Kibra Academy. By Jeff Ochieng

In July 2009, the Children of Kibera Foundation will establish a computer lab at the Kibra Academy elementary and high school on Karanja Road. This new facility and the program opportunities it offers will mark a new milestone in the history of the school as it launches into the digital and informational age. The main school building at Kibra Academy was constructed in 1970. The school was operated as a nursery/kindergarten school until 2001. In 2002, the Managing Committee of the school initiated a programme to accommodate idol Kibera teenagers at the school compound. This idea led quickly to the creation of a secondary school.

The school is operated by the Kibera Nubian Women Group. The four classes in the secondary school have about 40 students each. Kibra Academy's first class in the secondary school did the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE) in 2004.

There have been many setbacks since the secondary school was initiated. Some of the challenges include the shortage of required text books and learning materials, inability of the students' families to pay their school fees on time, lack of adequate food, and a multitude of problems at home that often affects the students' performance at school.

Discipline matters are handled satisfactorily at the school. The principal, Mr. Andrew Sabwa, states that there is a need to get a part time professional to do guidance and counseling to help with severe discipline cases which are often triggered by extreme instability within the home environment for some of the students. Some of the teenagers have suffered sexual molestation, been exploited as domestic laborers and been subjected to cruel physical punishment and verbal abuse.

The future of the school includes an ambitious curriculum plan to introduce home economics and Arabic language as two of the academic subjects that will prepare student well for employment or tertiary education. Mr. Sabwa wishes Kibra Academy will become a safe haven where young people can come to escape the chaos that surrounds them in their daily lives outside the school. "I want them to gain hope and knowledge here. When they finish at this school, I want them to make a positive impact within the Kibera community and all of Kenyan society."

Please click here for a picasa web album of Kibra Academy.