Kenya 2016: How badly did you want to go to school?

Approximately 5 years ago, a study of the students in the primary school where we work revealed that almost 40% of the school children were malnourished and alarmingly, some were "wasting" … or severely malnourished.  We worked with the local community to establish a feeding program.  Six days a week, the students receive a cup of porridge.  Earlier today we began the process of repeating the original study to determine the impact of the program.  This meant taking the height, weight, gender and age of each student in the school.

To work out the kinks in our system, we began with the Eighth Grade or what they call Class 8.  After all the measuring, each student received a card with their name, height and weight to take home.  For many, this was the first time they had ever be weighed. Although we worked the entire afternoon, we only managed to complete down through Fourth Grade.  There was a lot of excitement … in fact, we soon found ourselves taking the height and weight of EVERY teacher in the school … and yes, they got a card to take home!

The results reflected what we saw at BLISS on Monday.  As we left the Principal's office, we passed a father with his son - both clearly dressed in their best clothing.  Although the school was 2 weeks into the new term, the father had come to re-enroll his son in high school.  He had saved enough to pay a year's tuition ($125 US) for his son … it had taken 2 years.  His son was back at school to pick up where he had left off 2 years earlier.  This was an occasion to dress for.  

As we measured the children at the primary school, we saw the same pattern.  In fact, the ages in the Fifth Grade ranged from 9 to 16.  No class had less than a 4-year age range.  Poverty means you periodically have to skip a year because your family cannot afford a new school uniform and you have grown out of yours, or you need to help with planting, your younger siblings, or a broken family unit.  

Tomorrow we head back to complete the measurements for the rest of the grades and to complete another first … class photos. Yep. Those photos of everyone in the class lined up with the teacher standing at one end that often landed on your fridge.  Most of these students have never had a photo much less a class photo.  We decided that their tenacity to gain an education deserved to be captured.  It's not much.  It's not enough.  But at least it's something.

The Kenya Mission Team