As I look back on the first half of 2026 — from our opening day on 6 January to the end of June — I am filled with gratitude and a renewed sense of purpose. These six months have brought a fuller school, meaningful investment in our teachers, new friendships across two continents, and a hardship in our community that reminded us what this school means to the families we serve.
This report covers the period from January to June 2026 and reflects the collective commitment of our students, families, teachers, and partners to education as a pathway out of poverty.
We operated six days a week throughout the half-year, serving two meals daily without interruption. This rhythm is more than a schedule — it is a commitment to being consistently present for children who depend on this institution as a place of safety, nourishment, and growth.
Investing in Our Teachers
Behind every one of our students stands a dedicated teacher, and this half-year we invested in them deliberately. In April, our teaching team took part in a training conducted by Mosaic Charity – a non profit organisation that works to promote professional growth of teachers in Africa – on practical classroom methods for early years learners, and the impact is already visible in our classrooms. As teacher Monicah puts it: “when we apply the methods we were taught during training, I can see a lot of change in my class.” Our teachers are asking for more of this kind of development — the finest request a director could receive.
Our journey with Waldorf Education also went deeper this term. Under the leadership of our headteacher, Lilian Anyango, painting, singing, storytelling, and rhythm have become part of daily life at the school, and a wonderful session led by Stefania – an Italian waldorf teacher who is also an official of Direttamente Onlus our partner organisation in Italy – left our teachers inspired and full of fresh ideas. For children who come from unstable homes, this warmth and predictability provide security, wonder, and joy. And because we remain fully aligned with Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum, our children receive the best of both worlds.
We were thrilled to celebrate our PP1 Teacher, Rehema Oketch, who graduated in July with a Diploma in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Rehema’s achievement is a proud milestone for our school and reflects our broader commitment to professional development. We believe that investing in our teachers’ growth—whether through supporting advanced certifications or our regular team training workshops—directly translates to the high-quality, nurturing education our students deserve.
Friends Across Continents
This half-year our children made friends across two continents. In early May, our Grade 1 class connected live with Ledina Elementary School in Ljubljana, Slovenia — thanks to Emina – Emina is an Italian of Ugandan descent who I met early this year in Kampala, Uganda – and her wonderful team — and in June with Williston Central School in Vermont, USA, facilitated by Susan Stewart and our own teachers Lilian and Maurine. The children shared their history and cultures and listened to their new friends do the same. We will reconnect with our Vermont friends in September, with monthly meet-ups planned. Our classroom is travelling the world without leaving Kariobangi.
Standing With Our Community
This half-year also brought hardship. On 26 May, a devastating fire tore through Kariobangi Light Industries, just metres from our school gate – the second fire in the same location in three months. We are profoundly thankful that no lives were lost, but many livelihoods were destroyed, including the businesses of at least two Hands of Love parents.
Through it all, the school did not waver: our doors stayed open, the meals kept coming, and our teachers walked alongside the affected families with practical help and open hearts. For a child whose family has just lost everything, school is not a luxury — it is an anchor. We will continue standing with these families as they rebuild.
Strengthening Our Administration
A school that dreams big must also manage carefully. This half-year we made an important hire: an accountant to oversee our financial management. Judy Oketch will help in the sound stewardship of every shilling entrusted to us.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Our students took centre stage on 16 June as we joined schools across the continent to mark the Day of the African Child. Performing songs and poems before the community, they stood tall with a pride and confidence that moved many to tears. Rare opportunities to shine like this give our children a meaningful chance to be seen.
This term, educational experiences also extended far beyond our classroom walls. Our Pre-Primary 1 & 2 classes went on an exciting visit to the Nairobi Safari Walk and Animal Orphanage, bringing children face to face with real wild animals they had only ever known from picture books. They returned fully capable of distinguishing wild animals from domestic ones, an experience that teacher Roseanne noted was deeply rewarding and enjoyable for students and teachers alike. Meanwhile, the Grade 1 students embarked on their own trip, touring a farm in Ruiru, where they saw farm animals, visited botanical gardens and enjoyed an array of fun games and outdoor events.
We are immensely grateful to our board members, whose generous contributions funded these trips and made these memorable experiences possible.
Health, Nutrition, and Welfare
Our food program remains one of the most immediate ways we change the lives of the children in our care. Throughout the first half of the year, we have maintained an uninterrupted rhythm of providing two meals a day, six days a week, to every enrolled child. During this period, we served an estimated 40,000 meals.
