Project Launch:

In Kenya, Ukambani is said to have the most hospitable and peaceful people, and the driest climate. In the Mwala District of the Eastern Province, most people work as subsistence farmers, growing mangoes, papaya, oranges, maize, beans, sweet potatoes, and the local staple, nzuu, a brother to the black-eyed pea and very nutritious. The older generation of women still make Kyondos, colorful traditional baskets for carrying food, firewood or other local materials. Although people are hard-working and motivated, the community is struggling. Access to outside resources is extremely limited. When students get their hands on a newspaper, they read it until it is torn to shreds. St. Martin Secondary School is a recently established secondary day school (2008) with approximately 300 students. The school was created to give rural youth an opportunity for education after primary school. A $368 grant from World Connect's Kids to Kids Program supported Afya Bora at Utithini in conducting a three day health fair at St. Martin Secondary School to expose students to information from outside the community and to address issues they face as young adults. During these three days, educators addressed issues around first-aid, self-defense, reproductive health, self-esteem, drug and alcohol awareness, careers, relationships, stress, and nutrition.