OUR MISSION
To provide life changing opportunities through education, life skills, and health care initiatives that empower women, children and youth living within impoverished communities around the world.
ABOUT I CAN FLY International
I CAN FLY International is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in the United States of America. Since its inception in 2001, I CAN FLY International has been successful in providing over 1,200 women, children and youth with services in its four focus areas where some of the poorest rural communities in Machakos, Kenya are located.
I CAN FLY International (ICFI) was developed in an effort to provide literacy education programs, life skills, raise awareness toward health issues and offer special servces to people living in small villages throughout the Machakos District of Kenya. The goal of its programs include, reducing the negative impacts of illiteracy, creating economic growth, and expanding female participation in the workforce locally, regionally and nationally for family stability and poverty reduction.
The Machakos District villages are primarily comprised of farmers, is hilly, semi-arid, and scarce of water. The sun remains throughout most of the year.While June and July are officially considered the rainy seasons, precipitation often is elusive. The lack of rain in most areas, presents repeated droughts. This misfortune results in dry crops and food shortages in the villages year round.
The villages do not have piped running water or electricity. Electricity, if available, is provided via generators or solar power. Increasingly, in Kneya, water is treated as a commercial good, subject to market conditions and depriving the poor from access. Most often, villagers rely on polluted water gathered from a local ravine which is used for drinking, bathing, washing clothes, and feeding their livestock.
Sha' Givens, the founder is currently launching the Butterfly Project for girls which offers free High School education, housing, and enrichment activities for girls ages 13-17 years old who are potential victims of child marriage, female genital mutilation, extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS orphans. The project will provide life changing services for 100 participants which will include a small number of girls from neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
