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• County Headquarters: Embu Town

County Offices: Embu Municipal Council • County Coverage Area: 2,818.04 km²

Total Population:  516,212Male: 254,302Female:  261,910Population Density: 183.18 people/km² Total number of Households:  131,683Total Number of Constituencies: 4Total Number of County wards: 20

• 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.

• 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 Females Totals Households Area sq m density  

54,302          261,910          516,212              131,683                  2,818.0 183.18 National Average

19,192,378    19,417,719    38,610,097         8,767,954              581,309.29           66.42

• http://kenya.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/profiles/Embu_Dec2011%2022.pdf

• http://www.kenya-information-guide.com/embu-county.html

• http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv1-msgr&p=embu%20town%20video&type=

St. Mary’s Primary School

The school• 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.

• St Mary’s primary is located in Embu county, Mbeere south district. It is 5 minutes walk from the nearest town center- Makutano. Currently, the school has a population of 220 students drawn from 3 neighboring counties- Embu, Kirinyaga and Muran’ga.

• 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.

• 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• Pre-school (Nursery School at age 6}• Elementary School : Class 1 through 8• High School: Form 1 through Form 4• Four Year University : Year 1 through 4 or• 2 Year College or• 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.

The Students and Principal

Principals OfficeOutside principals office

John KatikuJohn Katiku• 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.

• John would like to be a pilot or a doctor

2013 Academic Performance• Term 1: 304 marks out of 500• Term 2: 358 marks out of 500• Term 3: 304 marks out of 500

Kelvin GitutoKelvin Gituto• 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.

• Kevin would like to be a pilot or join the navy.

2013 Academic Performance• Term 1: 364 marks out of 500• Term 2: 319 marks out of 500• Term 3: 348 marks out of 500

Francis Kimani

Francis Kimani• 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.

• Francis would like to be a pilot

2013 Academic Performance• Term 1: 443 marks out of 500• Term 2: 434 marks out of 500• Term 3: 465 marks out of 500

Mark NjeruMark Njeru• 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

• Mark would like to be a pilot or a computer engineer

2013 Academic performance• Term 1: 323 marks out of 500• Term 2: 314 marks out of 500• Term 3: 337 marks out of 500

Ephraihm Mutwiri

Ephraihm Mutwiri• 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.

• Ephraihm would like to be a doctor

2013 Academic Performance• Term 1: 342 marks out of 500• Term 2: 382 marks out of 500• Term 3: 347 marks out of 500

Rachel Njeri

Rachel Njeri• 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.

• Rachel would like to be a lawyer in future.

Academic Performance• Term 1: 362 marks out of 500• Term 2: 364 marks out of 500• Term 3: 391 marks out of 500

Eunice Njeri

Eunice Njeri• 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 Performance• Term 1: 387 marks out of 500• Term 2: 401 marks out of 500• Term 3: 420 marks out of 500

Budget and AccountabilityThe cost of tuition and fees per student is Kshs 15,000 ($177) per yearAll 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.• As such, tuition and fees can be paid per term or semester.AccountabilityThe 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 for 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.

You also have a direct link with the principal of the school, education committee, parents and students as part of developing and nurturing a relationship with recipients and also accountability.

“It's Time to End poverty. Join the Fight for a Poverty Free Generation”.