Volunteers Foundation

03/04/2026

Wishing everyone a happy holiday! 🎉

Now that the Easter holidays have started we, at Volunteers Foundation, would like to wish you all a happy and relaxing holiday. In keeping with our celebration of different cultures and religions, we would also like to wish a blessed Easter to those celebrating it.

And please don't forget to look out for our upcoming newsletter, with all of our exciting news and updates, which you should be receiving in your email inboxes very soon!

31/01/2026

✨ Join us for an evening of fun and impact! ✨

On 7 March, in London, we're celebrating 15 years of Volunteers Foundation and we'd love you to join us.

It's actually much more than an anniversary that we'll be celebrating.

It's 15 years of believing, again and again, that when people come together with intention, there is nothing that cannot be achieved.

It's 15 years of seeing that when a community truly listens, solutions emerge, even when the path looks impossible.

It's 15 years of so many of you showing up - for children you may never meet, and for a better future we choose to believe in.

It's 320 young lives impacted, 320 stories rewritten, 320 reasons to keep going.

Your attendance on 7 March will help us to build the next 320 stories.

Hope grows when people show up. Change begins when someone decides to care.

Come and join us!

Buy your ticket: https://lnkd.in/eTSbwbRu

03/01/2026

Happy New Year to you all!!

As we step into 2026, we reflect on 2025 and couldn’t be prouder of all that we accomplished over the past year, as well as the remarkable 15 VF Years 😊

Following our VF Dec 2025 Newsletter https://lnkd.in/e3RSg4us we summarise below our 2025 and give you a glimpse of the planned 2026 VF year.

🔸 2025 at a Glance
• 180+ children learning daily at Volunteers Foundation Academy
• 140+ students supported through junior secondary and secondary school
• 38,000+ meals served
• 360 hours of teacher training delivered
• 80+ hours of mentoring and reading clubs led by volunteers

Each number represents a child showing up to learn, a teacher
growing in confidence, and a community moving forward.

🔸What Made This Year Special
• We welcomed our youngest learners. ❇️For the first time, Pre-Primary 1 and 2 opened their doors. Four- and five-year-olds now begin their education journey with us - curious, confident, and supported from day one.
• Volunteers returned to Kibera ❇️ From classroom support to community projects, in-person visits strengthened relationships and brought fresh energy
into the school.
• Students found new ways to shine ❇️ From music performances to daily reading time, creativity and confidence flourished inside and beyond the classroom.
• A major academic milestone was reached ❇️ Our Grade 6 students sat their national KNEC exams at our own school for the very first time - a proud moment for students and teachers alike.

🔸Looking Ahead to 2026
Next year, we’re building on strong foundations. We plan to open the school at weekends, creating space for community-led programmes such as:

• Arts, music, and dance
• Tailoring and creative skills
• Digital skills workshops

In a powerful full-circle moment, many of these sessions will be led by our own alumni - young people giving back to the community that supported them.

As we step into a new year full of possibility, here’s your task for today:

❇️ Add “Make an impact with VF” to your 2026 resolutions.

Be part of something meaningful. Be part of change.

Join the VF Journey in 2026.

14/09/2025

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Last August, we completed our new school building – a safe, welcoming space that has changed the way our children learn, play, and feel about coming to school every day.

This August, our founders, Monica and Andrea returned to Kenya together with Monia Venturi and daughters, and Luigi, who joined as volunteers. Their energy, creativity, and dedication brought so much joy to our school community and made a real difference in the lives of our students.

Monica shared:

“When I walked into the new building on the first day of term, I was greeted by children full of smiles and energy. Their joy was contagious. This school is more than walls and a roof – it is hope, safety, and opportunity.”

🌱 This year, we’ve seen incredible growth:
• 30% increase in student numbers, giving more children access to quality education.
• Tailoring Club: teaching valuable life skills for independence and confidence. Thank you claire okere
• Dance sessions: promoting wellbeing, joy, and resilience.
• Art activities: nurturing creativity, focus, and emotional expression.
• Improved academic performance thanks to a safe and calm environment. Thank you to all teachers and staff at VF Academy

But our journey doesn’t stop here. Our next dream is to create a dedicated sports area – a space where children can play football, basketball, and other games, and where our youngest learners can play safely every day.

🏀⚽ Why this matters:
Physical activity is vital for healthy growth, teamwork, and joy. With your support, we can make this dream a reality.

🙏 Join us in building brighter futures.
Every contribution – big or small – brings us closer to providing our students with a truly holistic education. Donate here https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/projectpamoja-build-the-school-of-tomorrow/

A special thank you to Monia Venturi , her daughters, and Luigi for volunteering their time and hearts. Your involvement brought unforgettable moments of learning, laughter, and hope to our students and teachers. 💛

02/09/2025

What better way to get ready for a new term than with a training session?

Just before the school term kicked off, our dedicated teachers at Volunteers Foundation Academy refreshed and strengthened their IT skills with an intensive three-day course.

We cannot but applaud for the quality of the training . We are truly grateful for the collaboration with whose team welcomed our teachers warmly and guided them through this valuable learning journey.

We look forward to building on this partnership and exploring more opportunities to grow together! 🌱💻📚

22/06/2025

We’ve been quiet… but we’re back - and ready to catch up!

At VFA, we work hard and play hard.
So what better way to spend a Friday afternoon than with a burst of energy, laughter, and a little friendly competition?

Our inter-house activities, inspired by in Wimbledon Village brought together the Red, Yellow, and Green houses for an afternoon of light challenges, quick math games, and loads of fun!

🎉 This week’s winner? Green House takes the crown!

But don’t count out the Yellows and Reds - they’re fired up and ready to bounce back!

