They do it through grassroots organizing, tapping into local resources, and often great personal sacrifice. The Americans help by sending books [lots of them!], shelving, furniture, and supplies. American librarians provide training, hands on assistance, and advice until the Kenyans are ready to take over. Then they leave their American friends in the dust. Exactly as it should be.

AFK does not own or run schools, but our partners are phenomenal change agents who mobilize parents, introduce teachers to new possibilities, and create a sense of school pride in the poorest regions of the country. American teachers send teacher and classroom resources, hold professional development workshops, and engage in dialogue with Kenyan counterparts year round. The results are often amazing.

Our partners assist special schools and programs for children who are blind, deaf, and cognitively and physically disabled. They also reach out and provide an essential lifeline to adults with disabilities; often enabling them for the first time to participate fully in the life of the community. The Americans collect and send thousands of wheelchairs, crutches, adaptive equipment, and supplies. Small grants allow the partners to help their neighbors with disabilities even more. A truly humane and important component of our partnership.

Our partners support initiatives to keep girls in school, reduce early marriage, and significantly increase the participation of girls in sports, training and mentorship programs, math, IT, and STEM education, and leadership roles in their schools and communities. Moms are inspired by their daughters and begin to come into their own and reach their full potential. The Americans provide small grants, send menstrual supplies and books specifically for girls and women, and foster dialogue among girls and women through book clubs and other forums.

These initiatives not only open doors but benefit Kenya as a whole.

One of our partners, the Kenya Association of Professional Counselors, operates counseling and play therapy centers in different parts of Kenya and provides most of the professional development for counselors across the country. Other partners sponsor community health programs and share resources with regional clinics and hospitals. The Americans send essential equipment and supplies along with books and materials for counselors, nurses, and health practitioners, and hold workshops and training programs during volunteer trips.

Our partners sponsor football [soccer] and baseball leagues, Math Camps, book clubs, IT training, arts, poetry, and storytelling activities, tutoring and mentoring programs, and so much more. The Americans provide small grants and write proposals for larger ones, connect the partners with professionals in the US, send essential equipment and supplies, and cheer from afar.

During the pandemic, it was often our partners who mobilized their communities for food collection and delivery to the most vulnerable members of the community, called meetings to decide on plans for collective action, and instituted public health programs and information campaigns. This is just one of numerous examples. The AFK network leaders have become a force, and their impact is being felt nationally. The Americans have given them the means to communicate with each other, inspire each other, learn from each other, and collaborate for their common good.