Susan is a quietly confident and focused thirteen year old with an ever present smile. She’s a grade 8 student at Ianzoni Primary School, a public school in Kola zone – a semi-arid, sparsely populated and economically impoverished region in Eastern Kenya. We’re having a chat outside her classroom on a chilly Tuesday morning. Her teacher once hinted that she is a gifted child with a difficult background. “Don’t be fooled by her stellar academic record; she’s been through turmoil that would break many adults but has unexplainable strength for her age”.
The situation is no different in Kenya where despite high enrollment numbers, most children in the public primary system are learning in schools that lack basic resources and essential components for holistic and quality learning. Working with such schools in poor, rural communities has given us an opportunity to interact with amazing children who have great potential but are unfortunately likely to stagnate in life if they’re not equipped with knowledge and skills to help them grow and thrive socially and economically. If this situation is not addressed, children, families and communities will continue to lag behind socially and economically.
Nelson Mandela aptly described education as the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. An educated community has the capacity and potential to drive positive and transformative change in society. This is why we chose to act and make a difference – one school at a time. By providing school lunches, water, books, learning aids, teacher training, infrastructure upgrades and life skills training; we’re ensuring disadvantaged children access higher quality education and actually learn. We do this because when one child achieves their potential, a family thrives. Imagine the impact when millions of children are given a chance to live productive and fulfilling lives.
