ECCD KISUMU HOMA BAY BONDO

IT TAKES A VILLAGE A Plan Kenya Draft Report on Early Childhood Care & Development in HOMA BAY, BONDO AND KISUMU

IT TAKES A VILLAGE 2014

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Put the tree straight while it is growing, when it has hardened it cannot be

done – Swahili Proverb


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Compiled and Edited by Pauline Odhiambo

For PLAN INTERNATIONAL

December 2014


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Preface “How you bring up a child determines what they shall become, if the foundation is bad then the

same shall be of the child. But if the foundation is good, the child shall grow well” – pearls of

wisdom from Mercyline Kasuvu Mwanzo, a 25 year old mother of one in Homa Bay county and

additionally an ECCD parenting facilitator with PLAN International.

Mercycline is just one of hundreds of parents in the county among whom emphasis on early

childhood care and development is gradually gaining ground.

Within the counties of Bondo and Kisumu, many more parents, teachers and government

representatives are working in collaboration with PLAN and various relevant community based

organizations to achieve levels of academic and personal excellence often hoped for by many

parents for their children.

The idea that learning only begins in primary school is a notion PLAN diligently works to dispel

within these three regions and beyond. That a child should gain admission into school only by

their ability in stretching their right hand over their head to touch their left ear or vice versa

seems a rather distant memory in Kenyan colonial history but nonetheless an inefficient

method in gauging the full potential of children between the zero to eight (0-8) age group

where early childhood care and development is concerned.

PLAN’s approach is to focus on high impact but low cost community managed systems in Early

Childhood Care & Development within which a Community Led Action for Children (CLAC)

model is used in parenting education, community-based early learning programmes and in

facilitating smooth transition in primary school as well as in enhancing advocacy partnerships

that promote the process.

Parents of children in the zero to eight age cluster are increasingly enrolling their children in

ECCD classrooms but where some parents feel their children are still “too young” for school


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others are paying up to 200 shillings in monthly payments for each child within the ECCD

program in an attempt to give their children an early start in formal education.

Though studies have shown that pre-school education has a decisive effect on how a child

learns throughout their life, early childhood education is still perceived as non-compulsory in

some areas in Kisumu, Bondo, Homa Bay and other regions beyond the scope of this report.1

Additionally, because the education system in Kenya is largely examination oriented, ECCD has

in many cases failed to be considered as part of basic education in certain regions as pre-

primary learning is often not exam-oriented.

This report, with emphasis on real life situations addresses the need for proper nutrition as in

school feeding programmes which support early development, the importance of play, hygiene

and also matters of love, communication and respect at a household level within the region and

beyond.

Starting at the Beginning – The Role of ECCD

Research shows that it matters very little the specific kind of pre-school program attended in

early childhood development. What matters more is that pre-school experience helps low-

income children narrow the achievement gap separating them from more advantaged

children.2

Research also shows that holistic care and stimulation before birth and throughout the early

years (0-8) builds strong foundations for children’s growth and development. A child’s first

days, months and years – particularly from prenatal until the age of eight – are crucial. These

first years determine how well a child’s brain matures, their ability to develop language skills

and to interact with society. Ultimately, this period shapes the rest of their childhood,

adolescence and adult life.3

Worldwide, more than 200 million children under five do not reach their full developmental

potential due to the absence of early childhood care programmes. In developing countries,

poverty, a lack of good nutrition, care and stimulation means nearly 40 per cent of children

under five fail to reach their milestones for cognitive development. Those who do reach

primary school often lack the basic skills to develop or learn in a classroom setting. This leads to

1 Kisumu County Education Network & County Director of Education Kisumu County, The Status of Basic Education in Kisumu County (Nairobi: K-CEN, 2014), pp 19 – 23. 2 The Future of Children “Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Programs”, Vol. 5, No.3, p. 94. 3 “Laying the Foundations” Save the Children International, p.2.


