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 Young people are often the most vulnerable, yet most valuable members of society. For this reason, OAIC—Kenya Chapter supports community-sponsored education initiatives through its Education and Training Department. The African Pride Centre in Nairobi is one example of the many schools OAIC-KE supports in order to train young children to become future leaders in their communities.
African Pride Centre is located in one of Nairobi’s slum areas known as Kawangware. The school focuses on Early Childhood Education, catering to families specifically from Kawangware’s neighborhoods. Sixty percent of the children, who are between the ages of three years and seven years old, are from needy families and therefore do not pay school fees. The hope is that once children graduate from the African Pride Centre, they will be better equipped to begin Primary School.
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The curriculum at African Pride Centre is designed to allow
children to take ownership of their education process. Along with
learning all of the traditional school subjects, children have the
opportunity to join extra-curricular groups in which they are able to
discover their own talents at an early age. One example of these groups
is a Health Awareness club in which children rehearse and perform plays
promoting HIV/AIDS awareness along with other health-related issues. In
addition to the student groups, children learn skills such as tailoring
and dressmaking. They also engage in farming and chicken-keeping in a
small plot of land on the school grounds. There is even a windmill on
the compound that provides energy to the school through which students
learn about the importance of sustainable forms of
energy.
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A plot on the school compound where children learn to farm.
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Graduates of the African Pride Centre.
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The learning process at African Pride Centre does not end with
the student. The reality is that educating one small child can
potentially impact an entire family. Teachers encourage their young
pupils to go home and educate their family members and friends about
the skills they have learned and about issues such as health awareness. In this way it
is the hope of OAIC-KE, a proud sponsor of the African Pride Centre,
that through the efforts of the smallest members of society, entire
communities will prosper. |
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