“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

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‍This saying, most commonly attributed to ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-Tzu, who lived around 500 B.C, is consistent with the Christ-centered transformation philosophy eduKenya pursues in breaking the cycle of poverty by providing a high-quality education, to help facilitate future self-sufficiency. The long road to transforming a community languishing in extreme poverty requires both the initial gift of “fish” and the transference of the skill to fish. We give “fish” to meet the immediate needs of those we serve, through providing fresh nutritious meals to the children in our care, many of whom would not eat daily without our feeding program. We also “teach to fish,” through our numerous high-quality educational and mentorship programs preparing the children we serve to be able to support their own families and be transformative forces in their community.

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Our vertical garden located right at the heart of our Mawewa Primary School grounds in Mathare epitomizes our work. John, our school gardener, through our innovative gardening system that reduces waste, recycles water and utilizes minimal space, has helped us grow a healthy crop of spinach right on our school wall. Together with Wanjiku and Petronila, two of our school cooks, harvesting happens on a regular basis ensuring truly fresh and highly nutritious vegetables for our students. In addition, our students are learning practically about innovative farming techniques that with minimal adaptation can be replicated on a small scale in their community.  See the video below of our vertical garden at our Mawewa School.