Education Department

Waldorf has been able to support Education programs through funding from UNICEF in Kakuma, Kalobeyei camps and the host community. Believing that education cannot wait, Waldorf has supported education through making it accessible to all children. Being in Kakuma for some time, school going children have been identified to have been exposed to harsh traumatic events during conflict from their original country and on the way to seek asylum and exposure to prolonged hunger thus damaging their physical, social and psychological wellbeing and development. These were identified as a gap that needed immediate intervention because notably most of these children were in the early years of school going category.
Since 2018, Waldorf through funding and support from UNICEF and in partnership with other Education partners has been able to carry out different activities to different category of people which included: Teacher training (Teachers trained on competence Based Curriculum, material development, child development), Mentorship program for the trained teachers (A forum to share good practices, lessons learnt, suggest areas that needs to be improved), Parents/caregivers training (trained on ways to support learning of their children through an holistic approach, proper health and nutrition), Board of management training (Trained on school management, discipline process within the school, education reforms), Schools renovations (To ensure safe and secure inclusive environment for learning), Distribution of ECDE kits provided by UNICEF and conduct induction to teachers on their use with children, Distribution of workbooks, teachers guide and curriculum designs in the ECDE schools.
Learning for life project has been a successful journey and has seen great impact and outcome for both the refugee and host community since many children through the project have raised hope for a better tomorrow, have been enrolled in schools, we have created a pool of trained teachers, schools renovated are safe for all children, parents have realized their roles in the upbringing of a morally upright child who has focus and hope for a better future and fully support their learning.
Inclusive education for children with disabilities
Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school than those without. Waldorf has taken an initiative to acknowledge that disability is not inability through supporting the Kenyan government initiative in promoting inclusion.
Children with disabilities are often unable to go to school because of facilities that are not disability friendly. In addition, there is a limited understanding within their communities and among teachers about their learning needs, which is often fueled by prejudices around disability.
Waldorf is committed to ensuring that ECDE children receive quality, inclusive education without discrimination or exclusion.
In partnership with Turkana County Government, BMZ and CBM, Waldorf is currently supporting 122 ECDE centers in Turkana West to ensure quality provision of inclusive education. However, the gaps remain huge and more funding is required in order to supplement the efforts Waldorf and other actors are putting in order to achieve the desired goals.