The School

This past June I wrote about the Miruya Primary School in western Kenya where children were in attendance, but there were no teachers.  Since then, William Aludo, EC’s Kenyan Program Coordinator, has told us about the hardships these children face on a regular basis.

As many as 112 children are on the rolls at this school, but their teachers only come once in a while and do more crowd control than any actual teaching.  The issue is that although the Kenyan government provided a school building for these children, soon afterward they placed a moratorium on registering new schools due to a lack of government funding. Therefore, there are no trained teachers at the school.  However, parents in this rural area continue to send their children to the school and have hired three untrained teachers who are paid infrequently and show up sporadically. The children technically have a school, but they aren’t receiving a quality education.  What’s more, they face a multitude of difficulties every time they go to school.

The Challenges

Here are some of the hardships that children are confronted with at the Miruya Primary School:

1. Lack of potable water – There is a need for clean drinking water. The nearest water source is a river that is two kilometers from the school.
2. Lack of trained teachers – Ideally, the school should have at least five trained teachers. Instead, it has three untrained teachers handling 112 children in preschool through to grade 5.
3. Inadequate classrooms – The school has only four classrooms, one of which is incomplete with an unfinished floor and un-plastered walls. Students in different grades have to share one room; which causes confusion and distraction when more than one teacher is teaching. The school needs four additional classrooms to accommodate the current number of preschool and primary students (grades 1 to 5).
4. Inadequate desks – Some students sit on the floor due to a shortage of desks. William Aludo donated desks to the school, but more desks are needed.
5. Lack of textbooks – The school does not have the requisite textbooks for covering the current curriculum set by the government. Ideally each pupil should have a textbook for each subject, although in many schools like this one, three or four students usually wind up sharing one textbook between them.
6. Inadequate toilets – There is only one toilet at the school. The school should have separate toilets for girls, boys and teachers.  Two other latrines need to be built.
7. Lack of adequate nutrition – There is no food provided for the children.  A daily, nutritional lunch program for the children is also needed.

The Miruya Primary School Challenge

In a few weeks, EC’s annual appeal will be starting.  Many of you choose to contribute regularly throughout the year, while others choose to give generously once a year.  We are very thankful for both types of giving.   Your gifts help to fund student scholarships and lunch programs for orphaned and vulnerable primary and preschool children in Kenya, and a unique after school study program in India.  This year we are also hoping to raise funds to help the Miruya Primary School get on its’ feet.  We are aiming for $50,000 to get us well on our way to funding our current programs and addressing the challenges the children in Miruya face every day.

Please click here to learn how you can help us provide a quality, sustainable education for these children.  All donations are tax-deductible, used for and appreciated by the children we support. With your help we truly can change a generation through education.

As always, Asante Sana (thank you) dear readers!