TWO East Lothian residents are encouraging members of the public to donate to a charity which helps children and families in need in Kenya, in the battle against Covid-19.

Bill Stevenson and Clare Jones are among the five trustees at Kipawa, which was formed in 2010.

Kipawa was set up by a group of friends who had spent time volunteering in children’s homes in rural areas of the African country.

They had seen a pressing need for additional feeding and support programmes for deprived communities there, and decided to establish a charity to help in some way.

Working with a local Kenyan foundation (Macheo), it now focuses on helping children, families and wider communities in the town of Ruiru (two hours north of Nairobi).

Since its formation, the group has raised more than £350,000.

Mr Stevenson, from Stenton, recently retired as chief executive of The Boys’ Brigade in the UK and Ireland.

He said: “We want to say a huge thanks to all of our donors, fundraisers and supporters.

“Because of their contributions and help over the years, the daily lives and long-term opportunities of thousands of children, families and their communities in Kenya have been significantly improved.

“I was delighted to be able to visit the school at Mukuyu and can confirm that the funding from Kipawa is really making a difference.”

The charity’s work has included creating feeding programmes for more than 1,000 children at Mukuyu and Mutundu primary schools, with basic but nutritious breakfasts and lunches daily – as well as improving health, the evidence suggests this has increased attendance at school and improved pupil performance.

The charity is run solely by volunteers and provides nursery education, health checks and counselling support for young people with additional physical and emotional needs.

School infrastructure projects have also been carried out, with new toilets, classroom partitions and new desks created.

Mrs Jones, of Gullane, who became a trustee of the charity in 2013, had planned to return to the country later this year but that looks unlikely due to the global pandemic.

However, Mr Stevenson, who became treasurer of the group in 2015, highlighted that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was causing concern in Kenya as well.

He said: “As in Scotland, the Kenyan authorities have locked down communities and closed schools, but there is substantially less health and social care provision to support people through this crisis.

“With our partner organisation in Kenya, we’re working to make sure that the children and families we support are looked after; our fundraising plans are now focused on helping those communities with direct cash transfers, giving money directly to families in crisis so that they can afford essentials like food and rent.

“We have at least 250 families in that situation, requiring us to raise an additional £2,000 a month until the crisis is over We are asking our supporters to take on a ‘10 Challenge’ for Kipawa (and to donate £10): running 10k or reading 10 new books or hopping round their garden 10 times; the more creative the challenge the better!”

For more information, go to www.kipawa.org.uk