History

Kenya Acorn Project (KAP) History

The Kenya Acorn Project was established in 1998, by a group of UK visitors to the Ndhiwa area of Western Kenya, in response to evident community need. It was registered as a charity in the UK in July 1999, and as an international NGO in Kenya in October 2002.  KAP is a membership organisation, with a board of trustees based in the UK and Kenya.  The Chair of the management committee in Kenya is a Board member.  Many people in the United Kingdom and in Kenya are involved in KAP. This is to increase fund raising but also to increase awareness of development education within the North East of England, making global links between the two communities in England and Kenya.

The Board of Trustees has acted as the general overseer of the project, and has been very successful in gaining a variety of resources for the project.  These include financial donations, hospital equipment, educational materials and UK volunteers, many of whom have visited the project for periods of several weeks to up to six months, and have provided labour, skills and materials to upgrade the physical infrastructure of the Community Hospital and of the five selected schools.  To date, fund-raising has targeted mostly individual donations, but has included contributions from the British Army in Kenya, and other supporters.

The project grew from an individual’s key interest in the development needs and aspirations of Ndhiwa community.  Muriel Armstrong, a senior nursing lecturer in North East England, founded KAP.  Early achievements included the renovation of a derelict house into a community hospital, with laboratory and mortuary facilities; equipping the hospital with medical items, drugs, and sanitation and waste disposal facilities, including an incinerator; providing support to schools for the building of new classrooms, water catchment systems, pit latrines and improvement of other physical facilities.  Various women’s groups are being supported with seed capital, to begin income-generating activities.