As promised, today we report on our Christmas campaign for the Lovely Ones Educational Center in Kayole, Kenya.
Together with customers and partners, we collected donations for schoolchildren. One of our employees brought the Lovely Ones e.V. association, which is active in Kayole, to our attention. Here, in one of Nairobi's poorest districts, stands the Lovely Ones Educational Center, where over 50 children are currently taught. The school has several classrooms, a schoolyard, a fenced area, and a concrete foundation that ensures dry feet in class even during the rainy season. This school was founded through the joint initiative of Kenyan and German teachers during a teacher training seminar in Nairobi.
In recent decades, Kenya has continuously invested in its education system. Since 2003, free primary schools have been available, which children can attend for eight years until they graduate with a Certificate of Primary Education. The enrollment rate has since increased by 40 percent. Nevertheless, many schools remain underfunded. Classes are large, and funds for building maintenance, teacher salaries, and teaching materials are consistently lacking. Furthermore, families must finance school uniforms, notebooks, and pens. Without the help of NGOs, private initiatives, or churches, this is often not possible for many. Consequently, especially in impoverished areas, only 10 percent of students complete primary school. The illiteracy rate currently still stands at 24 percent.
One of the private initiatives providing a solution is the Lovely Ones association. In 2010, German and Kenyan teachers met at a seminar in Nairobi, exchanging ideas about their countries' education systems, teaching methods, and social influences affecting children's educational attainment. Solomon, one of the aspiring teachers and current director of the Educational Center, reported on the situation in Kayole, where he grew up. Here, free access to education is fundamental; poverty dictates family life, and financing school attendance for eight years or for multiple children is often impossible. Solomon himself experienced the difference education makes and wants to pass this opportunity on to the children in his neighborhood. Together, the group decided to get involved. Still in 2010, premises were rented, creating three classrooms. After several moves and a growing student body, the Lovely Ones Educational Center has settled into its current premises and is now run by seven teachers. Children are taught here, receive a meal, and can stay all day: The Lovely Ones Center is their safe haven.
In December, we asked customers, partners, and friends if we could send a donation to the Lovely Ones on their behalf. We could. Through one of our employees, we have personal contact with the local association and can ensure that all donations arrive exactly where they are needed. For our virtual Christmas party, we invited Thomas from Lovely Ones, who described to us
how the school was built, what the current situation is, and how the school is financed. With our Christmas campaign, we helped support the ongoing costs for teacher salaries, building maintenance, security, and the meal program. We were able to raise €3,750.00 for the Lovely Ones Educational Center and are delighted to support a project dedicated to educational equity and a better future for children in Kayole. We thank our customers and partners who were immediately willing to participate and wanted to know more about the project.
Further background information and pictures from Kayole are available on the Lovely Ones e.V. website.
Sources:
Anja Dilk: Education in the Nairobi Slum (19.07.2017), in Education and Science 07-08/2017 : https://www.gew.de/fileadmin/media/publikationen/hv/Zeitschriften/Erziehung_und_Wissenschaft/ 2017/EW_07-08_2017_web.pdf
https://lovelyones.de
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