Only half of children in Kenya attend secondary school. We're working to change this by providing quality education at SOS Schools.
In Kenya, there are currently three SOS Schools and four SOS Nurseries. These facilities provide education to children from SOS Villages and from the wider community. Teachers are well trained in child-centred education, and equipped with high-standard resources.
There are five SOS Children's Villages in Kenya, in Eldoret, Kisumu, Meru, Mombassa and Nairobi. In these special communities, orphaned and abandoned children grow up in loving family homes, and receive a quality education at local schools or SOS Schools.
Below you can read an overview of our education projects in Kenya.
Find out how you can help vulnerable children in Kenya to reach their potential.
Abducted at twelve in northern Uganda and forced to become a child soldier, Morris was shot in the face during his time with the ‘Lord’s Resistance Army’. Rescued and sent for medical care in Kenya, he was given a home in the SOS Village at Nairobi. Now 18 years old and having undergone plastic surgery, Morris attends primary school.
When asked how it feels to learn with much younger children, Morris remarks,
“It is not about age. It is about what you want in life. I know what I want and I have to go for it. My teachers have given me all the support, so I have no reason to fail.”
SOS Schools in Eldoret
The SOS Nursery at Eldoret has around 120 children, most coming from the local community and around 25 from our SOS Village.
- In the Autumn the nursery holds an open day where parents have the chance to see their children’s work and discuss their progress.
- The highlight of the year is usually the colourful “graduation ceremony” when the older children dress to celebrate the completion of their nursery years and moving on to the primary school.
The SOS Primary and Secondary School at Eldoret has around 500 students in the primary section and nearly 100 in the secondary, though it is hoped to increase secondary enrolment over time.
- Examination results at the school are generally high, with most classes achieving their target pass marks. And recently, greater effort has been put into children whose performance is below average, with extra holiday classes being held for those who need further lessons.
- The school takes great pride in its range of extra-curricular activities, which include music, drama, football and science. Children are encouraged to take part in regional and provincial-level competitions such as the Kenya Music Festival, the regional Drama competition and the Aspire Africa football tournament.
Learn more about our work in Eldoret, located in the Rift Valley.
SOS Schools in Meru
The SOS Nursery at Meru has around 100 children, over half of whom come from the local community and as many as 40 from the SOS village.
- To compliment the activities inside the nursery, special celebration days are held and the children are taken out on trips, such as a recent visit to the Borana ranch where a lion was seen in broad daylight.
- Sports days are organised for the children, where they take part in fun games with youngsters from two other nurseries in the area.
Read about our work in Meru, on the north-east slopes of Mount Kenya.
SOS Schools in Mombasa
The SOS Nursery at Mombasa has around 120 children, with 7 teachers and 2 support staff.
- There is a high demand for places at the nursery and recently more chairs were needed to seat the extra number of children around the tables.
- Each year the nursery holds various special events for the children, including the celebrations for culture day, sports day and the graduation ceremony in the November.
The SOS Primary School at Mombasa has around 450 students, with 30 teachers and 9 administrative and support staff.
- Academic results are high at the school with pupils achieving a mean score of 383 in the national external exams and a 70% average performance across all subjects. Recently, three of our students were in the top 100 across the Coast Province.
- Outside of academic education, pupils are encouraged to take part in a range of activities, including sport, music and art. Recently 8 students performed music items at a national festival and two pupils won a computer and digital camera respectively in an art competition.
Find out more about our work in Mombasa, on the coast of Kenya.
SOS Schools in Nairobi
The SOS Nursery at Nairobi has around 100 children, most coming from the local community and around a third from our SOS Village.
- Children are divided into three groups according to age and ability. Some of the youngsters in level 3 are old enough to be in primary school, but still need further education in the basics.
- The nursery holds special events, such as the SOS day celebrations and also organises trips for the children. Recent outings have included a visit to the Giraffe Centre, to the Cultural Centre at Bomas and to the National Museum.
- With training from the Regional Education Coordinator and the National Office of Education and new workshops for the children in effective exam preparation, the school has seen good results in the National exams, registering a mean score of 342 out of 500. Recently the school was also able to develop its computer training in conjunction with a mobile service provider company, who partnered the school in showing older pupils how to mine academic sources of information on the internet.
- On a recent school outing to the National Park, younger children saw the elephants, lions, giraffes, crocodiles and snakes. Meanwhile the older classes visited fourteen waterfalls and were shown a variety of bird life and indigenous plants and trees.