Marianists of East Africa at PO Box 50504 , 00200 Nairobi - City Square , Nairobi Province 00200 KE - OLN - OASIS OF HOPE
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OLN - OASIS OF HOPE |
OLN MISSION STATEMENT Our Lady of Nazareth is an oasis of hope in the bleak situation of the Mukuru kwa Njenga slum of Nairobi. It offers classes from preschool (kindergarten) through standard eight. It serves the needs of more than one thousand three hundred and seventy boys and girls. The Marianists conduct the school according to the Five Characteristics of Marianist Education.
Because of our Catholic and Marianist Tradition, we aim to educate the youngest and the poorest in the Mukuru kwa Njenge slum area of Nairobi. Our mission is to work at the most fundamental of all development projects: the human person. We seek to develop the God-given life and talent of each child in the school, according to the Five Characteristics of Marianist Education.
Our Lady of Nazareth Primary School (OLN) is located in the heart of the Mukuru kwa Njenga slum area of Nairobi. The squatter villages that comprise Mukuru are home to some seventy-five thousand residents, many of them very poor. Residents choose to live in Mukuru since it is on the edge of the Industrial Area which offers the possibility of employment. The school was begun in 1992 by the Irish Sisters of Mercy who were eager to provide some basic education to the children of the slums. They began with three grade levels and about two hundred children. When the Society of Mary (Marianists) took responsibility for the school in 1997, there were about nine hundred children enrolled. Today, with the recent addition of a new Pre-unity (kindergarten), the school caters for one thousand four hundred students. We have a teaching staff of forty-three and a support staff (cooks, guards, cleaners, driver) of twelve. Of these, the Kenyan government provides ten trained teachers; the Marianists have employed the remaining staff members. It costs about US$ 100 (KSh 7,800) to educate a child for a year at OLN. Of this amount about ten percent is voluntarily paid by the family of the child, mostly to cater for the feeding program. Although this amount seems very low, families with numerous children find even this amount difficult to raise. Considerable time and effort is spent on raising the balance of the budget each year. We do have some generous friends, both in Kenya and abroad, who help us to make ends meet. A growing number of local benefactors also provide goods in kind to assist us. With the resources we have, we are trying to provide these poor children with the best education possible. About seventy percent of each graduating class is able to get into some form of secondary education or training. Some of our graduates have done extremely well in their secondary programmes. For the Marianists, a religious congregation of men within the Catholic Church, educating the youngest and the poorest is the best way to work at “development”. Our aim is to develop the human person and to give these young people a better chance to break out of the cycles of poverty in which they live. We rely heavily upon the good will and generosity of friends both near and far. We receive some good support from the Society of Mary itself, from a group in Holland, and from the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood. We have also managed to “twin” with a number of schools in the USA in Britain. The exchange of letters between schools helps our children to develop a broader view of the world, and it also helps children abroad to realize that children here are much like themselves. So, we are concerned not only with educating the needy here, but also with educating others to a more inclusive view of the world in which we live. We are most grateful for the kind generosity and encouragement we receive from many friends.
Fr. Martin A. Solma SM - Manager, OLN Primary School
OLN goes far beyond offering the minimum standard of education to its students. The full programme includes sports, counselling with a professional social worker - if a student needs someone to talk with about the problems that they face - use of a well stocked and managed library, and classes in the elementary use of a computer.
OLN is aware that the families of many of the students must choose between educating the children on the one hand and buying food on the other. Therefore it offers a lunch programme as part of its service. OLN receives assistance for the Government of Kenya “free primary education” budgetto buy textbooks and notebooks for the students. This subsidy does not cover all of the costs of education. Therefore, the school asks for contributions form the parents. OLN strives to keep its “tuition” charges within the reach of the poor. The government does not assist the preschool students in any way, so OLN charges KSh 400 (US$ 5.33 / €4.50) per term. In the primary section OLN asks for a donation of KSh 250 (US$ 3.33 / €2.45) per term. OLN has established links with generous individuals and socially concerned companies in Nairobi. Without their assistance, OLN would surely be forced to close. Yet, even with their assistance, OLN does not have enough income to meet all of its operating costs. Therefore, MARO appeals to you to help Our Lady of Nazareth continue its mission of human and spiritual development.
Our Lady of Nazareth is a cost efficient operation. For example, US$ 100 educates an OLN student for year. A gift of US$ 25 completely covers a full term for a student in the primary school; a gift of US$ 50 takes care of two terms. One hundred and sixty children can enjoy a field trip to the National Museum for about US$ 300. A donation of US$ 1,700 covers the salary of a teacher for year.
Please use the “Donor Reply Form” to send a contribution the Marianist Provincial Office in St. Louis. We thank you for considering OLN, and we - the Marianists and the children - assure you of our prayers for you and your intentions.