By Kirsty | Project Leader
One year ago, thanks to funding from Vision Africa in association with the Souter Charitable Trust, Kibera Mpira Mtaani (KiMMta) opened their doors to the first sixty students at their ECD centre. Early Childhood Development is key to preparing children for primary education and KiMMta wanted to give young children in their community a strong foundation on which to build.
When we visited the project shortly after it had opened, the teachers had their hands full as many of the children had never attended school before and were being separated from their parents for the first time. A lot of time was spent developing social skills which would mould the young students and create an environment in which they could learn.
The teachers have worked very hard over the last year and the results are impressive!
This week when we visited, there was a feeling of calm as we walked in to the first class. The youngest students were busy learning and had the confidence to play teacher and stand in front of the blackboard and talk to their classmates. The children followed instructions and when the arrival of visitors caused some excitement, the teachers had a short routine about listening which quickly got the students’ attention and brought their focus back to their work.
Moving up to the new classroom which has been built upstairs, the older students were working hard on a maths lesson. One of the great things about this lesson was that the teacher had incorporated learning resources brought by our visitors from Thorntree Primary School in Glasgow. The Glasgow teachers had trained staff in alternative teaching methods which explained lessons in a variety of ways rather than the traditional method of simply writing the information on a blackboard.
In this classroom we were told that nine of the students have made such good progress they will be transferring to primary schools in the new school year which begins in January. Two of these students have secured places at the government run Olympic Primary School which. Places here are in high demand and students have to sit an entry test to compete for a place so we are delighted that some of KiMMta’s first students have succeeded and will be joining this school.
While we were visiting the centre, morning porridge was served. It’s clear to see that the children enjoy this nutritious morning snack which is followed by a healthy lunch. The feeding programme is a valuable part of KiMMta’s education programme.
It was wonderful to see the progress that this project has made in just one year. Thanks to our friends who have provided ongoing support to KiMMta through GlobalGiving. Your contributions are very much appreciated.
By Kirsty | Project Leader
By Kirsty | Project Leader
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