It’s hard to believe we’re halfway through the 2024 school year.1 Time flies when you’re busy. The school has been bustling with activities. I am thrilled to share an overview of our progress, accomplishments, and challenges during the year’s first half.
Progress and Achievements
Enrolment and Academic Performance
We have been on an incredible journey since the start of 2024, characterised by an unwavering commitment by our teachers to provide our children with the best education. This dedication has culminated in extraordinary academic achievements across all levels,
As of June 2024, Hands of Love Education Centre has:
- Enrolled 192 students
- Maintained a 97% attendance rate
- Achieved an average improvement of 8% in overall academic performance compared to the previous year
Last year, Direttamente supported the training of our teachers in the Waldorf approach to education. This approach utilizes a whole-child approach that is responsive to a child’s cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being and also integrates the arts, service-learning, imagination, and multi-sensory teaching methods. I am happy to note that the Preschool 1 and 2 teachers have embraced the approach and are integrating some aspects. Integrating the approach at the preschool level has been easier than at the primary level.
Extracurricular Activities
Our extracurricular activities have expanded to include ballet and urban dance in addition to our existing scouting, cooking, gardening, music, and drama programs. These activities offer our students various ways to express themselves, be creative, and grow personally outside their academic studies. They help students develop essential life skills such as teamwork, boost self-confidence, and provide platforms to discover and nurture their talents. By increasing student engagement, these extracurricular activities enhance the learning experience and make it more enjoyable and fulfilling for our students.
In February, our drama team participated in the Kasarani District Drama Festivals for the first time, winning fifth place.
In June, our school participated in the Kasarani District Music Festivals, showcasing our talents in six categories. We excelled in each category, particularly in folk dance, where our performance earned us second place. This achievement has granted us the honor of representing our district at Nairobi Region Music Festivals.
Ballet training
Modern Dance Training
Food Programme
Our food program continues to be a cornerstone of our support for students:
- Providing two hot meals daily for all 192 children six days a week
- Ensuring proper nutrition to support learning and growth
- Reducing absenteeism
The sight of students eagerly enjoying their meals is a daily reminder of how crucial our food program is, especially when families struggle with food insecurity.
Rooftop Garden
The rooftop garden continued to be a transformative project for the school, offering benefits such as experiential learning by integrating subjects like science, math, and nutrition and enhancing hands-on education. Additionally, the garden provides access to fresh produce, teaching students about healthy eating habits.
Health and Welfare
In March and June, we gave our children deworming and vitamin pills, a practice we undertake every six months. During the last six months, we have facilitated 63 hospital visits for various conditions.
We held separate parent-teacher meetings for preschool, grade 1, and grade 2 in January, March, and April. These meetings provided opportunities to formulate common goals and agendas for the year. Also, they provided a forum where we collaboratively shared and addressed our students’ performance and needs, including strategies to address emotional and social issues.
Tragically, one of our grade two students lost their father to death after he suffered from a stroke in early June.
Challenges
During this period, we faced several challenges, including increasing commodity costs, floods, and demolition.
High cost of living
The high cost of living, compounded by bad economic conditions in the country, drove more of our families into food insecurity, increasing the demand for our food program at a time when the cost of food commodities is still high.
Heavy Rains and floods
In April and May, Nairobi experienced persistent heavy rainfall, leading to floods in many parts of the country. The rains and floods closed schools for two weeks, affecting school programs. Although our area was spared from the worst effects of the floods after the rains in June, the government ordered the demolition of houses in areas along two rivers that flow near Kariobangi, which are prone to flooding, leaving many residents displaced, including 23 of our families.
Anti Government Protest
In late June, a series of anti-government demonstrations protested high taxation, corruption, and high cost of living. Safety concerns and transportation disruptions during the protests prevented some of our teachers from reaching work, disrupting the learning process, and one of our staff members sustained minor injuries when she was caught amid a clash between protestors and police while buying school supplies.
Community Impact and Alumni Success
Once they leave Hands of Love, our students continue to excel in their education endeavors, demonstrating the long-lasting impact of our work. We are tracking more than 150 students who have graduated from our school since 2015. Here are a number of them.
Brighton Ochieng – Graduated from Hands of Love in 2014
Lavine Ondemo – Graduated from Hands of Love in 2014
Fernando Torres – Graduated from Hands of Love in 2018
Precious and Kate – Graduated from Hands of Love in 2021
Farthosa Bariso – Graduated from Hands of Love in 2013
Goals for the Second Half of the Year
We look forward to continuing to provide our students with the best services in the second half of 2023.
The budget for the second half of the year is as follows.
Conclusion
Our school continues to play an important role in the Kariobangi community, and our achievements are only possible due to the support of our donors and dedicated staff. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all who have contributed to our mission.
As we look forward to the rest of the year, we remain committed to providing quality education and support to our students, ensuring they have the tools and opportunities to succeed.