Koornzaayer Foundation

The Koornzaayer Foundation supports local initiatives started by community based organisations, focussing on improvement of education and health care, in mainly rural Kenya and Uganda.

An example of one of the initiatives:

In 2014, the Koornzaayer Foundation teamed up for a project with Victoria Friendly Foundation, a community based organization on on Rusinga Island, in the great lake Vicoria just off the coast of Kenya. This project first started in 2005 with the aim to support orphaned and vulnerable children on the island to make sure they were able to go to school.

So far, a proper package of an integrated early childhood development education has been successfully integrated into the community. Not only do children in the community now receive inclusive education, which is accessible to everyone, even if your family has no money, they are also getting a feeding program, school based health activities and, indirectly, food security and economic development. Besides this the project has educated the care givers on agricultural methodes that can be used even if you have only small pieces of land. They started workgroups that support eachother with talks and workshops in how to handle the hardships they encounter.

It is our aim to work towards a society where all people are able to live a dignified life, with the knowledge and tools to be able to create a future for themselves, their children and their country.

History

Almost half of the population on Rusinga Island (total 35.000) lives below the poverty line. Families on the island have less than $1.32 to spend per day. Because the island mainly belongs to the Abasuba and its fishermen, agriculture has barely been developed. Furthermore, many parents have died from HIV/aids, TB or malaria, leaving many orphaned children underfed, abused and exploited.

A group of local villagers on the island decided to take responsibility for these children and started to feed and educate them with the help of the community. In 2014, the Koornzaayer Foundation and Imani foundation together with local contribution bought a piece of land on which they first managed to build a water system and one year later the building of a school started. The Joost Smit Learning Centre was opened in 2018.

Apart from this, the Koornzaayer Foundation also managed to get caretakers to the school to give trainings in subjects such as agricultural techniques. Via this way, it is our hope to gain more food security as well as to educate people on looking at different solutions to further prevent erosion on the island.

The integrated community development program is a six-year program, on the initiative of Victoria Friendly, the Koornzaayer Foundation, FEMI, Talud, the Catz Charity Foundation and the Peter van Vliet Foundation.

Other objectives of the six-year program are:

• Improved socio- economic status of the community for sustainability.

Outcome: Men and women engage in alternative household income generating activities.

• Access to Dignified and Sustainable Livelihood and Resilience.

Outcome: Boys and girls, men and women enjoy improved water and sanitation facilities, conducive environments, enhanced agricultural production and environmental conservation

• Greater access to social services.

Outcome: Boys and girls have access to child-friendly social and counselling services

• Improved access to quality healthcare.

Outcome: Men and women, boys and girls have access to the highest possible quality healthcare

• Improved nutrition for children and community.

Outcome: boys and girls have access to proper nutrition in school for greater school retention and the community is enhanced on nutrition awareness.

• Improved equitable access to quality education.

Outcome: Boys and girls are able to access quality and inclusive education.