderly neighbors. The students faced questioning from people when they asked if they could help. People wondered if they were joking or looking for problems in the community, had come to steal from them, or were child laborers looking for money. However, most people were grateful, and some offered the students porridge and tea as thanks for their assistance.
Although the students faced some challenges, their feedback was mostly positive. They said they learned a lot about teamwork, hard work, taking initiative, how to communicate with people, the importance of unity and togetherness, and the value of interacting with different people in their community, especially older people who can pass on their knowledge and stories.
“In the activity that I engaged in during the holiday, I have also learned that working together as a team promotes unity in the society. We interacted with many people in the village, and we have learned so much from them. I have also learned that in life today unity is an important tool in society and in my future life. We plan to continue the activities to help the needy during school breaks.”
(Photo provided by NEF beneficiary with permission, Nov-Dec 2024.)
