Overpopulation Impacts Kenyan Education
On the eastern side of Nairobi, in Kenya’s capital city, lies the Mathare Valley Slum. In this high-density settlement, overpopulation is a severe issue as there are only three government-run primary schools that could not adequately accommodate the 150,000 school-aged children. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning in Kenya could not further support these students.
Dignitas Trains Teachers to Help Transform Schools
In response to the growing concerns of Mathare Valley’s failing education system, community members established several low-cost private schools. However, due to a lack of teacher training these schools continued to struggle. This is where Dignitas comes in — they coach and train educators to empower them to transform their schools, and by extension, their communities. Since 2011, Dignitas has worked with a total of 186 schools and more than 1,000 school leaders and teachers.
Team4Tech Pilots Program in Digital Skills
After schools closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Team4Tech worked with Dignitas to help design a pilot program to equip, empower, and support teachers with the transition from in-person to online learning with digital training and coaching tools. Continuing in partnership with Team4Tech, Dignitas will work to utilize technology to increase their impact. They will simultaneously widen their reach to new communities and deepen the resources they have available for their existing partner schools and communities. In the next year, Dignitas will also continue their work on their digital learning management system (LMS) platform. Team4Tech will help increase user engagement and launch an earned revenue stream from the platform. It will continue to grow as a tool for educators in the future.
Get Involved with Team4Tech and Our Partners
If you would like to learn more about our work, subscribe to the Team4Tech mailing list. You can read about more projects with online learning in Kenya and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Then, you can follow the progression of other international projects and hear from the experiences of corporate and non-profit partners alike.