Nakuru is about a 3 hour drive west of Nairobi
LDK provides primary and secondary education to more than 300 students, aged 6 to 16, from the poorest neighborhoods of Nakuru, Kenya’s fourth largest city. Without LDK, these children would either not attend school at all, or attend the government schools, where there are sometimes 100 students in a class with a single teacher, and there is little hope of receiving a quality education.
Our students are reading and writing by age 10, mastering math skills, and learning about Kenya’s history and place in the world. From diverse backgrounds, they share their cultural experiences with each other, learning the traditional songs and dances of their classmates and building a foundation for future peaceful relationships. They are learning about the importance of protecting the environment and engaging in projects in the community to clean up their neighborhoods. And they are developing HIV/AIDS awareness, preparing them not only for their lives as adults, but also reducing the continuing discrimination against individuals who are HIV positive.
We believe that empowering these children will have a tremendous impact on the entire community. They return home after classes and share what they’ve learned with their families, which can number upwards of ten brothers and sisters. They are teaching their parents—a generation still carrying the stigma of HIV/AIDS—that it is acceptable to talk about protecting oneself, and they are leading the charge to reduce litter and other contamination of their communities.
LDK is dedicated to the families of the children in the school, and we offer monthly seminars to parents on business, computers, and health. Our successful microfinance program impacted more than 5,000 individuals in a single year, and many of those individuals now have the means to generate a sustainable income.
Seventy-five of LDK’s students have lost their mothers and fathers to AIDS, and LDK has built a dormitory adjacent to the school where those children now live. They are receiving the support and care they desperately need, while attaining an education that will allow them to grow into successful, independent adults.
The History of LDK
Philip and a student
In 1998, three Kenyans – Philip Ndeta, Obed Tsuma and Benta Atieno founded Learning and Development Kenya (LDK) to work with the local community to address the problems brought about by government’s introduction of cost sharing in the education and health sectors. While outwardly improving the economy of Kenya, these government measures ultimately led to an increase in child labor, high rates of school dropouts, and increased homelessness in children.
Contact Us
Find out more about LDK – email us: ldkenya@gmail.com
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