It all started with a wish. Years ago, Jana Porterfield set a goal to someday write a children’s book. Many years later as she was nearing retirement, Jana felt like she needed to “make a difference.”  Inspiration came as she was watching a special, called Kids in Kenya!  Jana was inspired by what she saw and turned to her husband and said, “This is it!” Things fell into place when Jana contacted the Shamba Foundation and they brought the Shamba school program to the 4th graders Jana was teaching at the time.  The students were lucky enough to write books as a grade and several board members kindly delivered the stories to those sweet kids in Kenya.  From there, her goal began to develop into reality. Inspired by those sweet stories and faces, Jana wrote “I Wish for A Friend” and decided she would dedicate it and all proceeds from it to the Shamba Foundation and those kids in Kenya!  

We have appreciated Jana's continuous support for many years, and are deeply grateful for her generous and heartfelt donation of this book. You can purchase a copy of "I Wish for a Friend" for yourself or as a gift on Amazon.
Thank you, Jana, for this beautiful gift that will keep on giving!

This little 8 year old girl didn’t want to charge her friends to learn in her preschool but when her mom told her about The Shamba Foundation she decided she could do something. Anna dedicated 4 weeks of her summer to raising money for the Shamba Foundation by teaching her own pre-school this summer.

We met this little girl and her family as she enthusiastically gave us an $800 check from her own earnings. She’s mature beyond her years. She connected to our hearts and we’re going to make sure this $800 goes to something special. Thank you Anna and family (eh-hem, big brother Asher) for your sharing hearts and being the good this world needs.

We are so thankful to the members of a local humanitarian group that reached out to us offering to provide service while they were visiting Kenya. We were able to send them to our friend, Mildred. She houses 20 “true orphans” and they were beyond excited to have the group come. Another supporter offered to make blankets so each of them could have their own. Thank you to all those that provided supplies on short notice for these children.

Here is the message we received from Mildred:
“We were very happy and humbled by the servicemen's visit. Thank you very much for the supplies. They will help us a lot. May Heavenly father bless you all abundantly. We do not take the kind gesture for granted. You will forever be in our hearts. We really had fun with the service men. We danced, played games, they taught us some new games too and shared a meal. We wished to spend more time with them. That was one of the best moments of our lives.”

David B., from Logan, Utah, created a mock classroom to replicate one in a school in the Soweto Slums of Nairobi. Using only a few pictures provided to give him an idea, he drew up the plans, designed how it could be transportable, and built it with the help of his friends. He compiled corrugated metal and new lumber and weathered them to give a patina of years of wear. Posters were also aged to look more similar to the ones in our childrens' school and give a feel of their circumstances in Kenya.

This mock classroom will be a great teaching point for us to use as children from the surrounding school districts are invited to our annual event, The Shamba Safari Chase, by our Junior Ambassadors. Students will be able to see how fortunate they are to have the educational opportunities they enjoy and the facilities that they may have taken for granted in their own schools. We will use this classroom for many years to come! It is our hope that hearts will be touched and people will recognize the value of their donations to our school.

David, we are grateful for your many hours of service and hard work.

Wyatt P., from Layton, Utah, organized a crew of over 50 young men and women. They completed over 40 hours of service to help out with The Shamba Safari Chase of 2018--our inaugural event! 

He and his peers canvased the Back-to-School Nights of several local schools, plus neighborhoods near the event location to hand out over 1000 fliers! He attended the Junior Ambassador meetings and organized 30+ volunteers to run all of the carnival events on September 7, 2018. In addition, he recruited and gathered donated food items, and organized volunteers to run the Mandazi booth (Kenyan scones) at the event.

Wyatt is an excellent leader and has a huge heart to help our kids in Kenya. He is still invested in their lives by continuing as a Junior Ambassador member for the 2018-19 school year. Thanks for your service Wyatt!! We appreciate your example.