Back in March, when Kenya closed the schools no one ever thought educating our young would come to a complete halt for months to come!
The Kenyan government initiated on-line learning networks to help students continue with their studies but students in many areas, including our own, had no means to access those online courses so their education stopped.
With almost everything else closed in the community, kids had too much time on their hands. Many helped around their homes by planting gardens and doing other household duties.
In a three-month period after schools closed, teen pregnancy soared to over 40% countrywide. Our staff in Oyugis knew they needed to do something to help stop this growing concern and issue.
That’s when the Education piece of Olalo took a temporary turn to offer a new form of education….one of mentorship, information, encouragement, and education with the goal of decreasing teen pregnancy.
The Olalo Team set up a two-day Community Outreach and invited local youth ages 13 and older to attend. Girls who attended were given sanitary pads and boys received new underwear (something very few have ever owned).
The expectation was 150 kids would participate in the two-day outreach. Instead, over 200 came the first day! Those who came met together in a group before the one-on-one talks took place with each youth.
Solid connections were made between individual students and the mentoring Team promising a positive and ongoing relationship that not only would benefit the student, but the community as well.
These are certainly unsettling times, but this new education piece may be a game-changer for the youth of Oyugis.
This is all made possible because of you and your support for the education of the youth of Oyugis, Kenya.
Thank you so much for your heart for kids and education….You are changing their world!
Merry Broughal
Olalo of Hope-Kenya
