Social Issue

The Tana River County, located in east Kenya, 120 kilometers from the border with Somalia, has a high Poverty Index, with 80% of the population considered to be impoverished.

The worst results for the final examinations for primary and secondary in Kenya took place in the Tana River County.

There are various reasons that have led to these results, however, the predominant factor for this is due to the lack of qualified teachers in the centers located in the area.

Our Response

Fundación Netri has been collaborating with Misión de Emaús since 2015, with the ultimate objective of improving the situation in the region through the education system.

One of Misión de Emaús’s priorities is the development of programs to educate children and young adults in the area, giving the most vulnerable and marginalised people a chance to change their situation.

Netri’s donation will finance the construction of a teacher training centre, with two classrooms and a teacher’s room. For their Early Childhood Development and Education ECDE) training initiative to train locals youths who want to become ECDE teachers.

In the Tana River area, there are very few ECDE teachers and there aren’t any colleges in the area providing this type of training.

For this reason, the Ministry of Education has endorsed the Misión de Emaús initiative and the course has already been approved by Kenya’s Ministry of education, and the certificates obtained will allow all new teachers to work in any school in Kenya.

Expected Social Impact

The people who will benefit directly will be people who have finished secondary school, who will go on to be teachers, and will enroll in a new school. The school has a 60 person capacity.

The candidate selection will be conducted with the help of the local authorities who will prioritise people who are most vulnerable and in need, such as orphans, or children who have mothers with HIV/AIDS who are unemployed. Most of these young children belong to the Pokomo ethnic group, although there are some that come from other ethnicities such as Orma, Kikuyu o Kamba. Women will be prioritised.

It is also expected that the population of the zone will benefit because the children will have well trained teachers in their local schools. The expectation is that a lot of young people will stay after their training, taking jobs in kindergartens and primary schools in the area.