Our Education Programs
When you empower people through education everything changes.
Our Education Programs currently reach over 16,500 children living in poverty in East Africa. Working together with teachers, national government and local partners we improve their learning through quality teaching, school resources, student welfare, effective school manangment as well as parent and community engagement.
We believe that by improving the quality of education children are receiving in primary school they are more likely to enter and complete secondary school and break the poverty cycle.
Global poverty could be halved if all adults completed secondary school education, with Sub-Saharan Africa suffering from the highest out of school rates in the world. - Unesco.
Your support enables us to work with local schools to deliver our education projects to lift the quality of the education in schools and ensure a sustainable future for the whole community. These projects include:
- our school community to build relationships with community and ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects
- my voice to build confidence and empower students to speak up and take ownership of their education
- school improvement to ensure students are learning in a safe and vibrant environment
- teacher development to improve teaching standards
- let's learn and early steps to build interest and confidence in learning, early literacy and numeracy
- keeping girls in school project to engage the whole community of the importance of girls education
- a school feeding program that includes one hot meal a day.
Find out more about some of these projects below.
Our Education Programs
When you empower people through
education everything changes.
Our Education programs currently reaches over 24,000 children living in poverty in East Africa. Working together with teachers, national government and local partners we improve their learning through quality teaching, school resources, student welfare, effective school manangment as well as parent and community engagement.
We believe that by improving the quality of education children are receiving in primary school they are more likely to enter and complete secondary school and break the poverty cycle.
Global poverty could be halved if all adults completed secondary school education, with Sub-Saharan Africa suffering from the highest out of school rates in the world. * Unesco
Your support enables us to work with local schools to deliver our education projects to lift the quality of the education in schools and ensure a sustainable future for the whole community. These projects include:
- our school community to build relationships with community and ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects
- my voice to build confidence and empower students to speak up and take ownership of their education
- school improvement to ensure students are learning in a safe and vibrant environment
- teacher development to improve teaching standards
- let's learn and early steps to build interest in learning, early literacy and numeracy
- keeping girls in school project to engage the whole community of the importance of girls education
- a school feeding program that includes one hot meal a day.
Find out more about some of these projects below.
Aberdare Ranges Primary School
Country : Kenya
Project Impact : 100% of Aberdare Ranges Primary School’s first graduating class of 2017 (120 students) were able to proceed to secondary school to continue their education. The school was most recently placed in the three top performing schools in the Sub-County.
About The Project : Aberdare Ranges Primary School was the first project founded by So They Can in 2010 in partnership with the Kenyan government giving a community in crisis hope through education.
The school is at full capacity educating 1080 children annually from Early Childhood Development classes (pre-school) through to Standard 8 (age 14). It is a model educational institution in the region, providing quality facilities and education to benefit the educational support offered in the additional 36 collaborative schools we support in East Africa.
The school is empowered by our sponsorship program, connecting people across the globe.
Beyond Primary School…
Aimed also at balancing the gender inequality in these areas, 70% of the scholarships are given to girls.
Students have the opportunity to attend Secondary School across Kenya. So They Can have partnered with nearby government school, Nairobi Road Secondary School, that the majority of Aberdare Ranges Primary School students will attend. Other high performing students will be selected for other National and County schools.
On completing Aberdare Ranges Primary School students enter secondary school for the next chapter of their education journey. Our secondary school scholarship program is enabling extremely needy children from remote rural communities the opportunity to further their education.
Vocational training options are also available for continued learning opportunities.
Together with our sponsors, we will support these students throughout secondary school, monitoring their progress and encouraging them on their education journey.
Mamire Teachers’ College
We all remember our favourite teacher. So They Can knows the value of those special people who shape, form and inspire us to achieve.
Country : Tanzania
Project Impact : In August 2018 the Mamire Teachers’ Training College ranked #1 in Tanzania, performing better than the other 78 public and private teacher training colleges in Tanzania, after only 5 years of operation.
About The Project : The Mamire Teachers’ College, located in the Babati District of Tanzania, was established in 2012 by So They Can, in collaboration with Babati District Council, Manyara Region, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and Rotary. The college was developed to offer a quality teachers’ training facility to this remote rural area, addressing the critical teacher deficit in Tanzania with student teacher ratios as high as 1:99
The Public Private Partnership model is the first teachers’ training college of its kind for the Tanzanian Government who in partnership with So They Can has made a commitment to making it a model educational institution.
The college graduates up to 90 quality teachers each year who progress to employment in local government primary schools, many of which are supported through our Education Collaborative. Collectively these teachers go onto provide quality education for 5,400 children every year.
Our Collaborative Schools
Country : Tanzania & Kenya
Impact : Enhancing the learning and teaching environment for over 16,500 children in existing government schools in poor communities.
About : Our Education program works with 36 government schools, in addition to Aberdare Ranges Primary, and their communities in the poorest areas including in Nakuru, Kenya, schools in the very marginalised area of East Pokot and schools from rural communities in the Babati district in rural Tanzania.
All these schools feel the impact of the targeted and strategic support under the umbrella of our Education Collaborative. For learning to be effective we focus on 6 foundations:
- Teacher training and development
- Student well-being
- Development of school boards
- Government partnerships
- Community and stakeholder engagement
- School infrastructure and resources
The first five years of a child's life provide the foundation that shapes their future health, happiness, growth, development, and learning and achievement at school. A focus on quality ECD programs lays a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that prepare a child for success in primary school and beyond.
Through the provision of a quality ECD and primary education, children in need and their families, have hope for a poverty-free future.
Keeping Girls in School
Country: Kenya and Tanzania
Impact To Date: This program will bring greater awareness to the communities we work with on many issues, including health, education, hygiene and sanitation. Only from engaging and working with community mentors, where there is a detailed understanding of the culture, will systemic change be made and create a shift in community thinking.
Project Goal: To facilitate a growing number of healthy children each year attending school regularly with girls given equal opportunities to boys to continue their educational journey with the support of their family.
Our workshops aim to educate the community on human rights, with a focus on women, to ensure they are informed and empowered to make their own changes.
