Spotlight on the Impact of AmericaShare on Children in Africa
The main aim of AmericaShare is to change lives through education. Its main focus is helping provide an educational foundation and other opportunities to children in Mukuru, an area to the east of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. In this article, we look at AmericaShare’s history and the vital work the organization carries out in underserved communities.
The Inspiration for AmericaShare
More than 30 years ago, Lorna Macleod, an employee of Micato Safaris, was visiting a Nairobi shopping center when a little boy approached her. The child handed Lorna Macleod a piece of paper. It was a note, written by the little boy’s headmaster, explaining that the child was an orphan. To be admitted to class, he needed 700 shillings to buy a school uniform.
Lorna Macleod spoke to the little boy. It transpired that, despite his best efforts, he had only managed to raise 100 shillings so far. The boy cried when Macleod gave him 600 shillings, an amount that equates to approximately $15. “God bless you,” he said. It was in that moment that Lorna Macleod had an idea.
Macleod’s vision of bridging the gap between some of the poorest people on Earth and some of the richest inspired her to create AmericaShare. The organization provides Micato Safari guests with a unique opportunity to experience village life in Nairobi. The funds raised by this tourism enable the organization to improve prospects and opportunities for children and families living in underserved local communities.
AmericaShare’s Partnership with Micato Safaris
For more than 30 years, AmericaShare has partnered with Micato Safaris, providing vital funding for families living in the village of Mukuru, an area to the east of Nairobi. Micato guests are invited to experience firsthand the life-changing work funded by AmericaShare. It is due to the generosity of these guests and other donors that thousands of local children have been given the life-changing opportunity to attend school and making them more likely to be successful.
Driving through the village, guests are greeted enthusiastically and exposed to the realities of life in the area. Visitors broaden their horizons as a result of this unique opportunity to experience everyday life as it is lived by the majority of Kenyans. They also witness firsthand how the local community is improving its prospects.
Micato guests are invited to tour the computer center and library. There, they can meet some of AmericaShare’s dedicated staff, as well as the promising students who have benefited from the organization’s Sponsorship Program. Many Micato guests report that their visit to the Community Center was the highlight of the entire vacation.
Education in Mukuru
Many local families simply do not have the funds to consistently send their children to school. Although primary school fees are government-funded in Kenya, a myriad of hidden costs including books, uniforms, and school lunch fees prevent many Mukuru children from attending.
As a result, AmericaShare has implemented three separate programs the help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend school and benefit from the learning opportunities every child deserves. Here’s what you need to know about them:
1. Sponsorship Program
AmericaShare’s Sponsorship Program enables donors to sponsor a child’s education. Participating students attend private boarding schools in Nairobi, which provide a safe, peaceful environment to focus on their studies.
Sponsorship covers room and board, schooling fees, supplies, uniform, food, and anything else required to support the child’s learning. Sponsors are invited to communicate with students through letter writing and photos, sharing experiences across the world.
2. The Shining Star Fund
The Shining Star Fund provides high-performing students with secondary school scholarships. While the Sponsorship Program targets Mukuru’s most vulnerable children, the Shining Star Fund is based on academic merit, providing exceptional students with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.
In the Kenyan School System, when primary school ends in December, there is just a one month break before secondary school starts in January. This quick turnaround hinders many gifted students, holding them back in their education, or forcing them to attend informal schools lacking proper resources and infrastructure.
The Shining Star Fund pools donations of all sizes together, using the proceeds to support bright, capable students, providing funding as soon as it is needed. AmericaShare envisions that 100 percent of students taking part in the Shining Star initiative will go on to attend university after their schooling ends.
3. One for One Commitment
AmericaShare’s One for One Commitment supports primary school students. AmericaShare estimates that, due to onerous add-on expenses such as uniforms, approximately 62,000 children miss out on attending primary school in Mukuru. Essentially, for every safari Micato Safaris sells, the organization sends a child to primary school.
Thanks to Micato Safari’s One for One Commitment, thousands of children are now able to attend school. Countless lives have been enriched through the program. This not only benefits students and their families, but the entire local community.
How to Support AmericaShare
AmericaShare welcomes corporate and private donations in support of the organization’s operations in South Africa and Kenya. Donors may contribute as little or as much as they wish, making a one-off, monthly, or annual donations via its website. AmericaShare accepts card payments, either via its website or by telephone. As a registered 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, all pledges are tax deductible.
