Dear Friends,
As I sit down to write this letter in March 2020, we are in the thick of uncertainty, watching the global COVID-19 pandemic unfold around us. But as I start to write, and reflect back on 2019, I can’t help but be immensely grateful when I think of all the ways you blessed TKP in 2019.
The way you showed up for TKP students in 2019 helped us add three water wells to our campuses, brought healthy meals and clean water to an even greater number of students, allowed us to celebrate eighth-grade graduation at two campuses, and encouraged us to find creative ways to use our Kenyan farms and revenue projects to support all schools.
Your faithful partnership, love and prayers continue to bring education and transformation to rural Kenya. Here are a few highlights from 2019:
CLEAN WATER ADDED TO THREE CAMPUSES: 2019 was the year of new, clean water wells at our Oloowang, Oloturot and Nentekeny campuses. These sites serve both preschool and primary school students. Private donors, church partners, and foundations all came together to make these three wells a reality for the 525 students who call these campuses home.
Besides the obvious benefit of clean drinking water for our students, the on-campus access helps ensure the safety and productivity of our amazing cooks who previously walked much further to gather water daily. Access to water is transformational for communities in rural Kenya, and we’re grateful that you provided for our students this year.
INAUGURAL OLTIKAMPU GRADUATION: In September, Oltikampu eighth graders joined their classmates at Intimigom for one of our largest graduations to date—49 students across both campuses. During the beautiful graduation ceremonies, I’m always touched by the pride I see in the parents’ eyes. Parents take the day off work and come with gifts of shiny tinsel leis and messages of congratulations on printed placards. And, with tears of pride in their eyes they celebrate their children and their immense accomplishments all day. TKP graduates once again boasted a 100 percent enrollment in high school—amazing for an area where 60 percent of public school students fail to qualify for high school.
DIVERSE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES: We continue to invest in our in-country revenue generating programs, which now includes: eucalyptus tree farms and seedling nursery, a plowing and hauling business, egg production, and farming of beans, maize and cabbages. We’re beginning to pivot more of our food and egg production to directly support the school meal program (two meals per day, per student) where it can have the most impact, versus selling it in town. Additionally, our farmers and tractor drivers continue to effectively manage our land and hire the tractor out for income generating jobs to support the schools.
All of this—the wells, graduations, and preschool-to-eighth-grade students learning every day—would not be possible without your years of faithful partnership. Asante sana!
Read the full 2019 Impact Report to see how we stewarded your generous gifts in 2019.
With gratitude,
Caren McNelly McCormack
President & Co-founder, The Kilgoris Project