After one month, our International School in Kenya is already in full swing.
Giovanni Volpe, Program Manager in Nairobi, tells us about the routine of the days: “The appointment for everyone is in the morning at 8.00 am for breakfast, in small groups, according to the local COVID-19 rules. At 9 a.m. the first bell rings and classes begin. Our curriculum is diversified: students take intensive English and Math classes, as well as courses in reading, creative writing, art, theater, sports, and films. Activities are broken up by 20-minute breaks, and there is a long break for lunch. We offer a warm meal and fruit, and we try to vary the menu every day. These are full, busy days, but students don’t lack for free time: during the day, we invite them to discover and learn without teacher supervision. At 5 p.m., students help cleaning the classrooms and common areas before saying goodbye. Thanks to the bus service, even those who live further away have the possibility to reach the school and return home safely”.
Today there are 100 students, divided into 7 groups, each reflecting a different level of English to facilitate learning. The selection and enrollment process for new members, however, is still ongoing and our goal is to add a new class every year.
Our School in Nairobi offers an international curriculum that will be recognized everywhere in the world. This is a school of excellence that would normally be accessible only to the children of the elite, but that Still I Rise can instead give to forgotten children thanks to the contribution of many friends and supporters.
Giovanni tells: “Saturday is a day off. We meet up to play and be together. In a short time, the school has become a point of reference in the lives of many children who find in Still I Rise one more family”.
Here we gather Kenyan children, of course, but also many refugees from Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burundi and Uganda, who have arrived with their families looking for a better future. All together they have finally found a place to grow and express their potential, a place to call “home”.
Help us make our school accessible to more and more students. Educational materials, meals, bus transportation: help us give these children the future they deserve!
