STARS

Our 19 STARS were supposed to take the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams this month. The KCSE is the cumulative, national examination that determines if a student graduates from high school and what further education opportunities are available to them. (Learn more about the KCSE and what it’s like for STARS to go to school in Kenya).

In mid-March, the coronavirus changed everything.

Because of COVID-19, the Kenyan government postponed the national KCSE from November 2020 until March 2021. In June, the government announced schools would be closed for the remainder of 2020. 

Our 4th-year STARS were deeply disappointed. This situation could have set them back an academic year, even though we provided extensive review materials for their KCSE preparation when schools first shut down in March.

The STARS were beginning to suffer from difficult living conditions and social isolation – especially since they don’t have mobile phones, computers, or even electricity. Not being in school also made them susceptible to being recruited by gangs or getting into other trouble. 

STARS Children Africa and our Kenyan partner, Miwani Community Based Organization, refused to let that happen. With God’s help, we came up with a plan to educate and mentor the STARS since they couldn’t go to school.

Here’s how we turned the Kenyan Coronavirus lockdown into a victory for the STARS academically and personally.

We Brought School to the STARS at St. Lukes 

Our local partner, the Miwani Based Community Organization arranged the use of the St. Luke’s Ministry compound and teachers for the 19 STARS.

Pastor Joshua Atieno coordinated the STARS guardians and classrooms at St Luke’s. He found teachers and organized teaching materials and food. Using the teachers expertise, the 4th year curriculum and KCSE examination prep were delivered to the STARS Monday – Friday for 3 ½ months until their schools reopened on October 12. COVID-19 safety protocols were put into place, i.e. daily temperature checks, use of hand sanitizer, and mask-wearing.

The STARS Received More Instruction and Personalized Attention

In a unique way, this COVID-19 situation has benefited the STARS. The student-teacher ratio at St. Luke’s was 1:19 compared to 1:40, which is typical for Kenyan classrooms and can sometimes be as high as one teacher for 60 students. Some classes were even smaller since not every student focused on the same subjects for KCSE prep, e.g. business studies.

The teachers had more time to prepare and meet one-on-one with the STARS since they had lighter teaching loads. Under normal teaching circumstances, a Kenyan high school teacher grades160 papers for each subject –  they teach a minimum of 4 classes with 40 students in each!

The STARS also received customized guidance for how to prepare for and take the KCSE exams from three of the seven teachers who are national graders for the KCSE.

Their Identity and Sense of Purpose Was Strengthened by Being with Other STARS

Prior to COVID-19, the 19 STARS attended four different schools. Studying together in one place increased their unity and support for one another as orphans with high school scholarships.  This time together helped and encouraged them toward the goal of changing their futures by getting a high school diploma.

Four of the seven teachers were STARS alumni, which benefited the current STARS in two ways.  First, these STARS alumni know what it takes to do well on the KCSE and live a  life of success and service. Second, they were able to personally coach and mentor the STARS to help them succeed in life. 

Humphrey, a STARS alumnus one of the national graders for the KCSE exams, coordinated all the teachers. He observed the STARS are very eager to learn. They are very positive and respond well to tuition. I believe they will make great improvements when they go back to school…they are disciplined and God-fearing.

The STARS Received Personal Development and Life Skills Training in Addition to Education

Being at St. Luke’s, the STARS received more focused practical skills and character training than in their regular schools.

Character development was provided daily, e.g. positive habit building, leadership skills, and public speaking. The STARS had frequent opportunities to practice given the unique school set up. A major bonus was that these STARS received hands-on computer training (from a STARS alumna!). Prior to this, many of the STARS had no computer training.

The STARS daily training in life and vocational skills by doing the following:

• Bread baking.
• Raising fish.
• Tree seedling nursery and planting.
• Chicken egg hatching.
• Maintaining and cleaning St. Luke’s compound.

The STARS gained practical abilities and grew in confidence as they saw the results of what they learned. For example, they fed the group at St. Lukes with the bread they baked, gave some to the widows St. Luke’s supports, and also sold some to raise funds.

Looking Expectantly to the Future

Despite the initial disappointment of schools closing and not being able to take the KCSE, our 19 extraordinary STARS have thrived.

With your continued support, we believe each of these 19 young men and women will successfully pass the KCSE in 2021 and go on to serve others like they have been served by the STARS alumni who taught them during this unprecedented time.

Given the programmatic adjustments we’ve made and extra costs due to COVID, our annual expenses are 50% more than expected.

Would you consider a $50 or $100 gift to help our 4th-year STARS succeed in spite of COVID?

