Family Care Resources
The Family Care program provides a powerful combination of resources that include human, financial, and material support.
+ SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
1. Flexible, goal-driven Family Care Budgets
Each family we support has a Family Care Budget of about $625 per year, to use as needed most, for all 3 years in our program. This resource complements training, counseling, and other elements of Family Care.
GOAL DEVELOPMENT AND COST-SHARING
Money is sent after families engage in extensive goal development with their UKR caseworkers. There's also a cost-sharing element for families, based on their ability.
EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
The process of careful planning and delicate cost-sharing may be waived in critical circumstances, typically medical emergencies. In these cases, such as a child with severe malaria fever, UKR may act quickly to send small but crucial financial help to ensure an urgent situation does not get worse.
APPROVAL AND INSTANT DIGITAL TRANSFER
After internal approval within UKR, funds are sent digitally and instantly via secure secure text message using Kenya's mPESA telephone mobile money system. (It works like Venmo or PayPal, and takes the place of bank accounts for many rural Kenyans who don't own smartphones or live near banks).
FREQUENCY AND AMOUNT
Each year, UKR sends over 1,000 transfers to families, totaling over $300 each day and over $100,000 annually.
There are of course wide variations day-to-day, but on average UKR sends about 5 families about $64 each, each and eve day, all year round.
Every single transaction is tailored to a family's carefully-planned goal or specific critical need. The frequency and size of transfers is different for every family, based on their unique needs and remaining budget.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS BUILT-IN
For United Kenya Rising, these small cash transfers using mobile money are an efficient, transparent, and highly accountable method of providing funds to families pursuing mutually agreed-upon goals.
The neatly organized digital trail also makes ledger work and data entry much easier for UKR's finance team.
2. Training, Guidance, and Counseling
There are extensive elements of training and counseling provided to families under each of 5 Five Guiding Star pillar areas.
AGRICULTURE
On-farm, neighborhood model farm, and field trip training about animal health, crop production, and farming as a business
EDUCATION
Academic skills workshops; life skills trainings; career counseling
HEALTH
Nutrition workshops; sexual & reproductive health workshops and counseling; free medical screening camps
DIGNIFIED HOMES
Training on hygiene and sanitation and maintaining and safe, healthy, dignified homestead
LIVELIHOODS
Training on how to succeed in micro and small business, influenced by the Street Business School curriculum and a 'start small' mantra
3. Homestead Rebuilding Materials
Most families selected for Family Care support live in homes that create extremely difficult or even hazardous conditions, such as badly leaking roofs or structurally dangerous pit latrines.
UKR works with families so they can rebuild their homesteads and live in a manner that has dignity in their community. Families do much of the work and provide local materials, while UKR provides things like roofing sheets, nails, and bags of cement.
READ MORE about UKR's homebuilding resources on our Dignified Homes page.
4. Scholarship Opportunities
Alongside help with school costs from families' flexible-use Family Care Budgets, students from the families we serve have a chance to secure full scholarships to advance their education.
READ MORE about UKR's scholarships on our Education page.