Sospeter Thiga, a director of Kila Mtoto Afaidike Programme (KMAP), introduced us to the Kanjeru Primary School. The school is a public institution in Muguga Ward, Kabete Constituency of Kiambu County. It was started in 1954 as a community informal school with mud structures and grew into a fully registered school in 1962. It has 16 permanent classrooms, a hall, and an administration block.

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At the inception of the partnership with ECC, the school's total enrollment was 627 pupils, consisting of 538 in primary, 29 in special education, and 60 in Early Childhood Development Education. There were 17 teaching staff members in primary school and 3 in the ECDE center. The school follows the curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education, and all the teaching staff in the primary school are qualified and employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Those in the ECDE center are under the County Government of Kiambu (CGK).

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The school has a Board of Management, which consists of 13 members, in place. The role of the Board is to ensure good governance and compliance with policy matters. A Parent Teachers Association committee is in place. It has nine members, representatives of each class, with the Head Teacher also a member.

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“One of the critical highlights of Kanjeru Primary School is its location. The school is next to a large slum known as 'Shauri Yako,' which translates to 'It's up to you.' A large percentage of the students are from this slum. These children are particularly susceptible to many disadvantages- broken families, drug and physical abuse, hunger and malnutrition, diseases, and mental health challenges, to mention a few. This story describes a worthwhile partnership that has brought hope to a once-hopeless community. “ - Sospeter Thiga

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Impact on the School

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Since the partnership's inception with ECC, we have observed higher enrollment in the school. There is hope in the community that their children will find a good education at Kanjeru Primary School, a chance in the Scholarship program, and a better diet. The school has also recorded its lowest drop-out rate in years; remarkably, all the candidates in the last three years have sat for the final exams, which is no small feat for the school. The school's reputation has also improved. Several times, other schools and institutions have used it to benchmark themselves. Recently, the school hosted a commercial company that wanted to appreciate the modern cooking facility. The school's influence over the community has also greatly improved. The teachers have a strong voice in determining the direction of several community matters.

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Impact on the Community

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Since the partnership's inception with ECC, we have observed a more cohesive community at Kanjeru. The turnout is incredible whenever the school calls for parents or community meetings. The engagement is even more impressive, showing that the community has embraced the school better. They feel more responsible for the success of the school than before. The school's performance has also resulted in a strong reputation and pride for this community. We also observed that there are lower teenage pregnancies and drug/alcohol abuse by young people. Lower drop-out rates and higher enrollment in high schools can easily explain this.

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Impact on the Children

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We have observed that the students have better diets and thus healthier appearances from the school feeding program. This results in higher academic performance, increased high school enrollment, and high confidence levels.