EAST AFRICA CHILDREN'S PROJECT
"Registered Charity in England and Wales 1136340"
East Africa Children’s Project aims to change the future of disadvantaged children.
WHAT WE DO
We are a drop in the ocean but every drop helps.
We empower deprived children in East Africa to escape debilitating and persistent poverty through education, training and health awareness. Working together with our local long-term trusted partners, who are passionate community leaders, we draw on their initiative and knowledge to improve the life prospects of very poor children. By cultivating a sense of ownership, as well as promoting accountability and responsibility, we seek to achieve real long-term sustained change.
EACP is run by volunteers so 95% of funding goes direct to our projects. All project spending is fully accounted for with receipts and pictures, and we aim to visit all partners every 3-years. We are evidence-based, believe in consistently improving, and through monitoring and long-term evaluation, we aim to maximise the impact of our work.
“Feeding minds to nurture change”
"Registered Charity in England and Wales 1136340"
Charity Organisation · Nonprofit Organization · "Registered Charity in England and Wales 1136340"
NEWS
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IMPORTANT NEWS UPDATE.
EACP wish to note that our partners Bulogo Primary School and Bulogo Women’s Group, which are both located in Eastern Uganda, have not met EACP reporting criteria. The Trustees have been unable to obtain satisfactory evidence that grants made to these organisations have been properly applied, and all funding for these two organisations has ceased. Relevant third parties, including the Charity Commission, have been informed.
APRIL 2023: New Partnership
EACP has approved Rossholme Primary School as a new partner. Rossholme is located in the Kiambiu slum district of Nairobi and its primary aim is to get slum children, who live on the street, into school and providing them with education and skills and hope for the future.
Feb 2023: Post Covid Cost-of-Living Crisis
In 2023 East Africa, along with other developing nations, has experienced a socially damaging cost-of-living crisis as food and energy prices have soared. It has been particularly challenging for three primary schools we support as they are also home for around 180 abandoned orphans or children in care, who have suffered abuse. To get children through this crisis we are supporting children to get one nutritious school meal a day of maize, rice, and beans, grown by local farmers, which costs around £9 per child for a month, providing energy and promoting concentration.
Jan 2023: Solar Lighting at 3 schools
Global warming disproportionately impacts poor rural communities in East Africa. Most of our schools do not have access to mains electricity. Solar lighting is great for both schools and families. Some of the many benefits include: increased evening study time of 1-3 hours especially in winter; increased productivity of children and staff; health and wellbeing benefits from reduced kerosene use; cost savings; and better safety and security from fire, animals, and snake bites at home and in the school compound.
December 2022: School Uniforms
During Covid children in East Africa children missed up to 2-years of schooling. During this period many older uniforms have been outgrown or become very worn as uniforms are also used outside school as many children come from very deprived families with very limited budgets for clothing. To support school attendance EACP are supporting three schools to provide 600 children with simple, locally made, school uniforms. The wearing of school uniforms remains a strong cultural norm in the region and children who do not have access to uniforms face stigmatisation and are discouraged from attending school.
September 2022: Class Learning Materials
Each year EACP support the purchase of new class materials to supplement existing limited stocks of school books to promote more effective learning in class. Each year our supported schools significantly improve child attainment, and many more children reach the grades to progress to secondary school.
April 2022. New boreholes.
To improve community access to clean safe water we have supported three new borehole projects at Bugondha, Kimenyulo, and Nababirye Primary Schools, in Kamuli, Uganda and refurbished the existing well at Joy School in Nairobi. This will reduce disease and illness and massively improve health outcomes for both children and the community.
March 2022: Access to Education
Many children with disabilities in Uganda don't attend school because of stygma surrounding disability, inadequate facilities and lack of trained staff. EACP provided 10 wheelchairs and support to enable 10 children with physical disabilities to make it easier to attend school and to receive a full education, learn life skills and reach their full potential. In 2022 we also supported Let The Children Hear, a child hearing loss UK charity working in Kampala, to train local audiologists to support around 650 children with their speech and hearing.
