Project 01
Primary Education
In 2015 OnCourse became aware that a number of students enrolled in a Primary School in Nakuru were no longer attending school because they could not afford the basic necessities required.
In Kenya, although Primary education is funded by the Government, students are expected to purchase their own school uniforms, shoes, textbooks and stationary, but if they can't afford these basic necessities, then they aren't able to go to school.
OnCourse now support a number of students by funding these basic necessities to ensure they can receive the education they're entitled to.
For the kids we support, attending school doesn’t just mean access to an education, it also often means the difference between eating that day, or not. It means their parents can feed other children, or pay for electricity or food they wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. It means keeping these kids occupied and away from the health and social risks prevalent in the community.
Project 02
Vocational Training
Often, the biggest challenge facing youth in Nakuru is a lack of employment opportunities for those who were not fortunate enough to complete high school. Without qualifications, professional networks or clear pathways into work, many young adults struggle to secure a reliable income.
OnCourse creates two routes into a trade. Some students undertake residential courses at an external training college such as Mogotio, while others train in our in-house tailoring room in Nakuru. We select young people with a strong desire to build a career, prioritising those facing the greatest barriers to food, safe housing and financial security.
Training spans plumbing, electrical work, catering, mechanics, beauty, welding, signwriting and tailoring. Residential students receive food, accommodation, clean water and sanitation alongside their formal training. Both routes prepare students to sit a NITA accreditation, Kenya's nationally recognised trade qualification.
Since 2014, 127 vocational courses have been completed and 111 trade accreditations attained, an 87% pass rate. But a qualification only matters if it leads to work, so we also support graduates as they move into apprenticeships, employment and self-employment.
Graduates now work across a range of trades. Some have joined established employers, while others have built businesses of their own and created work for people around them. A reliable income strengthens not only each graduate's independence, but also the wellbeing of their family and community.
A $48 monthly direct-debit donation for 24 months supports one student's journey through training and into work.
What your investment will cover
- Formal training in the student's chosen trade, including the equipment and materials they need to participate
- Food, accommodation, clean water and sanitation when the student attends a residential course
- NITA accreditation and practical support to move into employment or self-employment
Project 03
Social Support
The beneficiaries we work with are the most in-need women and young people in Nakuru. This unfortunately means they are seeking to escape adverse environments and circumstances in terms of their homes, families, health, material conditions and wellbeing.
Providing education or employment in isolation, without walking with our beneficiaries through the broader context of their lives is unrealistic. OnCourse is committed to meaningfully and wholistically helping our beneficiaries, and providing social support enables our other core programs to be more effective and do the work they were designed to.
Practically, this means we provide bare essentials like a mattress, a meal, a helping hand or an empathetic ear, as and when needed. For instance OnCourse has provided;
- emergency food supplies to 72 families for 4 months who had lost their income and were unable to provide for themselves due to the COVID pandemic
- support for a child’s healthcare following a bullying incident at school
- 300 reusable COVID masks manufactured by our vocational tailoring students
This support may be financial, but is often logistic, social or personal. We use our networks and resources to assist the local community where we deem it appropriate.
Another core component of our social support involves running regular ‘hangouts’. Our Hangouts are facilitated activities that bring together our beneficiaries across our programs for a much needed day of fun and recreation, such as visiting the local national park to see some lions, or to go for a swim at the local pool.
Project 04
Infrastructure
Education and protection depend on the spaces in which young people learn, eat and live. When schools lack libraries, kitchens or dormitories, attendance suffers and students have fewer opportunities to learn safely and consistently.
OnCourse funds practical infrastructure identified in partnership with local communities and school leaders. This includes libraries that expand access to learning materials, kitchens for making school lunches that are often the only meal children will receive that day, and dormitories that reduce barriers for students who live far from school.
At Simba Hill rescue centre, we have also funded the construction of two homes. These homes provide safe, stable accommodation for vulnerable children and create a foundation from which they can return to learning and rebuild their wellbeing.
We focus on infrastructure with a clear, lasting benefit: better attendance, stronger learning environments and safer pathways for children and young people.
