We engage, empower, and educate.
Our mission
We operate across Kenya and Melbourne to spur Kenya's sustainable future.
Engage
We engage the local Kenyan community through authentic mentorship, culturally sensitive initiatives and sustainable programs.
Empower
We empower children and young adults with skills to transform not only their own lives but the lives of their families and communities.
Educate
We educate through the provision of schooling, extra-curricular activities and public health programs.
Kick-start Kisumu
Spur hopes to open a second site in Kisumu, a rural settlement of Kenya, in June 2022. To do this, we need to raise a minimum of $60,000 to cover start-up costs that include site rental, staff salaries, transport and program operations for six months.
About Holo, Kisumu
Holo is a rural settlement within Kisumu county. It is located in the boundary of Seme and Kisumu West Sub-Counties, and is home to more than 2,000 people. Holo is about 42km from Kisumu City CBD, and 2km offshore of Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in East Africa.
In Holo, about 60% of residents live in extreme poverty. The national poverty average is 46%. Most children tend to drop out of school at primary level and those that manage to complete primary school education have a low transition rate to secondary school. Adolescent pregnancy is one of the main reasons that teenage girls drop-out; it is estimated that one out of three girls will cease their education due to becoming pregnant. The flow-on effect of this is a community of many orphans, child-led homes and general unpreparedness of parents and caregivers.
Why is Kisumu next for Spur?
The vision for Kisumu started in January 2020 with Patoh and Sue - our Kenyan Director and Deputy Director. With Spur Kibera running well, they began thoughtfully seeking the next challenge.
It was the social issues described above that interested Patoh and Sue in Kisumu; they felt that the Spur model could be a good fit in meeting the needs of the community there.
Want to find out more?
Watch our videos to see how we launched kick-start Kisumu. Please also head over to our Grassrootz page to donate and support the work in Kisumu.
What we do
We engage the local community
We believe in locally-led change. As all our programs are run in Kenya, we felt it was important to engage Kenyan locals to determine and do the work they saw need for in their community. We support all Kenyan Spur employees with living wages through our Sponsor a Worker Program.
We empower young Kenyans and their families
Spur is located in Kibera, Kenya's largest poverty-stricken slum. In this environment, we believe that sustainable change for young people is only possible with consistent financial assistance to children and their families, and authentic mentorship from role models. Our Child Sponsorship Program currently has 100 sponsored children who are offered financial aid, local mentorship and a transitional scholarship should they gain a place in university.
We educate young Kenyans in vital areas
We believe in the pivotal role education can have in progressing a society away from poverty. Through a number of locally conceived programs that focus on topics such as health, literacy and female empowerment in young people, we aim to equip the next generation with knowledge and skills that last a lifetime – within and beyond their own.
Support us
The work we do in Kenya is not possible without the generous support of our donors. Make a one-off general donation, or commit to sponsoring a child or worker today.