November 2021 New Classroom Block at Faith School
A new 4-classroom school block at Faith Primary School in Busia, in rural eastern Uganda, is now complete. This new block represents a major improvement on their old poorly-built rooms with earth floors, often infested with dust mites and infectious 'jigger' fleas, and no doors or window protection to keep out wind and rain. Faith has seen a significant improvement in student learning outcomes and exam performance since becoming an EACP partner school
BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
November 2021
The new dormitory block with bunk beds for 60 young girls aged 4-13 living at Joy Children’s Centre (Nairobi, Kenya) is now fully completed. Joy is a community-funded primary school for 300 deprived children, and also home to around 80-90 orphaned, abandoned, or abused children. In the new dorm girls are much happier, and their learning and school attainment has improved. More importantly, these girls are safe and not at risk of abuse, domestic violence or living on the streets. The girls’ washroom block, linked to the new dorm, was also completed. This comprises 6 functional shower-toilet cubicles, and a clothes washing area. Joy has been an EACP partner since 2010 and EACP Trustees regularly inspect the Centre. On our last visit in June 2019 we were again highly impressed with the provision, and the care and support provided to children living there, despite very limited resources.
Bologo Primary School (650 pupils), our long-term partner, based in a poor district in eastern Uganda, have 40 new, well- designed 3-seater desks that are vital for child learning. Classrooms are now filled with amazing, bright, child friendly desks. “Sitting on the brick floor always made my uniform dirty and gave me cramped legs. My handwriting was poor because writing while squatting was not easy. I love my new comfortable bench. It even has storage where I keep my books during the break and lunch time,” Sarah Ataliba, Primary 4. “Giving our students these wonderful desks, where they can easily write and learn, is a big achievement helping eager young students in our school,’’ Moses Kirunda, teacher.
New 4-classroom school block - With partner Faith Primary School in Busia, rural Uganda, a major renovation of a 4-classroom block to improve children’s learning and their future, is near completion. This new block represents a major improvement on their old poorly-built rooms with earth floors, often infested with dust mites and infectious 'jigger' fleas, and no doors or window protection to keep out wind and rain. Eco-brick toilet – A large London school is now a partner supporting Bulogo School to build a new eco- brick toilet block. Eco-bricks are made from recycled local plastic waste, including bottles. This process helps deal with plastic waste in villages while providing essential new toilets and better washing facilities which improve hygiene, child health and wellbeing.
School Attendance and Street Children – School tuition costs are state supported in East Africa, but families still have to pay for additional school fees, uniforms, stationery and books. For example it costs around £75 to equip a child for secondary school. This can be a real challenge for very deprived families. In January 2021 we assisted 88 deprived orphan children living in the community with uniforms to attend primary school and 9 children to take up hard won places at secondary school by purchasing school uniforms and textbooks including maths, English, and science. These children have been monitored and mentored from a very early age by HRCO, our community development partner since 2013, based in Musoma, Tanzania.
October 2021
EACP help to support the provision of mosquito nets for around 300 orphaned and abused children who sleep in our partner school dormitories with the aim of reducing their risk of malaria and other infection, especially during the rainy season. Treated mosquito nets typically last around 2 years and need to be replaced regularly. This approximates to around 150 per year on an annual cycle of renewal with our partner organisations. Treated bed nets are thought to be responsible for the lion’s share of the reduction in malaria cases worldwide since 2000. In 2018, there were 228 million malaria cases that led to 405,000 deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
June 2020
At The Hope Revival Centre We have recently delivered much needed mosquito nets for the children and their families.
Solar lamps £10-£30. Families in East Africa spend up to a quarter of their weekly earnings on kerosene. Kerosene lamps are dangerous, expensive, and have serious adverse health and environmental effects (WHO, 2020). £10 will buy a study lamp for a child while a larger lamp (£30) will light a whole family room. Solar lighting brings people together and makes them feel safe after the sun sets. We are looking to raise around £500 to provide essential lighting for deprived children and families
New 4-classroom school block - £1,700. With our long-term partner school in Busia, rural Uganda, we hope to support them to build a new 4-classroom block to improve children’s learning and their future. This block represents a major improvement on their current poorly built rooms with earth floors, often infested with dust mites, and no doors to keep out wind and rain.
