About Us - REEP

About Our Organization

Welcome to REEP - Where Human Rights Matter!

Who Are We?

Rural Education and Economic Enhancement Programme is a Kenyan registered non-governmental Organization based in Western Kenya. It was registered in 9^th September 1999. OP. 218/051/97228/1011. Under section 10 of the non-governmental organizations co-ordination act.

Our Vision

An Empowered Generation.

Mission Statement

To Achieve, Support and Sustain an Empowered Generation through Capacity Building, Advocacy and Lobbying for the Protection of Human Rights.

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Volunteers

122000

People We Helped So Far

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Years Served

Fundraising experience for your donors

Overview About REEP

In 1998, when HIV/AIDS was a menace and there were no antiretroviral drugs, the cousin to the CEO of REEP; Ms. Mary Makokha died of AIDS related symptoms. Soon after his new born baby also died. However, the community was in denial and insisted that he had been bewitched. They said he died of ‘chira’ (witchcraft). Soon after, his wife who was also sickly looking was inherited by one of her brother in-laws. It was at this point that Mary decided that she had to do something about the situation in her ancestral home. She packed up her bags and relocated from Nairobi back to Busia to preach the gospel of HIV/AIDS. She had no funding or support whatsoever! Mary now living in her father’s home in Butula, would use any community gathering as a platform for community sensitization on HIV/AIDS. Her message was mainly the ABCD of HIV. Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condom Use or Death. She also started condom education and distribution. It was at this point that she was kicked out of the Roman Catholic church for promotion of condom use. The parish priest at the time also told Mary’s father to warn his daughter against her way wardness. With her church and now her family against her, Mary did not relent. In fact, she started visiting victims of HIV/AIDS who had been abandoned by their families and left to die. She offered them psychosocial support as well as home based care where she would clean them up and offer them food and reconcile them with their families. In 1999, she decided to officially register REEP as an NGO and continued with her volunteer work in the community.

With no Anti-retroviral treatment at the time, the number of AIDS related deaths were very many. This meant that the number of children left as AIDS orphans was also very high. These children would drop out of school to work as domestic workers or be married off young. REEP partnered with GRACE AFRICA and together they established the NAISULA project. Through this project, REEP sponsored education of over 2000 children who were AIDS orphans. Today, many of those children are in different professions across the country.

Over the years, REEP has grown rapidly to include other components such as Livelihoods and Food Security, Shelter, Human Rights, Child Protection, Psychosocial support, counselling, legal support, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, OVC Support and Education, Adolescent and Young Women Reproductive Health and Rights. REEP has over the years worked with different partners to implement different projects all aiming at Creating an EMPOWERED GENERATION:

REEP currently works Busia, Kakamega, and Siaya Counties and it is recognized both nationally and internationally.

REEP has received recognition and commendation from different National and International organizations such as;The United Nations (UN), The Firelight Foundation, The Kenya Revenue Authority, The African Women in Leadership Organization (AWLO) The Women on Board Network (WOBN), A State Commendation by the Kenyan President Hon. William Ruto and has also participated in high level forums such as the First National Conference on GBV in Kenya, Precursor to ICPD 25-Nordic Forum, Addressing House of Lords in the United Kingdom (UK). Over the years, REEP’s work has been documented on international and local media stations.