We are delighted that our Annual Baringo Education Program Update for 2025 has just been released!

Every year our 27 staff in Kenya work tirelessly to break the cycle of poverty and ensure that every child has access to quality education.

2025 was a year like no other. The news of the decimation of USAID was devastating, and worsened when additional bilateral donors of Sub-Saharan Africa – namely the UK, Germany and Canada – made significant reductions to their aid budgets too.

This created an environment of fear and pressure throughout 2025. Nevertheless, the team at So They Can was truly grateful for the ongoing support of our donors and learnt just how important our sustainable development model is. Our model centers Private-Public Partnerships and is embedded in local, regional and national structures. Ultimately, it is built to withstand external shocks and we are so proud that despite the turbulence of 2025, 4,200 children in Baringo across 10 underserved primary schools accessed quality education in 2025.

What were some of the key takeaways from the Annual Update?

The Annual Update summarises the impact of our 8 interconnected projects that fall under our Education Program in Baringo for 2025. This includes our School Improvement, My Voice, Keeping Girls in School, Let’s Learn, Msomi Scholarship, Teacher Development, Our School Community, and Shamba Letu projects. The Annual Update is packed with insight, impact, and progress, and we encourage all our supporters to dive in.

For now, here are just a few of the highlights:

– The School Improvement project saw ongoing access to safe and inclusive school environments. This included the construction of 2 new classrooms, 9 new toilet blocks, 2 girls’ changing rooms and 3 school kitchens. 739 uniforms were supplied to students, 998 children received WASH materials, mattresses were supplied to 40 boys’ dormitories, and 1,251 children were supported to obtain their birth certificate. See the full impact of the School Improvement project on page 3 of the Annual Update.

– The Keeping Girls in School project continued to address the key barriers to education for girls in Baringo. A total of 1,020 girls received sanitary products, 1,191 adolescents were trained in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and 200 girls commemorated Menstrual Hygiene Day in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Chemolingot Sub County Hospital. Scholarships were provided for 5 teenage mothers and 19 girls aged 7–10 at risk of child marriage became enrolled in So They Can’s Ambassadors of Hope Intiative. See the full impact of the Keeping Girls in School project on page 7 of the Annual Update.

– The Shamba Letu project continued to strengthen sustainable access to food, farming education and income in Baringo by supporting 5 school farms across 19.5 acres of productive land. The impact of this approach was particularly evident at Perkerra Primary School, where the most recent harvest produced 11,600 kg of maize. This is projected to generate KSH 1.2 million (AUD $12,900) in income for the school. See the full impact of the Shamba Letu project on page 15 of the Annual Update.

– A flourishing ongoing partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP). We received incredible feedback from our partners at DFAT following their program visit in 2025: ‘[So They Can’s Education Program] demonstrates value for money… to deliver wide-reaching and tangible outcomes across multiple counties. Despite limited resourcing, the initiative continues to stretch its capacity effectively elevating existing projects and pivoting responsively to meet evolving local needs.’ We are grateful for our ongoing partnership and accreditation with the Australian Government – which gives all our supporters confidence in the effectiveness, governance and accountability of our unique development model.

New school kitchen at Lemuyek Primary School

Thank you

Thank you to our team in Kenya, led by Boniface Mouti, for their resilience, determination and commitment to education for all throughout 2025.

Read the full Annual Baringo Education Program Update for 2025 here.