Rotary Sponsor this girl who got a place
in a prestigious National School Rosie with 6 Sponsored children Sponsored children getting milk
First ,some background. When we first visited Kenya 16 years ago, primary education was a bit of a hit or miss. Some schools were ‘reasonable, in that they had watertight walls and roofs, but others were in a very poor state of repair, daub and wattle construction with leaky roofs, earthen floors, palm tree trunks for seats, no desks, but possibly a black board and a few books. Teachers were supplied and paid for by the government, but the buildings, books and consumables had to be provided and paid for by the villagers. The cost of this, for communities already on the breadline worrying about the source of the next meal, was almost impossible to meet. Many children did not attend school and those who did were often taught in very large classes as many as 150 sitting on the floor, in poor surroundings.
Nursery education, if it existed, would commence at age 4 to 6, to be followed by primary education for 8 years. If pupils failed to reach the required standard at the end of a year, he/she would have to repeat it. Together with the huge range of ages in starting school, this meant that you generally found children of very differing ages and sizes sitting next to one another in class.
Since 2003,the ‘new government’ have made primary education ‘free.’ This is an improvement over what previously existed, but its implementation has been flawed in that inadequate numbers of teachers and classrooms have been supplied to cope with the inevitable increase in the school population. Some classes have more than 100 pupils , sitting on concrete/mud floors,(no room for desks!), and some schools run a half day system ,with different pupils am and pm. It is clearly very difficult for the teachers to do real teaching in such circumstances.To make matters worse teacher moral is poor and often teachers do not turn up to work.
The chance of an education is prized by people who, like parents everywhere, wish to give their children the best possible start in life. Many, even the very poorest, will make sacrifices to send their child to a school where a good education is given in teacher manageable classes. It is for this reason that KAG school is in existence and it is run by the church for no profit.
KAG school aims to provide a good education for many of the poorest children in the area, particularly girls. Parents able to pay something are encouraged to do so, as costs of books, consumables, teachers’ salaries etc ,have to be met, but no child is ever excluded if his/her family has difficulties. The very poorest children, whose parents’ main priority is the next meal, are supported by sponsors, mainly from UK but also some from USA.
Children deserving of sponsorship are carefully selected by the head teacher and board of governors taking into account such things as financial position of the family, attitude to education, and the overall impression of the ability of the child to gain benefit. Many sponsored children are orphans, being brought up by grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, whose ‘permanent’ abode is often difficult to ascertain. The cost of sponsorship has been kept as low as possible to cover costs only(£200). The sponsors receive annually a photograph of the child, a personal letter, a progress report, and the school newsletter .We do our best to find to find a child of the desired age/sex/religion. It is hoped that sponsors will commit for several years to enable continuity and the development of a relationship between sponsor and child. However it is appreciated that this may not be possible, and a shorter commitment is welcomed, provided we know in advance. In 2016 we hope that all sponsors who have internet, be able ( not too often! ) to email their child on the school email and the children will email me back . We will not encourage them to have your email address as it may be abused. Obviously, after they leave the school we will give it if you wish. Older children are on facebook and can keep contact in the future.
ALL MONEY given by sponsors goes to the school, and not one penny is taken by any of the trustees for expenses.
If you wish to sponsor contact us on