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high numbers of children dropping out of education, potentially adding to the 67 million

children who are already out of school.4

Like in many other developing countries, Kenya faces grim economic challenges with an

estimated 46 per cent of Kenya’s current population – including an approximate 9 million

children - living below the poverty line. While the first ECD centers in Kenya emerged in the

1940s, a 2009 Census Report showed that only 2.2 million of 6 million children aged 3-6 in

Kenya are enrolled in pre-school.5

Known variously as pre-schools, nursery schools, day nurseries, day care centers and

kindergartens, over 70 percent of these schools are started and managed by local communities

who establish and maintain them in addition to paying their teachers. ECD centers have in the

recent years risen in number as more parents acknowledge the role of early childhood

development education as crucial in determining the type of adult that will emerge from the

child.6

A child’s brain is by the age of five 80 percent developed and in need of constant stimulation for

optimum development. An increase in investment in ECCD Centers therefore plays a significant

role not only in social adjustment but also in poverty reduction and economic advancement.7

ECCD Centers in Homa Bay, Bondo & Kisumu: An

Overview

On a superficial level, the ECCD programmes in all three counties seem fairly developed – the

necessary structures such as DICECE and ECCD teachers are in place but what is lacking is the

quality of ECCD services many of which have been found wanting and in need of reconstruction.

Inappropriate teaching methods in addition to inadequate teaching and learning materials as

well as poor infrastructural facilities have over the years characterized ECCD centers many of

which have been found lacking in essential school feeding programmes known to promote

enrollment.

Indeed, there has been low appreciation among parents especially in rural areas within these

regions with many failing to see the rationale behind paying for an ECDE child while primary

education is ‘free’.

4 Ibid. 5Indakwa, E, & Miriti,G, “Models of Best Practices in Community Based Early Childhood Development”, p.6 6 Ibid, p.12 7 Ibid.


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While many of teachers are trained, many still expressed the desire to be supported with

further training. The untrained teachers revealed that they have been unable to take advantage

of the national DICECE training programme as they lack the finances in undertaking either the

certificate or Diploma course which cost roughly Ksh50,000 and Ksh100,000 respectively.

Teacher salaries range from as little as Ksh 500, to Ksh20,000 per month with slightly better

conditions in Kisumu County where those employed by the Municipal Council of Kisumu earn

between Ksh13,000 and 18,000 a month. In many rural ECDE centers (as in Bondo and

Homabay and indeed some parts in Kisumu), teachers in public or community-owned centers

earn between Ksh1000 to Ksh6000 per month. Coupled with irregular payment (some teachers

go up to four months without any pay), the perceived disparities in teacher salaries lead to low

morale among ECDE teachers who do not belong to existing mainstream teacher unions. (K-

CEN, 2014 p.5)

Program Unit Manager for PLAN Kenya in Kisumu Martin Ombima says parenting education and

initiatives towards making ECD schools child friendly go a long way in improving the quality of

ECCD services. “We know that they are so many stakeholders involved in this sector [because] it

takes a lot of resources to implement early childhood development and care initiatives,” Martin

says of the effort by PLAN in improving ECCD conditions in the three counties.“Our

recommendation would be to work in partnerships in other organizations as these initiatives

have been undertaken only in a few sub-locations. Our plan is to scale it up to a larger area and

passing ECD information to a larger mass which will help in raising the nation.”

In all the three counties, ECDE classrooms and the surrounding physical environment including

outdoor spaces are generally in poor condition. Both the public and community-owned ECDE

centers often do not meet the National Early Childhood Development Service Standard and

Guidelines as many of centers are too small [less than 8 × 6 metres) and are dilapidated.

As such, a partnership between PLAN and other relevant stakeholders including county

authorities goes a long way in encouraging a smooth transition for children from their homes to

ECDE centers better equipped for learning.

“They [PLAN] have found us to be like-minded because their scope of work involves looking

after the ECCD program just as we do”, says Gedrick John Omiti ECD Program Co-coordinator

for Rarieda sub-county, Bondo. “A number of the works they are implementing like child

protection, health and nutrition are our core duties as DICECE and as the Ministry of Education

concerned with the early years of the child”.


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In Homabay County, poverty levels exceed 50 percent and as such inform the lack of resources

to invest in the development of ECDE centers.8 This has in turn led to a widespread poor state

in classroom and sanitation facilities even in Bondo and Kisumu where poverty rate in both counties

is in above 45 percent. As such, many of the ECDE centers in the three counties have no fenced

(play) area while in others learning equipment, also used in play, is virtually nonexistent.

In Kisumu, only 37 percent of a sampled 84 schools in the region offer some form of feeding

programmes to pupils. About 17 percent of the schools sampled offered enriched porridge for

ECD children while 56 percent schools did not. (K-CEN, 2014 p.6) In many of the public schools,

de-worming and immunization follow-ups are done at least once a year but with no proper

health records for students are kept in the school.

