UPDATED August 26, 2010

We are very happy to see swift progress made on the development of JohJan LifeNets Academy in Migori.  We have sent the first installment of our commitment for the school that will ultimately accommodate 440 students.
 

First, a three acre adjacent plot was purchased to be the children's play area and allows room for the expanded school.  Work on the administrative block has begun. Government certification requires the administrative are. The school currently has 96 students in attendance, the final expectation for this year is 150.  The Otieno's write:  "We indicated that we will have about 440 pupils in School, this we are comparing the numbers of the student per the expected classrooms we will have after we completed the building of the 11 standard classroom which will accommodate about 30-40 pupils per class, the ratio of the classroom accommodation in Kenya, this is the number we are expecting in the future after everything will be in place.

"The photos below show  the building of the administration block as of Friday August 20.  We have reached the lintel (door and window level). Roofing will begin next week"

UPDATED August 5, 2010

Johjan LifeNets Academy is a privately developed primary school in Migori, Kenya. The town is a hub for commerce and transportation in the southwest corner of Kenya near the Tanzanian border. However, several challenges underlie the region’s attempt for self-sufficiency including recurring drought and a 43% HIV rate in the population.  

Johjan Lifenets Academy fills an important niche in the district of Oruba where widows and orphans abound and people live hand-to-mouth doing what they can to survive.

After considerable assessment and a thorough review of the school, LifeNets recently determined to assist the Johjan LifeNets Academy. The focus of LifeNets is to help develop the school’s property, buildings and infrastructure to where it can be accredited/certified by the Kenyan government. Once certification is met the children’s education will be accredited by the government.  

On July 9 a district officer met with school leaders to ascertain requirements for the school’s initial certification. The initial goals were determined to be acquiring additional land for a playground, build an administrative building, upgrade existing structures to provide proper school environment and subsidize the school’s teachers’ salaries that are going unpaid due to the inability of many to pay their school fees. 

The first round of funds from LifeNets, totaling $19,400 has arrived in our carefully managed account in Nairobi, Kenya. From there each project is being reviewed for maximum value by John Elliott, our LifeNets Project Coordinator for East Africa. Once approved and a bid is accepted, our Treasurer, Antonio Ndung’u, disburses the funds in increments as each project moves forward. 

This initial subsidy of $19,400 is targeting the most immediate needs that will move the school towards certification. They will cover the costs of acquiring additional land for the playground, build an administrative building, upgrade existing structures to provide proper school environment and subsidize the school’s teacher salaries that are going partly unpaid due to the inability of many to pay their school fees.

All those involved in this meaningful educational enterprise are grateful to the donors who are making it possible for some special children in Migori, Kenya to at last acquire a good education. 

Currently grades 1-6 are taught. When finished, grades 1-12 will be taught. There are 75 students now.  Our projected total will be 150 when finished. There are 7 teachers. When finished there will be 14. There will be a class on Christian values taught.

More updates coming!

UPDATED March 23, 2010

We have asked for more information about the JohJan school and Janet Otieno writes:

Greetings to you there, we are doing fine and happy that now LifeNets has put our School on it's website, and we pray that with this our School will be known by many and it will help you find some fund to assist us with so that we may accomplish our goals of helping those who can't help themselves. This is very great, we do appreciate it much and may God bless all who  are helping it to continue provides for the pupils need. 

Concerning the age and category of our School, we have Baby class-pre-Unit class, this we call Pre-School, these pupils are from age 3-5, they receives normal education we call Early Childhood Development, they are taught how to draw, write, and read alphabetical letters, from there, we have Lower Primary, here comprise, class one to class three, they are age between 6-8, here now they are given pure Education with five subjects, i.e. English, Mathematics, Kiswahili, Science, Social Studies,C.R E. ( Christian Religious Education) these they are being tested at the end of each term, and we have upper Primary which is from Class Four- Five, they age between 9-14, they also do the same subjects with the lower primary students, But our School still is in Class Five which is the highest class we have now, they are between age 9-11.  

Beside these Subjects we do offer them 10 O'clock porridge, each day but due to limitation of funds, some times we fail to provide, we were already know some orphans who do miss Lunch, we provide for some also Lunch and those whose parents are not able, also get lunch in School, all these are possible when we have enough funds to do them, But this are some places we do fail to do due to the limitation of funds.

I hope that these information's will help you understand the current position of our School we hope that one day you will visit us and see it by yourself face to face. We always pray for both of you so that you may Continue with the good works which is in you. May our Almighty God bless you all and we hope to hear from you soon again.

Students on Parade

Posted March 4, 2010
 

Janet Otieno writes:

"The School was started in January of 2008 after the chaos from the Elections in our Country. We did have many problems. Sometimes the parents and friends, who were helping us, did not have enough funds to pay their fees on time. We were just up and down till I regretted starting it, but my husband kept on supporting me. Telling me to remember that it was started to help those who can’t help themselves. We were just praying and asking God to help us be strong, and find how we can accomplish what we started, as He was the one who started it through us.

Now we have seven Teachers, who are being paid a little salary. But this is not enough. We are in need to build some more class rooms to accommodate more orphans and fatherless. We are even trying to help those children from the families who are poor. But due to the limitation of funds, we can’t afford to achieve our present goals. For now, we keep praying that it might be possible.

One day I overheard the pleas of some children, and was really touched by one of the Orphans next to my home. His Father had died some 10 years ago, and the children were living with their Mother. But the worst came when she also became very sick and passed away. During the day of the burial, we were there to help do some work. When it came time for the burial, this young boy and his brother and sister touched everyone with how they were crying, and saying “Mother, whom have you left us with, who will take care of us?”

I found myself shedding tears after which this memory kept coming to my mind. I always see the grave there next to my gate. When I came back home with my Husband, we discussed this and thought of how many of them who had been left like that.

Some were left without relatives, some are with their grand parents who can’t afford even to let them go to School. This will create another problem for them in the future, because without education, it is not easy to find what you can do for an income. So to make a long story short, we decided to start the JohJan School of which we had 10 Orphans and 10 Fatherless. Due to the good quality of education our School provides, some parents are paying School fees. This helps us pay the teachers a little salary. We also have volunteers helping us to help those who can’t help themselves.

Another story: After starting the School, due to the finance crisis all over the world, we noticed that there is something else we needed to do. One day I went to visit classes after lunch, and I found a child there, sleeping on the desk. When I wake him up, I see his eyes were red and watery. Then I noticed that there is something wrong with him and asked him if he is sick. He says no, then I asked him if he had lunch at home. He pretended and told me yes, but I was not satisfied.

I decided to visit their home, which is just some few miles from School. I found their Mother cooking Ugali, (this is the staple food in Africa) and I asked her if the boys did get their lunch. She told me that they just run back to School without getting lunch because she was not around. She went to do manual work and buy food for them. She got the money too late, so that is why they returned to School without eating lunch.

This also moved me with compassion. When I returned to School, I told the teachers the story and asked them to give them a chance to go back home and eat. I discussed it with my husband how we could help, because they do miss food sometimes. With the little money we had at that time, we decided to introduce a Porridge on Monday and Lunch on Thursday program, which is going on even now. 

Janet Anyango Otieno.
 

Classrooms
 

Administration Building