Harambee Schools Kenya (HSK) is a UK charity that has an unusual proposition for companies looking for a charity partner for their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. Rather than just asking for money, or for staff to help with the building of the school, HSK is suggesting that potential corporate partners get involved in one or more of two ways:

• A long-term funding partnership. Rather than a one-off donation, the charity is looking for companies to support them over several years. This could include match funding of employee donations, as well as or instead of direct support from CSR budgets.
• Strategic support to the charity's board. As a trustee-run charity, HSK is looking for companies that are willing to invest a small amount of senior staff time into helping with aspects of running the organisation (such as marketing or operations), as well as providing funding.

There is also an opportunity for some staff to help in Kenya - not by building the school itself, for which the charity employs locals, but by providing business mentoring support to local entrepreneurs, an activity that HSK has organised for several years for individuals and groups of UK professionals through its sister organisation, Skills Venture (for more information see www.skillsventure.com). This is an excellent way of allowing key staff to develop new skills while giving something back.

HSK is a volunteer-run educational charity based in the UK, which works with Kenyan communities to improve educational opportunities by providing school buildings and teaching materials. It was founded in 1999, since when it has raised enough funds to build three schools from scratch and completely transform a further eight schools. Because it has no paid staff or offices, overheads are minimal, so that 99% of donations raised from the UK are spent on delivering projects in Kenya.

The current focus of HSK's fundraising is Kekopey Secondary School. After building and refurbishing a number of primary schools, the charity has recently started to concentrate on secondary education, to cater to the large numbers of primary school-leavers in the area who are unable to afford the large fees demanded by most secondary schools. Kekopey will serve an area next to a busy highway where hundreds of pupils leave primary school with nowhere to move on to. HSK is now in the process of building the first two classrooms, and has raised £90,000 for Kekopey from a mixture of fundraising events and corporate support. The charity is looking to raise a further £150,000 to complete Kekopey by providing further classrooms, two science labs, rainwater harvesting tanks, a kitchen, dining hall and staff rooms.

Discussing why delegates and visitors to RPE 2011 will be asked to help the project, HSK trustee Amie Willenberg explained: "This is an excellent opportunity for companies to put their CSR programmes to good use, by providing funds and staff expertise to make a real difference in Africa."

Exhibitors and visitors at RPE can visit HSK's trustees at stand 96 to talk about the charity's work and its current drive to recruit new corporate partners.

Please visit the HSK website at www.hsk.org.uk.

Harambee Schools Kenya

Harambee Schools Kenya

Harambee Schools Kenya works with poor rural Kenyan schools and their local communities to develop their educational infrastructure. Unlike most similar charities, we are run by volunteers and have no offices, so virtually every penny we receive goes straight to schools and students in rural Kenya.

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