Social Issue

The region of Marsabit in Kenya is twice as large as Belgium yet has a much lower population than that of the European country, at 292,000 inhabitants (Belgium has more than 11 million). In the said area of Kenya, 80% of the population is nomadic. With all that has happened in recent times—drought, clan conflicts, and extreme dependence on foreign aid for poverty alleviation—it has meant that many men of the region are moving to the outskirts of the city of Marsabit, leaving their families behind. On the other hand, the levels of school attendance are very low, and only 20% of pupils finish secondary education, with an average per class of 54 pupils, some of which have to walk up to 10km to reach their school. The worst-off in this situation are the girls who are frequently forced to marry and give up their studies.

Our Response

The Audio Learning project from Lifeline Energy Fund aims to offer high-quality education via MP3 radios, both for the schools in the region and those in other centres in Marsabit. With the donation of the Netri Foundation, 253 new radios have been bought which transmit, for example, classes in financial education, Swahili or English. Furthermore, they allow out-of-hours classes to be offered to those pupils who live farther away from education centres.

The fundamental objectives of the project are the following:

• Offer a high-quality education that aims to avoid the abandonment of studies.
• Provide education in those places where primary and secondary schools are often not possible, owing to the nomadic way of life of many inhabitants of the region.
• Empower women by means of a non-sexist education.

Expected Social Impact

With 253 radios, more than 5,000 people will be able to benefit: from primary and secondary school students to women who study in night schools, or community dialogue groups.