the kenya kesho school for girls

Research and experience suggest that building a decent school within a village and providing trained teachers, good learning materials, a sense of hope and a meaningful curriculum are often enough to bring most girls into school – at least at a primary level – and encourages parents to get more involved in the education of their children. Phonetic Planet recently spoke with Nazia Hussein, who is part of The Kenya Kesho Trust team, a group that is determined to help elevate the status of girls in an under-served area of Kenya.

Where in the world did you grow up, Nazia?                                                                               

I grew up in Nairobi, which is the capital and the largest city in Kenya.

Fun Fact: the name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi which means “cool water”. This is a reference to the Nairobi River, which flows through the city. As Nairobi is situated close to the equator, the differences between the seasons are minimal. The seasons are referred to as the wet season and the dry season.

Was there a place that was extra special to you during your childhood? Why?

The Coast Province of Kenya; I just love the beach and the ocean and the sand and the sun and the starfish and the stars and the salty air and everything beach-related really! It is still very special to me to this day and I am sure the beach will always hold a special place in my heart.

We are very interested to learn more about the school you are connected to. Please tell us all about it!

I do the marketing and fundraising for The Kenya Kesho School for Girls. Our mission is to give every young girl from Mshiu Village the opportunity to be the best she can be by giving her the education, vision and confidence to build a new destiny, and to break away from the cycle of poverty into which she is seemingly born. The Kenya Kesho Trust (KKT) manages and funds the school, and is a charity operating in the coastal region, Kwale County since 2006. The Trust saw a need to construct a modern school within Mshiu village that would provide well-trained teachers, good teaching materials, discipline and hope with the government-approved curriculum; that would encourage most girls to be enrolled into school, at least at a primary level and to also encourage parents to get more involved in the education of their children. Built on five and a half acres of land, the school was opened on 23rd September 2019 and serves the needs of a community that faces a variety of challenges.

Can you tell us about some of these challenges, Nazia?

In this area of the world young girls are often faced with the prospect of early child marriage and motherhood. Some women have begun to bear children at as young as twelve years of age, and go on to raise large families under circumstances that are financially challenging as well as physically difficult. There are incidents of child/girl abuse and situations which drive girls or young women to earn money through prostitution. Many women are single mothers who have little or no education, themselves. In addition to these social issues, there are health-related challenges including jiggers (a parasitic sand-flea which infests the skin), intestinal worms and also AIDS. So, you can understand that our school is not just an educational institution; it has a role to play in assisting young people in possibly escaping this very harmful cycle.  

Since 2006, The Kenya Kesho Trust has sponsored teachers’ assistants in local primary schools and has sponsored sixty-six students from poor families to attend secondary schools (and seven to university). One student is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Europe. The Trust also sponsored the first girl in Shimoni Village to go to university; she now has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fisheries and Aquatics Science. We are also happy to share that employment sponsorship was also given to a farming teacher at our school – a student who was also sponsored by the Kenya Kesho Trust and obtained a degree in Land Management and Farming.

Mshiu Village is amongst one of the poorest and one of the most marginalized areas in Kwale County. Seeing as the school is only two years old, we need to initiate and maintain sustainable projects in order to keep the school up and running by covering all the daily operational costs. We also need to enable the girls to have nutritious meals at school every day since, for some of them, this is the only meal they will get the whole day. It’s important to us to teach the girls, their parents and the community at-large a variety of ways to sustain themselves in terms of empowerment, skill-enhancement and (eventual) employment (either in or outside the village). 

We have heard that you work with the school community to raise awareness about environmental stewardship through tree planting and farming, amongst other initiatives. What inspires this?

 In this area of Africa (Kenya), trees are often cut down for the purpose of selling charcoal.In fact there are not many long-term plants around, in general. One of our fundraising ideas involves sponsoring individual students for their entire primary education; who are each given the responsibility of caring for a new tree that is planted in their sponsor’s name on our school property. We are committed to planting indigenous and/or critically endangered species; the idea is that the child and the tree will grow and flourish alongside each other. For many of our sponsors, this is a powerful association.

 We have at least four Ebony trees in our school gardens. Ebony is one of the most expensive woods in the world. The timber commands high prices as it is a smooth, dense and heavy black or very dark brown hardwood. Ebony trees grow to between four and fifteen meters in height; they are slow growing and have low germination rates. In fact, trees can take between seventy and two hundred years to mature! I have seen a magnificent 200 year-old sample destroyed in one hour by a chain saw. Ebony trees are threatened by over-harvesting due to poor or absent conservation planning and it is important to us to incorporate them into our garden as a means of raising awareness about the environment.

We also have four specimens of African Teak, which grows to fifty meters in height and is a very strong, dense hardwood. Teak trees have been harvested to the point of concern and are on the threatened conservation list (and face extinction). They are used for the control of erosion and also affect the nitrogen content in the air. These trees are found to act as a “carbon sink”, which is important because of the conversion of atmospheric carbon into land carbon. The bark is used as a medicine for coughs and heart problems. The latex is used as an anti-tumor agent and also as an aid to clear stomach and throat obstructions.

Nazia, what kind of donations does the school accept, as well as the much-needed financial donations?

The school community is always grateful to receive donations of art materials, musical instruments and books (new or used; in good condition) from either private citizens or corporate donors. These learning materials are literally life-changing for our students, who are eager to avail of their unique right to an education. We also welcome teaching volunteers who can work with us from any area in the world via zoom, either on a once-off or on a regular basis. This is an amazing experience for both the volunteers and the children with whom they interact! I encourage any teacher who might be interested in this to contact us via the school’s website (info@kenyakeshoschoolforgirls.org)

We are so thrilled to be sending some of our Phonetic Planet books to this inspirational school community! We know that you share our love of literacy. Do you have favorite books from your childhood? Which books did you enjoy reading?

I have always loved the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling; even though I didn’t get to own all of the books in the series, I always found ways to be able to read and enjoy all 7 of the books, and found joy in all the big changes and the little details J.K. Rowling put in the books and in the characters. I believe that magic surrounds us in many ways, everyday; be it in a new flower blooming or in a rainbow forming when it is sunny and raining, or even to see the joyous smiles of the girls at The Kenya Kesho School for Girls when learning or playing.

Our sincere thanks to Nazia for taking time out of her busy schedule to speak with us! You can learn much more about The Kenya Kesho School For Girls at the following link:

https://www.kenyakeshoschoolforgirls.org/

The school turns two in September, and invites you to celebrate with them by reading more about their initiative and joining with them in supporting a generation of young female students.