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Flying Kites


Title and Organization:		Flying Kites
Country of Residence:		United States
Country of Birth:		United States
Languages:		English , French



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About Me

Flying Kites seeks to raise the standards of care for the world's poorest children by giving them the tools they will need – education, imagination, and resolution – to succeed in and contribute to a complex and changing world. Flying Kites strives to work in partnership with their neighbors to strengthen the community and help keep families together; to foster collaboration between Flying Kites and other non-profit organizations, governmental agencies and businesses; and to facilitate thoughtful action on the crises facing orphaned children.

Prior to establishing Flying Kites, our Founders volunteered in the slums of Nairobi and grew frustrated by the lack of comprehensive approaches to improving the lives of orphans. Poor education, lack of fresh air and water, and minimal preparation for a productive adulthood meant that these children were often condemned to an adult life of poverty. Out of these observations came the organization’s vision of remarkable childcare and sustainable community development.

This model is being put into practice on our first site in the Aberdare Mountains of Central Kenya. Here, orphaned children who have endured unimaginable suffering reclaim their childhood on our magical site that boasts an ideal setting for childhood. Our organization’s wonderful, caring, and qualified staff provides a safe and nurturing environment for all our children.

Flying Kites operates under the premise that removing an orphaned child from an extended family should always be the last resort. When parents die in Kenya, a relative usually takes on the responsibility to care for the orphaned child. This can put an overwhelming burden on what is often an already precarious financial situation. Therefore, we provide small grants to such relatives to allow children to remain with their family. Flying Kites also assists the community by leasing 25 acres of land in Kinangop, which will be distributed in 2010 into one-half acre allotments to 50 landless families. These families have been provided with initial training, seeds, and fertilizer. Flying Kites expects this initiative to be self-sustaining within two years.

In addition to community outreach programs, we run a primary school for children living at our Children’s Center, as well as for 35 children from the local village of Njabini. We pride ourselves on the high quality education we provide; three of our children rank as the top students in Kenya for their respective age groups.

Flying Kites focuses on providing a holistic education that stresses the value of extra-curricular activities and community involvement. Our goal is to foster the desire for social change in our children, as well as to provide them with the necessary tools to make their voices and actions count. Thus, Flying Kites graduates will be positioned to have an impact on the world greatly beyond their numbers.

Countries Visited

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