Each year A.K.I.N. enrolls new students into our school sponsorship program. This is the essential service we provide. Working with guardians and parents of the children who were once residents of the St. Francis Children’s Home, A.K.I.N. social workers coordinate applications for secondary and vocational schools depending on the interests and abilities of the student. It is an intensive process which begins in January of each year andis only completed when the child has received the “welcoming letter”, telling them that they have been accepted by the school.

In 2015, A.K.I.N. introduced a program to provide low cost loans to students with work experience who were ready to start their own businesses. Paul Thuku (pictured to the left with A.K.I.N. social worker Sophie Omutanyi) was a recipient of such a loan. He used the loan to enable him to purchase his own tuk tuk or small taxi. We have made loans to other A.K.I.N. graduates from vocational programs. Examples include a carpenter who now operates his own furniture shop and a trained hair dresser who now has her own small salon.

One of the unique features of the A.K.I.N. program is the investment we make in the lives of the children we serve. Once a youngster enters our sponsorship program, they become part of our A.K.I.N. family. Our staff follows their progress in school, visits them at home and is available to mentor and guide them. Acknowledging that their early lives have been difficult, our social workers devote themselves to helping them make the best use of the educations they receive. Assisting them to access job training programs, and in some cases apply to college upon completing secondary school are some of services we provide.