For our next project we’ve set the goal to help Kenyan children learn English, since their language skills are the basis of their prosperity in the future. A stable command of English opens up many new opportunities for them and allows them to find jobs in better positions after finishing school.
The BTESZ Association helped realize our plan by offering the tablets and additionally the Xeropan language learning software for the kids in Kenya. With Xeropan after a short introduction to the program the kids can practice English on their own, while the app tracks their progress.
All this needs to be set up step by step. Since electricity and internet connection are hardly accessible in the school, the first problem to be solved is making these available. After that, the members of Marafiki Community – our partner organization in Kenya- will take the tablets to the kids and teach them how to handle them. Finishing this process the students will be able to use the tablets to study English on their own or with the help of their teachers.
We’re grateful to BTESZ for their offer, and we’ll be back with the latest news soon!
The tablets have arrived!
It is a great pleasure to us that the tablets have arrived to the school, therefore from now 19 eighth-graders can practice English in the school in Mau Mahiu!
We’re still working on providing proper electricity and wifi, but in the meantime the students are already using the devices and started learning with them.
As the first step of our project the eighth-graders started to use the application, since at the end of this year an exam is waiting for them, that determines which high school they’ll be accepted to. They mostly need to practice grammar, in which Xeropan can be a great help. As we’ve heard they’re really enjoying this way of learning. They’re using the tablets in small groups, arguing which answer could be right and some are even asking to stay longer after school to practice a bit more!
We’re excited to see this project come to life and will keep you updated about the kids!
The school
The Southern Cross Academy is a middle school in Mai Mahiu in a camp for Settled Internally Displaced People. The population of these camps consists of people who fled their homes during the post-election violence of 2007-2008. Marafiki Community International built a school here in 2010, when there was no other educational institution in the area. This is Southern Cross Academy.
On a daily level the school is run by the local community through a board in agreement with the parents of the children. In Kenya tuition fees have to be payed, however the fees families pay here are minimal, even compared to the local area (at the moment each family pays 1000 KES equal to 10 USD per term). Many of the children at the school love with their grandparents or come from single parent households and paying fees continues to be a challenge.