Through our partnership with the Nairobi County government’s “Food for Education” initiative, we continue to substantially lower the cost of daily meals, though unfortunately, there is currently no indication that this support will extend into the second half of 2026.
Our rooftop garden has enhanced our food program by providing a variety of fresh herbs and vegetables, including spring onions, kale, zucchini, carrots, peppers, coriander, borage, and dill. Furthermore, we have been gathering eggs from our chickens to provide a nutritious addition to our children’s meals once a week.
Our dedication to health and well-being remained steadfast throughout the first half of the year. We coordinated 41 hospital visits for children requiring medical attention and continuously ensured access to safe, clean drinking water. Medical professionals from a local clinic also visited the school to conduct a deworming campaign, which began with lessons for our students on the importance of deworming and proper hygiene. Finally, we conducted 28 home visits—a practice that keeps us connected to the daily realities of our families—and utilized these moments to encourage households to register for Kenya’s Social Health Insurance (SHA).
Our commitment to whole-child care is best illustrated by two powerful examples from this past half-year, showing exactly what vigilance in student health means in practice. In Grade 1, a boy named Ramsey had a splinter from a discarded goat bone lodged in his foot for over three months; thanks to a successful surgery, he is now recovering well and has returned to class. Meanwhile, in PP1A, teacher Monicah noticed a student experiencing discomfort from a protruding belly button. Though his parents initially thought it was completely normal, her gentle persistence led to a successful operation, allowing him to return to school and learn free of pain. This embodies our vision of holistic care: observant teachers, trusting families, and a proactive school community.
Renovations
Our facility has benefited greatly from the renovated ground floor, which we occupied at the beginning of the year, as previously highlighted in the Q1 report. It continues to be highly valued by our teachers, students, and their families.
Additionally, I am delighted to announce that the rooftop washroom is now complete. Work is actively underway to transform the remaining rooftop area into a secure, child-friendly environment—a soft, protected outdoor space designed for our children to run around and play freely.
Prioritizing quality infrastructure, facilities, and equipment conveys a meaningful message to our students and community: you are deeply valued, and you belong here.
A Look Inside Our Classrooms: Term 2 Reports
Our classrooms are where the mission comes to life, and nobody tells that story better than the teachers who live it every day. Below are their reflections on Term 2, class by class.
Grade 1 — Teacher: Lilian Anyango
34 learners | 1 student with special needs (6-7 years)
The Grade 1 learners made wonderful progress in their overall development and classroom engagement . Across the class, there is a deepened commitment to learning and a joyful spirit of curiosity that brings our lessons to life every day.
My class also had the joy of sharing our history and culture with schools in Vermont and Slovenia through online exchanges. On May 7, our Grade 1 children did something extraordinary: they sat in front of a screen and waved hello to students at Ledina Elementary School in Ljubljana, Slovenia, thousands of miles away. For many, it was their first time connecting with children from another country, and it was deeply moving to watch them realize the world is full of friends they hadn’t yet met. A huge thank you to Emina and the team at Ledina Elementary for opening this window to the world.
Following this, on June 11, our classroom ‘travelled’ to the USA, connecting live with students at Williston Central School in Vermont. The children shared fun facts, sang songs, and built friendships across the ocean. We are excited to reconnect with our friends in Vermont starting in September with monthly meet-ups. A big thank you to Susan Stewart and our teachers, Lilian and Maurine, for making this magic happen—this is education at its best, expanding hearts and minds beyond borders.
One child filled my heart this term. Patience, my learner with special needs, can now feed herself with a spoon without making a mess, and her vocabulary keeps growing every week.
The term also included a truly wonderful class trip to a farm in Ruiru. It was a joy to watch my students face-to-face with farm animals, exploring the beautiful botanical gardens, and jumping into an array of fun outdoor games and events. Seeing them learn and play together in such a vibrant setting was a highlight for all of us.
Moving the Friday sports day from the public field in Kariobangi to the Catholic church field has been a wonderful transition. I am delighted to see the children engaging in games and sports together like never before, especially when the entire class plays as one.
