Green Olive Trust UK works very closely with our friends and partners in the Green Olive Foundation Kenya that is based in Kakamega.
The Kenyan board members have a history of supporting young people who are not financially able to access education. They were already helping families and young people in their local area before the founding trustees of the UK trust met them and came on board.
Through their experience and local knowledge, the Kenyan board members are in an ideal position to identify those young people who would benefit from Green Olive Trust bursaries. Board members ensure that the funds raised in the UK are allocated to local students who have shown promise, but would otherwise not be able to access an education due to their family circumstances. Our Kenyan partners closely monitor the progress of each student that we fund, and keep the UK trustees updated.
Members of the Green Olive Foundation Kenya board also oversaw the development of the Greenhouse Project and the rebuild of the primary school. They provided UK trustees with regular updates and very detailed reports. This enabled UK Green Olive trustees to report to our funding bodies Quaker Peace and Social Witness, and the Kitchen Table Trust.
There is a small office that is used by Green Olive Foundation in Kakamega, seen in the photo above left. Community activists use the office on an occasional basis to carry out their administrative tasks to support the Foundation. This space is also used as a base to offer guidance and support to families and young people.
As well as working with bursary students funded by Green Olive Trust and overseeing the special projects, the Kenyan board members continue to raise their own funds to support local students who would otherwise not be able to access an education. However, this is becoming ever more challenging, so all UK donations are gratefully received and put to very good local use.
