People in Malta have the chance to change the lives of children in desperate need in Kenya, via a new crowdfunding campaign on Zaar.

The campaign is the latest from local non-profit organisation Sponsor My Future, which helps a community of children living in the slums of Ruiru, Kenya, around 25km from the capital city of Nairobi. The programme supports both the education and the livelihood of children from underprivileged backgrounds, aiming to give them an education so that they can lift themselves and their families out of poverty. 

To help raise funds for the initiative, the staff of Arctech Innovation, a UK-based centre of excellence for entomological research, will also run the 10km Tough Mudder obstacle course in April.

“Every donation to the programme gives a child the chance to grow and develop, enabling them to reach their full potential at home and at school,” explains Sponsor My Future founder Laura Paris, who established the programme in 2016 in collaboration with the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, an international Missionary Congregation founded in Malta in 1903. “These children and adolescents in Ruiru desperately need help. It is a densely populated and semi-industrial area, with people arriving from other parts of the country in search of job opportunities. Most people live with their families in single rented rooms, which lack electricity, water and drainage systems. This highly unhygienic and polluted environment leaves the population vulnerable to disease and violence, which can lead to deaths and parentless children. Once again, we hope that the generosity of the Maltese public donating through Zaar will be a turning point in the lives of so many of these young people.”

Following last years’ Sponsor My Future campaign on Zaar, which was also featured on NET TV, the latest hopes to raise at least €1,000 towards the sponsorship of children in Ruiru. These vital funds will cover their school tuition and public exam fees, while also overcoming any barriers to learning, such as buying uniform, shoes, books, stationery, hygiene essentials and nutritious daily meals. The programme also ensures that all enrolled children live with an approved guardian, whether that is a family member or even a kind neighbour. 

Any additional funds raised will support struggling individuals in the wider community, through distribution of food packages and medicine to single mothers and the elderly, as well as a feeding programme that caters to all the project’s primary school children and around 30 street children, every day.

While every donation to the campaign makes a difference to the lives of children in need, backers can also opt to sponsor a child in the region for a month, six months or a year via Zaar. 

Visitors are invited to donate to the Sponsor My Future – Tough Mudder Fundraiser campaign at www.zaar.com.mt. More information about Sponsor My Future is also available at www.sponsormyfuture.org