OUR IMPACT

Education transforms lives.

Where We Work

We envision a future where every girl in Kibera has a safe place to learn and live.

Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Africa. It is a diverse and vibrant community full of caring and hardworking individuals and families. However, Kibera faces many challenges including high unemployment, poverty, overcrowding, and insecurity. It is underserved by health, education, and sanitation services and many homes do not have reliable access to water and electricity.

Kibera’s schools face overcrowding, undereducated teachers, and high teacher attrition, The schools lack the resources to provide necessities including school lunch, water, and sanitary pads. Due to high costs of school fees and materials, many students cannot afford to go to school. For the few families that can afford to send their children to school, young boys and men take priority over girls and women. 

We believe in the power of educating women and girls in Kibera and you should too.

Kenya

0 %
of Kenyan girls don't finish high school
0 %
of Kenyan girls have a child before they’re 18 years old

Kibera

Africa's largest informal settlement

0 %
unemployment rate

Underserved by health, education, and sanitation services. Many homes do not have reliable access to water or electricity. 

Most people in Kibera work as skilled and semi-skilled laborers in Nairobi. 

$ 0
daily household budget

Overcrowding is a problem – most families live in a shelter that’s 10 x 10 feet for 6-8 people or more.

Population of almost a million people in the size of Central Park in NYC

What We Do
High School

KGSA is providing a free, holistic high school education AND boarding to 120 girls this year. The school encourages leadership and character development, provides extracurricular activities and employs university- trained teachers, setting it apart from other schools in Kibera.

Youth Development

KGSA offers soccer and other sports, school clubs, and life skills training. We partner with other organizations such as Global Give Back Circle, Junior Achievement, Ticah and Strathmore University to provide mentorship programs on a variety of important topics.

Health & Wellness

KGSA cares for the whole girl by providing sanitary pads, school lunch and a school nurse and social worker to support their physical and mental health. The dormitory provides three meals a day and a safe, stable learning environment to all girls.

Higher Education

The Foundation with the help of partners like Rotary and Global Give Back Circle provides scholarships for alumnae to pursue higher education. Depending on their national exam results, girls can qualify for a four year bachelor's program, a diploma degree, or vocational training.

OUR IMPACT
in numbers
Almost 450 Graduates

KGSA has graduated 448 students since 2009 with more than 150 pursuing higher education like vocational training, a diploma degree or a four year university program.

Outstanding KCSE National Exam Scores

KGSA's national test scores have rebounded since the pandemic. The Class of 2024 performed the best ever with nine girls qualifying for a Bachelor's Degree.

100% Qualification for Higher Education

Since its first graduating class in 2009, 100% of KGSA seniors have passed the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education exam and finished high school.

1st Free High School for Girls in Kenya

When KGSA opened in 2006, it was the 1st 100% free high school for girls in Kenya. KGSA welcomes 50 incoming students to join the 10th grade class every year.

Disaster Response

2024 Flood Relief 

In May 2024, Kenya experiences high rains for weeks leading to flooding in Kibera, Nairobi and other parts of the country. The start of Term Two was postponed for ten days, because it wasn’t safe of teachers and students to travel on the roads especially crossing bridges. 

The KGSA staff jumped into action to deliver much needed food aid to 200 Kibera families. The school team walked miles across Kibera through mud, rubbish and streams to deliver food staples to KGSA girls and their families. 
 
We understand the financial burden on households to feed extra mouths when school is canceled. Director Claris reported that many mothers cried with joy knowing that their children would not go hungry. 
 
Two KGSA students living near the river lost their homes to flooding. These girls are both in Form 4 (seniors) and  safely relocated with their family members to another area of Kibera. The KGSA community raised $5,000 in a few days to support these two families and other needs that arise from the flooding. 
 
As a nimble locally-led organization, KGSA can quickly respond to emergencies. That’s the KGSA difference.

2020 Pandemic Response

When schools closed in Kenya from mid-March 2020 through December of 2020, the KGSA staff quickly pivoted to in-home learning and support. Teachers prepared weekly academic packets and practice exams for the girls to work on at home. Throughout the pandemic, KGSA continued to pay its teachers and support staff their full salaries. The new social worker Madame Jedidah checked in with each girl and addressed her health and physical needs. The school’s emergency fund was dispersed to help families hit hardest by the pandemic. 

When the unemployment rate skyrocketed in Kibera, many KGSA families were at risk of going hungry. Thanks to your generosity, KGSA provided food, soap and cooking oil to KGSA students, alumnae, soccer players, staff and their families. 

In October 2020, the lower classes participated in life skills classes like catering, tailoring, photography and cosmetology. These two-hour activities in small groups twice a week provided a healthy meal and a much-needed social lifeline for the girls who missed their teachers and classmates. When in-person school resumed in January 2021, KGSA continued these popular activities as after-school skills clubs.