Getting street kids into school - £75. The real cost of clothing, stationery and books means that very deprived families are often unable to afford to send their children to school, even if tuition is free. These costs can also overshadow the benefits of getting a hard won place at Secondary School - especially for girls. £75 will get a child from a derived family into school.
Each of our current projects cost between £75 and £1,700 and offer a high benefit to cost ratio. A financial contribution from The Belacqua Charitable Trust would help us deliver sustained change. Donations may be made by cheque or via a secure link (Virgin Money Giving) here on our website - Simply click on any donate button
SUSTAINABILITY
We help people help themselves wherever possible. We try to implement projects that are both beneficial and sustainable. We fund solar lights to replace harmful Kerosene lamps and help create biogas cooking facilities. We raise money for the building of sanitation facilities and rain harvesting systems. We help fund boreholes, wells, and water filters to deliver homes with cleaner water. We fund sewing projects to enable women and families to earn vital income producing school uniforms and to make and mend their own clothes.
TWIN YOUR SCHOOL
By twinning our projects with schools we can create long lasting relationships between different cultures and encourage friendship and understanding.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
East Africa Children's Project offers Volunteer Opportunities. Helping out in East Africa or fundraising here in the UK. See how you can make a real difference by contacting us. We are small, friendly and always in need of extra hands!
EDUCATION
We help equip local schools with classrooms, books, laptops, bedding and school uniforms to help with their education. We fund sanitary towel supplies to keep girls in school.
SOME OF OUR PARTNER SCHOOLS
We support small, manageable projects in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda that produce real tangible outcomes for children in need. Working with our local partners, and drawing on their local knowledge, we invest in much needed projects that will have an important and immediate impact. These include getting children who live on the streets into school, overcoming barriers like a lack of school clothing, investing in learning materials and classrooms, and providing safe-water and improved sanitation. We also support children by investing in families and communities through training, work and health awareness. We are confident that this holistic approach produces sustained long-term benefits.
JOY CHILDREN'S CENTRE
Joy Children’s Centre was founded by Sarah Waithaka in 2004 and began life with just a handful of children. Sarah had a very deprived childhood and had to overcome many challenges to complete her education. She qualified as a teacher and her first post was in a school based in the slums of Nairobi. During these early years she became aware of the desperate need to provide quality education. With the help of friends, supporters and colleagues she established Joy School, supported by the School Board and the local community. From these humble beginnings the School now offers baby, pre-school and primary education to over 300 children and is home to around 80 vulnerable or orphaned children, including abandoned babies left at the school gate or who come to the school having suffered significant abuse.
Since 2012 EACP has supported Joy to deliver its mission of providing quality education and support to very deprived and orphaned children. Some children who came to Joy as babies have now completed their school and college education and some work today part-time in the school. We have supported Joy by funding 3 teachers, learning materials, dormitory and washing blocks for orphaned boys and girls, improved sanitation, and new classrooms. We have also supported academically able Joy children to progress to High School and College. In Jan 2023 Joy embarked on a new expansion phase to provide junior secondary education to children at the school and the wider community, as provision is severely lacking in the district. Many children leave school after completing primary education in Kenya, and secondary education is selective, based on school exams.
FAITH PRIMARY SCHOOL
Faith Primary School is a rural community school in Busia which is in the Bukedi region in eastern Uganda, close to the Kenya border, and just north of Lake Victoria. The school was established in 2012 by the local community using 2 rented rooms to provide schooling for a large number of children who were unable to attend the few government aided schools in the local region. The school has since expanded and offers full nursery (N1-3) and primary education (P1-P7) to around 280 children aged from 3 up to around age 13.
The school educates children who are some of the most deprived in a very deprived region. While the school faces significant challenges it produces excellent educational outcomes, given its very limited resources. Children achieve good final grades and a high proportion progress to secondary school compared to the regional average. The school receives good overall school inspection reports from the Uganda education authority and is currently awarded Grade II, the middle grade. We have been working with the school to further improve learning and teaching and to invest in school buildings which were considered sub-standard.
