On Tuesday, November 7th, the Red Knight Volunteer Corps (RKVC) invited a guest speaker to teach BSM students about the Ngao Foundation. Located in Kenya, the foundation was established by Director and CEO Anthony Hulula to assist vulnerable communities. Though mainly based in the informal settlement of Kangemi, the organization hopes to grow to help more communities in Kenya.
Hulula noticed how the untapped potential of children in vulnerable communities was the result of malnutrition, dehydration, and a lack of education and support. He decided to create the Ngao Foundation to make a change. “I’m passionate about children. I come from a family where education was a struggle to get, and [since I saw] many people miss the opportunity to become the person that they need to become… it drove me into starting an organization that will help young people through mentorship,” Hulula said.
The foundation has four major programs: Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Food and Nutrition, Education, and Mentorship.
The first two programs are especially important because of the lack of clean water and accessible food in vulnerable communities. In the Kangemi settlement, clean water is scarce and the dirty water that communities are forced to turn to often leads to disease. The WASH program has created three water storage tanks and a filtration system to supply safe water to the community, along with providing education on the importance of sanitation and hygiene.
In addition to a lack of water and sanitation, many children suffer from suppressed growth due to a lack of food. The Food and Nutrition program aims to provide safe and nutritious food to the Kangemi settlement and specifically serves children on weekends and holidays. As of right now, the program serves more than 200 children.
One of the foundation’s main goals is to help children develop the skills necessary to make a living and achieve their dreams. Ngao offers primary and secondary education as well as technical and vocational training to help children develop their abilities. “Every human being is born with skills [and] passion… God created us from his own likeness and image to be creators and innovators of our own life, and in that, he gave us skills… You have the right to define what you’re passionate about, what you love, what you do, and match that with a training career that you need,” Hulula said.
Every human being is born with skills [and] passion… God created us from his own likeness and image to be creators and innovators of our own life, and in that, he gave us skills… You have the right to define what you’re passionate about, what you love, what you do, and match that with a training career that you need.”
— Anthony Hulula
The Mentorship Program furthers this idea. It provides students with a mentor who helps them find ways to achieve what they are passionate about and guides them on the path to success. “[The program helps] young people to do and to become the best they can be… [To see a girl go] from being a housemaid to going to school, training [for] what she’s passionate about, and now being employed this August… that makes me happy,” Hulula said.
In the future, Hulula hopes that the program can grow to support a larger community. “This is my dream, which is bigger than I am. And I want to see it helping as many people as it [can],” Hulula said.
Volunteers and donations can help support the foundation’s huge array of programs. These donations allow Ngao students to learn the skills they’ll need in life, as well as provide the community with much-needed access to food and clean water. RKVC wanted to raise awareness about the foundation, and in the future, hopes to do the same for other organizations around the world.