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Ahadi Education Center is a rehabilitation program for boys living on the streets of the Mathare slum in Ngong, just outside of Nairobi. These boys struggle with poverty, lack of familial support, and often, drug addiction. The program works to help the boys leave the streets and enable them to return to or begin school. Ahadi, which means "promise" in Swahili, is essentially a halfway point between their life on the streets and a formal education.
About the Center
Classes are taught daily by volunteers on subjects such as life skills, health, and basic studies. The children also learn creative outlets such as art, dance, and music. Lunch is provided to all of the boys who attend the daily lessons. The goal of the center is to prepare the boys to attend school and receive a formal education by helping them leave behind their lifestyle on the streets. Many are addicted to drugs (most often to sniffing glue) and far behind in education for their age—so require intensive, individualized attention to help them catch up with their peers and achieve a normal childhood.
Our InvolvementWe continuously work to develop the Ahadi program and financially support the center with a daily meal (lunch), teaching and learning materials for the classroom, volunteers, athletic equipment for a reward-type program that supports good behavior, and school fees for the boys that are currently willing and able to return to school. Our belief is that, with the support of our donors, we will be able to help all the street boys in Mathare to return to school and provide them the opportunity to live the happy and healthy lives they deserve. So far, 15 of the boys in the program have been able to return to school! |