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KOP reach 10 year milestone after a decade of supporting Kenyan Children

The Kenyan Orphan Project will today begin a year of special events and fundraisers in honour of our ten year anniversary.

KOP was founded by three medical students ten years ago this month. In 2001, a group of students from Nottingham University went to Kisumu and converted an old hotel into a hospital that is still used by many people today.

A decade on and KOP works with 17 UK universities from across the UK and local Kenyan project partners to support thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children with access to healthcare, nutrition, education and AIDS/HIV prevention and support.

October marks the beginning of a yearlong celebration of KOP's work which will include the launch of a brand new website, a national student conference in November, fundraising gala in London’s Savoy Hotel in December and ’10 Peaks Challenge’ fundraiser in the Spring which will see entrants climbing 10 mountains in Wales in just 48 hours! The end of the year will be marked by a special birthday party with children from the projects out in Kenya.

KOP’s director, Andrew Chalinder said, “Marking 10 successful years of hard work and support for the children of Kisumu is something we are very proud of. It also reminds us of the huge obstacles faced by children mired by poverty.”

“When we took out that first group to build a hospital, we never knew that ten years later we’d be working with feeding centres, schools, water and sanitation programmes, centres for street children and a night shelter for street boys, it’s remarkable but there is still so much left to do” said KOP co-founder and recent Junior Doctor of the Year award winner Dr Daniel Magnus.