Empowering futures, one student at a time
Maggie Kearns
FOUNDATION FOR KIBERA
Maggie Kearns starting school at University of Illinois - 2016
Maggie Okoth starting highschool in Kibera - 2025
About
We are the Maggie Kearns Foundation for Kibera
In June of 2025, Ann visited Kibera, Kenya with an educational mission trip and volunteered at an elementary school. Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and is one of the most inhospitable places in the world for children. There is no running water or sanitation, unemployment is at 50%, food is scarce, 19% of children die before the age of five and life expectancy is 30 years old.
While witnessing this severe poverty, she questioned what her role could be in helping the people from Kibera. After her return to the United States, Ann developed a friendship with Monica, the elementary school principal. Together, they began to create opportunities for people to sponsor kids to attend high school. Through sponsorship, kids then have the means to attend school, receive three meals a day, and as a student, move forward toward getting an education. The opportunity for high school is life changing for these kids. It provides security, restores hope, and fosters the value of education offering a brighter future for them and their families.
Ann Kearns and Monica Akinyi
at a home visit in Kibera
TRANSFORMING LIVES
25
STUDENTS SPONSORED
7,500+
Meals Provided
< 1
YEAR OF IMPACT
OUR COMMITMENT
Maggie Kearns Foundation for Kibera is dedicated to providing high school sponsorship for students from Kibera, Kenya and surrounding areas. Our mission is to select students with high potential and critical needs, then match them with individuals willing to sponsor their education. On both sides of the Atlantic, communication is ongoing, so that sponsors and students see for themselves the transformative opportunities!
​High school opportunity is life changing. It provides security and restores hope for children growing up in the largest slum in Africa.
Maria
“My heart told me that for a relatively small donation I can help change the trajectory of a child's future."
Peggy
"It is a plus to donate to an organization that we can trust the leadership to make good and honest decisions."
Lisa
“With the world in such a crazy state, it is refreshing to be able to make a significant difference for one child on the other side of the world."