Plan Kenya Annual Progress Report 2010

A YEAR IN

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KENYA

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2010

SUMMARY REPORT

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A schoolboy passes the ball during the launch of the Learn without Fear campaign in Nairobi

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GOOD REASONS

why Plan works in Kenya

OUR PRIORITIES in Kenya

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• Life expectancy is just 53

• The country is suffering from a food crisis and while prices rise most Kenyans live on less than $US1 a day.

• There is a high drop-out rate in the school system where many children suffer from violence

• Improving community healthcare, access to water, sanitation and overall hygiene

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• Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS DIJBOUTI and caring for and supporting those affected • Helping women, vulnerable members of society, children and young people to take part in their communities’ development

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A Migwena Tang Ber youth group member in Bondo labelling his tree seedlings

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climate. It is hot and humid at Lo the coast, temperate inland Tshu ma apa mi and very dry in the north and north-east parts of the country.

REPUBLIC aOFlot CONGO ThereDEM is however of rain March and May, and Lobetween koro moderate rain in October and Lukenie November.

The temperature kuru throughout remainsSanhigh these months.

is market-based, with some state-owned infrastructureLake Albert Ituri It maintains a enterprises. liberalised external trade system. The economy’s heavy dependence on rain-fed Lake Edward agriculture and the tourism sector leaves it vulnerable to cycles of boom and bust. The LakeKivu agricultural sector employs nearly 75 per cent of RWANDA the population. Half of the sector’s output remains BURUNDI subsistence production.

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Homa Bay Nairobi Lake Victoria

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Capital: Nairobi Population: 38.6 million Languages: English, Kiswahili Aruwimi and various indigenous Con languages g

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• Improving household economic security through increased agricultural and livestock production, YEMEN improved natural resources management, income generation and access to sustainable financial services

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• Improving the standards of education at all levels and increasing the number of poor children who can go to school

KENYA Country Office Program Units

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Focus On:

the right to education Plan works to improve the standard of education in Kenya at all levels, with government, teachers, parents and children themselves. We train teachers on more effective and engaging teaching methods, and set up school management committees to raise and maintain standards. We are

also helping to build classrooms and install water and sanitation facilities in schools. We campaign against violence towards children in school and promote positive discipline.

Living and Learning For people all over the world, education gives the chance to improve their lives.

But in some countries violence in schools is a major barrier to achievement. Such violence typically comes in the form of verbal abuse, bullying and emotional abuse from both teachers and other children. Youngsters can be both perpetrators and victims of violence.

Children from the Nairobi slum of Kawangware are aware that a good education holds the key to moving out of the cycle of poverty, but they don’t always enjoy going to class. Kenyan schools are usually crowded and the teachers use traditional methods of corporal punishment to discipline the children. And when lessons are driven by fear, children find it harder to acquire the skills and knowledge they need for their development.

George, a young boy from Kawangware, thinks corporal punishment is unfair. ‘Caning should be stopped in schools,’ he says. Luckily for George, this year his school took part in a Plan-supported trial of a new system that uses yellow and red cards to discourage negative behaviour and encourage positive values.

Child’s play The red and yellow card system takes a leaf out of football’s book. A yellow card is a warning; red signifies exclusion from an activity. A pupil gets a yellow card for misdemeanours like pushing, disobedience, unacceptable comments and so on. A red card is given for more serious issues like fighting, stealing and lying. More than two yellow cards will lead to red card.

After a red card, the child leaves the group and speaks to the social worker.

In Kenya, the system has worked extremely well during sports sessions. The schools that tried out the system over a three-week period this year were allotted a head coach, a social worker and eight other coaches. They were trained on the benefits of play and how to use sports to enhance skills such as concentration and teamwork. They were also given training on how important play is to child development and basic children’s rights.

In particular, the coaches were trained in games that develop listening skills, flexibility, concentration and teamwork. Youth coaches from the community were also trained to guide, counsel and instruct the children from the school.

Produced for Kenya by Plan International Australia.

Youth in Tharaka attend a youth and governance awareness session

The Bigger Picture

George and his classmates took part in popular sporting activities like football. After the games, social workers led counselling sessions to reinforce the positive values the children had noted in the play sessions.

Plan is working with children, families and communities to find sustainable solutions to the challenges in Kenya. We have only given you a small insight into Plan’s work in Kenya with this report but over the past year we also:

Children in Kawangware typically love playing sports but the competitive fun of the game is not the only reward they now reap. Since the project was launched in June, they have learnt that playing also offers the chance to learn, interact and embrace positive values like teamwork and compassion.

• Improved access to safe drinking water by helping communities to develop 61 water projects

The winning card The program immediately showed positive results. There was a marked decrease between the first and third week in the number of children receiving yellow and red cards.

The system is now being used in classrooms as well as in sports. Overall there has been a big improvement in attitudes, behaviour and knowledge about violence. The atmosphere within the schools which took part changed dramatically as learning began to revolve around safety, security and nurture. Children had a greater capacity to concentrate in the classroom and to socialise and play fairly outside.

Wherever it occurs, violence in schools has damaging consequences for both children and wider society because it affects their learning, their future prospects and the way they relate to others in their lives. This system has helped children, teachers and Plan to engage with and address the issue of violence against children.

Children here are now learning without fear in a peaceful classroom environment.

The red and yellow card system was trialled in the Nairobi area as part of Plan’s worldwide work to tackle violence in schools and replace corporal punishment with positive discipline.

We’re now looking into the possibility to expanding the scheme more widely.

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy reasons

‘The atmosphere within a school changes dramatically as learning begins to revolve around safety, security and nurture.’

• Trained 1213 community health workers, who went on to train others • Promoted latrines and improved sanitation projects in local communities, leading to a tenfold increase in toilets in Kilifi, for example Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these results. With the resources provided by sponsors, Plan expertise and the collaboration of communities and local partners we are making a big difference to the lives of people in Kenya.

Thank you for your involvement!

To learn more about Plan’s work in Kenya visit plan.org.au/ourwork/southernafrica/kenya

‘Plan is working for the right to quality education, clean water and sanitation, health, improved standards of living and participation – which are all core requirements for children to realise their full potential,’ John Morris, Plan’s Country Director in Kenya