About Farina Foundation
A registered non-profit organisation advancing equitable access to education and improving the well-being of vulnerable children and young people in Kenya.
Where We Come From
Farina Foundation is a registered non-profit organisation established in September 2024 to advance equitable access to education and improve the well-being of vulnerable children and young people in Kenya.
The Foundation evolved from the TUmaini Na Uwezo (TUNU) Initiative, a community-led movement launched in 2020 in response to the sharp increase in school dropout rates in Kilifi County following the nine-month closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The crisis exposed and intensified long-standing socio-economic challenges that continue to deny many children their right to education. Poverty, teenage pregnancies, child labour, early marriages, lack of menstrual hygiene products, and limited parental livelihoods became major barriers preventing children from enrolling in or completing their education.
Rather than treating these challenges as isolated problems, TUNU adopted a systems-based, community-driven approach that recognised school dropout as a consequence of interconnected social and economic factors. Working alongside parents, schools, community leaders, government institutions, and development partners, the initiative focused on identifying root causes and co-creating sustainable, locally owned solutions.
Over four years of implementation, this approach demonstrated that improving educational outcomes requires strengthening families, empowering communities, and removing the practical barriers that prevent children from staying in school. These lessons informed the establishment of Farina Foundation as a fully registered organisation with the capacity to expand its reach, deepen partnerships, and deliver sustainable impact at scale.
Today, Farina Foundation works to ensure that every child — regardless of their socio-economic background — has the opportunity to access quality education, develop their potential, and contribute meaningfully to society.
Our Mission
To empower vulnerable children, families, and communities through sustainable education, livelihood, and well-being interventions that remove barriers to learning and create pathways to lifelong opportunity.
To help unleash inherent potential. We believe that every child carries greatness within them.
Our Vision
A society where every child and young person has equitable access to quality education, lives with dignity, and has the opportunity to realise their full potential.
A future where no child is held back by poverty or lack of basic needs.
Our Strategic Pillars
Our work is implemented through three strategic pillars, each addressing a distinct but interconnected dimension of educational access and child well-being.
Community Empowerment
Strong communities are essential to improving educational outcomes. We strengthen the capacity of parents, caregivers, and communities to create supportive environments where children can thrive.
- Facilitating community dialogue forums
- Promoting collective action to address education-related challenges
- Building household capacity for sustainable income-generating activities
- Linking vulnerable families to government services and social protection programmes
- Connecting families to financial inclusion and other development initiatives
Education Access and Success
Education remains the most effective pathway out of poverty. We work to eliminate financial and informational barriers that prevent capable learners from progressing through the education system.
- Free support for scholarship identification and applications
- Career guidance and mentorship
- KUCCPS placement, HELB loan and scholarship applications
- Referrals to bursary opportunities
- Community fundraising and strategic partnerships for learners at risk
Dignity and Well-being
A child's ability to learn is closely linked to their health, confidence, and dignity. Through our Dignity Programme, we provide essential items that enable vulnerable learners to attend school consistently.
- Sanitary towels and menstrual hygiene products for adolescent girls
- Underwear for both boys and girls
- Soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and essential hygiene supplies
- School uniforms and critical educational materials for the most vulnerable
Our Approach
Farina Foundation believes that sustainable change is achieved through collaboration rather than charity. We work in partnership with communities, schools, county and national government institutions, civil society organisations, development agencies, private sector partners, and individual supporters to design and implement evidence-based interventions that respond to locally identified needs.
Our approach prioritises community ownership, accountability, gender equality, inclusion, and long-term sustainability. We continuously monitor our programmes, measure outcomes, and use learning to strengthen implementation and maximise impact.
Community Ownership
Solutions are co-created with the communities we serve, not imposed on them.
Accountability
We operate with transparency and rigour in all our programmes and reporting.
Gender Equality
We actively promote gender equality and inclusion across all our interventions.
Evidence-Based
We measure outcomes, learn from evidence, and continuously improve our programming.
Sustainability
Our programmes are designed to create lasting change beyond the period of direct support.
Inclusion
We ensure the most marginalised children and families are reached by our programmes.
