Bringing lunch to more students in Northern Kenya

April 30, 2026 by Kenya Kids Can

Six years ago, at the request of friends living in Northern Kenya, we started an emergency lunch program for a pair of schools edging the Chalbi desert.

Northern Kenya has a severe and rugged beauty: volcanic rock alternating with vast swaths of sand and soil bleached the color of sun.

This part of the country is fully arid, an amplified version of the hunger and heat we’re familiar with at our schools in the south. In 2023, we...

A year of growth and promises kept

December 30, 2025 by Kenya Kids Can

What a tender, miraculous year.

When we found out that several thousand ninth graders would join our program in January, we were thrilled about this additional year of learning and nutrition for our students. And we admit: It was a little daunting to consider how we’d feed almost 3,000 more children every day.

As it turns out, we needn’t have worried.

So many of you showed up with your extravagant kindness and helped us nurture our students the entire year.

...

What our students are thankful for

November 28, 2025 by Kenya Kids Can

Recently, we asked some of our Kenyan students what they’re thankful for.

Here are a few things they shared:

“Thank you for our cook, Mrs. Wagaturi.”

“My mother, my father, my sister — they are alive.”

Not only did these responses give us a glimpse into our students’ lives, they also expanded our own thankfulness as we considered blessings we had overlooked.

As you listen to their answers in this video, we hope you get...

Nourishing Dreams

September 1, 2025 by Nicole Owens

No matter where they live in this world, every child has a dream. Turning that dream into a living, vibrant future depends on a few essential elements: Nutrition. Health. Education. Belief.

Take a look at how your partnership is helping our students thrive and dream.

At Kenya Kids Can, we’ve seen firsthand how daily school lunches and computer classes form the foundation on which our students build their hopes for the future.

We invite you...

A new milestone

June 25, 2025 by Kenya Kids Can

Friends of KKC,

Meet Joseph, one of the 2,875 students who joined the KKC program this year.

In January, Kenya added ninth grade to its junior high program. Students in rural areas often don’t make the transition from junior high to high school, so this move enables tens of thousands of students to attend school for another year. Joseph is a perfect example of this: He’s a middle child with several older siblings, yet he’s the first in...

In the span of a year

December 31, 2024 by Nicole Owens

As we ring in the new year at Kenya Kids Can, we’re welcoming several thousand ninth-grade students to our school lunch program.

Many girls and students from poorer communities stop attending school once they’ve completed 8th grade – the end of their primary education. In response to this reality, Kenya is shifting Grade 9 from high school to upper primary school.

We’re thrilled about this change. For our KKC students,...

A walk to school

July 2, 2024 by Nicole Owens

Daybreak
We arrive at Nathan’s house at dawn, just as the sky is growing bright around the edges. When his dad comes out to greet us, we learn that Nathan isn’t home – he’s across the field at the neighbors’ house milking cows and working through the morning chores.

This arrangement helps everyone involved: Nathan earns money for school fees, and the neighbors, well along in years, benefit from his youthful capability.

6:18 am
When Nathan comes jogging toward us, he’s smiling but visibly...

A headteacher’s fight for her students

May 20, 2024 by Kenya Kids Can

A few years ago, the Kenyan government sent five headteachers to schools in rural Kajiado county. Most of the county is an open expanse of scrub and water-stressed earth. It’s a challenging place to staff due to the difficult living conditions.

Of the five headteachers, only one stayed: Headteacher Mary Silole.

Listen to Headteacher Silole share about Soitamurt Primary School and her drive to secure food for her students.

Since the KKC school lunch program started at Soitamurt, we’ve seen enrollment rise, truancy...

Stories from the Field

Stories
from the Field