A mathematics class session in the school secondary section
Life in the slums in the slums is majorly characterized by inadequacy; of food, water, housing and even an education. More than a decade ago, before the commencement of the Free primary Education program that was initiated by Kibaki’s government; Hannah Njoroge saw the need for education in the slums and set up Mogra Star Academy in Mathare, in 1998.
Hannah’s school offered free education to students in both primary and secondary level. She currently caters to more than 900 children.
But education is just one thing. Slum dwelling families rarely have three meals a day so children will often opt out of school to scavenge for food or get involved in petty crime in a bid to raise a little money to acquire food. This is not an ideal situation for any child to grow in and thus Airtel came in to try and provide a solution.
Since September 2014, Airtel has partnered with Hannah Njoroge in a feeding program at the Mogra Star Academy. All the students that go to the school get lunch and breakfast, for seven days a week. In addition to the feeding program, Airtel has also been paying the teacher’s salaries at the school.
Consequently, both the teacher’s and the students are motivated. This is expected to help improve the performance at Mogra Star Academy in Mathare Slums, Nairobi. The school has also seen its enrollment rates increase; it currently has over 900 students and about 32 teachers.
The Airtel partnership with Hannah Njoroge’s Mogra Star Academy will last for two years, with an option of an extension.