About Us
Our Story
In 2020, a connection was formed with the Star of Wonder school in the Kibera community of Kenya, bringing greater attention to the urgent needs facing children and families living in extreme poverty.
The challenges were profound. Many families had limited or no access to clean water, nutritious food, reliable electricity, proper sanitation, and safe living conditions. Disease, poverty, abuse, and violent crime placed vulnerable children at tremendous risk and made access to education and basic necessities a daily struggle.
Despite these circumstances, the Star of Wonder community demonstrated remarkable resilience and dedication.
The school was largely volunteer-run, with teachers dedicating their days to educating children despite receiving little or no compensation. Many continued working additional jobs to support themselves and their families. A large number of students came from families experiencing extreme poverty, while others were orphans or otherwise lacked the financial means to attend school.
As awareness of the school’s needs grew, supporters around the world began coming together to provide assistance. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic created an even greater crisis.
The school tragically lost its building and land, leaving nearly 300 children without a place to receive an education, meals, basic necessities, and a safe environment.
An emergency fundraising effort was launched, and through the generosity of supporters, the school was rebuilt within just a few months.
As support continued to grow, so did the vision for creating a lasting impact. New opportunities and partnerships emerged, making it possible to establish A Child in the Rough, an officially recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the United States.
Today, A Child in the Rough continues working closely with the Star of Wonder community while pursuing a long-term vision for vulnerable children in Kenya.
The goal is to secure land and develop a safe environment with boarding facilities where children can receive an education, nutritious food, clean water, and essential care while being protected from the dangers that threaten their well-being.
But the vision goes beyond providing a school.
It is about creating a safe place where children can learn, grow, build confidence, and experience the childhood they deserve.
A Child in the Rough is committed to turning difficult circumstances into opportunities for hope, education, safety, and a brighter future.
Mariah Crom
Hi, I’m Mariah, founder of A Child in the Rough. I’m a journalism graduate from Nashville, TN. My curiosity and passion for humanity has led me all through the fascinating regions of Africa and the Middle East participating in various volunteer projects from childcare/education to lion and cheetah rehabilitation. While each of the places I visited were vastly different they all had something in common; the hardships people faced were beyond anything I’d ever imagined possible. The stories I’d heard from war survivors, refugees, and those suffering in crippling poverty were the most shocking and tragic of my life, yet I was so amazed by the strength and positivity that remained. Through these experiences I knew I wanted to somehow combine my love for journalistic storytelling and humanitarian work to raise awareness on these issues and help create change. When first traveling to the Kibera Slum in 2020, to be perfectly transparent, I absolutely hated it. The conditions were so miserable that I wanted the first flight out. I soon met Justus and the children at the Star of Wonder School and was so touched by the generosity and kindness I experienced, I knew this school and these children were something special I couldn’t leave behind. Courtney and I decided to commit ourselves to helping from our home countries by sharing photos, videos, stories and fundraisers which received an unexpected amount of support. This lead to us creating our own nonprofit, A Child in the Rough, with goals to purchase land and build a proper school and boarding facility in Kenya to create hope and opportunity for generations to come.
