What is Pambanisha?
Pambanisha is a Swahili word that means “come together.”
how we
began
Pambanisha is an organisation that funds educational opportunities and human rights initiatives in Kenya.
Pambanisha was founded by our President, Christina Kenny, after she completed a year of doctoral research in Kenya.
“During this period, I worked with some incredible Kenyans, whose phenomenal work in their own communities is frequently delivered at great personal cost. Since returning to Australia, I am keen to continue to support these women and the work they do.”
“Pambanisha is my way of giving back to these amazing people and sustaining small projects with profound impact.”
— christina kenny, FOUNDER and president
Christina began making biscuits, bonbonnière, and hosting dinners to raise money for school fees and under-funded human rights initiatives.
Demand for Pambanisha grants has only grown, so Pambanisha itself is also growing. We are now a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit in the United States.
our
origin
story
Christina: “Part of my research involved living and traveling in Kenya for 13 months over two trips… During these periods, I worked with some incredible Kenyans, whose phenomenal work in their own communities is frequently delivered at great personal cost in urban slum and low-income areas Kibera and Kangeme; and in villages and settlements around Kisumu and Lake Victoria.
“On my first trip, I was based at a national NGO, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) as a research associate and worked with their Gender rights, and Election Monitoring teams in the lead up to the 2013 General Elections. I was a contributing researcher on the KHRC’s major publication, The Democratic Paradox, which reported on the lead up to and conduct of the 2013 Elections. I returned to the KHRC in 2014 as a consultant on their Gender and Sexuality rights programs, and have visited Kenya several times since then, most recently October - December 2019 on a trip visiting my long time collaborators and meeting new research and advocacy partners.
52%
the rate of Kenyan children enrolled in secondary education
20x
the school fees in Kenya can be up to 20 times the total wages of a casually-employed person
20%
the rise in retention rates in secondary school amongst girls alone when communities receive educational support
“Pambanisha grew out of my desire to support the people who had so significantly contributed to the success of my field work, and to sustainably assist projects I encountered which were being run by community members, supporting each others needs. All of the projects Pambanisha supports are entirely run by volunteers and have no ongoing, operational funding base. The money Pambanisha sends to these organisations and human rights defenders is literally the difference between programs existing and folding, between people living in a safe and secure home, and homelessness.”
how to
get involved
If you would like to contribute to our grants, the best way is to donate, or watch out for one of our annual events.