giraffe education centre
DESCRIPTION
Teaching in the slums of Kenya. Helping to give a future to some of the most fantastic kids you'll ever meet.TRANSCRIPT
GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE, KENYA
September 2012
GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE PROJECT We are looking for partners to work with us on a project that wil l transform the l ives and prospects of at least 70 young people every year .
In the slums of Nairobi tens of thousands of teenagers do not go to school. We aim to give them both an academic education and training in a marketable skill.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR PARTNERS TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND
TO GIVE SKILLS AND EXPERTISE TO THE PROJECT. The Giraffe Project is building an education centre that will ultimately have the capacity for 500 students to discover their strengths, develop their skills, grow in confidence and character, and achieve their potential. The land and buildings have been purchased, and now need to be expanded and renovated.
Donors are warmly invited to visit the sites in Kenya as part of CSR and team building programmes – and (being teachers!) we are delighted to involve the families of donor companies too.
I f you or your company would be interested , or i f you have any quest ions , p lease contact Denise@giraffeproject .org .
AN ORDINARY DREAM Kenyan schools are tough for anyone, let a lone for kids where chi ldhood is s imply a f ight to survive .
‘The sign outside my school says, “Suffer now, enjoy tomorrow”’
“The sign outside my school says, “Suffer now, enjoy tomorrow.” School is hard work, but I am used to it. If I study a lot I will make it to university. I want to become a journalist so I can tell the world about Kenya”. These children pass through one of the most demanding education systems in the world, and they dream that it will carry them to university and a life beyond the slums.
EVERYONE DREAMS – BUT ONLY 3% MAKE IT TO UNIVERSITY – AND EVEN FEWER GIRLS. Jobs are scarce – unemployment is running at about 50%, but some studies estimate that only about 1 in 10 people in the slums have continuous employment.
‘If I don’t go to university I’ll go back and find a job. If not, I’ll start a business – a shop or a bakery.’
In reality, most students must prepare to make their living through practical skills or small business ventures, if they can. They might manage to start a business – many Kenyans do – but without capital, skills or training, what chance do they have of succeeding?
IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. WITH THE VISION TO SEE WHAT NEEDS
TO BE DONE, THE SKILLS TO DO IT AND THE RESOURCES TO MAKE IT HAPPEN – WE CAN CHANGE A LIFE NOW.
MORE DREAMS AND STORIES We’d l ike you to meet some of our students and read their stories . We think they ’re inspirational .
These children are extraordinary, but all their achievements could disappear overnight without a qualification or a trade to support themselves.
MEET J…
‘MY FATHER HAD 4 WIVES’…
STILL YOUNG WHEN HER PARENTS DIED, SHE VIRTUALLY LIVED ON THE
STREETS, SLEEPING WITH ANY RELATIVES OR WELL-‐WISHERS WHO
WOULD TAKE HER IN.
SHE HAS COLLECTED SCRAP METAL AND PLASTIC BAGS FROM RUBBISH
DUMP TO SELL FOR TINY AMOUNTS IN ORDER TO SURVIVE, HAS
SUFFERED HORRIFIC ABUSE AND CONTEMPLATED TAKING HER OWN
LIFE. THROUGH SHEER DETERMINIATION, SHE MANAGED TO SURVIVE.
THEN SOMEBODY TOLD HER ABOUT OUR SCHOOL, AND SHE BEGAN TO
DREAM AGAIN.
…WINNIE…
WINNIE AND HER SISTER TAKE IN WASHING AFTER SCHOOL TO EARN SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO BUY FOOD FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR 2 BROTHERS.
THEIR PARENTS BELIEVE THE GIRLS ARE TOO OLD TO BE DEPENDENT ON THEM, AND SHOULD MARRY.
…AND THEN THERE’S P… LAST YEAR SHE THOUGHT HER LIFE HAD ENDED. RAPED BY A RELATIVE IN HER OWN HOME IN THE SLUM, SHE FELL PREGNANT, THEN VERY SICK, AND THEN MISCARRIED. SHE WAS SAVED BY A VERY SUPPORTIVE, CARING FATHER, AND THE COUNSEL AND SUPPORT FROM GIRAFFE PROJECT AND HER TEACHERS. AFRAID TO RETURN TO THE SCHOOL WHERE SHE WAS KNOWN, SHE ASKED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO OUR SCHOOL. HER BEAUTIFUL SMILE IS TESTIMONY THAT SHE IS WELL ON THE WAY TO RECOVERY AND SHE IS CURRENTLY TOP OF HER CLASS WITH AN A-‐.
