We have supported a number of educational initiatives for our children in various schools with the aim of improving performance and nurturing them to become beacons for the elders in the community. Remarkably, we provided a fully equipped computer lab with internet access for Tumaini La Jangwani Senior School in Isiolo County with the aim of ensuring the children have the knowledge and skills to compete globally.....read more Other programmes initiated include: 1. Keep the girl child in School Initiative We have proudly partnered with Kakamega Heritage Foundation to support girls to stay in school and further their education through the supply of sanitary pads. MIC provides 3 high schools in Kakamega with 1 YEAR supply of sanitary pads on annual basis. It is reported that majority of girls in the Kakamega region miss school for at least four days a month each month due to their menstrual cycle, thus leading to higher dropout rates. These issues are not talked about in many communities, due to social taboos, embarrassment, lack of understanding, and the seeming low priority of such issues in the face of starvation, violence, death, illiteracy and the constant struggles of daily life. Since these girls are living in low income homes in rural areas, they receive minimal financial assistance that barely covers their basic needs for survival. This inevitably means that there are no additional resources to cover the cost of their sanitary pads. Most of them are not even aware of the concept of sanitary pads. As a result, many girls in the region often share sanitary towel with their mothers or other women in the household that are washed and reused. One of the most effective ways to combat poverty is by enhancing education system by making sure the girls don’t miss school. After all education is the key to fighting poverty. As they say “You give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day. Teach her to fish you feed her for a lifetime.” 2. School Feeding Programme School feeding Programme was initiated in Kenya in 1980 with the aim of alleviating health and developmental consequences of childhood malnutrition, increase primary school enrollment, and combat social pressures that limit educational opportunities. The initiative was significantly backed by World Food Program (WFP) and is considered one of the largest and longest-standing school feeding partnerships of its kind. The main focus of the SFP was schools in Arid & Semi-Arid areas (ASALs) and slums in urban areas. Following discussions held between MIC and Board of Directors of Kakamega Township Primary School, it was reported that many students hail from poor backgrounds and could barely afford a meal. This drastically affected the school’s performance which in turn affected enrollment. As a result, MIC initiated School Feeding programme in January 2019 with the aim of increasing student enrollment, retention and improve cognitive functions which ultimately lead to improved performance.
