Online learning
Providing access to digital education tools while schools in Kenya remain closed
With schools closed for 2021, students are stuck at home away from teachers, with little to no guidance in how to keep up with their studies. Access to technology has therefore never been more important for students in Kenya.
In Mukuru, this could have especially devastating consequences. In a community where most people live on less than X dollars a day before COVID-19 hit, access to digital resources is practically non-existent.
AmericaShare has spent nearly 35 years working to make education accessible to all in Mukuru. In 2020, we’ve never been more committed to this goal.
Where obstacles exist, creative solutions abound.
Giving Smartphones to students
AmericaShare distributed 375 smartphones to students in the School Sponsorship Programme.
Some may ask, why smartphones?
Well, to start they are an affordable tool that allows students to connect with their teachers, access learning apps, educational websites, and eLearning programs, like Tusitawi.
Since homes in Mukuru lack wifi, a device that connects to the internet through cellular date was a must. Each smartphone comes loaded with free data so that students and families are not stuck with a bill.
Online Classes
Primary school aged students attend schools that offer online classes through Zoom. The AmericaShare team provides technical assistance to the children, and works closely with the school’s teachers and students to offer emotional support and guidance.
When we learned that secondary school aged students, who attend public institutions, would not have online classes through their schools, we got to work creating our own.
We partnered with local teachers to create lessons in Math, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, which tend to be the most difficult subjects for students. We’ve turned our Computer Lab into a recording studio where the teachers stream their lessons live every day.
The classes are so popular it is now standard that they run over the allotted time by half an hour or more. Lively discussion and the chance to get expert answers to their questions have turned.