Pre-Primary 2 — Teachers: Monica Amolo & Roseanne Awuor
39 learners (21 boys, 18 girls) – 5 – 6 years
Teaching and learning across both PP2 streams went just as planned this term, with our learners participating actively and making great progress. We are especially proud of the mid-term assessments, which were a true triumph; every learner worked independently, and the results were impressive. Our children have made wonderful strides in reading and writing, with many now forming three- and four-letter words and sentences on their own. We celebrate learners like Shaniz, Damian, Draven, and Qurren, who have made tremendous progress since the start of the year.
The school trip to the Nairobi Safari Walk and the Animal Orphanage was a highlight that none of us will forget. Our learners were thrilled to see real wild animals they had only known from pictures, and we found that we teachers gained just as much joy as the children. However, we remain mindful that some learners still require ongoing remedial support, and occasional absenteeism continues to interrupt the continuity of their learning. We are committed to providing one-on-one time and new methods to ensure everyone keeps improving.
We continue to value the strong collaboration between parents and teachers that helps our children rise.
Pre-Primary 1 — Teachers: Monicah Njeri & Rehema Oketch
53 learners (30 boys, 23 girls) – 4 -5 years
Our Pre-Primary 1 classes have made wonderful strides together this term. Across both streams, our learners are showing steady improvement in literacy, numeracy, and social skills; most can now recognise the alphabet, identify numbers, and follow classroom instructions with growing confidence. We have found that incorporating songs, games, and flashcards has made our classrooms joyful places to learn, where even children who barely spoke in January are now expressing themselves boldly. We are also incredibly grateful for the training we received in April. By applying these new practical methods, we are seeing children who previously struggled to write numbers begin to flourish right before our eyes.
The trip to the Nairobi Safari Walk and Animal Orphanage was a highlight for the entire level, bringing our lessons on domestic and wild animals to life as the children observed and named the animals they had only seen in books. Amidst this shared progress, we continue to care for our students’ individual needs. Teacher Monicah shares a touching story about one of her boys: after noticing his belly button was protruding and causing discomfort, she gently encouraged his parents to seek medical advice. The resulting surgery was a success, and he is now back in class learning free of pain. Meanwhile, Teacher Effie is focusing her heart on addressing irregular attendance for two of her learners. She is working closely with their families to encourage consistent attendance, knowing they are just as capable as their peers if they are simply present. With this continued cooperation, we believe every child in PP1 will reach their full potential.
Alumni Stories: Where Are They Now?
Every so often, a former student walks back through our gates, taller and wiser, and reminds us exactly why we do this work. This half-year we caught up with three of our alumni — three young women who started right here in these classrooms.
Lakishan Rose
Lakishan left us in Grade 4 for Salama Primary and went on to Ndururuno Secondary School, where she scored an outstanding B+ in her KCSE exams. She is now awaiting university placement — and true to form, she is not sitting idle, but studying computer skills in the meantime. Hands of Love runs deep in her family: her sister Latifa studied here too, and her mother Rhoda served on our support staff. Lakishan still lives in Kariobangi South — living proof to our current children of just how far they can go.
Pollet Achieng
Pollet is Hands of Love through and through — she joined us all the way back in pre-unit. She left in Grade 4 for Watoto Wetu Academy, completed secondary school at Our Lady of Fatima, and earned a C in her KCSE exams. She is still weighing what to study in college, and whatever she chooses, she carries our foundation with her. We are cheering her on.
Mary Muthoni
Mary left us at Grade 4 for Kariobangi North Primary, went on to Our Lady of Fatima Secondary, and scored a C+ in her KCSE exams. She is now joining the Kenya Medical Training College to study nursing. A girl from Kariobangi, who learned her first letters in our classrooms, is on her way to a career of healing others. If you ever wonder whether this work matters — there is your answer.
Looking Ahead
As we close this chapter in the first half of 2026, we are reminded that our school is so much more than a building; it is a vital, resilient anchor for our children and their families. From the joy of our students connecting with peers across continents and exploring the world beyond our gates to the quiet, steady dedication of our teachers nurturing every child’s potential, our mission continues to flourish despite the challenges we face. We are deeply grateful to our community, our partners, and our board for standing with us as we provide not only education and nutrition, but a sense of belonging and hope. As we look ahead to the second half of the year, we do so with a renewed commitment to our vision, confident that by supporting our teachers and caring for our children holistically, we are building a foundation that will serve them for a lifetime.