Learn more about how FOLKS makes a difference
Food for Life
Nutrition Program
Food for Life Nutritional Program is a project we started in 2017 to ensure that vulnerable children such as orphans and children living with terminally ill guardians do not struggle with malnutrition. Since its inception, the organization has served 150,000 meals to the children within the slums of Kibera.
How you can help
- $10 will provide one hot meal for a family of seven
- $20 will provide two hot meals for a family of seven
- $50 will feed 100 children a hot lunch
- $75 will feed 100 children for both lunch and dinner
- $100 will feed 200 children a hot lunch
These donations can be made as a one-time donation, monthly, or quarterly through PayPal.
Education Support Project
Our organization firmly believes in the transformative power of education within our community. This belief has driven us to provide financial support for 30 students to go to school. With continued generous support, we aim to increase the number of fully sponsored students by at least 100 over the next five years. A donation of $600 annually per child is needed for full sponsorship, covering tuition, school meals, stationery, shoes, and uniforms. Our educational support project significantly reduces dropout rates. Moreover, it has contributed to the overall improvement in classroom performance. Overall, education serves as a protective sanctuary for children, shielding them from abuse and criminal activities.
How you can help
- $50 a month will send a child to school for a full year; this includes their tuition, school meals, stationery, shoes, and uniforms
- $300 will provide school shoes for 30 children
The Water and Sanitation project
Our community, home to nearly 35,000 households, is situated on the border between the Kibera and Langata communities and was the last to be established within the Kibera slums. This meant that our project’s immediate beneficiaries lacked access to clean water and sanitation facilities. Often, residents resorted to using ‘flying toilets’ and had to travel long distances to collect water, despite the main water pipeline running through the village. However, thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we have managed to supply our center with water, providing community members with access to clean water at a reasonable cost. Additionally, we have constructed permanent toilets and showers that utilize this water, now in use by the community members.
The “Best Life for Girls” Empowerment Program
To date, our center and various schools have mentored 500 girls, sharing skills in self-defense, reporting rape, and addressing other gender-based violence issues. We have also distributed 1,500 sanitary towels to ensure girls are comfortable attending school. Girls in our Kibera community are particularly vulnerable. The COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 exacerbated this, as school closures and economic hardships took their toll. A 2021 report by the Executive Office of the President and the Population Council revealed that 4% of adolescent girls became pregnant or had recently given birth, preventing their return to school. Many were victims of rape or exploitation by predatory adults. Additionally, 39% of adolescent girls suffered physical violence, bearing the scars of such gender-based violence. Despite these challenges, the girls have not given up on their educational aspirations. Our response to their ongoing struggles, including their needs for menstrual hygiene, is to provide support and a safe space. Against this backdrop, we initiated this project to mentor our girls, aiming to empower them to become the finest women they can be.
Sports in the Slums
Kibera, located in Nairobi, is the largest urban slum in Africa, housing between 500,000 to 1,000,000 people. A significant portion of Kenya’s population lives below the poverty line for various reasons. In Kibera, most residents endure extreme poverty, with incomes of less than US $1.00 per day. Friends of Love Kibera is well aware of the issues associated with poverty. Beyond addressing nutrition, education, and gender violence among children and teens, our focus extends to sports. Football is predominantly played by young boys and girls from Kibera, many of whom are from impoverished, abusive, or single-parent backgrounds. The sport provides them with direction and motivation. With football consuming much of their energy and time—sometimes up to six hours of practice a day—it leaves little room for deviance. The physical demands of the sport encourage players to avoid alcohol, drug abuse, crime, and insecurity, which are rampant in the slum. Football also gives coaches, counselors, and mentors the opportunity to engage with vulnerable youth. By involving them from a young age and nurturing their growth, football, which naturally fosters self-discipline, teamwork, and responsibility, seeks to cultivate a generation of individuals who will inspire and empower their successors.