“De-worming drives in the schools are part of a campaign called ‘Malezi Bora’ by the Ministry of

Health and supported by PLAN. We facilitate them in terms of transport for the CHWs while the

ministry provides the de-worming drugs”, says Edith Apiyo, ECCD Program Manager for PLAN

Kenya in Seme, Kisumu County. “A tin of de-worming medicine has about 1000 tablets which is

enough for two schools. We normally work with CHWs who help in de-worming all the children

from ECD baby class to Class 8. We even give some tablets to the teachers”.

In Seme sub-county, Kuoyo Kaila Primary School is among the schools PLAN works to improve

early learning conditions. With about 500 students, the school has since been recognized by the

Ministry of Education as having the best organized feeding programme and the best ECCD

teacher within the region.

As previously mentioned, pre-primary education in Kenya before 1980 was largely the

responsibility of the local communities, individual investors and non-governmental

organizations among them churches and other voluntary organizations. The government

assumed responsibility at the district and municipal levels by establishing District Centers for

Early Childhood Education (DICECE) and Municipal Centers for Early Childhood Education

(MUCECE) – both are responsible for implementing ECD programmes, training pre-school

teachers, inspecting schools and carrying out parental and community awareness programs.

It has indeed been repeatedly noted that most parents in disadvantaged and marginalized

across the country have limited knowledge on holistic and comprehensive child-rearing. While

the majority of ECD centers sponsored by parents and local communities are of a semi -

permanent kind (mud floors, wood walls and iron sheet roofing) several two-year olds as well

as children over six are attending pre-primary schools. An example of this is Kibuye Primary

School in Bondo where some of the children graduating to Class One in 2015 are old enough to

be in Class Two or Three. The Head teacher at the school attributes the presence of two-year

8 Strategic Plan for Homabay County 2013 -2023


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old at the school to regular parenting sessions organized by PLAN which have helped improve

awareness on the importance of early learning as well as a feeding program that ensures

children are fed in school when not much is to be had at home.

In 2006, the government provided community support grants totaling Kshs 300 million to 4,000

ECDE Centers around the country. Kisumu Municipality received Kshs 2,270,373 (one percent of

the total funding) and the funds benefitted 1,533 students at 21 centers. Each public school was

granted Ksh1,481 per child and the funds were used majorly for teachers’ salaries,

infrastructure improvements and purchase of learning materials. With many of these ECDE

centers attached to primary schools, the head teachers to these primary schools often greatly

influence the allocation process.9

Generally, many of the public ECD Centers in all three counties have been found to be in poor

condition. The worst case scenario is repeatedly witnessed where pupils learn under trees

because of lack of classrooms or insufficient space in the available classrooms.

In several of the rural areas, facilities in ECDE centers compared to primary schools are often in

worse condition. The situation is exacerbated by head teachers who upon completion of

structures built for ECDE either by NGOs and other devolved funds from the government,

usually take over transforming the centers into primary classrooms, staffrooms and

administration blocks. Their decision to occupy the newly establish ECDE Centers is driven by

lack of enough structures in the primary schools to accommodate security of equipment bought

or rented. The newly built classrooms are usually equipped with re-enforced protective doors

and windows and therefore a critical security guarantee for teachers. The head teachers while

proving the above assertion to be true, agreed that ECDE classrooms constructed by well-

wishers in public schools are only occupied by teachers and school administration only upon

urgency.

In both Dunya and Kibuye Primary schools in Bondo, PLAN has facilitated the construction of

new ECCD classrooms barely over a year old. “The books and other material used by the

children are stored in the classrooms because they are safer there and conveniently close to

the children who can get them whenever they need them”, says Kibuye Primary School Head

teacher Bernadette Nyambok. Though the primary school classroom have reinforced doors,

their windows are without safety glass and therefore vulnerable to rain and other elements.

Adequate sanitary facilities (toilets and water) is additionally a major challenge in ECD centers.

The survey reveals that although 89 percent of the schools have ECDE centers, 66 percent of

these centers share toilets with a primary school. For this, PLAN has provided water tanks with

9 K-CEN, 2014 p. 19.


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most set up in close proximity to ECD classrooms and further rehabilitated some of the toilets

used by the students.10

In an attempt to address the ECDE challenges and to strengthen key elements within the 2005

Sessional paper No.1, the current draft ECDE policy framework emphasizes that the central

government working in tandem with the respective county governments, must ensure the

following. First, mainstream ECDE into basic education and ensure automatic transition from

ECDE to primary education across the country, facilitate the promotion of grants for learning

material as well as teacher’s salaries and lastly, promote increase in private sector financing of

ECDE services.

