In Kenya, it is common for schools to average more than 1000 pupils, a number of them almost double that number, with only 20 percent of students being able to afford the school lunch. Many of the children go hungry, not having eaten breakfast, and with no means of purchasing lunch, some of them even faint during the day or are lethargic and unable to concentrate on their studies. Many of the children attend school with torn uniforms.

Metro World Child currently has a sponsorship in 15 of the 27 schools in the area where we work and will begin a feeding program in January 2013, providing school lunches for the children. We plan to expand this program into other schools and regions.

Metro recently installed our first water tank in one of the schools and aims to install further tanks as resources permit. Many of the schools lack enough water to sustain the children, so basic hygiene becomes a problem with no facilities to wash their hands in what are already inadequate toilet provisions.

Realizing the need to provide practical help, especially in the bitter winter cold, Metro World Child created the Warm Feet Project. One of the most pressing needs for children in Romania is proper shoes. When gypsy children outgrow their shoes, they have to cut the ends off of the shoes so that they can continue to wear them. This provides little protection for their feet against the harsh winters. So every year, the Warm Feet Project aims to provide thousands of children with warm socks and boots to withstand the elements.

Hunger is a threat facing children all over the world. To combat this threat, Metro World Child holds annual food outreaches to help alleviate the pressure of hunger so children can focus on learning and growing into who they will become.

Each Thanksgiving, we distribute Boxes of Love, a 25-pound box filled with enough food to feed a family for one week, including a turkey.

Countless young boys and girls face unbearably cold weather without any essential winter clothing items. Metro World Child works to provide gloves, coats, hats, scarves, socks and more to children in need each winter.