About Jambo Jipya School

Jambo Jipya School is located at the center of Mtwapa, Kenya.  Mtwapa is a highly populated middle/lower class town on the edge of a touristy area.  It is located about 10km north of Mombasa (the second largest city in Kenya) on the coast of Kenya.  While there are many people in Mtwapa, there aren't many jobs.  Many people run little dukas (shops) and sell anything they can get their hands on in order to create a little income for their family.  Most people only have jobs on a day-to-day basis based on what manual labor is available, and therefore they struggle to support their families.  

Primary education (K-8) is free in Kenya but if you don't have the money to purchase a school uniform, shoes, and school supplies you aren't welcome at a 'free' government school.  Christine Mwende (the director and founder of Jambo Jipya School) recognized that many children in Mtwapa and the surrounding communities did not have the opportunity to attend school due to family financial constraints.  She started Jambo Jipya School in 2004 for the purpose of offering needy children with 2 meals a day, clothing, school supplies, medical care, and an education.

About the Children

In 2004, Jambo Jipya School started in one mud hut classroom with about 20 students in attendance.  It rapidly grew and 6 years later is now has over 300 students attending school in 12 concrete classrooms.  All of the children attending Jambo Jipya are orphaned or at-risk.  These are children who would be on the street begging for food or in the fields working if it wasn't for Christine.  Some of these children walk up to 2 hours in order to attend school everyday.  Jambo Jipya serves as a safe haven for them where they know they can learn and play in a safe, healthy, and happy environment.

Forty of the 300 students are a part of the Jambo Jipya Future Child Orphanage.  These children range in age from 3 to 18 years old and come from virtually nothing.  Most of them have no family members or homes.  Nearly all of them are orphaned.  Those who do have family members were living in such poverty that they were lucky to be alive by the time Christine found them.  Many of them have been beaten and abused much of their lives.  For many of them, this is the first time they've been able to sleep soundly at night knowing they are safe.  Jambo Jipya is their home.