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Steve Peifer’s initiative to provide daily meals to school children in Kenya
In 2002, AIM Missionary Steve Peifer began a school feeding program around the area where he serves at Rift Valley Academy, Kenya. In response to a severe drought that Kenya was experiencing at the time, Steve started the outreach with one school. Since then, the program has grown to include 34 schools and over 18,000 students fed daily. The impetus behind this program is not just to fill tummies, although it does that. The bigger picture is providing good nutrition so that students will (1) stay in school and (2) have a chance for their brains to fully develop so that they actually learn while in school.
Some of the facts:
• The average Kenyan’s income is about $1/day
• Most Kenyan children eat only one meal a day.
• The drop out rate in most Kenyan schools is about 65-70%.
• The vast majority of students quit schooling after grade 8, when free education ends
• When a free lunch is provided, the drop out rate is reduced dramatically
Steve writes, “With our first pilot school, the dropout rate went from 46% to 1% once we started providing meals. Based on that and coupled with wonderful support from the U.S., we have added schools as funds allow. The hardest part of our work is having to say “No” to headmasters of schools that know about our program and want to see their children fed and learning—with more funding, we can say “Yes” to more schools.”
$30 feeds 600 schoolchildren a nutritious lunch for one day.
We invite you to consider a contribution toward this initiative. You may donate online by selecting the project: "Peifer School Lunch Program - 000339"
To contribute by mail, make checks payable to Africa Inland Mission with a separate note indicating “Peifer School Lunch Program - 000339” and mail to:
Africa Inland Mission
Attn: Receipting Department
P.O. Box 178
Pearl River, NY 10965
One initiative leads to another...
Realizing that even with good nutrition, the educational system in Kenya was not too strong and that students could graduate without real skills for earning a living, Steve came up with the idea for a solar-powered computer classroom to teach Kenyan students basic technology skills. Read more about the Computer Centers Project here.
For his work in "championing children," Steve was nominated as one of six CNN Heroes, an awards program spotlighting individuals making significant differences in the world around them. >>Learn more about about that special award and see the video.
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