Mandatory school fees often prevent youth in the Manyatta slums of Kisumu, Kenya from starting or staying in school. In Primary tuition is free but students must buy uniforms, books, tests, pencils and paper. In Secondary, students must also pay tuition. If a family can't pay for all, girls are the first to loose out. We pay full and partial fees and tuition for youth participating in programs of the Manyatta Youth Resource Centre. We also pay for catering, computer, mechanic, & driving classes.
Kisumu is the third largest city in Kenya, located on Lake Victoria and the Equator. The Manyatta slums house tens of thousands without basic sanitation or clean water. Girls and boys have many obstacles to overcome to attend school. Many have been orphaned by AIDS or malaria. Families may be able to provide only part of the required fees and supplies or nothing at all. Without a basic education, youth have no way out of poverty. Girls are even less likely to attend school than boys.
The Manyatta Youth Resource Center, funded primarily by Equip Manyatta, provides a wide variety of programs for more than 200 young people, including sports and performing arts. We try to ensure that each of our program participants is able to attend school. Sometimes this means full tuition or fee payment, sometimes only a "small push" to supplement what parents can provide. We have had much more demand than funding. Fees are paid directly to schools to avoid diversion. Our help is crucial.
Primary education is the foundation, and completion of Secondary school opens horizons for each graduate. Technical classes like accounting and catering provide a trade and the foundation for a business that may also employ others. Kisumu is growing rapidly and each graduate can contribute rather than be a drain on the community. As we have painfully witnessed, Kenya is in the sights of brutal terrorists. Education and economic well-being are the way to build a just and free society.
