After nearly three years of working in Kenya to provide opportunities to children who dream of an education, we have realized our own dream. In 2010, African Kids In Need  launches the AKIN Learning Center in Nairobi. This is a bold response to a challenge our students face as they enter secondary school. Since most of our AKIN students are orphans or children of extreme poverty, they have had poor preparation for learning. The Kenyan secondary school curriculum is a demanding one. To succeed a student must have a solid primary school background. The majority of the AKIN students do not. They come from homes where school is a luxury. Securing food and shelter for themselves and their siblings is the first priority. As a result, many of our students who have begun secondary schooling under AKIN sponsorships have struggled. As an organization we have constantly looked for ways to improve their chances of success. We have offered individual tutoring at school and last year we held three one week  academic camps during school holidays. In some cases we have seen improvement, and we will continue to work in this way with our currently enrolled students. But these efforts may be a case of too little too late and the AKIN Learning Center represents a new approach.

2010: A TIME TO REJOICE
By Walter Ong’ala  AKIN Project Manager