Escape Poverty Through Education in Kenya

It's time for another update from Kookaburra amidst all the usual turmoil of the education system here in Kenya. We are hearing there is a shortage of around 150,000 trained teachers in Kenya right now. On top of that, more than half failed their teacher training certificates last year. Current teachers are being told they cannot use their holidays to pursue the tertiary qualifications they are also being told are essential for promotion… and there is another threat of a strike. What’s new?

Amidst all of that, the Kookaburra Community School ploughs on bringing hope to children from extremely poor families. In our last report we talked about the students who had competed their studies at Kookaburra and had joined our Graduate Program, sending them to high school. The good news is that they have settled in well and the first term reports we have seen from their schools so far show efforts made and achievements gained.

One of the highlights in any term is when we have visitors to our school and for a few weeks in Term One, we were delighted to welcome Maria Capurso from Adelaide. Students, Staff and Maria had an awesome couple of weeks together and we were delighted by the many creative activities she brought to the school, including producing T-Shirts (see pics).

One of the many struggles we face bringing education in one of the most challenging of locations is the constant struggle for funding. This year, for the first time in 8 years of operating the school we are facing a real battle to keep ourselves afloat. We need your help to keep educating and caring for our children and to keep hosting visitors like Maria, who has changed our lives and had hers changed in return.

You can setup once-off or recurring donations through our GlobalGiving page, or visit our website to learn more about the school programs and how you can sponsor one of our children.

Thank you for reading and for your interest in the lives of our children.