Two community projects in Kajiado and Nairobi’s Huruma slums have been selected as the winners of the 2024 LG Ambassador Challenge. The projects will take home Ksh 1 million each, in a bid to advance their initiatives.
The Kajiado project targets the installation of equipment at the Ntinyika Primary School, which is located in Ilmarba Location of Oloililai sub-county. The school, which has 180 students across the pre-primary to junior secondary school levels, lacks critical infrastructure, with a dire need for electricity, water and classroom equipment, including books.
In Huruma, the second winning project hopes to equip a physiotherapy center that will benefit up to 30 children with special needs. The project is run by the Furaha Community Foundation, an NGO that has since 2005 been working to support the transformation of the lives of children within the community, but have been limited in their support to those of different abilities. This is due to a lack of appropriate equipment and other installations.
With the cash prize from LG, the project aims to purchase the necessary tools, including gym equipment, required to run the program effectively. Part of the budget will also support the provision of meals to the children, and wages for professional physiotherapists and caregivers.
“The winnings will help us provide inclusive, quality education and therapeutic support to differently-abled children. We already have an existing facility, which we now aim to upgrade with the equipment needed to create a child and family-friendly environment for regular physiotherapy services. This is in addition to offering nutrition support,” said David Oginga, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation.
Now in its fourth year, the Challenge is run by LG Electronics East Africa and the Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI), a renowned non-governmental organization. It aims to recognize and support groups that actively address the pressing challenges within their communities.
This year, 53 groups submitted their applications, which were whittled down to 10 from whom the final two were selected to win the cash award for investment in their communities. Among other review criteria, applicants were required to submit comprehensive project plans and comparative estimates for each item purchased, ensuring transparency and accountability.
The LG Ambassador Challenge is part of LG Electronics East Africa’s community social responsibility engagements, which provide an opportunity for investment in local solutions that create lasting change and build resilient communities. To date, the company has given out a total of Ksh 11 million in prize money to former winners, who have gone ahead to leave a notable impact in their communities.