Kids in the slums of Kenya have it tough. Extremely tough. Many come from broken and abusive households, are orphaned because of AIDS and have no access to education. Their futures are written for them before they even get a chance in life.

But this story can be turned around. A few years ago, two siblings, Whinny and Shem, set up a small pre-school in the impoverished community where they grew up. They called it Shiners School. Through this project they have given children from the slums the opportunity of an education and a path out of poverty. Without Shiners, these kids wouldn't have the basic skills required to be admitted into Kenya's public school system, and would be locked out of the chance for an education and a better life.

Whinny and Shem have been doing an incredible job providing hope to these kids and tackling poverty in a real, tangible way. But they can't keep doing their wonderful work without some assistance. We want to raise money to improve the facilities of the school. We would like to provide better lighting and some animals and crops for food sustainability, along with a laptop for computer literacy education, which will greatly assist the kids when they enter school. We would also like to set up a small endowment that will help the students with uniforms and books for primary and secondary schools after they leave Shiners.

Any help that you can provide would be hugely appreciated by the children and staff at Shiners! You can find out more about the school through their website, accessible here.

N.B. Shiners School is an official community-based organisation which is registered with the Kenyan government. All of the funds raised will go directly to the school and to improving the lives of Kenya's poorest young citizens.