We have accomplished our goal of purchasing land! Click here to view pictures and learn more about our future plans!

Keela will be in the United States focusing on fundraising until December 2009. If you are interested in receiving her update emails regarding developments at the school or if you have an idea connected with fundraising, please email her at keela@reason2smile.org

Reason2Smile is officially incorporated! We are still working on non-profit status but we are well on our way! In March 2009 we had our first Board of Directors meeting. To "meet" the board members, click here.

About Us

The American Volunteer

Keela Dates journeyed to Kenya with hopes of having a life-changing experience. She planned to return to the United States with an experience that would diversify her teaching and make her more appreciative of her middle-class American life. Keela graduated in May 2006 from Wells College with elementary education certification and after taking a year off to work and volunteer abroad, she planned to secure a teaching job in upstate New York and continue her career down that path. Life had different plans for her. The children of Jambo Jipya School touched her heart and changed her life in ways she could never dream of. Her plan now is to return to the children of Jambo Jipya and create a safe, healthy, and happy living and learning environment for them. These children are her passion and her life. Their smiles and laughter echo in her heart and mind. She is not willing to leave them behind.

Keela is the founder and Executive Director of Reason2Smile Inc. She hopes to link the people of America with the children of Kenya. Her goal is to help people recognize that it is a far greater tragedy to be rich and not realize it (as she was, and in some ways still is) than it is to be poor and not realize it (as the children of Jambo Jipya are). She hopes people will reach out in support of these Kenyan school children and in return, see the difference…in a smile.

After meeting her goal for 2008 of raising enough funds to purchase a large plot of land for Jambo Jipya School, Keela has high hopes for 2009. Her goal for this year is to raise $120,000 USD in order to keep the school running and build a large new school/dormitory on the new piece of property. She needs your help in order to accomplish this goal so please find out how you can help! Thank you for giving the children of Jambo Jipya School a reason to continue smiling!

The School and its Founder

Laughter and singing can be heard pouring from the Jambo Jipya School grounds thanks to the love and dedication of one woman – Christine Mwende. Jambo Jipya (meaning "Something New" in Kenya's native language of Swahili) was founded in 2004 by this Kenyan woman. She recognized the lack of care and attention being paid to many of the poor and orphaned children of her community – Mtwapa (located about 30 kilometers north of the coastal city of Mombasa) – and decided to act. A nurse by profession, this woman decided to devote the rest of her life to seeing her dream (of building a primary and secondary school where every child can feel safe, healthy, and happy) become a reality. In 2004, the school started with Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. Each year Christine's goal is to add on a grade level so the students continue to have a place to learn and enjoy life.

Christine is the heart and soul behind Jambo Jipya School. Without her it would not exist and many of its students would probably not exist right now either if it wasn't for the kind heart of this woman. (Christine found new and safer homes for many of the children but still many of the families can't afford to feed them so the only food they receive is what the school can provide.) Christine loves each and every one of the children with her whole being. She has literally given, and will continue to give, the food from her plate and the clothes off her back. For the first two years that the school was open, Christine worked 24 hours a day – days at the school and nights at the hospital – to meet the needs of her students as well as the needs of her own family. She receives no funding from the government. The political climate in Kenya makes that virtually impossible. All her funding comes from her own pocket as well as fundraising efforts by the volunteers. However, so much more is needed.

To learn about the growth and development of Jambo Jipya School, click here.

The school population has grown immensely during the past year and although the building facilities have greatly improved, more space is needed. The school needs to build larger, and more, classrooms; a larger and more comfortable dormitory building; a large soccer field and other outdoor play facilities; farm land to grow their own food; and trade classes to teach the older children a trade (farming, building, sewing, cooking, etc). The first step in reaching our goals of expansion was purchasing a larger piece of property. By the end of 2008, Jambo Jipya The Future Child School owns 23 acres of land!!!! Our goal for 2009 is to build a school and dormitory on that new piece of property! We need your help in order to accomplish this goal so please find out how you can help!