…AND OUR HEAD BOY, JULIUS
ORPHANED AT 6 YEARS OLD, HE ENDED UP IN THE
SLUM.
HE LEAVES THE CHILDREN’S HOME WHERE HE NOW LIVES AT 6A.M. AND WALKS AN HOUR TO
SCHOOL.
AS ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE HOME, HE HAS TO CLEAN, H
AND-‐WASH THE YOUNGER CHILDREN’S CLOTHES A
ND
HELP THEM WITH THEIR HOMEWORK. HE IS ARTICULATE, CARING AND EXTREMELY FOCUSSED.
IN FACT, HE’D BE A GREAT TEACHER!
A NEW APPROACH Our v is ion is to prepare our students for l i fe and work, breaking the cycle of poverty and equipping them to be productive c it izens in their community .
Although vocational training exists in colleges, there is almost none in secondary schools.
THE GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE WILL
OFFER BOTH PRACTICAL SKILLS AND AN ACADEMIC CURRICULUM FOR STUDENTS AT SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL.
Our vision is to help students like Mary, Winnie, Julius and the others, break free of poverty and all that goes with it
The school will have workshops teaching skills such as catering, horticulture, including the exciting new technology of aquaponics,* tailoring and others, alongside a standard academic curriculum.
The businesses will themselves be run as micro-‐businesses giving the students first-‐hand experience of running an enterprise.
The teachers are committed to teaching youngsters from the slum, and they value and respect each child.
The school is outside the slums, in a quiet and safe environment not far from Nairobi. The students will board together in a boarding house next to the school.
OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE
To offer a full programme of studies over 4 or 5 years, leading to the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education qualification.
To provide a second education stream leading to qualifications in practical and business skills
Students will be able to cross over between the two streams, and to combine the two.
We will show our students how to combine effective study and learning with appropriate rest and relaxation.
We will teach our students study skills
We will provide remedial opportunities where students can revisit basic skills in mathematics,
English and Kiswahili, and drop non-‐essential subjects early in order to work on weak areas.
We will guide students towards the academic and/or vocational studies that suit them best. This will enable them build confidence and courage to tackle new and difficult opportunities.
We will encourage our students to learn and practice their rights and responsibilities, and to form and express balanced and fact-‐based opinions.
Career guidance will be an important element from Form 1 (year 9) to Form 4 (year 12).
We will teach and model, with the school seeking to develop small businesses in which the students can participate.
* aquaponics – a highly-‐resource efficient combination of plant production in water (hydroponics) and fish farming (aquaculture) in a symbiotic ecosystem
WHERE ARE WE NOW? With land prices in Kenya r is ing astronomical ly , the chance came to buy a disused school near Nairobi -‐ and we took a giant leap of fa ith!
The school site has been bought and the boarding house rented.
Buildings
We have acquired a school building about three miles from Nairobi, in a green environment, very different from the smoke and dust of the slums.
We have also rented a boarding house about 80 metres from the school, and we have an option to buy the house once the school has become established.
Now we are renovating the classrooms and toilets, and building a place for the boarding master to live on site.
Staff
Our teachers have found accommodation close to the school, and are preparing for the start of lessons in January.
We are now hiring security and maintenance staff to keep the site safe and running effectively.
THE BOARDING HOUSE AND GARDENS -‐ A WORLD AWAY FROM THE SLUMS
THE NEW SITE FOR THE GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE
Students
We have 60 students ready to start.
They are currently occupying the top floor of a primary school in one of the slums in Nairobi.
Moving the students into the new site will free up valuable space for the primary school and allow the secondary students to start their new curriculum.
When the school is at full capacity, we will have 500 students, 250 from the slums and 250 fee-‐paying to ensure the long-‐term sustainability of the project.
There ’s p lenty le ft to do . F ind out how you can become a part of this amazing project .
