Kuunga Mkono
Our Story
The first 8 years of education in Kenya is free for all children, but if they wish to complete their secondary school education, they need to fund it themselves. Even though most public Kenyan schools cost only 1.3 US dollars per day, the average salary for a worker in Kenya is around 2.53 dollars a day. The average Kenyan woman has four children. How is a family supposed to provide for their children’s education, health, and nutrition on such a low salary?
We realise, being kids ourselves, the importance of education. Not every child is provided with the same opportunity as we are to learn. It is even more challenging when health gets in the way. Education is one factor in breaking the cycle of poverty and Meraki Giving wants to ensure that sick children can focus on getting healthy, while we focus on helping provide them with an opportunity to continue learning. 100 % of the money donated to this initiative will go to building and outfitting Kuunga Mkono. Your generosity will have a positive impact on the future of each and every one of these kids currently at the hospital.
The purpose of the hospital is to focus on health, education, and empowerment in order to help the children survive and thrive. The hospital staff like to say that their sole reason for being, is to enable the children in their care to take big steps forward. We all understand the importance of empowering young girls to go to school, and to make sure no child is left behind. That's where we come in.
Kuunga Mkono
Meet the Patients
These are some of the Patients that were in the Kuunga Mkono Hospital
Lavinah
14 Months Old
This is Lavinah from Nakuru, Kenya. She is 14-months old. After five harrowing treatments of Chemo, she was supposed to go into surgery, January 16th. The CT Scan had revealed a 35% reduction of her tumor! No child, especially one as young as she, deserves this pain. Her mother, Carol, dropped out of university when Lavinah got sick and they have both been living in the Oncology ward at the Shoe4Africa Children's Hospital. Carol is cheerful and optimistic. She is an example of the strength and resilience demonstrated every day at the hospital. Lavinah and her mother are just one example of why building this school is so important. The school will host a series of workshops, educational programs and seminars for the parents of the children at the hospital.
Grandma Jane and Alex
7 Years Old
Grandma Jane walked in to find Alex severely burnt from his neck down to the rest of the body. Dr John Chumba, one of Shoe4Africa’s doctors, tell us it’s a miracle he is alive. Alex is now in a wheelchair unable to stand because of the severity of his burns. Grandma Jane lights up with a smile at the end of her story and says, ‘Look, we are here at the hospital with beds, three very good meals and doctors to treat Alex’. Without Shoe4Africa Public Children’s Hospital, there would be so many tragic ends to sad stories like Alex and his family. The social workers in the hospital are working with Grandma Jane to make sure her situation changes now, as Alex is on the mend! They have also found Grandma Jane a job at their Women’s Empowerment Projects.
Purity
3 Years Old
Purity was born with a rare condition. She was born without a nasal bone and without part of her nasal cartilage. The doctors said that there was a massive amount of fluid sitting in the gap and flowing into areas that were causing damage in Purity’s head. Naturally what should have happened would be a formation of cartilage between the tip of her nose to her brow bone to take the place of the nasal bone.
Purity was taken to several hospitals and she had episodes of unconsciousness and excruciating head pain. Each hospital visit was all in vain. Arriving at the Shoe4Africa Public Children’s Hospital was Purity’s mother’s very last option. Her mother had no more money to travel to yet another hospital.
Once Purity arrived at the hospital she was triaged in no time and wheeled into surgery. When she arrived she had been unconscious for a dangerous amount of time. The fluid was drained and preparations for subsequent surgeries were underway to build her nasal bridge and reconstruct Purity’s face.
Design process
Designing Kuunga Mkono a profound understanding of the needs of the patients recovering at S4A Children's Hospital. These children are living with physical limitations, depleted energy, side effects from medication, bacterial infections, compromised immune systems, etc. We learned how difficult it is for students to learn while they are sick. We wanted the school to have natural light, an energetic and calming vibe, and to be an empowering experience for everyone.
The school
Designing Kuunga Mkono a profound understanding of the needs of the patients recovering at S4A Children's Hospital. These children are living with physical limitations, depleted energy, side effects from medication, bacterial infections, compromised immune systems, etc. We learned how difficult it is for students to learn while they are sick. We wanted the school to have natural light, an energetic and calming vibe, and to be an empowering experience for everyone.
Design Philosophy
Designing Kuunga Mkono a profound understanding of the needs of the patients recovering at S4A Children's Hospital. These children are living with physical limitations, depleted energy, side effects from medication, bacterial infections, compromised immune systems, etc. We learned how difficult it is for students to learn while they are sick. We wanted the school to have natural light, an energetic and calming vibe, and to be an empowering experience for everyone.