Goals for 2014

 

As the New Year begins, we at PAB have worked with Fanuel, the school director, to develop a set of goals for 2014.  This year we are taking a “back to basics” approach that emphasizes the fundamental features of our sponsorship program.  Our primary goals for 2014 are:

1.    Increase the number of children sponsored

Packages and gifts from the Online Shop are certainly appreciated, but the single most important gift that we can give our Nairobi Kids is the gift of sponsorship.  Sponsorship provides these children with the financial and emotional support they need to stay in school and earn their secondary school diplomas. 

If one of your sponsored children has graduated or moved away, please consider picking another child to take their place.  We will also be focusing on getting the word out about our programs in an effort to expand our sponsorship base.  In the coming months, the blog will be featuring simple ways our supporters can help us spread the word about our Nairobi Kids. 

2.    Complete the new classrooms for the Galilee Primary School

Our large project this year will be to raise funds to complete the new Galilee Primary School classrooms.  Thus far, we have raised the funds to complete one classroom and are only $1396 away from complete funding of the second classroom.  We hope to build a total of six primary classrooms through our Buy-a-Brick Campaign.  For more information on the Buy-a-Brick Campaign, visit www.plantabook.org. 

3.    Encourage deeper relationships with sponsored children through letter-writing

The encouragement of a sponsor can have a very positive effect on a sponsored child’s school performance and general outlook on life.  This year we would like to foster deeper relationships between sponsors and their sponsored children by increasing the number of letters, cards, and postcards sent by sponsors.  We will be instituting a “Letter of the Month Club” on the blog to help sponsors remember to write and to provide some ideas of interesting topics to explore.

4.    Improve Textbook Ratios

Fanuel reports that insufficient textbooks is one of the biggest obstacles that the school faces in providing the children with a quality education.  At WHS, the textbook ratio is now approximately one textbook to every four students.  The ratio is better at GPS due to a large donation of textbooks in 2011, but students still currently share at a ratio of approximately one textbook to every two students. 

Some of the textbooks used are paperbacks and must be replaced every few years due to wear and tear.  In wealthier countries these types of texts are replaced on annual basis.  Please consider purchasing textbooks this year for your sponsored child and/or the classroom.  A full set of textbooks is available from the Online Shop for approximately $50 (depending on the grade), and individual texts can be purchased for $5-7.  Buying your sponsored child a textbook provides three blessings: (1) your sponsored child has use of the book for the school year; (2) it reduces the overall text to student ratio for the class; and (3) when the school year ends, the text will remain with the class to be used by students next year.

Thanks to all of our sponsors, donors, and volunteers for your continued support this year as we work to reach these goals and help our Nairobi Kids get a quality education!

~submitted by Brenda and Brooke