Country background
Kenya is a republic with a government lead by the President, currently William Ruto. The economic situation is poor: according to the World Poverty Clock Kenya is the eighth poorest country in the world, with over one in four of the population classified as being in “extreme poverty”. For much of this century Kenya, like other countries in the Horn of Africa, was in the grip of drought, though this has now eased somewhat. To make matters worse, the AIDS epidemic which has ravaged eastern and southern Africa in the last 30 years has left about a million orphans in Kenya.
The dominant religion (85%) is Christianity, with about 10% of the population identifying as Muslim.
The education system in Kenya provides for two years of compulsory pre-primary education (ages 4 and 5), six years of compulsory primary schooling from age 6, and six years of non-compulsory secondary schooling. The government provides “free” schools, but in country areas they are often few and far between, and long distances, combined with the lack of transport, make it difficult for younger children to get to a school. However, parents must still pay for uniforms, books and materials, lunches, exam fees etc. which are often beyond the means of poverty-stricken families. Consequently, there are up to a million unenrolled children, and of those who do enroll, only about two out of three complete primary school.
Low levels of literacy contribute to high unemployment, which in turn fuels crime and drug use. Numerous private schools, many of them sponsored by faith-based groups, have sprung up to fill the gap, so about one third of all pre-primary and primary schools in Kenya are privately owned and run. They follow a standard curriculum set by the government.
The Ajigo School
Ajigo is a village in the far west of Kenya, not far from the township of Bondo and only 10-15 kilometres from Lake Victoria. It lies about an hour’s drive west of the regional city of Kisumu. The district appears generally poor, with most people either subsistence farmers or living from small businesses such as retail outlets, mechanical repairs etc.
The Africa Arise Charity Initiative (AACI) is a registered not-for-profit Community Based Organisation led by Pastor Chris Asawo; its objective is to provide comprehensive educational support, including scholarships, mentoring, and resources, to ensure children have access to quality education. AACI owns and operates two free primary schools, in the villages of Ajigo and Akala, for orphaned, semi-orphaned and disadvantaged children between 4 and 10 years old.
Focus of Project
The focus of this HADA project (KEN-500) is the Ajigo school, named the Ruth Moreland O’Loghlin Memorial School. The enrolment at this school varies from year to year between 140 and 160 children. Children are provided with maize porridge for morning tea and a cooked midday meal.
Finances
Unlike most private schools in Kenya, the Ajigo school charges no fees and serves families with little or no financial resources. It makes no charge for uniforms, books, lunches etc; it is sustained almost entirely by charitable donations from supporters in Australia, and by the dedication of its local staff who work for a pittance.
The minimum running costs of the school, excluding salaries, are the equivalent of about $AU1,000 a month – mostly for food supplies, along with stationery, water and electricity. If there were sufficient funds, the costs would be at least twice that, with a nutritionally balanced diet and reasonable pay for the staff. When there is enough money left over from the funds received from Australia each month, the teachers may receive the equivalent of about $75 each, which is about 12% of the typical monthly base grade salary for a first-year teacher in the government schools in Kenya.
You can help…
If you are able to support the AACI Community Based Organisation to provide education, food and resources for these children, it will give them a brighter future, away from drugs and crime. To do so, please click on “Donate to this Project” on the right sidebar. Thank you.
All gifts are tax deductible and will benefit this project in their entirety except for bank fees.
