Due to the pandemic. Our priorities shifted from the normal activities to facilitating food aid distribution programs and students/family assessment during the crisis. However, Our mission of transforming lives is still being achieved through the new normal.

All our students have been contacted and they are well and safe together with their families. We are happy to report that 80% of the students have managed to study from home. For students who do not have access to the internet and laptops, we have managed to schedule them at the computer lab. There they can access the internet and continue with online studies while observing  safety guidelines.

We are feeding approximately 300 families every week with enough food to last a family of five for a month. The exercise is conducted while observing all the ministry guidelines of wearing masks, washing hands and keeping social distance. We appreciate all our donors and partners including Kimfay and Bimeda who continued supporting the food from friends program. Our families can have something to feed n during this difficult times.

We are working closely with our primary schools to ensure that our students continue learning from home. The schools have printed revision materials that were received by all students. In preparation for the important national exam at the end of the year, we are collaborating in an effort to ensure our candidates are well prepared.

In addition to school work, students have continued to rediscover themselves and are engaged in new hobbies like online writing, reading novels, cycling, bead work among other activities. Others assist their siblings with homework and help with house chores duties. It is the new norm and we hope to get through the crisis. Stay home. Stay safe and observe the ministry guidelines. We are in this together

NRCF’s priorities in our COVID-19 response is to focus on family food aid. We are calling this new initiative Food from Friends. In the course of a normal April holiday, during normal times, our program provides students with breakfast and lunch each weekday known as holiday feeding program as well as a hearty lunch on Saturdays during Saturday program. We are no longer conducting these programs due to the government directives on social distancing and avoiding gatherings. The children are at home with their families who are also no longer working. 

The community we work with is extremely vulnerable to the harm COVID-19 will inflict on people.  Most of the students’ parents and guardians have pre-existing health conditions, and they all have limited income (usually earned by performing casual labor that has already evaporated. Caseworkers have contacted each family in our program over the past two weeks. So far, no families in our program (including staff) have been diagnosed with COVID- 19. But, we’ve learned that 90% of our families have no source of income during the economic lockdown and need food aid support.

We have increased our budget for emergency food aid and believe it will be sorely needed in the coming weeks. We are also running donations appeals both locally and in the US. Click here to learn more.  A donation of kes 1000 can provide a food packet that feeds a family of four for one week. Each food packet contains 1 kg beans 2kg of rice, 4kg of maize flour and 500g of cooking fat.

We have approximately 300 families dependent on our program. In the last two weeks, we have been able to issue food aid to 200 families among which 72 of the families have gotten the food aid twice. 75% of our families have 3-5 people in a household and the food pack we give can only last them for a week.

We expect the need for food to grow as the government imposes more strict measures limiting movements around the city. We are looking at being able to provide bigger quantities of food that would last the family a month so that we also minimize the movements of parents coming for food aid every week. We thank our donors and well-wishers for your commitment to providing Food From Friends. Please click on this button to give today. We are in this together and we shall overcome. Stay safe

We are in a very uncertain situation as the COVID-19 virus affects people all around the globe.  Our highest priority is to make decisions that will keep our staff, students and everyone in the Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF) community safe.  Our second-highest priority is to weather this storm so we can continue to support the education of students after this crisis passes. These priorities inform our decisions.

The government of Kenya has taken the aggressive stand of mandating all schools in Kenya to close this week. The government has further requested that to the extent possible employees work from home and gatherings be suspended.  While the number of cases in Kenya is limited, the government clearly understands the dire implications to the population and health care infrastructure if this virus gains a foothold. We must do our best to comply with the Kenyan government and public health mandates. 

In the United States, similar steps have been taken.  Most people are now working remotely, travel is very limited and gatherings are not happening in person.  We expect the global economic impact of this pandemic to be profound and long-lasting.

Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Actions

At NRCF the following steps will be taken, effective immediately, and will be in place until further notice:

• Caseworkers will suspend home and school visits
• Staff hours will be reduced, keeping a skeleton staff in the office to handle issues and meet with stakeholders by appointment for urgent matters 
• The Saturday Programme, as a gathering of more than 50 people has been suspended 
• Library and computer lab access is suspended.  We are evaluating options for making these resources available by appointment and will communicate with you if and when we are able to allow access.
• “Holiday lunch” cannot be provided while students are home from school.
• Food aid for families in need is available for the neediest.  To receive food aid, please contact your caseworker (phone numbers below) and they will provide instruction.

Guidance for students, parents, and guardians

• Please do not come to the office without first phoning your caseworker to agree on an appointment time and avoid congregating or waiting at the office for any reason.
• To contact your NRCF caseworker, please phone them with questions or concerns and they will do their best to respond.
• All boarding students and those staying in hostels or receiving other support while at school are expected to return home – living expenses will not be supported by NRCF while school is out.  Exceptions for students with unique situations can be made by caseworkers.
• Continue to contact your caseworker for urgent medical referrals such as significant injuries or emergencies.  However, for suspected viral infections with symptoms that resemble the flu, colds or suspected coronavirus, please do not contact your caseworker but rather follow the Health Ministry guidelines and seek medical support directly.

Keep yourself safe and be informed

• To the extent possible, practice social distancing.  Try not to be within 6 feet of others, avoid crowded places and, if possible, work from home.
• If you or members of your family feel unwell, stay home.  If you believe you have coronavirus or have been exposed to someone with the virus, access the health system and seek testing. 
• This virus spreads rapidly and a person can have the virus and be transmitting it to others, yet not be displaying symptoms.  That is one of the most challenging dimensions of this virus and has led to exponential increases in cases in countries like Italy and the United States.
• Clean hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your face and cover your mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing. 
• COVID-19 Hot Lines in 🇰🇪Kenya: 0800721316 (Toll-Free); 0729471414; 0732353535

Future Ngong Road Children’s Foundation Communications

• We will update the NRCFKenya.org  website weekly with any new information we have available for students and families.
• When we learn important information we will share it with you by SMS.   
• If you have questions, please convey them to your caseworker and we will do our best to respond.

Amy Johnson serves as Treasurer of Friends of Ngong Road Board of Directors. She is responsible for the financial and control activities of the NRCF.  She sets the strategy for maintaining effective internal controls and works with the independent audit firm to ensure effective accounting policies.  On a more tactical level, she oversees the budgeting, accounting, cash handling and financial reporting processes of NRCF.  In addition, Amy is responsible for providing support and guidance to the NRCF areas listed above.

Amy visited NRCF from 23^rd February to 2^nd March 2020 where she spent most of her time reviewing processes and controls around the Finance and procurement department. While her major focus was on the business entity Karibu Loo, she spent some fair amount of time supporting NRCF. This included an in-depth review of the procurement process and store inventory. She trained our accounts and procurement assistant on the new improved procurement processes and policies. She also started work on improving the store inventory to ensure proper record keeping of stock. She also supported the IT department in reviewing system security and controls to ensure data privacy and security. Amy also spent a better part of her time with KKCO East Africa (our outsourced accountants) reviewing our financial processes and controls.

Finally, Amy took a day off to spend time with her sponsored children (Martin and Rehema). She has supported these two students since 2006 and Martin is now working.

All this work is a deliberate effort to ensure the donor/sponsor funds are well safeguarded and utilized to the benefit of the target population which is the sponsored children in the program. Ngong Road children’s Foundation operating principles emphasize a strong focus on ensuring that donor investment and trust is well placed and drives measurable outcomes. Be part of this noble cause by donating to NRCF. learn more