Can you feel the energy coming through the screen? We definitely did - and it sent us into the weekend smiling.

Here’s hoping it sets you in the right mood for the new week ahead! 💫



’ayo , thank you for making Friday a special fun day

Teach For Kenya the TFK Alumni are creating their wave of impact

08/05/2025

“There’s something special about walking through the doors of our new school building, the energy feels different. With bright classrooms, open spaces, and a dedicated library, the entire atmosphere has changed. One of the most beautiful sights?…..”

Find out in our latest report

Project Pamoja, (pamoja means together in swahili) will deliver a high quality school building redevelopment to the community of Kibera. The new building will host state of the art education facilities composed of nine classrooms, laboratory, library and services according to relevant highest health...

29/04/2025

Welcome back to school!

We are excited to see all our students, parents, and teachers as we begin our second term together at Volunteers Foundation Academy.

We hope everyone enjoyed a restful break and is ready for a new chapter of learning, growth, and opportunity.

Wishing all our students a fantastic start to the term - may it be filled with curiosity, hard work, and success.

A big thank you to our parents for your continued support, and to our dedicated teachers for your commitment to excellence.

Let’s make this second term our best one yet!

13/04/2025

We all look up to someone and search for inspiration…

That’s why moments like these matter so much. A huge thank you to the incredible guests who joined our recent mentoring session and generously shared their professional journeys with our students.

Your stories of growth, resilience, and purpose lit a spark in the room — and made the future feel a little closer, a little more possible.

This session was even more special because some of our guests were VF Alumni, returning not just as professionals, but as role models.

Our students left the room inspired, motivated, and full of fresh ideas about their next steps — in learning, in life, and in career.

Thank you for showing them what’s possible , Michael Otieno , Lucy Odhiambo Taiwo Kola-Ugunlade

29/03/2025

Helping others should be easy. Fulfilling. Even fun.

But the reality?
Balancing a charity’s challenges with its impact is tough.

For 15 years, trustees, volunteers, and donors have poured time, heart, and energy into Volunteers Foundation—navigating admin, fundraising, cultural learning, and community building.

And the result?
• 300+ students educated ( some in the pics)
• Teachers trained
• Parents engaged
• A safe place to learn, eat, grow—every single day

But the question remains:
Are we where we need to be—for the community and for the vision we set out to achieve?

The truth: there’s still a long road ahead.
More to do. More potential to unlock.

And we need YOU now more than ever.

Can you give time?
Connect us to someone who can?
Change a life—or two?

Email: [email protected]
Gift education. Enable potential. Be part of the journey.

23/03/2025

A parent that would like to bring his child to our school asked what VF and VFA stands for.. we answered…

In a world that’s changing faster than ever - where global trends change overnight, and noise often overshadows meaning - values are what keep us grounded. They are our compass, our foundation, and the quiet strength that reminds us all at VF and VFA who we are, especially when the world seems to be in turmoil.

It’s through values that we connect deeply with others. They shape how people see us, trust us, and stand with us. And at Volunteers Foundation, and especially Volunteers Foundation Academy, values are everything.

For the last 15 years we committed to delivering quality education - education that opens doors, expands minds, and creates opportunities. But that is just part of what we do.

Because beyond academics, we exist to raise thoughtful, kind, responsible young people who will shape a better world.

Here are the values we live by - and teach:

• Respect: For self, for others, for the planet. Because every person matters.

• Integrity: Doing what’s right, even when no one is watching.

• Compassion: Helping others with empathy and kindness.

• Responsibility and Accountability: Owning our actions and understanding their impact.

• Curiosity: Asking, learning, growing. Education begins with a question.

• Courage: To speak up, to try, to rise after every fall.

• Collaboration: Working together with the teachers, community, partners and supporters to build something bigger than ourselves.

• No Violence in Any Form or Shape: We believe in peace, in dialogue, in non -violence - always. Whether physical, verbal, emotional, or structural - violence has no place in our school, our hearts, or our future.

• Transparency: We are open and honest in our actions and decisions. Trust is built through clarity, not confusion.

One of the most beautiful expressions of these values is our Cultural Day - a celebration of diversity, courage, and pride. On this day, our students with different cultural backgrounds come together to share their traditions, languages, and stories. They celebrate what makes them unique, and in doing so, they enrich one another. It’s a living example of respect, courage, collaboration, and curiosity - values turned into joy, pride, and intentional connection.

At Volunteers Foundation and Volunteers Foundation Academy, we are committed to nurturing not just students, but citizens of the world. Every single day, through every class, every interaction, and every opportunity, we work to instil these values.

Because we believe values aren’t just taught - they’re lived.

And when our students carry these values forward, they not only build a better future for themselves - they build a stronger, more compassionate world for us all.

12/03/2025

Full Circle Moments: Music, Inspiration, and Impact

You know you’ve made a difference when, nearly ten years later, things come full circle.

In 2015, and Rob Cope joined the VF Volunteering Trip, bringing their passion for music to the children. They did what they do best - teaching songs that became part of the school’s culture, passed down from one class to another and still sung today.

But their impact didn’t stop there. Some of the students they inspired went on to study music, following in Claire and Rob’s footsteps.

On March 8th, I had the pleasure of briefly catching up with Claire (and Rob) at her and her Ensemble C most recent concert in London. The second half of the performance opened with a piece called “Amboseli”, inspired by her trip to Kenya and the breathtaking beauty of the Amboseli National Park. (Listen the piece on Apple Music, we never get tired of it)

A heartfelt thank you, , for mentioning Volunteers Foundation during the concert - and congratulations on your album and success! We are honored to have played a small part in inspiring you, and we hope to welcome you back to Kenya to inspire our students once again