In Kenya there are hundreds of thousands of children who have lost one or both parents. There are neither the facilities nor the social infrastructure to cope. Instead already overburdened families take these children into their homes. Sometimes the eldest child takes on the responsibilities for the youngest.

The child sponsorship programme enables UK based families to take an active role in the future success of a Kenyan child. This support greatly improves the chances for the child to become a successful, active and contributing member of the community. A child that finishes their primary education has a future and need not face a lifetime of scavenging on the streets. He or she is also less than half as likely to contract HIV. Education is one of the best weapons in the fight against AIDS.

But primary education is not the end of the story. Our original thinking had been to sponsor children through primary school which in Kenya is completed at age 15 or 16. However, when you see a child develop over time, suddenly they aren’t just a name on a piece of paper, they become real people with potential and a future ahead of them; yet the only thing that they have had to rely on is the regular support that Footsteps Sponsors provide. See this against the situation in Kenya which has huge levels of youth unemployment.  There are no investment banks willing to give credits to these young people to start small businesses and in any case there’d be no assets to secure such loans against. So what is a child to do at the end of his or her primary schooling?

With these issues in mind our sponsorship programme has changed over time to reflect the needs of the community; now children who achieve more than 50% in their final Primary school exams and so have an offer of a place in Secondary school, will be able to accept that place with the support of the Footsteps programme.
But it’s not finished there; the same question arises at the end of Secondary school.  It’s not as if suddenly, you reach the age of 18 and a wide range of job opportunities opens up. For example, this year, two young men, Nicholas and Tyson, have finished Secondary school with good grades and a desire to work in community development.  During our visit to Kenya in July we spoke to Nicholas and Tyson about their experience on the sponsorship programme. Both are charming young men and it is clear from talking to them that Footsteps has transformed their lives and prospects. However if Footsteps pulls out now their futures are more uncertain, whereas three years of higher education should give them the final push they need to make it on their own two feet and give something back to their community.

If the Footsteps sponsorship programme can help them become productive members of their society, then they will repay our investment many times over. Now, that’s a sponsorship programme worth supporting!

how to sponsor a child

To initiate the process, please contact Suzanne@Footstepsuk.org