Kenya - iU Academy May 2020 Update
Hope is found, even in the darkest of times in Kenya.
Teacher Violet interviewing some of the student’s parents
Last week, Nelly, director of iU Academy Kenya, and her two teachers, Carol, and Violet, were able to interview a few of the mothers from the Soweto Slum. Putting on their Sunday best, they shared what their lives have been like during this time with our teachers. These mothers told our teachers about the difficulties they face every day. They are doing everything they can to survive but their struggle to find jobs was already heightened before the country closed down.
Most of the parents of our students are called “special workers” in Kenya. Every morning they go out to see what kind of job they can find for the day. It could be doing someone’s laundry, cooking, cleaning, construction, or running errands. They take whatever job comes their way so they are able to buy food for the day. Once the Kenyan government shut down the country, these hard-to-find jobs were gone. If they did have consistent jobs, they lost them or they had to choose to stay home with their young children who were no longer in school.
Teacher Carol (left) and Teacher Violet (right) helping Mary, mother to Virginia and Francis, students in Nelly’s Saturday program (May 2020)
Criminal activity in the Soweto Slum has spiked because jobs are scarce and everything is shut down. People are doing whatever they can to survive. Some people steal to eat. Alcohol and drug use have ramped up. Young people have become dealers to help their families. Health care and groceries are impossible to get and sanitation is a major problem in the area. We are thankful to have an established relationship with our students and their families. It is because of this relationship that we are able to help them through this difficult time.
Recently, CNN put out a feature on what Kenya has been experiencing since the pandemic caused them to shut down. An NGO passed out food in one of the biggest slums in Kenya. Unlike when Nelly passed out food, it was utter chaos.
Thanks to donations and our sponsors, we are able to support our students and their families by providing them with food and sanitary items, ensuring that our students have food during this hard time. It has also been an opportunity for our Kenyan teachers to continue the relationship with the families. When Nelly, Violet, and Carol were able to get this food to the families, they were organized and orderly. They know that we are here to stay - through the hard times and the easy ones. That assurance brings joy to our hearts since we could not be in Kenya during this time.
Nelly distributing food to the families of our students (March 2020)
Everyone is so ready for things to open again, here and in Kenya. The country is going to start slowly opening in June. Schools are scheduled to open towards the end of the month. Nelly is fully confident that we will be able to open as a school and not just an after-school program. We will be able to start working with the students on a full-time basis to give them a path, purpose, and hope for their lives. Thank you for being apart of their journey and giving them hope during these tough times.
