Grants help Kenya's schoolchildren dress for success
11 November 2008
"I was so happy when I was able to return to school!" beams
10-year-old Ezron Kibet, from Central Pokot in Western Kenya.
It's an admission
that would stun many UK boys, who are more likely to get excited about
not having to attend their lessons, but when his parents were forced to take him out of Totum primary school because
the cost of a uniform was beyond their means, Ezron was devastated.
Now, thanks to a DFID-sponsored grant scheme targeted at Totum and many other
schools like it, Ezron has
been able to return to education.
Providing essentials
After
free primary education was introduced to Kenya in 2003, the country's school
population shot up. However, a large number of orphans and other vulnerable
children still faced practical difficulties, such as finding money for uniforms, shoes
and even desks.
Kenya's Ministry of Education, aware of these problems, decided to introduce support grants
that would help vulnerable children enrol in school - and, crucially, stay on there.
A grant of 100,000 Kenya shillings (Ksh) (about £800) enables communities to identify the neediest children (most commonly orphans, but also those from very poor families). Essentials like uniforms, desks, shoes, school bags and sanitary products are then bought locally (boosting neighbourhood trade), with good prices negotiated for bulk purchases.
Returning to school
Margaret Tiamaloe, a senior teacher at Totum
primary school, is an active member of a committee that identifies which
children should receive help through the grants scheme. Together with her fellow
community members on the board, she encouraged Ezron and many other children like him to return to school.
"We're very pleased with the programme - now our children all look very
beautiful," she says. Margaret is already looking forward to the next
grant, which has been earmarked for sweaters and school bags.
The arrival of the next grant will also be good news for pupils like
Esther Chebet, 14, who was chosen to be a recipient last time round. "I was
ashamed to come to school as my clothes were old and torn," she remembers. "But
I was lucky to be chosen for a new uniform. And when my parents saw me looking
smart, they saved and bought me shoes."
Now even the two and a half hour walk to school every morning does not
deter keen student Esther, who one day hopes to become a doctor or a nurse. Her
siblings too have benefited from the grants - joining the thousands of pupils,
from around 1,750 schools, who are on course for a better future.
Facts and stats
- The Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) Community Support Grants are distributed under the Kenya Education Sector Support Programme (KESSP), implemented by the Kenya Ministry of Education, with technical and financial support from DFID.
- Among the 23 investment programmes prioritised under KESSP are early childhood development and enhancing access, equity and quality of education for all children aged 4–5 years, especially the most vulnerable living in arid lands, urban slums and pockets of poverty.
- Piloted in 100 schools, the programme's success led to it being scaled up to cover 10% of all schools across the country, reaching a potential 250,000 children. There are now plans to repeat grants and increase the programme's reach.
- In the financial year 2007/08 DFID provided £50 million in assistance to Kenya.
