The Kibera School for Girls in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, is the first school in the area to offer girls free education. It provides free tuition, uniforms, books and meals to girls who qualify.
The students are from pre-kindergarten through the fourth grade. The school gets its support from the surrounding community by providing people with much-needed services. The people of Kibera stuggle to provide themselves with food, shelter, clean water and good schools. Girls face the additional problems of discrimination and violence.
Parents and guardians usually withdraw their daughters from school rather than their sons when money is lacking. So the Kibera School for Girls works to help the community understand the value of education. Parents do not have to pay. But a family member must work at the school five weeks a year as a way to support a child's education.
Girls are chosen based on the potential for their success as students and on financial need. Helping women make better futures is why Kennedy Odede established the school almost four years ago. He says that growing up in Kibera, he hated seeing that more boys than girls went to school.
Im 2004. Mr. Odede started a community movement that later became the organization called Shining Hope for Community. He wanted to make life better for girls as well as boys in poor neighborhoods. Mr. Odede says he wanted everyone in the community to feel improvement in their lives. Today, the schoo provides services for everyone in the area, not just students.
For VOA Learning English, I'm Alex Villarreal.
very good
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