Four Schools Project

A major goal of KUSP is to insure that all children receive the highest level of education they can achieve.

But children in poverty-stricken areas don’t have the necessary resources. There are so many children like Josiah: at 10 years of age, he loves numbers, and you can find him adding sums with a stick in the red dirt outside his school. It’s so difficult for him to learn when there is only one book for every 10 of his classmates. Pencils are broken in half so 2 children can have a piece. Plain paper workbooks are scarce.

Josiah’s older sister Mary attends Kobulubulu Secondary school. She wants to become a nurse, but the science classes she needs have just been decertified by the District because the makeshift lab has outdated chemicals and safety measures. 

Kobulubulu Sub-County has four government-sponsored schools (public schools). Three primary (elementary) and one lower secondary (lower grades of high school) enroll about 3000 children. These schools struggle with many challenges. High drop-out rates prevail. Few boys, and fewer girls, pass the national exams that would enable them to continue their educations to the next level.

Yet, the teachers are so dedicated, and parents want the best for their students. We “listen and learn” what will be most effective by facilitating collaborative meetings attended by representatives from each school. There they share successes and challenges. KUSP takes their priorities and purchases as many supplemental educational resources as we can. For example, KUSP provides additional text books each year to bring the ratio down from 1 book for every 10 children to 1 book for every 3 children for as many grades as our funds allow. We also assisted the secondary school in regaining certification by purchasing necessary equipment and chemicals for the science lab.

The changes in attitude of the students are palpable as we arrive each year with a truckload of solar calculators, protractor sets, reams of paper, and boxes of pencils. Maps and children’s magazines are also included. 

Backpacks are handed out to those students at each school with the highest attendance records. Teachers report that students are motivated as they insist that their teachers keep accurate records so that each child can be considered for a backpack the following year. 

Like each of our programs, the extent of our purchases depends on the generosity of our donors. Your donations combined with a Rotary grant from our friends at Kensington-Silver Spring Rotary helps us offer resources each year.