PATRIZIA  Foundation Corona Fund Education  Healthcare Project

As a result young people, who were to sit for the National Exams at the end of the year 2020, were sent home indefinitely, without a possibility to study or revise. They had, in the case of rural children, who are the majority beneficiaries of the Sauti Kuu Foundation, no access to electricity, let alone internet connectivity, television or radio, which were the only mediums giving access to learning for the school goers. These children and young people were disadvantaged, not able to adequately prepare for the National Exams.

Sauti Kuu Foundation, with the funding support of the PATRIZIA Foundation Corona Fund, put into place a Learning Support Initiative to give those beneficiaries access to the relevant school curriculum materials to enable them study for the upcoming National Exams. After the Exam Candidates were called back to school, while the other pupils had to stay at home, Sauti Kuu mobilized those remaining children and young people to continue with the project.

In keeping with Sauti Kuu’s key objective i.e. to empower rural children, youth and their families to utilize locally available resources to improve their livelihoods, gain sustainable economic stability and food security, using the principle “use what you have to get what you need”, Sauti Kuu included addition activities beyond the education support. This was to ensure that the project also addresses the COVID-19 induced financial challenge that led to food insecurity for Sauti Kuu families. Sauti Kuu recognized that it was not enough to just distribute foodstuff to the families negatively impacted the Pandemic. As it is anticipated that the virus is here to stay, the Foundation sought a long term solution to tackle food insecurity. As land is generally an asset that all Sauti Kuu families have, the Sauti Kuu ‘Grow to Eat Project’, that assists the families of its beneficiaries to taking advantage of this asset (Land) and use it to ensure long term sustainable food security, was integrated into the project. Families are trained on how to establish Kitchen Gardens/ Portable Gardens in their homestead, from which they can grow their own foodstuff, in addition to and beyond getting emergency food rations from the project. Any surplus produce is taken to market and sold to generate an income.

Sport is also a part of the project and is used to enhance physical fitness and wellbeing. The project was implemented from July 2020 to June 2021.