Supporting Tumaini Academy while schools are closed.
The children at St. John’s preschool love coming to school. But for now, schools in Kenya will remain closed until 2021.
“The 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost.”
Northern Kenya
Tumaini teachers come to Sololo because they feel called. It is not easy to live in Northern Kenya if you are used to living in the more developed southern part of the country.
Here in the United States, the debate about when and how to open schools continues. However, in some places, this decision is not up for debate!
In Kenya, the government has directed that schools will remain closed until January 2021. There is no expectation that learning will continue during this shut down. In fact, the national exams that students take to go on to high school (and university) have been suspended for 2020. Students will repeat the school year that they started in January 2020.
According to BBC, the Kenyan Minister of Education, Mr. George Magoha, has stated, "The 2020 school calendar year will be considered lost due to Covid-19 restrictions."
What does this mean for our friends in Northern Kenya? The students at Tumaini Academy will lose out on an entire year of schooling. More significantly, many students will not receive the meals that the school provides to students. Many students in this region come from poor families and they depend on the food (and water!) that Tumaini Academy provides. Fortunately, the student sponsorship funds that continue to come in from donors like you are helping to bridge this gap and support the most desperate students in these difficult times.
And then there are the teachers. Many teachers come from other parts of Kenya, called by God to serve the children of Sololo. They adapt to the region, but it isn’t their permanent home. Now, given the fact that they are losing their time in the classroom, many have returned to their home villages. They may look for more immediate employment.
KCEP wants to retain these teachers, as they are the backbone of the school and make the Christian education as strong as it is. By giving each teacher a retainer, a percentage of their existing salary, KCEP hopes that teachers won’t take other jobs in order to survive.
This is where we need your help. We wish to raise $4,000. Can you join us in retaining this talent for Tumaini? Maintaining the teaching staff will mean consistency when the school reopens in 2021. It also means that no effort will need to be spent on recruiting new teachers and acclimating them to Sololo.
Help us keep Tumaini Academy strong!
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