We are Friends of Kenya Rising, an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We exist to support our partner United Kenya Rising (UKR) and its Family Care program.

 

We offer financial, technical, and other support to UKR in Kakamega, Kenya. In turn, they  work tirelessly to assist vulnerable families rising out of poverty.

UKR’s staff, leadership, and board members are all Kenyan. The Family Care program that they run is locally-developed and locally-led. It is a true local, community organization. Its leaders are responding to the needs of the community they come from, continue to live in, and are passionate to serve.

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We admire with reverence the work UKR staff do each day. We certainly couldn't do it ourselves; we're neither qualified academically nor strong enough emotionally.

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We work hand-in-hand with UKR  to see the program evolve, grow, and thrive. But we don't run it. 

Throughout our communications, we use “we” to speak with one voice, emphasizing our mutual support and trust. This means that instead of repeating phrases like “our Kenyan partner UKR’s social work team,” we may simply say “our social work team.” Doing this makes reading much easier, but it does not suggest that we, the Americans at Friends of Kenya Rising, operate Family Care. Our Kenyan partners do that. We are here to support them and grow the incredible impact UKR creates with the donor funds we steward.
 

It is amazing to see that after all these years, we have never been disappointed with any of the new directions that they have taken the Family Care program. Every improvement is the result of hands-on experience, careful discussion, and thoughtful implementation by staff members.

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