Why is our work important ?

Located in the southwest of Kenya, on Lake Victoria, Rusinga Island is a part of Homa Bay county. Densely populated, the Island is relatively poor, with its inhabitants relying mainly on fishing and subsistence agriculture to survive. In 2005, 15% of the population was living under the poverty line, with less than 1,500 KES per month.

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This situation necessarily reverberates on children who suffer from lack of food, malnutrition, lack of access to basic services including hygiene, healthcare, and education. 

In 2019, in Kenya, only 87,3% of children aged 6-13 were effectively enrolled in school in rural areas. Because the cost of schooling might represent a big amount of money for a household, some children are deprived from the opportunity to attend it, thus lacking the crucial opportunity to build a better future. To this financial matter, one can add the difficulties tied to the distance of the school from the household.

Besides, it is worth mentioning the prevalence of HIV/aids on the Island. In fact, Homa Bay ranks as the county with the highest rate in the country, with 26% of its population infected with HIV/aids. The numbers are even more worrying when looking at the youth in Suba District -where the Island is located-, where 34% of the young people are infected by the virus. Many children of the schools are concerned, and thus must take strong medication. Because of the lack of food, some of them have already experienced seizures at school while taking their medication on an empty stomach.

Through its action, the MIA aims to provide a good quality education at a low cost to all the children of the Kaswanga village and around, while allowing them to learn and grow in a safe environment. By providing each student with two meals a day, the MIA also intends to ensure they are in good health, thus allowing them to focus on the learning. These meals are even more important as they allow the ill children to follow their treatment without experiencing side effects or inconvenience.