Report from BHW Kenya Partnership Facilitator

Key Person: Rodgers Ade

Recent Events

Activities

The last year has been challenging for Mathare as Kenya was hit hard with El Nino flooding. Rodgers has reported that things are slowly improving but there continues to be ongoing work along the riverbank they are situated next to. Any buildings and structures within 30 metres from the river had to be demolished following a presidential directive. 

The past year has gone well, and they had 93 of their students sit the last KCPE’s (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education). The top learners scored 413 out of the 500 possible marks. 

They have experienced growth in the school due to results their students are receiving in the KCPE’s. 

Personal Stories

Frankline Otieno is the last born in a family of four siblings. He has a brother who rides a motor bike for income and two sisters who are staying with their mother. Frank is born from a stepfather.

The mother remained the sole family bread winner after the death of her husband. She was inherited by another man to obey her culture and out of this relationship Frank was born. The mother brew “Changa” a local illegal alcohol. Frank is a bright boy who was the leading pupil in KCPE examination scoring 413 marks despite living in a very difficult situation. They all lived in a single room where the mother brewed the illicit alcohol and would have customers as late as 1 am. It was not easy to concentrate on his studies, but he still managed to score well out of sheer determination. He has now joined a high school known as Kanga in Migori county from the month of January. His mother struggles to pay his school fees but he remains an ambitious boy and is hoping to finish high school.

Phylice Natasha Okinda was born on 26/08/2009 and raised by a single parent. She joined MCO4B school in the year 2018 in class 4. She lives with a grandmother in Mathare slum as her caregiver as her mother was not able to fend for her. She is the second born in a family of four siblings. Natasha is a bright girl who did well in her KCPE examinations in the 2023 and scored 383 out of a possible 500. She was invited to join a national school but due to a lack of fees she joined a county school called Kisima girls. She is a well-disciplined, industrious and honest girl. She participated well in co-curriculum activities especially in music and drama which were her favourites.

Maxwel Odhiambo Arogo is the sixth born in their family and was born in 2009. He came from a very humble family. Both parents, although alive, only do casual work to care and support the family and it was not easy to keep him in school. He kept working hard and it was great when he managed to score 337 points in last year's KCPE and secure admission in a county school for his high school education. Maxwel loves playing football. A good Samaritan paid his school fee and we pray he will be able to continue with his education till the end.

Faith Adhiambo comes from a humble family background. The mother is a housewife and the father does casual labouring. The little income the father gets is not enough to sustain the family adequately and pay her school fees. This meant she was on and off in school. She barely settled in class and struggled to concentrate well in her studies. Despite all this, she overcame the situation and became one of the top learners at MCO Joy school in KCPE examinations scoring 340 marks. She has since joined high school funded through family friends.

Partnership's Influence within the Community

Mathare continues to influence their community despite all of the challenges they continue to face. They help with the feeding programme, educate the children and run a church for members of the slums. 

Current Issues and Challenges

Staff turnover continues to be an issue as teachers are not staying long. This continues to impact the smooth running of classrooms as students are needing to adjust to new teachers. Recruitment is difficult and time consuming. 

Many of the students' homes were demolished by the government. Many spend the night in the cold which compromises their health. This desperate situation has caused school attendance to be down. 

Many of the learners have huge fees owing to the school and are unable to pay them. Their new curriculum requires a large amount of equipment which is not easy for poor communities. This is greatly impacted by students not being able to pay their fees. 

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Praise for the success in KCPE 2023 examination results where they had a learner scoring 413 marks. It is not easy to get that score for learners in poor areas like Mathare slums.

2) Praise for the increase in learners in their schools from the beginning of the year which has been encouraging despite the challenges parents face.

3) Mathare would love prayer for provision going forward for their school. The cost of living continues to rise, the impact of Covid and major floods have impacted students' abilities to pay fees and now the floods have destroyed many of their families' homes.

4) Many of the students' families are unable to buy enough food and so they rely on the food programme at the school. The school needs more finances to make this viable although there could be opportunities for more sustainable projects here, like having family members help with gardens etc.

5) Prayer for the wellbeing of families in the Mathare slums is greatly needed. A number of the homes within 30 metres of the river needed to be demolished. The homes that remain have increased in rent price as the demand has increased. Families are sleeping outdoors in the cold and some parents have passed away. 

Comments

This will be the final report for Mathare Community Outreach Education Support as the decision has been made to stop funding this project. This decision was not made lightly but came down to an ongoing misalignment with the guiding values of Bright Hope World. We will continue to financially support the Kariobangi Children's Home (KEN01c) and the Moriah School of Discipleship (KEN06a).