Visiting the girls' schools
Greetings from Nairobi:
Yesterday we visited Mt. Laverna Girls' School and met our first scholarship students. Twelve girls gingerly made their way across the quad toward us. I am not sure if the girls or we were more nervous. The girls lined up in front of us and said very little. Slowly their smiles began to appear. They are beautiful girls with smiles that take over their whole face. It is hard to understand where these girls come from. About 80% of them have been taken in by a guardian to avoid being sold into an early marriage. Their fortitude and desire to learn is awe inspiring.
Once Rod sorted out the camera he took shots of each student and then proceeded on our tour. It was Sunday so there were no classes in session and the girls were washing their clothes in plastic buckets and hanging their colorful uniforms to dry in the hot afternoon sun. We saw their dining room where a small TV played a Sunday afternoon show for all the girls. We saw their classrooms where forty students share a room but each with their own text books and desks. To these young girls a desk, uniform, books, three meals and a bed with their own sheets and locker is a luxury. They are all so anxious to succeed and there was much talk about the form four girls who will receive their KCSE scores next week. These scores determine where the young women will go to school. Mt Laverna places third in Nairobi for scores and it is a relatively new school so is doing very well.
We return to Mt Laverna tomorrow to see the school in session.
Yesterday we visited Mt. Laverna Girls' School and met our first scholarship students. Twelve girls gingerly made their way across the quad toward us. I am not sure if the girls or we were more nervous. The girls lined up in front of us and said very little. Slowly their smiles began to appear. They are beautiful girls with smiles that take over their whole face. It is hard to understand where these girls come from. About 80% of them have been taken in by a guardian to avoid being sold into an early marriage. Their fortitude and desire to learn is awe inspiring.
Once Rod sorted out the camera he took shots of each student and then proceeded on our tour. It was Sunday so there were no classes in session and the girls were washing their clothes in plastic buckets and hanging their colorful uniforms to dry in the hot afternoon sun. We saw their dining room where a small TV played a Sunday afternoon show for all the girls. We saw their classrooms where forty students share a room but each with their own text books and desks. To these young girls a desk, uniform, books, three meals and a bed with their own sheets and locker is a luxury. They are all so anxious to succeed and there was much talk about the form four girls who will receive their KCSE scores next week. These scores determine where the young women will go to school. Mt Laverna places third in Nairobi for scores and it is a relatively new school so is doing very well.
We return to Mt Laverna tomorrow to see the school in session.
Labels: Partner Schools, Visiting Kenya
