Developing faith and confidence in Kenya through education, community empowerment, and lifelong mentorship.
Imani [ee-MAH-knee] noun:
Faith, confidence.
Imani Kenya’s Mission is to match bright and deserving graduating 8th graders who would not otherwise be able to attend high school, and potentially college, with financial sponsors and local mentors; and to empower communities through economic development projects that will allow families to send their own children on to higher education.
In the photo above from 2015, the light is shining directly on Faith, and to her right, Sheila. Both girls are among the first five students to be matched with financial sponsors.
Founded in Faith
Pastor Jacob is speaking to the Kiraria Primary School students during a mission trip to Meru, Kenya. Christian education classes, daily chapel services and prayer times are foundational elements in the vast majority of primary schools and high schools in Kenya. For the Kenyan people as a whole, faith in God is the primary driving force for joy in their lives, and higher education is key to having confidence in their future and that of their country. Imani Kenya strives to be a faithful partner by sponsoring higher education for Kenya’s disadvantaged bright and deserving youth.
The Road to Higher Education
The road to higher education in Kenya follows a familiar progression of steps from primary school to high school, and then on to higher education in the form of many fine colleges, universities and vocational schools. Good grades and strong scores on standardized placement exams can assure students of the opportunity to advance to the next level. However, only grade school is free and available for all children to attend. For economically challenged families, the costs of high school and beyond are simply out of reach and the road to higher education can come to a dead end. However, sponsorships change that narrative, and change lives.
Brenda, in this photo, has been sponsored through Imani Kenya since 2014 and performed very well in high school with excellent marks. She is now a college graduate of Kenyatta University in Nairobi, earning her Bachelor of Economics and Statistics Degree in the Fall of 2021 with honors. Brenda is our first college graduate and is successfully self-employed as an entrepreneur. Brenda has been named as an Ambassador of our Imani Kenya Foundation. Congratulations, Brenda!
Imani Kenya Scholars Program
This is Kellen. Our Elder team in Kenya identified Kellen in late 2014 as a promising candidate for sponsorship. She was about to graduate from 8th grade with an excellent academic record, but had no hope of entering high school due to financial hardship within the family. Our US team identified a sponsor for Kellen, and the match was made. She completed high school in 2018 with strong marks. Fast forward to 2025, Kellen is a college graduate from the Thika School of Medical Sciences with a diploma in Counseling Psychology, and is employed as a nursing assistant.
Meet some of our other sponsored Imani Scholars —
Imani Kenya Projects: Community Empowerment
Our Imani Kenya team has been working with the community of Thuura in Meru County to establish a coffee farming business, combining a coffee farm with a modern processing plant, and to empower this community to transform its own economy. With a new source of income from coffee farming and processing, Thuura will now be able to send its own children through higher levels of education. But, before coffee farming would have been possible, the first step was to establish a supply of running water directly to this Thuura community from the river three miles away.
