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VICODEC

Over half of Kenyan school-aged children do not complete their basic education due to a variety of poverty-driven obstacles, including the cost of school fees and uniforms. U.S. Venture and the U.S. Venture/Schmidt Family Foundation partner to support Kenya Works and Victory Community Development Center (VICODEC), a school in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Together, they provide education, nutrition, social services, and medical care for students and their families to empower change. The programs are managed in partnership with Kenya Works, a U.S. based nonprofit with programs on the ground in Kenya, and a strategic partnership with VICODEC. The Kenya Works and VICODEC partnership supports the U.S. student sponsorship program, Kenya Works Makini Pad production as well as water tank/classrooms and feeding collaboration. This power of collaboration and connection drives real, measurable change.

As a way to strengthen the bond between U.S. Venture and our friends in Kenya, U.S. Venture offers team members the opportunity to visit VICODEC and see the Kenya Works programs in action. While visiting, our team members are truly immersed in the culture. A few of the activities include serving lunch, participating in a medical clinic as well as experiencing the lessons and school culture alongside the students and staff at VICODEC. In addition, visitors tour Kenya Works rescue center Miale ya Tumaini as well as joint feeding and water tank projects in the Magadi region.

  • It was such an incredible experience and one that I will never forget.

  • I think interacting with the kids was my favorite part of the trip.

Just $375 can sponsor a child for one year at VICODEC (primary school equivalent up to 8th grade) and includes tuition, breakfast and lunch, school uniforms, books, and medical care for the student and their family. $600 can sponsor a child’s continuing education in secondary school (high school) for one year and includes school fees, uniforms, room and board, books, and psycho-social support for the student and family.

  • Having visited VICODEC in 2016, I can assure you, your support is invested well.

  • We began sponsoring a child because it seemed like the right thing to do.

The Kenya Works Makini Pad Initiative addresses menstruation management with an eco-friendly, reusable sanitary pad made of high-performance fabric that is both discreet and reliable. Combined with puberty, self-esteem, and health education, the Makini Pad Initiative also arms girls with the power of information. Not only does this directly impact the daily lives of those who need makini pads but the products are made in Kenya at VICODEC, providing a sustainable income source for the female-staffed production team.

  • Makini Pads has really helped me. My parents did not have enough money to send me to college.

  • Now I can buy good clothes for my children.

We know education is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight to end poverty and feeding programs at schools have long been tied to better educational outcomes for a few reasons: they increase parent motivation to ensure children attend school; they increase children’s bonds with their school as a safety net versus an obligation; and nutritious meals at schools help individual learners achieve more.

Students at Komitii Primary School receive their school lunch thanks to a VICODEC satellite feeding program. The community was repeatedly denied government funds for clean water and classroom space, so they placed a proposal with Kenya Works to install a combined solution for water and classroom needs. Kenya Works has successfully instituted this model in various other locations throughout the Magadi region, where the saltwater table makes them a poor candidate for drilling water pumps. Kenya Works installed a 115L water tank with a classroom structure above. The community participated in the construction of the building and water collection piping system and water is collected during the rainy season and supplies the community during the dry season.

  • My greatest joy is that I do not have to carry water to school for cooking lunch every day.

  • The lack of clean drinking water was a major issue that has been resolved by Kenya Works.

VICODEC & Ray Schmidt’s Heart of Gold

Hear from the late Ray Schmidt about his love for helping people and getting involved both locally and globally. His support of children in Kenya was instrumental in making VICODEC what it is today and his heart of gold championed the relationship between U.S. Venture and Kenya Works.

  • I don’t know how you can do any better than give a young kid an education…but then feed them and give them gas lanterns…how lucky are we to get to help them out? They are lucky to get help but we’re luckier than they are…it makes us happy.

    Ray Schmidt, U.S. Venture Co-Founder

U.S. Venture Team Member Donation

Are you a U.S. Venture team member interested in donating or sponsoring a child?