Informal Schools in Korogocho

One of the priorities of the current Kenyan government is to ensure that all children have the right to an education. Yet, in our visit to the Korogocho slums today, it was clear this was not the case. In practice, slums are excluded from receiving most government social services, including access to education.

In Korogocho, organizing youth was a major theme for starting the informal schools. Two networks we visited, the Altawoon and the Great Hope project, use volunteers as teachers. Since government schools are limited, not all children have the ability to go to schools. The unique difference in the two networks were that they were created by youth to empower the youth of the Korogocho.

Altawoon, which means unity, began in 1992 as a study group. Today, the network has four projects two of which are education and a clinic. The education aspect had a small school with 200 students, a library for the community, and a adult literacy program. A lot of municpal programs falls on the local community's shoulders due to the fact that the government hasn't provided.

The Great Hope Project, is a school with students people leaving with HIV/ AIDS. Some of the children are from single parents or orphans, that families can't afford to keep the children. The teachers are untrained volunteers from the area, who want recogition and training from the government.

- by Teraya