Mission

We assist Kenyan students and their families as they rise out of poverty.

What We Do

Friends of Kenya Rising exists to support our western Kenya partner, Kenya Rising, to assist needy students and families as they rise out of poverty.

We are a new organization, yet our work goes back more than 18 years. We are made up of volunteers and donors who were previously the driving force behind two entities, Maine-based Friends of Kakamega (FoK) and New York-based Crossroads Springs Africa (CSA). We have merged together as one to become Friends of Kenya Rising.

We raise funds to provide school fees for over 200 high school students and 100 college, university, and vocational students. We support Kenya Rising as it offers sustainable programs to over 200 families, 1,000 people, ensuring children are educated and families can improve their living situations, farm production, health, and incomes.

Our five "Guiding Stars" are education, basic needs, health, agriculture, and livelihoods.

EDUCATION: Education has always been at the heart of what we do. 18 years ago we focused on making sure that children went to primary school, and today we work to ensure students thrive at all levels of education from elementary school through university.

BASIC NEEDS: We work together with families to assist them in improving their living environment. They provide everything they can and we fund the rest, so that together we can ensure the children, youth, and adults can practice proper hygiene, feel secure at home, and enjoy dignity within their community.

HEALTH: Good health is a foundational element of building a better life. We help youth and family guardians understand basic principles of nutrition, hygiene, and reproductive health. We also help families access medical care, and we provide special nutritional assistance to help families affected by special medical conditions including HIV.

AGRICULTURE: Agriculture is the most common occupation in western Kenya.We help needy families to sustainably increase
their farms' diversity and fertility, grow crops for better nutrition, and earn higher agricultural incomes.

LIVELIHOODS: For families struggling to rise above poverty, a meaningful source of income is a crucial component of success.
We assist youth to find a career that works, and we help adults start or scale small businesses that allow them to support their families.