WHERE ARE WE GOING? Once the school is running, the next chal lenge is to develop the vocational workshops and enlarge the s ite to accommodate our target of 500 students .
Now we need to renovate the school and prepare for lessons to start in January 2013. Time is short!
In the table below we have set out the milestones that we aim to achieve in the next 5 years.
MAKING IT HAPPEN – ARE YOU INTERESTED?
ABOUT US: THE GIRAFFE PROJECT CHILDREN’S CHARITY Giraffe Project is a UK-‐registered charity , with an operating base in Belgium and a branch in Kenya. Today the project sponsors over 500 chi ldren aged four to adult in two primary schools , several secondary schools and various col lege programmes.
Through the generosity of an amazing network of compassionate individuals and families, we are able to sponsor several hundred children through primary school, which is 8 years in Kenya.
When they reach year 8 (about 14 years of age) we continue to sponsor the children in government and private secondary boarding schools outside the slums.
The students we serve are from extremely poor backgrounds. Without sponsorship, they would not be in school, and some of them would not even be fed.
In fact, one of the first things we did was to organise regular meals for the children.
Without this basic support these children just could not get through the school day.
Many have just one parent or no parents at all. Some have dropped out of school and are desperate to get back into education.
Others have been ill treated by relatives or guardians. A few have been living on the streets or working and begging to support younger siblings.
Founders, Richard and Denise Baines, have over 20 years experience teaching and examining in different European and International schools and universities.
The Giraffe Project Board of Trustees oversees the entire project and its funds. The charity reports annually to the Charities Commission of England and Wales.
MAKING IT HAPPEN -‐ ARE YOU INTERESTED TO HELP? Meeting the f inancial costs of the school is our major priority . Without help from donors the project wil l not be able to continue .
The project represents a fantastic opportunity for organisations and individuals to be involved at different levels.
Meeting the costs
Meeting the costs of the project is one important way in which you and your company can be involved in this amazing project.
THE PROJECT NEEDS TO RAISE €150,000 FOR THE FIRST PHASE.
The money will help:
• Pay for the site • Equip the boarding houses • Equip the kitchen • Build accommodation for the boarding
master • Renovate toilets and classrooms • Secure the school with fencing • Provide a school bus to transport students
from their homes to the school • And more
Donors Donors provide financial support either as a one off payment or, over a period of time, based on achieving agreed milestones.
Tax optimisation is possible in many countries.
Donors can receive regular reports on the progress of the project; both financial reporting and reporting on the milestones of the project itself.
Suggested sponsorship amounts are:
LEVEL 1 SPONSORS: €5,000
LEVEL 2 SPONSORS: €10,000
LEVEL 3 SPONSORS: €15,000 OR ABOVE
ALTHOUGH DONORS HAVE MANY REASONS OF THEIR OWN TO SUPPORT
CHARITIES, WE WANT TO RECOGNISE AND THANK THOSE THAT HAVE HELPED SO GENEROUSLY. Acknowledgements We acknowledge our donors, on our website in the media and wherever we can.
Visits We encourage our donors to visit and work on site, for example as part of a corporate team building or CSR programme. Giving is one thing – but there’s nothing like seeing first-‐hand how your support is making a difference.
And don’t forget the kids! We have been taking parties of teenagers for working visits on an annual basis for the last five years, and we love to take the older teenage children of donors on our trips.
It’s a life-‐changing experience for the youngsters as they work hard alongside our Kenyan partners – but we also throw in some fun, like a brilliant lakeside safari in Kenya’s incomparable Great Rift Valley.
IF YOU’RE A WRITER – WRITE TO US – WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Our registered address is:
The Giraffe Project 2nd Floor Suite Turkey Court, Turkey Mill Ashford Road Maidstone , Kent, ME14 5PP United Kingdom
OR EMAIL US AT… [email protected]
ON BEHALF OF THE WONDERFUL KIDS FROM THE SLUMS OF NAIROBI, THANK YOU FOR ANYTHING YOU CAN DO!
GETTING IN TOUCH I f you want to help the pro ject , i t ’ s easy to get in touch
GIRAFFE EDUCATION CENTRE, KENYA
September 2012