Looking Ahead
Farina Foundation is committed to expanding proven community-based solutions that improve educational access, strengthen household resilience, and protect the dignity of vulnerable learners. Through strategic partnerships, innovation, and evidence-driven programming, we aim to contribute meaningfully to national and global efforts to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education and sustainable community development.
Together with our partners, we are not only helping children stay in school — we are building resilient families, empowered communities, and a future where every child has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and lead.
The Directors
Sharon Nina Karisa
Founder & Executive Director
Nina is a community development practitioner and social impact leader dedicated to advancing equitable access to education and empowering vulnerable communities. As Founder and Executive Director of Farina Foundation, she leads initiatives that address the root causes of school dropout while promoting dignity, child protection, gender equality, and sustainable community development.
Her journey began with the TUmaini Na Uwezo (TUNU) Initiative, a grassroots movement established in response to the rise in school dropout rates in Kilifi County following the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as an effort to provide sanitary towels and essential school supplies to vulnerable learners has grown into a registered non-profit organisation that mobilises resources for education, supports scholarship access, mentors young people, strengthens household resilience, and works alongside communities to create lasting solutions that keep children in school.
Nina holds a Bachelor's degree in Community Development from Africa Nazarene University and has practical experience implementing programmes in education, child protection, community health, safeguarding, youth empowerment, and mentorship. Through her work with Kesho Kenya, Child Welfare Society of Kenya, and community-based initiatives, she has contributed to programmes focused on educational access, community accountability, tuberculosis awareness, safeguarding, and youth leadership, while building strong partnerships with schools, local leaders, government institutions, and development organisations.
A graduate of the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Centre East Africa (YALI RLC EA) and a former Pad Project Ambassador, Nina is a passionate advocate for girls' education and menstrual health. Her leadership has contributed to reducing school dropout rates in partner schools, supporting more than 200 vulnerable learners with essential educational supplies, and expanding access to mentorship, scholarships, and community support for children at risk of leaving school.
Frankline Favour Taura
Director
Favour is an accomplished entrepreneur and business mentor with over a decade of experience in building and growing successful enterprises. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Pwani University and began his entrepreneurial journey in 2011 while still a university student.
Over the years, Favour has expanded his business interests from agriculture into the real estate sector, demonstrating resilience, innovation, and a strong commitment to sustainable enterprise development. His practical experience in entrepreneurship has enabled him to create opportunities, navigate business growth, and mentor aspiring entrepreneurs.
Passionate about youth economic empowerment, Favour dedicates his time to training and mentoring young people who are starting their entrepreneurial journeys. As a Director of Farina Foundation, he brings valuable expertise in entrepreneurship, business development, and strategic thinking, committed to supporting the Foundation's mission of empowering young people and vulnerable communities through education, skills development, and sustainable economic opportunities.
Rachael Karembo Mweni
Member
Karembo is a seasoned Programme Coordination and Development professional with over 27 years of progressive experience, including 11 years leading the implementation and management of donor-funded programmes in agriculture, aquaculture, youth and women's economic empowerment, and value chain development. She has successfully coordinated complex, multi-county projects funded by international development partners including IFAD, the European Union, USAID, USDA, USADF, BMZ, ChildFund Kenya, and the Mastercard Foundation.
Her expertise spans programme design and implementation, project coordination, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), donor compliance and reporting, grants management, proposal development, partnership building, stakeholder engagement, and results-based programme management.
Karembo is particularly passionate about empowering youth and women through entrepreneurship, skills development, financial inclusion, and market systems strengthening. Her work in advancing women's economic empowerment within the fisheries sector has received regional recognition. She was invited by the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA) as a speaker at the 7th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance in Morelia, Mexico, where she presented on "Seafood Value Chain Finance in Africa: Scaling Up the Blue Economy."
Karembo brings a strategic, results-oriented leadership approach grounded in community engagement, partnership development, and sustainable impact, committed to designing and implementing programmes that create lasting opportunities for vulnerable communities.
Join Us in Making a Difference
Together we can build resilient families, empower communities, and ensure every child has the opportunity to learn, thrive, and lead.