What we do?

1. Thousands of Dreams Program

Kusimayo’s Thousands of Dreams program was set up in 2008.
We started with 8 children in one preschool and the number now stands at 350 children in 22 preschools (children 3-­‐5) and 8 daycare centers (children 0-­‐3). The program provides daily breakfasts, as well as school, kitchen and hygiene supplies. We organize workshops for mothers and teachers and make sure that all pre-­‐schools have a water pump, a letrine, a stove & cooking gas, adequate furniture and infrastructure.

Not only are these kids able to fight anemia and chronic malnutrition but a marked increase in school attendance, teacher motivation and parental involvement have been witnessed since the program started. Nearly 1,000 children have benefitted from the Thousands of Dreams program since 2008.

Kusimayo replaces the spiral of poverty with a virtuous circle coordinating efforts with all the participants involved: the mothers are in charge of preparing the breakfasts, the school belongs to the community and the teacher and curricula are assigned by the state (Ministry of Education).

In addition to the above mentioned reasons, Thousands of Dreams is important to us because we get to know the community. Through the children, we get to know the teacher, mothers and their families and learn about their needs. This allows us to see if we can carry out Kusimayo’s other programs and how we can improve on them.