Support a Dreamer - Give to the KCSE Fund

Please support our Waddington High School students and their dreams to receive a high school education.  Share this video with everyone you know!

You are always welcome to donate to the exam fund -- we collect funds year-round -- but this is our last week to receive donations in order to send them to the school in time to help this year's Form 4 students.  The fees must be paid in February, even though the students won't sit for the exams until November.  Simply click on the Donate button on the right to make a donation of any amount to the KCSE Fund.

Thank you for helping our students!

Note:  Double-click on the video to see it in full screen mode.  Hit escape key to return to blog.

Thanks, I've Been Sponsored!

 

We have been blessed to have a flurry of new sponsorships recently!  Since December 1, we have been able to give 18 of our Galilee Primary School, Waddington High School, and Holly House students (pictured above) the wonderful news that “You have been sponsored!”  Some of these children have been chosen by sponsors new to our group.  In other cases long-term sponsors have chosen a child to replace a one who has graduated from the program, or to add to the total number they sponsor. 

Sponsorship makes a tremendous difference in the lives of our Nairobi Kids.  We noticed last week that while 95% of the sponsored children have returned to school at GPS/WHS this year, that number is significantly lower for those waiting to be sponsored.  For our Nairobi Kids, your sponsorship can mean the difference between whether a child graduates from high school, or drops out early to toil in the slums. 

The children on the Plant-a-Book International website represent only a small fraction of those eligible for the sponsorship program.  Virtually all of the children attending GPS and WHS live in extreme poverty and would benefit greatly from the love and financial support of a sponsor.  One of our primary goals this year is to increase the number of children we have sponsored.  In order to achieve this goal, we need your help.  Please spread the word about our Nairobi Kids to your friends, families, and colleagues.  Thank you all for your support in helping to secure a quality education for our Nairobi Kids!

~submitted by Brooke

Child of the Week

 Meet Philisca- HH456
Birthday – Unknown

Philisca is fifteen years old and is beginning Form 2 at Waddington High School.  Philisca’s father is deceased and her widowed mother does menial jobs to piece together a living.  Philisca’s home is quite far from the school, so she was offered a place at Holly House so that she could attend WHS.  Philisca is a good student and is currently in twelfth position in her class.  She hopes to be a surgeon after attending university.  Philisca has been waiting for a sponsor since March, 2013.  Can you help support Philisca in achieving her dreams? 

You can sponsor Philisca for only $30 a month.  The Holly House sponsorship fee covers school fees, the cost of the child’s room, and three meals a day.  You will receive an annual photo and at least three letters a year from your sponsored child.  You will also be informed of the child’s grades in school.

For more information, please visit www.plantabook.org or email info@plantabook.org.

Please make a difference in the life of a child today!

~ submitted by Brooke

In Loving Memory of Linda

 

This week the Galilee Primary School and our sponsorship community mourns the untimely passing of one of our cherished Nairobi Kids.  Little Linda (pictured above) was starting Standard 8 this year at the Galilee Primary School, but last week she was struck with a sudden illness.  Linda’s family did not have the money to take her to the hospital so she was kept at home, bedridden, for three days before she passed away.  It is now believed that her death was caused by Malaria.

Linda is remembered by the teachers and staff at GPS as a smart girl who was always polite.  Fanuel, the school director, and several of the teachers at GPS have already visited Linda’s family to offer their condolences.  Linda’s sponsor has also been notified of her passing.

In honor of Linda, we have decided to rename our KCPE Fund “Little Linda’s KCPE Fund.”  Linda was entering Standard 8 and would have been eligible to take the KCPE Exam at the end of the year.  Her family would have had no means to pay for the $9.25 testing fee, and her ability to enter high school would have been dependent upon the generosity of our donors.  If you would like to make a donation in Linda’s honor to help her friends and classmates take this examination, please click the “Donate” button to the right of this post and type “Little Linda’s KCPE Fund” in the memo box.  Please note that any donations in excess of the fees needed for Standard 8 students in a given year will go toward the KCSE Fund.

Please keep Linda, her family, her sponsor, and the GPS students and staff that knew and loved her in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

~submitted by Brooke

Back to School!

January marks the beginning of the new school year in Kenya, and our Nairobi Kids headed back to class on January 6.  As can be seen from these photos of the first week of school, the children were excited to be back in class and see their friends. 

Fanuel (the school director) reports that 95% of the sponsored children (other than Form 1, which reports next week) have returned to school.  Brenda (the Plant-a-Book Int. director) has emailed any sponsor whose sponsored child has not returned.  Therefore, if you have not received an email you can rest assured that your sponsored child has safely returned to class.  We may still see a few more children straggle in as some families travel far into the countryside over the break and their return is sometimes delayed for various reasons.

Since high school eligibility is dependent upon KCPE scores, Form 1 traditionally starts a few weeks after the other children return to school.  WHS Form 1 students will begin the school year on Monday.  We expect a list from Fanuel of the Form 1 students have returned to class by the end of next week.

In other exciting news, Fanuel reports that the primary school children are already using the two new classrooms that have been built, even though the construction is not yet complete.  He assures us that they are safe to use.  Thank you to all of our donors who made the construction of these much needed classrooms possible!  Donations are still needed to complete these rooms.

Please remember to update your sponsored child’s grade level when writing them letters or making purchases from the Online Shop.  If you have any questions about your sponsored child, please email Brenda at info@plantabook.org.

 

 

 

 ~ Submitted by Brooke

KCPE/KCSE Fees Needed!

Kenya requires students to take cumulative examinations in order to receive certificates of completion for both primary and secondary school at the end of 8th grade and at the end of high school.  Obtaining these certifications is critical to the future success of our GPS and WHS students.  Achieving a certain KCPE (Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education) exam score is required for Standard 8 students to gain admission to secondary school while scores on the KCSE (Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education) exam determine university admissions for Form 4 students.  For those Form 4 students unable to continue on to university, obtaining the KCSE can mean the difference between a decent job or admission to trade school and struggling to make ends meet in the slums. 

Despite the importance of the KCPE and KCSE, the fees for these exams are extremely high compared to typical incomes.  The 2014 KCSE exam fee is $85 per student, while the KCPE is $9.25 per student.  While GPS and WHS parents are expected to contribute as much as they are able, these fees are simply out of reach for most of our families.  Therefore, each year we have a drive to raise as much as possible toward these exam fees.

Fanuel reports that we have 90 Form 4 candidates for the 2014 KCSE exam and 100 Standard 8 candidates for the KCPE exam.  We have $2191 set aside toward the KCSE exam through our WHS sponsorship program ($3 is set aside per WHS sponsorship per month toward the fee).  We have also had a little over $400.00 donated by sponsors, for a total of $2593.50. This amount will cover fees for 30 of the 90 graduating seniors. We do not have funds set aside for the KCPE exam fees, but have collected $58.50 toward those fees.

We need your help in ensuring more students are able to take these important exams.  Please consider donating to our exam funds to help our Standard 8 and Form 4 students achieve their dreams!  You can donate to either fund by clicking the “Donate” button to the right of this post and specifying “KCSE or KCPE fund” in the box marked “purpose.”  Any amount is welcome.

For more information please contact info@plantabook.org.

~submitted by Brooke