Water is life. Did you know that for the cost of one Venti Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino each month you could provide clean drinking and cooking water for ten people?

The Bethlehem Home Academy educates over 250 students hailing from across the Nyakach Plateau. Many of these students would be unable to afford an education without the invaluable support of Bethlehem Home and Straw to Bread. Currently, the academy offers education from Pre-K through the 9th grade, with plans to expand to a full Pre-K through Grade 12 by 2028.

Our students benefit from facilities that are unmatched by other schools in the region. They have access to a library teeming with books, a computer classroom equipped with laptops and internet connectivity, a state-of-the-art science laboratory, and a home economics laboratory. Impressively, students from Bethlehem Home Academy consistently achieve top marks in their national exams. The academy prides itself on a team of devoted educators who are genuinely invested not only in the academic successes of their students but also in their personal development and overall well-being.

In 2011, Straw to Bread launched a program to bring water filters to the Nyakach Plateau, aiming to provide the community with access to clean drinking water. This initiative was spearheaded by devoted team member and supporter, Biff Patton. These bucket filtration systems have become affectionately known as "Biff Water" across the plateau. In 2024, Straw to Bread scaled up its water project, distributing over 450 water filtration systems to Bethlehem Home members across the plateau. Each filtration system has the capacity to deliver clean water to more than 10 individuals, so we were able to provide access to clean water to almost 5,000 people . We trained the Community Coordinators at Bethlehem Home in filter maintenance, and to conduct surveys as part of a research study examining the health impacts of these Biff Water systems. Our results showed a marked reduction in waterborne illnesses among users of the Biff Water systems.

Malaria is also a critical health concern among the population of the Nyakach Plateau. This disease, transmitted through mosquito bites, causes severe fevers, body aches, and can escalate to seizures and death. In 2023, there were over 250 million cases of malaria, with children at increased risk of fatality from the disease. One of the most effective preventative measures against malaria is using mosquito nets during sleep to prevent bites. Unfortunately, many children at Bethlehem Home Academy do not have the protection of mosquito nets at night.

Our vision is to ensure that every child in Bethlehem Home Academy, along with the academy's staff and their families, has consistent access to clean water and the protective barrier of a mosquito net. By providing them with a Biff Water system and a mosquito net, we aim to significantly reduce school absences due to illness, thereby cultivating an environment where our students can excel both academically and physically.

Your one time donation of $100 or a monthly donation of as little as $10 can literally change lives.

Biff Water and No Bugs

Help provide clean water and mosquito nets to the students and staff of Bethlehem Home Academy