More children around the world will live happy, healthy lives thanks to grants from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund. By providing medical care, dental treatment and nutritious food to families in need, grants are helping clubs from Africa to North America to the Caribbean improve — and even save — the lives of thousands of children in their communities.
Grants such as these, which support the Kiwanis cause of health and nutrition, are made possible by gifts to the Children’s Fund. If you are interested in extending your and your club’s impact beyond your community through a gift to the Children’s Fund or in applying for a club grant, visit the Kiwanis Children’s Fund page.
Medical care for all
In Kenya, the Kiwanis Club of Kajiado is providing vital healthcare via a free medical camp that serves area children ages 1-18. According to the club, the economy of Kajiado depends on the sale and exchange of livestock, and pandemic lockdowns have rendered many parents unable to pay for professional medical care for their children. The first camp was held in April 2021 and included screening and treatment from an eye specialist and four club members who are medics. A grant from the Children’s Fund will help the club pay the hospital bills of families who may need further treatment and purchase medicines and equipment to keep the camps going.
A reason to smile
Children in Jamaica’s St. Catherine Parish will flash brighter smiles thanks to a grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, which will help the Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town expand its dental health program. The club is focusing its efforts on schools where gingivitis and tooth decay affect over 60% of children; if left untreated, these progressive conditions can negatively impact health, development and self-esteem. Club grant funds will be used to purchase mobile dental equipment such as chairs, lights and X-ray machines that will help the club provide 1,000 children with oral health education and services.
Bringing communities together through gardening
The Kiwanis Club of Fremont, Nebraska, is teaming up with the Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity to expand a community garden. The garden will bring Habitat for Humanity homeowners and other members of the Fremont community together to learn about and grow their own healthy foods. The club will use a Children’s Fund grant to purchase plants, seeds and equipment to maintain the garden as well as to implement an educational outreach program that will teach 150 local children about pollinators, vegetable gardening and the importance of eating nutritious foods.
Healthy food baskets from the heart
The Kiwanis Club of Arc en Ciel in Martinique will use a grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund to fight hunger and raise awareness of the importance of good nutrition. The club will hold regular breakfasts for children and their families, during which they will provide educational materials about healthy foods. Members also will distribute food to families in need every month and give out 40 gift baskets during the holiday season. In total, the club estimates that 900 children will be positively impacted by their “Baskets of the Heart” program.
Hot meals and groceries
A grant from the Kiwanis Children’s Fund will help the Kiwanis Club of Fort Montagu, Nassau, Bahamas, continue its Meals on Wheels project. Hurricane Dorian and the ongoing pandemic have led to increased unemployment and food insecurity in the Fort Montagu community. The Children’s Fund grant will provide food supplies and packaging for breakfasts, grocery bag deliveries and a free market for toiletries and gently used clothing. According to club members, this program will ensure that more than 1,000 people receive hot meals and groceries.
Food for children all week long
The Kiwanis Club of Margate Coconut Creek, Florida, has been conducting its weekend backpack feeding program for the past seven years. With the help of a club grant from the Children’s Fund, they can continue providing bags of groceries every Friday to elementary school children experiencing food insecurity at home and expand the number of children they serve each week.
Sending aid where it is needed
For a decade, the Kiwanis Club of Manatee Sunrise, Florida, has operated a food packaging satellite of Kids Against Hunger. They purchase food supplies and organize volunteers to pack and deliver them where they are most needed. A grant from the Children’s Fund will help the club purchase ingredients and supplies to continue providing the ingredients for healthful meals to local homeless shelters, food pantries and school programs that provide food for children to take home on the weekends. Altogether, this project will provide nutrition to over 1,000 children.
Does your club have a project that could benefit from a Children’s Fund grant? Go here to learn more.
Gifts from Kiwanis clubs and members make these grants possible. Give now!