Education Kenya Project #55348

Volunteers Foundation - Sponsor a Child

by Volunteers Foundation

Project Report | Jan 27, 2023
International Day of Education

By Paola | Schooling Scheme Project Lead

The International Day of Education is a day to celebrate the power of education to change lives and shape the future. At Volunteers Foundation (VF), we are passionate about providing students with an education that is not just about academic achievement, but about empowering them to become the best version of themselves.

We know that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, promoting gender equality, and creating a better future for all. That's why we strive to create an environment that is not just conducive to learning but also fosters creativity, innovation, and personal growth.

We believe in the power of technology to enhance learning and are proud to use it in our classrooms every day. Our programs also focus on fostering health and wellbeing, as we understand that education is not just about gaining knowledge, but about building a strong foundation for a fulfilling life.

Our efforts have paid off. We are proud to say that all of our students who finished their secondary education and were part of our program from the beginning have now joined vocational colleges and universities. In Kenya, only 3% of the student population joins universities and only 7% join vocational colleges. (Source Statista) And we are proud of the fact that two-third of our recent secondary school graduates scored in the top 45% of the national students.

Our mentoring program for 2022 ended with an incredible celebration where the students were encouraged to share their experiences, skills they developed and their own reflections. Among all the dance and music performances, first aid demonstrations, football skill exhibition, there were some speeches that perfectly illustrate what a VF student stands for. Watch our student, we'll call him N., presenting his public speaking speech.

On this International Day of Education, we at VF are proud of the impact we have made and will continue to make in the lives of our students. We believe that by providing an education that empowers the whole person, we can change lives and create a brighter future for all.

Links:

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Sep 29, 2022
VF and the UN Sustainability Goals

By Paola Longobardi | Schooling Scheme coordinator

Talks for youth session

GLOBAL GIVING REPORT SEPTEMBER 2022

We are starting the last term of this compressed school year and the priority of teachers and students is to complete the curriculum

The new CBC focuses on projects and our Grade 6 students are working on a project to build rabbit hutches whilst learning how to take care of 2 rabbits.

This is a hands on project and the students will be assessed at each step, from the planning, the building of the hutch, cleaning the hutch, right through to the feeding and welfare of the animals. The purpose is to provide the students with the knowledge and skills that they can apply in life

Needless to say, the whole school is excited about the project and the students will take turns on the project when there are no classes. 360 degree learning in action.

Our older group of students are continuing to attend mentoring sessions and last month we had the opportunity to have a leadership and communication speaker, Shola Kaye, run a session for us.

She engaged with our young adults and provided them with clear points and practical advice to improve public speaking and gain confidence. The topic came from a student request and it was great to see almost all students interacting and speaking, even some that have never before dared to speak in front of the laptop camera in a zoom session.

All our students, find Volunteers Foundation and its activities to be a safe place to learn, grow as individuals and as members of the community and a place where they are listened to, valued and guided.

This is our purpose and why we appreciate your support and financial investment and ...

Together we can enable our students to reach their potential and improve their lives.

GLOBAL GOALS UPDATE

Global Goals week 16-24 September was a chance for us to check in on the awareness and action we are contributing towards the UN Sustainability Goals. The countries of the United Nations made a universal promise to leave no one behind in achieving a peaceful and prosperous world by 2030.

Volunteers Foundation Academy are part of this solution.

Helping to provide quality and inclusive education for over 200 children - girls and boys - living in one of the largest slums in Africa, promoting lifelong opportunities for all these children. This also helps to alleviate gender inequality.

Promoting safe and sustainable communities and responsible consumption and production, VF students are encouraged to plant fruit and vegetables that can be eaten in the school and shared with the local community.

Partner with local producers to buy misshapen produce that would otherwise go to waste.

Promote well-being and healthy lives in partnership with Gertrude's Hospital Foundation to provide student health checks

Our regular exercise classes and guidance and support from the community promote physical and mental well being of our students.

Talks for youth session 2

VFA break time

Attachments:

VF Schooling Scheme Report PDF (PDF)

4 Attachments

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Jun 1, 2022
1.13 million children out of school in Kenya

By Monica Dan | Founder at Volunteers Foundation

Amusic lesson by our student

"Almost 1.13 million children of primary school age (6 to 13 years old) are out of school in Kenya, according to an Out-of-School Children Initiative study conducted in Kenya in 2020[1]. The situation has worsened due to the impact of COVID-19 related school closures, followed by drought in many of the focus counties" Unicef reports

As this most disrupted of school years started in Kenya, delayed impacts of C19 are being seen. At Volunteers Foundation academy (VFA), but also for our partnering schools, the current academic year has been compressed in just under six months, triggering a lot of pressure on the teachers, students and parents.

At VFA we currently enrol 134 students and other 70 are enrolled in our partnering schools. We have now a small group that has completed secondary school as well as few attending college or professional courses.

The students are making us all proud and we see the impact that the VF programme and its holistic approach is making.

In grade 6 for example there is a boy who is top in class for mathematics, even if he finds it difficult. His classmates reveal his secret: “he does it until he gets it!”. That is the spirit we like to see in our students!

We thank you, their sponsors, for your contribution and for making it possible. You change lives. As a result of your support..

50% of our students placed themselves in the top 20% in the country. We could not be happier to report that, out of the 50%, for two years in a row, we had 3 students that placed themselves in top 5% in the country, entering the best secondary schools in Kenya.

100% of our students transitioned to secondary school.

Our students give back to their community too. This year, the 18yrs old in our program, once finished the exams, spent most of their time helping prepare the VFA school building for the new academic year, volunteering their time and skills.

They are young adults different from the majority of their peers in Kibera, with good values that they are not shy to show and enact. They know what they want for their future and are ready to work hard and make sacrifices to achieve their dreams. The younger students see them as role models and greatly enjoy having them around the school.

For example C's passion is music and he is really talented; he used this talent to teach music to grade 6, a lesson the younger students greatly enjoyed. His dream is to study music and become a successful musician, and we know he will achieve his dream!

Thank you for supporting VF and taking care of the human capital,

The VF Team

Exercise books delivery

Public speaking mentoring session

Art lesson

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