Erin Callahan, intern from USA marking and correcting class exercise
As part of the Child Labour Project run by Cheerful Hearts Foundation, the team conducted free vacation classes for the children in the Nyanyano community. Our research revealed that most children engage in the fishing activities during the school vacation period and feel reluctant to go back to school when they re-open for classes.
The purpose of organising these classes was to train and increase their level of education, educate them on child labour issues and its effect, show them the benefits of education, and also to engage the children during the vacation period, as to ensure that they do not return to working on the shore. We have also realised that the zeal for education is low in these children. This, together with the lack of motivation by their parents (often uneducated) means it was necessary to keep them on their toes about schooling and learning.
The classes were held over a two-week period on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Nyanyano D/A Primary School. The class was free for any child in the community, but especially targeted at those in the child sponsorship program run by Cheerful Hearts Foundation.
Throughout the two weeks classes we recorded an attendance of 227 children, in addition to the initial 30 children targeted for the sponsorship programme. The classes were very beneficial to the children as they had the opportunity to revise all what they have learned during normal school sessions, learnt part of the new curriculum for September school session, and also experienced new teachers and new methods of teaching. Children who were not going to school were also challenged by their other colleagues who attend school.
Students at a closing assembly after class
Parents were intrigued by the vacation classes as a result of the excitement their children were showing, as compared to their zeal for normal school sessions. We also used the opportunity to educate some of the parents who came to the schools with the hope of getting their children listed for scholarships. We talked with them about the value of education and the role they have to play as parents in ensuring a sound education for their wards.
It shows what a desire there is in the community to achieve an education, if only they had the means. While the project contributed to the overall level of schooling in the community, it also raised significant awareness regarding the child labour project and about Cheerful Hearts Foundation. We were able to raise these issues with both the children and the parents during the course of the two weeks. Overall, the vacation classes were a success and we hope to see the community continue to benefit from this project.
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