eduKenya
Educate. Empower. Transform.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Mathare lies three miles east of Nairobi’s central business district. From very low-income high rise apartments to makeshift homes built from mud, tin or wood scraps, Mathare is home to over 600,000 people in an area measuring roughly 3.5 square miles. With an average income of well below $2 per day, many of the people living in Mathare struggle to make ends meet. Many children live in single parent households or are orphans living with extended family. There are currently only four public schools serving Mathare which means that a large portion of the school age population does not have adequate access to educational opportunities. Even those that do have the chance to go to the public schools receive an insufficient education due to overcrowding and limited resources. During the school day, outside or wandering the streets, which makes them vulnerable to gang recruitment, trafficking, prostitution and rape at an early age. This leads to a lack of opportunity and poverty.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Education Program
We focus on academic excellence and character development - both of which are measurable. We develop schools through partnerships with local churches in the Mathare Slum of Nairobi, Kenya.
We hire purpose driven teachers who are committed to the transformation process for our students, placing value on academic growth and character development.
We track our academic and character development progress through transformation milestones, which are broken down at each grade level.
Unlike the traditional view that has a heavy emphasis on exam results, we view education through the lens of value added: through academic progress, a practical skill gained and character development.
Community Sustainability
We focus on providing opportunity, not forcing anyone to do anything. We create specific programs that can potentially lead to sustainable community and family development.
We do our best to reflect the extravagance of Christ's gift on the cross by offering unique opportunities. We do not make anyone pursue education or gain a skill, but they make the decision to do so.
We provide skill training for parents and community members. Our community Sustainability programs include making garments, bags and household accessories; fabric design, hairdressing and soap making. We hope to establish a designer bag business, as well as develop co-ops and other small businesses started by individuals who have gone through our training programs.
Where we work
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
eduKenya is an organization built on the belief that life can be radically different for children and families living in abject poverty in the Mathare Slum of Nairobi, Kenya. It is a movement that seeks to provide sustainable opportunities for children and families through formal education, skill training, and local investment. The foundation of eduKenya is the holistic education of children, utilizing a challenging curriculum, experiential opportunities, and mentoring, while emphasizing character development. Our vision is for all children and their families in Mathare to experience freedom and fullness of life through Christ-centered economic, social and spiritual transformation.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1) Education that focuses on academic excellence and character development - both of which are measurable.
2) Opportunity by offering specific skill and business training programs that lead to sustainable family and community development.
3) Self-Sustainability by pursuing a Kenyan organization that is both financially and operationally independent.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What are your organization's capabilities for doing this?
1. A diverse Board with members that bring a unique skill set and perspective made up of both Kenyans and Americans.
2. In Kenya, there is an all Kenyan staff that receive non-interest loans, so that they are able to continue their education, and share their knowledge with the students and families in Mathare. In the United States, we have a small, but effective staff to manage development and accounting in the US.
3. As our organization has grown, evaluation is key towards achieving our goals. We have developed 7 Transformation Milestones which are currently being implemented throughout our learning culture to help us define ‘transformation’ and qualitatively measure our impact in the lives of our students and their families. These include: Christ-Centered, Empowered, Self-Control, Positive Change Agent, Open Minded Worldview, Grounded in Truth, Physical Wellness and Graduation https://www.edukenya.org/work/7-transformation-milestones
4. In Kenya, we have invested in rental properties to generate income, pursue fundraising opportunities, and continue to invest our donations into long term sustainable income.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Accomplishments:
1.Developed a full pre-primary, primary and high school.
2. 8th grade exam average falls in the top 23% of students nationally with over a million people taking the exam.
3. Our high school students’ national exam resulted in 60% of our students automatically qualifying for four year universities, 35% qualifying for a two year program and 95% scoring in top 39% nationally.
4. Developed a Senior Leadership Program that helps high school seniors grow in confidence, teamwork and leadership outside of the classroom.
5. Evidence of our students character development in how they care for their classmates. For example, The Class of 2019 raising money as a class to pay for one of their classmate’s father’s funeral.
6. The development of the Transformational Milestones so students are able to succeed and we can measure their success.
Whats next:
1. Building a boarding school with facilities that will serve our students both academically and extracurricularly.
2. To continue our sustainability and investment opportunities to support the schools financially.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We operate in an informal settlement with sporadic communication.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
eduKenya
Board of directorsas of 05/01/2024
Pete Zimmerman
Retired - Global Logistics Manager, John Deere
Term: 2017 - 2024
Stephen Gould
Retired Owner, Gould Financial Services
Luke Michael
Co-Owner/Wealth Management Advisor, Gould Financial
Adam Gould
Co-Founder/Executive Director, eduKenya
Eric Mirangi
Mary Ochieng
Professor at Strathmore University
Caroline Omondi
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 05/01/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.