The 410 Bridge Partners with Brightpoint for Children-Newsletter Article

The 410 Bridge has partnered with BrightPoint for Children in efforts to provide child sponsorships to meet basic life needs and eliminate the barriers to a quality education for the children in our 410 Bridge communities.

BrightPoint for Children is a Christ-centered, child development organization that customizes each program to meet the specific needs of groups of children. They do this by building relationships with the leadership council in each 410 Bridge community and assessing the means and education the children need to succeed.

“Our organization was created to connect children in need with people who care, and we are excited to be partnering with The 410 Bridge to help meet the needs of the children in their communities,” said Steve Smith, President of BrightPoint for Children.

BrightPoint for Children and The 410 Bridge believe one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty is ensuring the children receive a quality education. For children in Kenya to move from primary school up to secondary school, they are required to pass a national exam issued by the government.

“One of the problems that we’ve seen is that receiving a quality education in Kenya costs money. Since most of the children cannot afford the education they need, they are not qualifying for secondary school” said Jane Whitehead at BrightPoint for Children.

To address this problem, BrightPoint for Children created Primary School Sponsorships for the children in Havilla Children’s Home and the Kiambariki Primary School in Kwambekenya. These programs provide school resources such as school fees, books, desks and teachers for after-school programs. The number of children who qualify for secondary school is the success benchmark of these programs.

In Havilla, which is home to many of the Daraja Children’s Choir, all 46 of the children are sponsored for their basic needs, which cover food, shelter and healthcare. However, these 46 children are in need of primary school sponsorships. Currently, the only available education is a school that is overcrowded and preventing them from receiving a quality education. Through a sponsorship of $39/month, Havilla Children’s Home will be able to afford to send the children to a school that will better prepare them for meeting secondary school requirements.

Kiambariki Primary School is also in need of 40 primary school sponsorships. Because Kwambekenya does not have the resources to prepare the children for the national exam, only 25% of the children are passing. With a sponsorship of $32/month, Kwambekenya will have the money for teachers, desks, preparatory tests and other resources that will prepare the students to pass the national exam.

To become a sponsor, or to learn more go to www.brightpointforchildren.org, email them at jane@brightpointforchildren.org or call 770-330-0483.