Well wishers donate classrooms to community, adopts 30 needy children

Forty American and German families have donated three fully equipped classrooms, a dispensary and a library to a charity based education center in downtown Nakuru in the effort to improve education outcomes in the area.

The families collaborating under the auspices of Live and Learn in Kenya, seek to help children from low income households access quality education and healthcare in the global quest for expanded universal access to health care and education.

The Chairperson to Live and Learn in Kenya (LLK), Brique Zainer , says the learning facilities are expected to serve 90 children from Rhonda and Kaptembwa slums-two largest areas of informal settlements in Nakuru city.

The American teacher based in Germany says the multi-million dollar projects were constructed within two years by the foreign families.

Speaking after the commissioning of the facilities at the learning center in Barut Village of the area, Zainer said besides the idea of improving learning experiences of children from vulnerable backgrounds, the initiative has admitted 30 needy children from the areas in to a full scholarship program.

The scholarship, she says, aims to link the young beneficiaries with foreign guardians who have volunteered to ensure that they attain the best health care and get to the highest possible academic level and, in turn, transform their families and society.

She said 560 children and youths are already enrolled in the LLK program, wisdom born out of a network of European and American educationists, medical practitioners and children rights activists who are geared towards changing education and health outcomes in Sub Sahara Africa.

Besides the scholarships, a free school feeding program, the families of the beneficiaries will receive monthly stipends from their benefactors to help them start up sustainable income generating activities that will enable them to afford daily provisions.

Zeinar, an American teacher in Germany, urged well wishers in Kenya to support more needy families to  support  her cause  and donate towards  the education of  more  needy children  from many families that are reeling  out of economic hardship visited on them by  the COVID-19 pandemic.

Live and Learn in Kenya Head teacher, Alfred Wanalo, welcoming the gesture said the three classes will accommodate pupils in the crucial Pre-Primary 1,2 and Grade 1 respectively.

Wanalo commended the initiative for what he termed as its timely boost to the center`s bid to establish learning facilities for the newly formulated Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) for the school.

He noted that the feeding program will help to retain children in school for effective learning.

The head teacher indicated that the well-wishers have also built a full-fledged workshop which the school intends to use for a range of practical sessions within the CBC frame work.

His sentiments were heartily echoed by area chief, Joseph Oyawa, who lamented a worrying dropout rate from schools among children from hard up homes.

Oyawa described the well wishers as a godsend saying their kind gesture will encourage more children to resume learning and complete their education as is required.

Betty Chepkemoi, a young mother to a grade 1 pupil from Rhonda slums is among the many parents who are appreciative of the initiative.

She says the program is giving hope to many parents who would otherwise be hopeless and is renewing the enthusiasm of many pupils at the school who would otherwise be distracted in their studies by poverty.

The Government is encouraging harmonized partnerships with the private sector in the bid to make the Competence Based Curriculum in the country a success.

Education Cabinet Secretary Prof. George Magoha says the partnerships are crucial in enhancing equality in the access of quality education among all Kenyan young learners.