Kenya

Kenya is located in East Africa. The country gained independence in 1963. Kenya is famous for its beautiful landscapes and variety of wild animals.

Although the Kenyan coastline has a tropical climate, much of the country is characterised by arid lands. This is problematic for the high proportion of rural families relying on subsistence farming. An accelerated cycle of drought in recent years has contributed to food insecurity. With limited access to education and vocational skills, rural families suffer very directly from crop failure. 

With an increasingly young population, there is great movement from rural areas to cities upon the optimism of a better standard of living. As a result, Nairobi has more than 100 informal settlements, including Kibera, the largest slum in Africa and one of the biggest informal settlements in the world. Access to basic life necessities in this area is desperate, and opportunities to improve lives for families is severely limited. 

International Needs Kenya (IN Kenya) has been working in Kenya for over 15 years, launching and supporting several projects both in the capital, Nairobi. In 2016 International Needs Kenya was officially registered as a partner in the International Needs Network and Ark Quest as a partner in 2023.

Our work so far in Kenya:

• The Grace Empowerment Street Boys work in Nairobi supports young people living on the streets of the slums in Nairobi with support and resources and a programme to help them make their way off the streets through vocational training and setting up small businesses.
• Ark Quest is an organisation located about 400km west of Nairobi, in a village called Mahanga. Ark Quest provides breakfast and lunch to children at school, supporting teachers salaries, has been equipping and building new parts of the school, sponsoring students, supporting school projects and training the staff.