COVID-19 Kenya Project #47253

Help Gatoto School feed & educate Nairobi students

by American Friends of Gatoto, Inc.

Project Report | Aug 1, 2022
Burning the Midnight Oil

By Laura Kane | Board Member

Top Gatoto scorer Kennedy

Student efforts pay off with impressive KCPE results

Gatoto students and teachers are on a roll and have impressive results from the recent national test to show for it. The all-important KCPE (Kenya Certificate of Primary Education) test of 13-14 year olds followed last year’s grueling, COVID-shortened calendar. Despite this, Gatoto’s average student score jumped an impressive +13 points! 120 of Gatoto’s students took the three-day test. Girls did slightly better than the boys and 65 of Gatoto students scored well enough to qualify for secondary school admission; securing funding for the needed scholarships for secondary school, however, is an on-going challenge.

Introducing Gatoto’s Highest Scorers

Gatoto’s two top scorers achieved marks more often associated with elite schools! This is a remarkable accomplishment for an informal settlement-based community school with plenty of challenges and few resources beyond its dedicated teachers and a supportive community. We are so impressed, we want to introduce you to them!

Top scorer Kennedy. Kennedy earned a score of 398 - that’s only a fraction behind the nation’s highest scorer at 428. How did he accomplish this? We asked. Kennedy was the school speaker when he was in class 8, and is described as dedicated, obedient and focused. He attributed his score to his hard work, burning the midnight oil while studying, and having access to the library: He said, ”I have been coming during breaktime and my free time and I have learned in the peaceful environment. The new classroom building has provided students with light[ing], and you can come so early. I come and start learning before the rest of the school arrives. The feeding program provided also helps us a lot because you can not do anything when you are hungry.” Kennedy lives with both parents; his father is the sole breadwinner. As a pastor in a local church, his father depends on the offerings he gets from the Mukuru kwa Reuben community to pay for Kennedy's fees.

Second top scorer is Angela. Angela is described as hardworking and with the qualities of a leader. She says “my secret to passing was just following the teachers’ advice…the Gatoto Primary teachers are the best in the whole county. I am sure I’m becoming a doctor in the future...I am looking forward to saving other peoples’ lives.” Angela also lives with both her parents. It is her father’s job as a laborer in the industrial area that she depends on for her school fees.

Stay tuned for our next update! We will certainly have more news about the big impact from inflation already being widely felt, especially for food prices and its impact on our food program at Gatoto Primary School.

Second Gatoto top scorer is Angela

Permalink

Apr 4, 2022
Kenya's new curriculum comes to Gatato

By Laura Kane | Board Member

Dec 4, 2021
See What Your Donations Have Built!

By Yassi Tamdji | Crowdfunding and Social Media Intern

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