Building a Healthier Future Together: Reflections from Our 2026 Kenya Trip
There is something special about returning to Kenya each year. For many of us, it feels like coming home. This June, ten volunteers from the United States traveled to the Blair Educational Centre to continue a journey that began more than a decade ago. Led by Quint Clarke, our team included Jane Ferry, Bobbie Monaco, Paul Monaco and six other dedicated volunteers who generously shared their time, talents, and hearts.
Every year we leave inspired by the resilience, kindness, and determination of the people we serve. This year was no different. While we celebrated many milestones, we also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges that remain—and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Every Child Counts
One of the most important projects this year was something that many people will never see. Over several days, our volunteers measured and weighed all 400 students at Blair Educational Centre. Each child's height, weight, and other health information were entered into a new electronic database that will allow us to monitor growth and nutrition over time. For the first time, we will be able to identify children who are falling behind, recognize nutritional concerns earlier, and measure the long-term impact of our feeding and health programs. Numbers alone never tell the whole story. But they help us ensure that every child is seen, every child is monitored, and every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Keeping Girls in School
One of the highlights of every trip is partnering with Days for Girls International @DaysForGirls. This year, hundreds of girls participated in menstrual health education while receiving reusable Days for Girls kits that will allow them to remain in school during their menstrual cycles.
Just as important were the conversations. Girls asked thoughtful questions in a safe environment, learning not only about menstrual health but about confidence, dignity, and caring for their bodies.
At the same time, boys and young men participated in Men Who Know, a companion program that teaches respect, understanding, and support for girls and women. By educating both girls and boys, we continue building healthier relationships and stronger communities.
Preparing Students for a Digital Future
Technology continues to open doors for our students. This year we installed 14 additional computers in the Blair Educational Centre computer lab, bringing us another step closer to providing every student with meaningful access to technology.
Our team also spent time training teachers and administrators in cybersecurity and digital safety, helping ensure that the school's growing technology infrastructure remains secure while giving educators the confidence to use these new resources effectively.
For many students, these computers represent their first meaningful opportunity to develop digital skills that will prepare them for higher education and future careers.
Clean Water Changes Everything
One of the most exciting milestones of this year's trip was seeing the completion of the school's new solar-powered borehole and well system made possible through a generous grant from Rise Against Hunger @riseagainsthunger.
For many years, Blair in Kenya has been committed to providing safe drinking water. Through our partnership with Living Waters for the World, @LivingWatersfortheWorld we installed a water filtration system that has served the school and clinic well. However, the system depended almost entirely on harvested rainwater. During Kenya's six-month dry season, water became increasingly scarce, limiting how much clean water could be produced and forcing the school to carefully manage this precious resource.
That has now changed.
The new borehole provides a reliable, year-round source of groundwater that is pumped using solar power into an elevated storage tower before being distributed throughout the campus. The system now supplies water to the classrooms, kitchen, dining hall, bathrooms, and school clinic, providing a dependable source of water regardless of the season.
Our next milestone is final water quality testing. Once the water has been certified safe for drinking, we hope to connect the existing filtration system to this continuous water supply and begin providing clean, potable water not only for the school and clinic but also for the surrounding village.
For us, this project is about much more than water.
It means children can drink safely, wash their hands, prepare meals, and learn in a healthier environment every day of the year. It means the clinic can provide better care. And it means the surrounding community may soon have access to a dependable source of clean drinking water—something that has the potential to improve health for generations to come.
Listening Before We Build
One of the most valuable parts of our visit happened away from the school.
Our team toured three medical facilities in the Kisumu area, meeting with healthcare providers to better understand Kenya's healthcare system and how Blair in Kenya can complement—not duplicate—existing services.
We also spent significant time with Christine, the dedicated nurse at the Blair Educational Centre clinic. Her observations were sobering. On many days, three out of every five children she tests are positive for malaria. That statistic reinforces what we see every year: while access to care is improving, preventable illness continues to affect children's ability to learn and thrive.
We also met with local Community Health Workers who serve families throughout the village. Their message was remarkably consistent. The community needs the next level of healthcare. They need a facility that can provide routine medical care, essential medications, maternal and child health services, and timely referrals when more advanced treatment is required.
These conversations strengthened our commitment to developing the Blair Community Health Center, a Level 3 facility we hope to begin building over the coming year.
But bricks and mortar alone are not enough. The future of healthcare in Blair must also include expanded health education—working alongside parents and caregivers to improve malaria prevention, nutrition, sanitation, chronic disease management, and child wellness.
Healthy children learn better.
Healthy families build stronger communities.
Looking Ahead
Each year, we return from Kenya encouraged by what has been accomplished and energized by what still lies ahead. We see students eager to learn. Teachers committed to excellence. Healthcare workers serving with extraordinary dedication. Community leaders dreaming boldly about the future. And we see the incredible impact made possible by people who choose to invest in children they may never meet.
Because of your generosity, Blair in Kenya continues to grow beyond classrooms. We are building healthier children. Stronger families. Safer water. Greater educational opportunities. And, together with our Kenyan partners, we are laying the foundation for a healthier future for an entire community.
Thank you for believing in this mission and for walking alongside us on this remarkable journey.
