Transcript Eradicating a culture of poverty through Education

Eradicating a culture of poverty
through Education
“Planting
the seed”
Definitions
• For our purpose, poverty means deprivation of
basic human needs i.e. food, water, sanitation,
shelter, good health and education.
• Education shall be defined as any experience
that shape the way we feel, think and act. Its
also a form of learning in which knowledge
skills and habits of a people are passed from
one generation to the next through teaching,
training or research.
We choose education
• To promote environmental awareness and encourage
sustainable use of natural resources.
• To positively impact reproductive health and nutrition.
Improved health and reduced birth rates reduce poverty.
• To increase opportunities for social, cultural and
economic growth. Foster social cohesion, increase
productivity and nurture leadership.
• To encourage participation in social, political processes
quickly and effectively.
Embu People, statistics
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County Headquarters: Embu Town
County Offices: Embu Municipal Council
County Coverage Area: 2,818.04 km²
Total Population: 516,212
Male: 254,302
Female: 261,910
Population Density: 183.18 people/km²
Total number of Households: 131,683
Total Number of Constituencies: 4
Total Number of County wards: 20
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General Information
Embu County is located in the former Eastern Kenya. Embu County has an
average altitude of 1350 meters above the sea level close to the foot hill of Mt.
Kenya. The slopes of the county slopes from west to east, the highest point in the
county is at Ruvingaci River. Temperature range between 12 °C to 27 °C. average
annual rainfall is 1495mm.
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Embu County borders Tharaka Nithi County to the North, Kitui County’s to the
East, Machakos to the South and Kirinyaga County to the West.
Statistics continued
• Kenya National Bureau of Standards
• Embu County
Males
54,302
Females
261,910
Totals
516,212
Households
131,683
Area sq m
2,818.0
density
183.18
• National Average
19,192,378
19,417,719
38,610,097
8,767,954
581,309.29
66.42
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http://kenya.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/profiles/Embu_Dec2011%2022.pdf
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http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/embu-county.html
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http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv1-msgr&p=embu%20town%20video&type=
St. Mary’s Primary School
The Students & Principal
The school
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St Mary’s is a mixed day primary school
that was begun in 2000 by Consolata
missionaries in Karaba-Wango parish in
Embu diocese. The missionaries later
handed the school to the Diocese of Embu.
Over the years, the school has received
support from AVI in Italy but sponsorship
ended in 2011.
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St Mary’s primary is located in Embu
county, Mbeere south district. It is 5
minutes walk from the nearest town centerMakutano. Currently, the school has a
population of 220 students drawn from 3
neighboring counties- Embu, Kirinyaga and
Muran’ga.
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St Mary’s was begun by the missionaries
for the sole purpose of eradicating high
levels of illiteracy and to empower the
communities through child education. There
was and still is high immorality in the area
and the school was and is still considered
a safe shelter for the children. The school
is in a semi-arid region. Most parents are
peasant farmers living from hand to mouth.
Other parents are identified as sex workers
with a high risk for HIV. Makutano is a
major truck stop serving many towns in the
eastern part of Kenya.
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On realization that children in the area
were academically talented despite their
impoverished/low socioeconomic status , St
Mary’s sought to identify, recruit and
nurture talent thus helping children and the
community realize their potential through
learning.
The school cont…
The school year runs from January to
December. Students are in school for 3
months consecutively and break for a
month. Specifically, school runs from
January to March, May through July and
August to November.
Kenya School System
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Pre-school (Nursery School at age 6}
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Elementary School : Class 1 through 8
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High School: Form 1 through Form 4
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Four Year University : Year 1 through 4 or
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2 Year College or
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1 Year trade school.
St. Mary’s admits students from Class 1 through
Class 8.
Teachers are hired by a local committee chaired
by the parish priest. They are well trained
in the country’s state and private colleges
and meet government minimum hiring
standards. Education delivery is very
competitive. A local committee oversees the
quality of education and is in charge of
hiring and firing staff based on
performance.
Teacher student ratio is 1;30 students. This is
comparable to nationwide standards.
During school hours, students are fed by the
school. The church community and part of
tuition and fees goes to this effort.
The school has affiliated itself with the best
performing private schools in the district and
students get to compete in End Grade
Tests raising the bar for academic success.
Students & Parents
Parents
A meal at the school
John Katiku
John Katiku
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Class 7 student residing in Karuku a
distance of approximately 2 miles from the
school. John is an orphan and is raised by
his grandmother. He lost both parents to
HIV/AIDS per the head teachers’ report.
