Talk about God ordained! I met Stella Ndiho one Sunday in church where the preacher of the day asked us to share our most memorable decisions….as I spoke about my own accomplishments including starting my business, Stella recounted the joy and contentment she had in joining the eduKenya team as a full time staff member. We didn’t have much time to discuss the details then, but I definitely wanted to hear more. We exchanged contacts and two weeks later, here I am standing at the Mawewa school compound, a school managed by eduKenya in Mathare North where 251 children from the area come one step closer to overcoming poverty through education, mentorship and skills training.
The challenge
The children studying at Mawewa School live in Mathare area and face numerous slum related challenges such as insecurity, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, early marriages, risk of sexually transmitted diseases and gang radicalization. The cycle of poverty has been passed on for generations in this slum and unless something is done, this cycle shall continue endlessly.
The hope
In order to reduce these risks, the eduKenya team through trained teachers and community workers organize outreach initiatives in the area to speak to parents and guardians to allow their children to join the school program instead of having them loitering around the slum all day. The parents are asked to pay a minimal fee as a sign of their commitment to their child’s education. However, as a result of their financial circumstances, some of the parents still cannot afford this fee. In this instance, Mawewa School still caters for the children, providing them with snacks and a lunchtime meal as part of their school day. In addition, eduKenya realizes that engagement with the children’s parents and guardians is critical for the success of the children. With this in mind, eduKenya also provides skills training in sewing and hairdressing for older siblings and parents which contributes to earning a sustainable income.
Future Plans and partnerships
Mawewa School graduated their first Standard eight class under the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 2015, with 409 marks as the highest score and 331 marks as the mean. They are looking forward to the second stream to graduate this year with even better results. Students of Mawewa School have also qualified for the Annual Kenya Music Festival at National Level, and this is quite exciting for them. Apart from the fully fledged primary school, eduKenya has also set up Mawewa high school in Naivasha, Kenya, which currently has 20 students. They are looking to further develop the secondary school to accommodate the graduating primary students.
About eduKenya
EduKenya was founded by Adam Gould and Bob Kikuyu in 2010 as an extension of the Kenya Children Project, an outreach to children and families in Mathare. The Kenya Children Project was established in 2006 as a partnership with Believers Centre Mathare Church and Life in Abundance to expand on the church childcare program by developing a fully functional primary school.
They need your help to continue transforming these children’s lives in Mathare
Contact: Stella Ndiho (Fundraising Coordinator) stella@edukenya.org
Visit: www.edukenya.org
