Day 6

Taught at 2 schools today. I got to teach maths, and it was much fun! 3hours in the morning and just 30 minutes in the afternoon. The latter was boring (students weren't as participative as the first group).

Primary education in Kenya is free - there is tuition fee. But they had to pay so much for other expensses such as books, school uniform, etc. Failiing to have obtained these would result in refusal of school entry. School normally starts from 7.30am to 3.10pm with 3 short breaks in between. Like many African schools, they are sort into education years based on their academic progress rather than their age. In my class (the most advanced of all 8 classes), they are from 13 to 20 years old. Mind you, it's a primary school education. Many take 13 subjects, with majority are being taught in English.

The evening we had talks by Omega Foundation, main organisation KOP has been colloborating its projects with. They about the things they do and 3 significant things came to my mind:

first, physical disability. I now know that being disabled, congenital especially is also a stigma here; being regarded as a curse, their family members mistreat or even disown them. Very few schools could cater for their kinds of education.

Second: mosquito nets = no malaria = 300sh = 10% average monthly income.

Third : microcredit scheme, where you give loans to people to purchase capital so as to generate income. Seems to be working to improve poverty level in Kisumu. It's interest-free, and hopofully the defaulters can take care some of the orphans when their own financial status has improved.

Went to bed at 10.50pm. Very early awake tomorrow - 2 am - for an amazing trip!