Friends of Ngong Road

Realizing potential through the power of friendship.

For nearly 20 years, Friends of Ngong Road has transformed the lives of children growing up in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Our model is simple: surround each student with the education, health, community, and employment and entrepreneurial support they need to thrive. 

Today, we stand at a pivotal moment. Over 100 children are waiting to join our program—Friends of Ngong Road is making the initial investment to bring these students into the first year of the program in 2026, but we’ll need our Friends and community to fund this new class, along with existing students, in the long term. To learn more about our work, visit ngongroad.org/here-we-go.

Donating today pays for students’ tuition, school uniforms and supplies, and our team in Kenya who provide individualized support to each student.

New to Friends of Ngong Road?

Founded in 2006, Friends of Ngong Road — that's pronounced "gong" as in the musical instrument — is a US-based nonprofit organization that partners with a Kenyan-based NGO, the Ngong Road Children's Foundation. Our programmatic work is entirely designed, led, and executed by our team of nearly 30 Kenyans living in Nairobi. Our US-based work is to tell the story of our impact, provide backend support to our operations, and raise the funds we need to sustain our mission. 

Speaking of our mission, here's what we do: 

• We work with students with potential who live in the informal settlements of Nairobi. 
• Once a student joins the program, we place them in a school, typically based in their neighborhood, and pay their school fees for the duration of their education — usually around ten to twelve years! 
• Beyond school fees, we provide healthcare support, a supportive community of case managers and peers, and employment and entrepreneurial training to position them to live full and successful lives. 

Our model is proven by our outcomes:

• 70% of alumni report being employed, far exceeding youth averages, with 66% of Alumni serving in leadership or supervisory roles.
• 3 out of 4 alumni are primary household providers, supporting not only themselves but their families. 61% report personal savings, signaling financial resiliency.
• 2 out of 3 alumni are female and employed at rates 20 points higher than their male peers — breaking cycles of gender inequality.