By June 2013, there were 1445 ECDE and 708 primary schools both public and private within

Kisumu County. Whereas the number of pupils in ECDE centers was generally higher, transition

from ECDE to Class One appeared broken with 4 boys and 3 girls having dropped out essentially

in each of the 84 schools sampled without being able to access Class One. The survey revealed

the dropout was due to the fact that simple interview and basic assessment have with time

been changed to comprehensive evaluations that are no longer logically comprehensible for a 4

to 6 years old child. Of the schools sampled, up to 80 percent indicated that they administered

some form of exams to children from ECDE before they join Class One while 14 percent of

schools did not. This contributes to a disruption in smooth transition for children in ECDE

centers. 11

“The ECD child is supposed to be developed in all perspectives that is, cognitively in terms of

mental, social, physical, emotional, moral and spiritual development. We mobilize parents and

schools so that all these echelons of development are taken care of because if one aspect of

development is left out, the others are also affected”, Gedrick John Omiti ECD Program Co-

coordinator for Rarieda sub-county explains.

Co-curricular activities like sports, theatre and music however receive little attention in spite of

the fact that they contribute to the overall growth and maturity of the child. Playing grounds

have reduced in size with more energy being directed towards academic performance and not

in nurturing their talents. Of the schools sampled in Kisumu County, only 65 percent had well-

kept playing grounds while 27 percent had sharp and dangerous objects. A total 25 percent of

the schools had fixed playground equipment and 23 percent with appropriately sized playing

equipment for the ECD children. However, only 14 percent of these schools have their play

equipment regularly serviced.

10 Ibid, p. 37. 11 Ibid p. 25.


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FPE was pointed out as an indicative factor contributing to the numbers of ECDE children

skipping Class One due to a number of reasons. In the face of flaring poverty in many rural

settings, FPE is implemented almost fully with no charges or fees paid in most of the public

primary schools. Of the 84 schools sampled in Kisumu County, 34 reported that there are

admission fees paid by parents to the school with a further 14 indicating that tuition fees were

paid in addition to admission fees. Averagely, the admission and tuition costs were estimated at

1,352 and 508 shillings respectively per year. In the ECDE centers affiliated to PLAN in Bondo,

Kisumu and Homabay, parents are required to pay between 150 and 200 shillings per month for

school feeding and teacher salaries – This amount translates to approximately 600 shillings per

term. Though feeding programs are usually meant to improve the concentration span and

nutrition of ECDE children very few schools in these counties can afford them especially without

the assistance of non-state actors.12

In the period between 1999 and 2009, the population of Homa Bay grew by 55 percent from

620,489 to 963,794, while the number of households grew by 22 percent from 169,179 to

206,108 in the same period. From these findings, it was determined that only 21% of the

population had attended pre-primary schooling in sharp contrast to the 90 percent attendant

rate for primary schooling. The numbers considerably dipped to 52 percent for secondary

attendance and only three percent for university level schooling.

On the other hand, it emerged that only 30 percent of the 189 teachers in the sampled schools

in Kisumu County are trained but most of the diploma holders teach at primary school level

while the ECD level is left for untrained teachers, with or without training certificates.

Nonetheless, there are well established training opportunities including DICECE in-service

training programme in all three counties.

In over 90% of the school’s sampled, enrollment of children with disabilities is virtually non-

existent with only one or two cases of children registered with physical, hearing and learning

disabilities being reported. ECDE center managers, teachers and county education officials as

well as community leaders attribute these statistics low sensitization among parents of such

children who often keep (or hide) them at home. Coupled with the fact that a majority of the

centers do not have the necessary facilities to look after such children, many of the teachers do

not have the relevant training required in handling children with special needs. Of the school

sampled in Kisumu County, only 26 percent at the primary school level gave attention to

children with special needs while 19 percent had teachers trained in their care. Only 18 percent

of the sampled schools had infrastructural facilities in place for children with disabilities.

12 Ibid, p 38-9.


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FPE is attributed to have in the recent past influenced a considerable number of ECDE going

children to skip ECDE classes and join Class One instead. This is mainly because, until 2012/2013

financial year, the essence of ECDE was not well defined and as a consequence there was no

gainful incentive from the national government in form of free education or feeding programs

to encourage more enrollments at the ECDE level. However, the Ministry of Education has since

provided grants for pupils in public ECDE centers – a critical step in the right direction with the

national government having released 978 shillings per child to all public ECDE centers across the

county through the district education office – 650 shilling is used for instructional materials

whereas 328 shillings is used for repairs, activities, local traveling and maintenance. However,

the channeling of money through primary school accounts has made it difficult to ascertain the

exact number disbursed and the number of actual children learning in ECDE centers. The

situation is further compounded by a lapse in quality inspections by in ECDE centers. With only

one quality assurance and standard officer QASO per district sub-county, it has been quite

difficult to assess both primary schools and ECDE centers . Compounded by manipulation,

intimidation and corruption by private proprietors, the process of inspecting ECDE centers has

with time worsened, leaving ECDE to profiteers.