You can DONATE HERE

On March 18, 2020 the Kenyan Ministry of Education closed schools to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Kenya. This decision came 3 ½ weeks before the end of the first term of the 2020 school year. At the time this was posted, the government has not announced a projected date to reopen schools.  As a result, 15 million primary and secondary school students are now navigating the challenges of home based learning. 

Kenya’s Ministry of Education has instructed students to access home based learning through radio, TV, YouTube, and the Kenya Education Cloud. However, only 1 in 5 Kenyans has access to the internet according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

This situation is challenging for everyone, but it has a greater impact on our 19 STARS. All are STARS are 4th-year high school students preparing to take the KCSE exam in November.  The KCSE is similar to the American SAT with one significant difference: it is the one thing that determines if a student graduates and what kind of academic opportunities he/she has after high school.  With schools now closed, the STARS are limited in how they can learn since none of them have internet access and only a few can access a TV.

How the STARS are Faring 

First, the good news! Pastor Joshua, our local partner, has confirmed that all 19 STARS are safe with their guardians. He hears that the STARS are in good spirits and are confident that they will pass the KCSE despite this challenge.  Each of the STARS is rigorously studying. They are motivated to score well on the exam so that they can receive government scholarships and be placed in better universities.

Samson, Bonifas, and Dominic are staying with Pastor Joshua at the St. Luke’s Ministry compound. One way Samson, Bonifas, and Dominic are keeping up with their curriculum is by watching televised classes. As their community contribution, they are helping to make protective masks. 

Mary A. is with her guardian. She is observing social distancing as required and shared, “I cannot go to my friends to study with them. Though a very good student, she finds studying alone hard. Why? Because study groups are an important part of KCSE preparation. She also finds it impossible to follow the government guidance for students to study online since she doesn’t have access to the internet.  When she’s not studying, Mary A. is helping the family by doing farmwork and teaching community hygiene to avoid COVID-19.

How We Are Helping the STARS Prepare for the November KCSE 

“We are going to help these STARS succeed.”

-Ken Prussner

Our focus is on helping the STARS study by doing what Kenyans call revising. To revise is to review and study materials from four years of high school. For the KCSE, each of the STARS will be tested on at least 7 subjects. Some subjects are mandatory and some are selected. As explained in an earlier blog post, this is a massive undertaking with huge pressure on students and their families/guardians. Only 1 in 7 KCSE candidates pass the exams.

Recognizing that the 19 STARS need printed revision materials” to study successfully, STARS Children Africa has encouraged and funded our local partner to do that. Pastor Joshua and Humphrey, a high school teacher and STARS alumnus, have teamed up to get the 19 STARS printed “revision materials for their subjects. Here’s what it takes: 

• Using his knowledge of the education system, Humphrey identifies relevant “revision materials” available on the internet. He has currently downloaded over 150 documents, including past tests, subject matter reviews, and curriculum summaries, ranging from 3 to 20 pages.
• Humphrey sends these revisions materials to Pastor Joshua via What’s App on his mobile phone.
• Pastor Joshua curates the “revision materials each of the STARs needs for his/her subjects, then prints them.
• Pastor Joshua distributes customized revision material packets to each of the 19 STARS. To do so, he must travel to 16 different locations, which require him to drive and walk to their homes.   

STARS Children Africa is funding the costs of this initiative. This includes Humphrey’s and Pastor Joshua’s pay-as-you-go internet service to find and download thousands of “revision materials” pages, printing ink, paper, and gas.

What We Plan to Do Next to Help the STARS and Fulfill Our Mission 

The coronavirus will not stop us from educating and mentoring the STARS. In addition to the initiative described above, STARS Children Africa and Pastor Joshua are discussing what we might do next: 

• We’ll monitor to see if schools will reopen on May 4th, which marks the start of the second term in Kenya.
• If schools don’t open for the second term, we will continue to follow up with each of the STARS to assess each one’s well being and progress studying the subjects each is preparing for the KCSE. 
• Humphrey will also remotely tutor the STARS in studying techniques for the KCSE, e.g. strategies for answering different types of questions, like multiple choice vs. True and False, how to write essays, and how to overcome fear. 
• We are also exploring the option of temporarily hiring teachers, who cannot work, to tutor in approved socially distant settings.

As we mentioned in a previous post about what it’s like to go to high school in Kenya:

This is the strongest high school class we’ve ever had in our 13 years. They will take Kenya’s national Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education in 2020. We anticipate they will score well, many will go on to higher education and all will become strong servant-leaders in their communities.

With the STARS continued hard work, Pastor Joshua’s and Humphrey’s dedication, and your support, we are confident our STARS will overcome the coronavirus challenge and be ready for the KCSE exam in November.