Kisima Child Care Academy and Orphanage

Over 300 Kisima Students

13 Orphans

Over 300 Community Children

4.5 Acres Farmed

Maize and Beans

Meeting ~50% of needs

Educational Success

National exam scores consistently in top 10% for region

Kisima Academy started in 2006 with 83 orphans.  Currently, there are 13 orphans at Kisima, 24 Kisima graduates attending high school, and 54 attending colleges and universities.  There are also over 300 day students whose families cannot afford the books or uniforms required for public school.  About half of the children were orphaned as a result of tribal violence during the 2002 and 2007 elections. A quarter were orphaned from AIDS.  Others were orphaned through illnesses, abandonment, road accidents, and murder.  Very often the parent or parents died or disappeared and the child ended up in the care of a grandparent who then also died.

Kisima owns four and a half acres of land, two of which are used to grow maize and beans to feed the children.  Another two acres are leased for additional maize and beans.  In a good year they are able to produce about half of their needs. There are four cows for milk, chickens for eggs, and rabbits and pigs for meat.  

The children are lovingly cared for and given a well-rounded, Christian education by dedicated teachers..  The first Class 8 graduated in December 2014 and started secondary school in January 2015.  Nationally the top 10% of Class 8 students qualify to attend a national secondary school; at Kisima 42% qualified. KCCA graduate orphans then go to high school, most of which require boarding at an average cost of $1000 per year.  Another $200 covers their transportation, housing, food, and clothing for the three months they are home at Kisima for their school breaks.  Students enroll at the best school available to them according to their test scores. 

 Much progress has been made through the generosity of many caring people but there are still goals to be met.  The biggest challenge now is supporting the older orphans as they move on to secondary and post-secondary education. At KCCA, the goal is to become self-sufficient as as a village school. Food production and expanding farming remain long term challenges.