Report further states that he is highly
disciplined, self driven individual. He is
considered a very promising student with
good learning exposure/resources. John is
a good volley ball player.
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John would like to be a pilot or a doctor
2013 Academic Performance
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Term 1: 304 marks out of 500
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Term 2: 358 marks out of 500
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Term 3: 304 marks out of 500
John Gatiku & grandma
John Katiku
Kelvin Gituto
Kelvin Gituto
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Class 6 student residing in Kirwara area
approximately 7 miles from the school.
Kelvin is raised by a single mother with
meager means. Head teacher considers him
bright, self driven with a promising future if
academic resources are provided. He enjoys
playing soccer.
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Kevin would like to be a pilot or join the navy.
2013 Academic Performance
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Term 1: 364 marks out of 500
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Term 2: 319 marks out of 500
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Term 3: 348 marks out of 500
Francis kimani
Francis Kimani
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Class 3 student residing in Kirwara
approximately 4 miles from the school.
Francis is an academically gifted child
despite being abandoned by both biological
parents. He is raised by his grandmother of
meager means but continues to show
exemplary performance.
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Francis would like to be a pilot
2013 Academic Performance
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Term 1: 443 marks out of 500
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Term 2: 434 marks out of 500
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Term 3: 465 marks out of 500
Francis kimani & grandma
Francis kimani
Mark Njeru
Mark Njeru
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Class 7 student residing in Kamweli a
distance of 8 km (approximately 4 miles)
to school. Mark comes from a very needy
family which limits education access. Father
is reported sickly. The head teacher reports
that he is bright, hardworking and a
performer in class despite many school
absences. Mark could do better
academically if he stayed in school. He
plays soccer
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Mark would like to be a pilot or a computer
engineer
2013 Academic performance
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Term 1: 323 marks out of 500
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Term 2: 314 marks out of 500
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Term 3: 337 marks out of 500
Mark Njeru at the Principal’s office
Mark Njeru & a relative
Ephraihm Mutwiri
Ephraihm Mutwiri
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Class 1 student residing in Karuku which is
approximately a mile from school. Ephraihm
was abandoned by his biological parents
and is raised by his grandmother of
meager means. According to the head
teachers’ report, being raised by grandma
has impacted his performance with many
absences from school due to lack of
tuition. He is considered humble and with
great potential.
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Ephraihm would like to be a doctor
2013 Academic Performance
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Term 1: 342 marks out of 500
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Term 2: 382 marks out of 500
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Term 3: 347 marks out of 500
Ephraihm Mutwiri & grandma
Ephraihm Mutwiri & Grandma
Rachel Njeri
Rachel Njeri
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Class 6 student residing 4 miles from the
school. Rachel is an orphan. Head teacher
reports both parents succumbed to the
AIDS virus. She is raised by her
grandmother and is considered one of the
best students in her class.
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Rachel would like to be a lawyer in future.
Academic
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Term
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Term
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Term
Performance
1: 362 marks out of 500
2: 364 marks out of 500
3: 391 marks out of 500
Rachel & grandma
Eunice Njeri
Eunice Njeri
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Class 5 student from a single family
residing in Rukanga approximately 5 miles
from the school. Mother is reported to
suffer epilepsy and is a peasant farmer.
Eunice is raised by her grandmother. Head
teacher considers her gifted despite
grandmother’s inability to support her
education.
Academic
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Term
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Term
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Term
Performance
1: 387 marks out of 500
2: 401 marks out of 500
3: 420 marks out of 500
Eunice, mother & sibling
Budget and Accountability
The cost of tuition and fees per student is
Kshs 15,000 ($177) per year
All the students on profile are day scholars.
This means that they operate from their
homes making education affordable for most
parents in the region.
The students we screened have difficulty
accessing education despite the cost savings
of day schooling.
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As such, tuition and fees can be paid per
term or semester.
Accountability
The catholic church is a very credible and
socially uplifting institution specifically in this
region. The church constructed the school,
pays the human resource personnel, has a
system in place for donations and has
many development projects including a
health clinic in the community.
A committee runs the school and can be
reached at any time by anyone during
office hours.
We picked education because tuition costs are
definite and public information. If you
purpose to sponsor a student, you “pay
tuition” by wire transfer to the school
account on behalf of the student.
As a donor, you are linked with the principal of
the school, education committee, parents
and students
Donors are encouraged to develop a nurturing
relationship with recipients and educational
partners.
Think about it: Every educated person is
not rich, but almost every educated
person has a job and a way out of
poverty. So education is a fundamental
solution to poverty.
-- Governor Kathleen Blanco