Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife
Building strong communities in rural Kenya


















Local Partnerships for Real Impact
Since 2004, our mission at Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife has been to support local Kenyan communities for positive development and empowerment. Our focus is on four rural communities that are under-served and have struggled with access to basic resources and services. We partner with the Kenyan organization Network for Eco-Farming in Africa (NECOFA) to provide funding for activities focused on education, food and nutrition, income generation for poverty alleviation, health and hygiene and clean water. Learn more about each of these project areas on our projects page.
We partner with local leaders and community members because we believe that this collaboration is the most sustainable approach to development and social transformation, resulting in empowered communities and local ownership of processes and outcomes. You can learn more about our philosophy and history and read the FKSW newsletters on our about us page.
Samuel Muhunyu is our partner at NECOFA, and in the nine years we have worked together, he has mentored leaders and led complex projects that are building strong communities in isolated regions of the country. Through a long process of relationship building and dialogue-based program development, he has assisted in the physical and social transformation of communities and individuals. Read more about Samuel and our other partnerships on our team page.
Read recent blog posts from our communities and partners in Kenya
In 2008, we met 8-year old Mulan Lekaranga on Kokwa Island in Lake Baringo. Deaf from birth, Mulan had never been to school and Grace Koinale, the nursery school teacher there told us that he seemed like a bright boy and asked if we could help. After assessments determined that Mulan could begin school, FKSW provided a scholarship for him to attend Ochii Primary School for the Hearing Impaired and he enrolled late in 2008. In Ochii, Mulan did well, learning sign language and studying traditional subjects. In November at the age of 17, he will graduate from the 8th grade! FKSW will continue to support him with a scholarship for the next four years of secondary school. We visited Mulan at Ochii in late September and he signed to us that eventually he hopes to become a teacher of the hearing impaired.
Only the third person from his community ever to attend college, Raymond Lesiyon has beaten enormous odds and been accepted for four years of study at Michigan State University. His family, his community at Kokwa Island, and everyone at FKSW and NECOFA is incredibly proud of him!
In 2007, school children in Endonyio Sidai had to walk for an hour through dangerous wildlife areas to go to school. Today they have their own school, successful students, and are a model for what FKSW hopes for in its partner communities.
The Great Rift Valley
The Kachiuru community is hours away from the nearest medical facility and many of the residents here have never seen a doctor. A new dispensary, opened on June 28 and staffed by a Clinical Officer and a nurse will bring much needed health care to the residents. The Meru County Government has been a partner in bringing this dream come true!