Creating a brighter future through education

I was a secondary school teacher for 10 years in Mombasa, then I taught at a teacher training college in Nairobi. I’ve also volunteered as a teacher in South Sudan and Uganda, so I’ve dealt with some difficult situations! When I found out about this project, I very much wanted to be a part of it. 

Educating girls for life

I work in Migori, an area I know well as I grew up in the neighbouring county; it’s very remote and rural, and poverty here is high.

Each student’s situation is different, but extreme poverty and gender-based violence are unfortunately common experiences, as well as female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. Though illegal in Kenya, they often go unpunished and are practised widely; I’d say more than 50% of girls have had FGM as it’s believed that they’ll learn how to be better housewives and mothers by going through the ordeal.

Most of our students were married at a young age. Often, their parents couldn’t afford to look after them anymore and marrying a daughter meant one less mouth to feed. A lot of them have young children, despite being little more than children themselves and some face violence and abuse, either by their own families or their husbands.

Without the catch-up centres, I’d be very uncertain about their futures. They need support, so I’m very happy to be part of this project. 

Hope for Rose

Let me tell you about Rose, who is one of our students. Her parents didn’t have the money to send all their children to school. While her brothers completed their education, Rose was married at 14 years old and dropped out of school after becoming pregnant.

Today Rose is 17, married with two children and lives with her parents-in-law. Without an education, she’s extremely reliant on her husband’s family which leaves her incredibly vulnerable if their relationship breaks down.

Now, Rose has lessons at one of VSO’s catch-up centres and is learning again. All the teachers at the centre are women so they can be role models for the students. My job is to coach the teachers so they can provide the best possible lessons for the girls.

Rose wants to be a hairdresser and we’d love to see her succeed. I’ve been working with the teachers to create good lesson plans to help them with practical skills like handling money, so we have a clear idea of how the girls are progressing and what they’re learning.

Rose’s teacher is called Christine, and with her guidance, Rose is learning to count and recognise different coins. This means that when she fulfils her dream of becoming a hairdresser, she’ll be able to give change to clients.

We also have games and interactive lessons, where our students can practise reading symbols – this type of learning through group work and talking is far more effective than a teacher simply dictating at the front of the class. I also encourage the teachers to use counting tools such as sticks, fruits and yams to demonstrate to the girls how to count. 

As well as the catch-up centre lessons, each of our students has her own mentor – women in the community who support girls’ education and rights. Rose’s mentor is called Maliki; she looks out for Rose’s wellbeing and is there to talk through any problems.

As many of the students have young children, childminders are on site to look after them while the lessons are in session. This means Rose can concentrate fully on her lessons and, at break time, she’s able to nurse her child.

Rose’s life is by no means easy. She has to cook and clean for the family, work on the shamba (household farm) and look after two young children. Yet by attending the catch-up centre, she’s learning how to support herself in the future. With the encouragement from her mentor and peers, you can see her gaining confidence and realising her worth. She told me “I want to open my own business to support myself and my children”, and our aim is to help her make this a reality. 

I could see a real change in Rose and many of the other students. But then the coronavirus pandemic hit. 

Teaching through lockdown

Kenya went into a nationwide lockdown in April 2020 and, like the UK, schools closed. So too did our catch up centres.

It was so important that our students’ learning didn’t come to a standstill during this time. Teachers and mentors would ring the girls to provide lessons over the phone and check on them. You might also be aware, that when a country goes into lockdown, rates of domestic violence soar. Unfortunately, we knew that some of the girls were at an increased risk, so it was vital we kept in touch with them. If we hadn’t heard from a student in a few days, someone would go round to the house and make sure all was well. Just knowing that someone was looking out for them meant a lot to our students. 

When the girls first joined the centre, we gave them each a hygiene kit containing sanitary pads, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and underwear. During lockdown, we distributed more kits so they had these essential items. If we hadn’t, many of the girls would have gone without. They were so happy and relieved to receive the parcels, knowing that they’d be able to wash and go about their daily lives with dignity.

It’s not been easy for anyone, but by working closely with the teachers and mentors, we’ve managed to support our students through this difficult time. The girls have now returned to the centre and are continuing with their studies in smaller groups. Rose is still making fantastic progress and I have high hopes for her future.    

Thank you for all your support. I’m looking forward to updating you again in the new year! 

Warm wishes and merry Christmas from Kenya, 

Peter Onani 

VSO Volunteer Teacher Trainer