Primary Education

Primary Education

HHFL’s primary school children are enrolled in private schools
to lay a solid foundation for future academic success.

The Problem

Vulnerable and orphaned children living in slums are especially susceptible, exhibiting poorer health and nutrition, substandard living conditions and lower levels of academic performance due to extreme poverty.

Children from poor households, particularly the girls, often can’t go to school because they need to stay home and help their families survive. More than 70% of out-of-school children worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa, over half of whom are girls.

Primary school education is free in Kenya but the public government schools are overburdened with a typical teacher to student ratio of 28 teachers for every 2000 students. Poor facilities including lack of desks and books and low teacher incentives remain a big problem. Most poor children drop out before reaching the last grade of primary school.

A 2010 nationwide survey by UWEZO comprising over a 100,000 students in over 2,000 government primary schools in Kenya, found that only one third of children in Class 2 can read a paragraph at their level.

Our Approach

Thanks to our donors and child sponsors, we are able to give HHFL children the vital financial support, care and tools they require to attend and stay in primary school. However, those children without a sponsorship do remain vulnerable.

To address the issue of poor educational standards in the public system, we send all HHFL primary students to a private school called St Nicholas in Nairobi. This ensures that the children gain a solid academic foundation to improve their chances of being invited to attend a quality secondary school and further their academic readiness. The children are bussed to and from school to ensure their safety.

Kenyan national data shows that between 2003 and 2007, private schools have consistently outperformed public schools by about 50 points of average. 77% of private school candidates qualified for secondary school by scoring over 250 points while only 45% of public school students qualified.

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At HHFL, we also offer remedial classes and homework supervision in the After-School program for those who are struggling academically and need assistance. We offer daily computer classes for all primary school students to enhance the learning process including math, spelling, reading and the arts.

Child sponsorships are critical to ensuring that we can maintain the well-being of the HHFL primary school students by providing uninterrupted quality schooling and supportive care. Please Sponsor a Child today!

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