Educating 70+ children in Mathare Slum Kenya

Now that St. Benedict is operational, we are already seeing some hugely positive results.

In December 2019 ten children took the Kenyan Primary Certificate of Education.  Considering that this School of Hope has been operational for less than a year, the results were hugely positive.  The average score was 306.6 / 500.  Considering that St. Benedict is a School of Hope where homeless street children can find refuge and are fostered out to homes, it proves that given an opportunity, these children can thrive.  The nearest Government school, Old Mathare Primary, had an average score of 217 / 500 which means that the work that St. Benedict is doing has allowed the young people in the School of Hope an almost 50% value added level of attainment.  The reasons for this are many and varied.  The children appear grateful just to have an opportunity to escape from what appears to be a hopeless situation.  Most of our Schools of Hope have two or three supervisors.  Here at St. Benedict there are four, all of whom are educated to university level, trained as social workers and have emerged out of the streets themselves.  Having experienced what is possible, they are hugely motivated to show others who are in a similar situation to what they experience themselves, the way.

In addition, the School of Hope is participating in everything that ChallengeAid provides such as talent competitions, chess, life skills, music, drama, football, rugby, cricket and volleyball.