Starfish Africa

This Project has been Completed.

Thank you for your support!

Location

Nairobi, KENYA / Southern Africa

Project Details

The Kenyan secondary school calendar includes three, one-month breaks during the months of April, August, and December. During these breaks, Starfish Africa convenes all 38 of the students it sponsors for a variety of activities focused on vocational and leadership development. Once per year, the break activity is focused on community service in an attempt to teach the Starfish students how to give back. These service projects entail costs related to transportation for the students, construction materials, etc. These costs sum to approximately $150 USD for a student for the week-long project.

Many students in Kenya are provided with sponsorships for their school fees, often by distant or faceless sponsorship organizations. As a result, few students feel the obligation to give back in response to the generosity they have been shown, and a cycle of entitlement can be created. Starfish Africa extends its sponsorships beyond just providing school fees and attempts to instil in its students a feeling of obligation to give back. One way S.A. does this is by providing exposure to community service projects. Through these projects, Starfish students, even though needy themselves, are exposed to the needs of others and the opportunity to give of their skills and abilities to meet those needs. Experiences like these can break the cycle of entitlement and dependency on foreign aid among the students S.A. sponsors. This is an on-going project; the organization will purchase materials for as many of its students for the service project as funding will allow.