By Christina Stellini | Resource Development Volunteer
Alice joined our nursery school as Head Teacher six years ago. Since then, she has worked day and night to create a safe and loving learning environment for the 80 children in our nursery school. Hailing from the Kibera community herself, she brings both a passion for education and an understanding of the needs of the most vulnerable children in the community.
When Alice started with us, she was pursuing a diploma in education, balancing work and school by taking courses during holiday breaks. In 2012, she completed the diploma, but wasn't ready to stop there. In 2015, she registered for the Sustainable Human Development (e.g., social work) program at Koya University in Nairobi and received a partial scholarship from the university to join the incoming class.
Recognizing Alice's passion for professional development, we were able to offer her a loan to cover the remaining portion of tuition. Alice began taking evening classes while continuing as our Head Teacher. On November 17th, after three years of hard work, we are proud to announce that Alice graduated with flying colors from the program. Alice now holds her Bachelor's of Arts in Sustainable Development/Social Work.
As Head Teacher for our nursery school, education is only one piece of Alice's day to day role. On a daily basis, Alice's ability to work hollistically with the parents, caregivers and families, is an equally critical piece of her job to support the development of the orphaned and vulnerable children that we serve. Alice must constantly address situations arising around violence or neglect in the home, parents/caregivers who abuse drugs or alcohol, children in need of HIV testing, and children that are malnourished -- to name just a few. A natural at working hand in hand with the families, Alice's studies in social work have better equipped her to effectively manage the many arising issues that our children face that threaten their healthy development.
Congratulations to Alice! We know she already has her eyes set on a Master's Degree...but we are happy to be able to celebrate this huge accomplishment and what it means for our school in Kibera. She continues to be an asset to our children, families and community.
By Christina Stellini | Resource Development Volunteer
By Alice Wanjiru | Head Teacher, St. Vincent's Nursery School
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