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.

In 2009, we had twenty two new students apply for AKIN sponsorships. Each of them registered and sat for the national primary school exam (KCPE) which was administered in November. The results of these exams were announced in late December. The test is a comprehensive assessment of a student’s knowledge of the entire primary school curriculum and a low score signifies poor basic skills The highest grade possible on the KCPE is 500 points. Based on our past experience, we have learned that students who score below 300 points generally have a difficult time in secondary school.. It has been our policy in the past to offer these students the opportunity to attend two  year vocational training programs, and many have done quite well. In fact, we have eleven graduates of such training colleges , and in the year since graduation, nine have found full time employment and are supporting themselves. The others are being assisted by our staff to find jobs. We will continue to offer this option to new students. The AKIN Learning Center is an new alternative.

Set in a five bedroom home near the AKIN office, the Learning Center will be a place where ten fourteen and fifteen year old boys and girls will receive intensive  instruction from  two full time teachers. After an initial assessment of their basic reading and math skills, lessons will be designed to target the specific weaknesses of each student. This remedial approach to education is designed to give these students a chance to catch up and fill in the gaps in their primary school education.  Next November, our Learning Center students will retake the KCPE exams, and we expect them to show marked improvement and be finally ready to begin secondary school.