ROSSHOLME PRIMARY SCHOOL
Kiambiu Slum District, Nairobi, Kenya.
Rossholme School was established by Joyce Aruga. Joyce struggled to complete her primary schooling as she was blighted by severe family poverty. She was able to continue her secondary education by living and working as a house girl for a family. However, the financial struggle was so great that she dropped out of school. In 2005 she was accepted by Tumaini Children's Home – who paid all her secondary School fees. Being a very successful student, she was then sponsored to complete her school teaching certificate at the Presbyterian Teachers College (Chogoria) in 2009. After graduating, she taught in 2 schools in Mathare – the second largest slum in Nairobi. In 2013, she attended the BBC’s 100 Women Conference in London and after impressing delegates received support to establish Rossholme School in 2016, which is located in the Kiambiu slum district of Nairobi. The school’s goal is to get children off the streets and into school and to raise the educational standard of children living in the slum. Rossholme school has grown from 6 children to around 410 students enrolled in the school this year. They range from age 3 to around 11 years. The school now offers a Play Group, Middle Class, Pre-Unit Class, and Grades 1-6.
Rossholme is a recent approved partner of EACP and we are working with Rossholme to improve the infrastructure of the school and develop learning and teaching to improve the very poor outcomes of childing living in the Nairobi slums
Our Trustees And Volunteers
We are a small organisation run entirely by volunteers without renumeration. Our aim is to give disadvantaged children and the communities they live in a fair chance in life. We try to achieve this by supporting locally managed projects that care directly or indirectly for their education, health and well being.
Pieter Lagaay founded the East Africa Children’s Project with the help of a few friends. It began as a small, local initiative by a few enthusiastic volunteers. Because of their dedication, it has now attracted the support of a broader platform within Brighton, from individuals to schools and entrepreneurs. Their contributions have enabled us in reaching out to make a difference to communities on the other side of the world.
PIETER LAGAAY
Trustee And Chairman
Pieter is the founder and chief fundraiser for the charity. Through a lifelong career teaching children with special needs, he is passionate about improving their lives. After volunteering for other charities that work in Kenya and Tanzania, he decided his work could be more effective by founding his own charity.
Pieter has lived in Brighton for many years. His hobbies include photography, golf, fishing and managing an allotment where he grows his own vegetables. He is married with four adult children.
JENNIE LAWES
Trustee And Secretary
Jennie is the charity’s secretary. Apart from organising our monthly meetings, she also assists in tackling daily issues and producing our quarterly newsletter. With professional experience in blue chip companies, charities and public sector (most recently in the NHS), Jennie brings years of experience in business analysis to the charity.
ROS STOW
Trustee And Treasurer
Ros has been the treasurer for the charity since it was founded. She looks after the finances and takes an active role in the decision making and planning. Ros is an accountant by profession, currently working in audit regulation. She has lived in Brighton since 1996 and has two grown up children. Ros is a keen runner and loves to travel (when possible).
MARTIN SADOFSKI
Trustee - Marketing and communications
Martin is originally from Bradford and has lived in Brighton since 2009 with his wife Nicky and his two young daughters and crazy dog. He joined the charity to mainly manage their social media, online marketing and run the website. When not busy with a hectic family life he likes to sing and write songs for his band Fever Hut.
BARRY HARPER
Secretary to the Trustees
Barry is secretary to the Trustees and supports the charity on day-to-day operations, fundraising and project management. He is an academic economist and has held teaching, research, and management posts in UK and US universities. Barry has lived in Brighton since 1992 with his wife Jo, and they have two grown-up boys. Barry is a keen tennis player and hill-walker, and likes to cook for friends.
PAIGE RUMBLE
Treasurer
Paige has been the treasurer for the charity since April 2022, following years of good work from Ros. Paige is a chartered accountant and freelance forensic accountant and fraud investigator. She has lived in Surbiton since 2002 and loves theatre, travel and trawling auction sites for antique oil paintings to restore.
CONTACT US
Get in touch with East Africa Children's Project to discover more about our work and how to donate. We thank you for your support.
2 Eastfield Crescent Brighton United Kingdom BN1 8EL
01273 541582