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From the Counties HOMA BAY| BONDO| KISUMU

Challenges, Significant Changes & Recommendations


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HOMABAY, Orego Village.

“PLAN has taught us to live”, 49 year-old farmer Samson Otieno says while standing in his

“kitchen garden” – a space which with its array of fruit and vegetables looks more like a

small farm than a garden.

A father to nine, Samson is among the many parents in Orego village, with a child enrolled

in an ECCD program at the Orego Primary school. His two-roomed house with its

smoothened mud walls tells a story of their own. Plastered on the inside of his living room

walls are large colourful charts better suited in a pre-primary classroom than in a

homestead - charts depicting letters of the alphabet in bold large print as well as images of

green, leafy vegetables quite similar to the real ones growing beyond the yard outside.

Of his nine children, only two have gone through an ECCD program– seven year old Joy

Michelle Adhiambo and nine-year old Phidel Okoth. On first meeting him, Phidel appears a

painfully shy child; speaking only when spoken to and at barely above a whisper. But like

many boys his age, his shyness quickly evaporates soon as one of the other children in the

village throws a ball into the yard and all scamper to kick it. On the other hand, Joy Michelle

appears the bolder one of the two – quick to laugh and the one most eager to walk by her

father’s side in his garden as his proudly shows his crops to his visitors.

“Simple as it may seem, PLAN has taught us how to talk to our children. How to play with

them, how to laugh with them and just be closer to them”, Samson says while elaborating

on some of the parenting training sessions organized by PLAN in collaboration with the


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school’s administration. Within these sessions, five key points are emphasized – proper

nutrition, love and respect, hygiene and sanitation, good communication and play.

As far as nutrition goes, Samson a horticultural farmer grows enough food for his family –

pineapples, papaya, cassava, avocado, maize, watermelon, onion, mangoes, kale and

coriander are among the many crops growing on his 2 acre homestead.

“We sell some of the crop to our neighbours but mostly we just eat them”, Samson Says. All

his children, including his 2 year old twin boys Seth Humphrey and Pavan Godana seem in

good health, a factor he attributes to PLAN imparting knowledge of kitchen gardening

among the parents during the training sessions. He adds that in a year or two, the twins will

likely join the ECCD program previously attended by their elder siblings.

“Donjuru!” Seth Humphrey cries out a welcome to the visitors while standing at the

entrance of their home. He is clearly the more outspoken twin. While Pavan Godana clings

to his mother’s skirt, Seth is busy greeting the visitors and asking a variety of questions his

father says he may never have entertained of his children were it not for PLAN’s

intervention in the region.

“Before getting the training, I could quite easily discipline my children by beating them”,

Samson explains of the seven parenting sessions he has received courtesy of PLAN in which

he has a learned that early childhood care is instrumental in a child’s character and later

success as an adult.. “Now I know better. It’s just as effective to correct a child by talking to

them about what they have done wrong instead of just beating them up.”

L- Daddy-Daughter time! Samson’s spending some quality time in his “kitchen garden” with

his 7-year old daughter Joy Michelle.


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R- Nutrition is Key! Joy Michelle, Samson, his wife Neema and their 2 year old twin boys Seth

(in red shirt) & Pavan feasting on some on their garden fruit.

A short 15 minute walk from Samson’s home lives 25-year old Mercyline Kasuvu

Mwanzo. Like Samson, hers is also a two-roomed house but shared only with her husband

and 5-year-old daughter.

Though her garden is a great deal smaller than Samson’s, she nonetheless grows some kale

and onions among other crops used often in preparation of her family’s daily meals.

“I get so happy when my child tells me she wants to go to school. I think it’s a parent’s

dream come to true to see their child so eager to learn,” Mercyline says of her daughter

Damian Akwino.

“My child plays very well [and] she knows she should always wash her hands after using

the toilet. I’m never worried when she’s in school because I know she’s in the capable

hands of her teachers who have also been trained on how best to handle children her age .”

Every month, Mercyline and her husband Wycliffe ensure that they have raised the 150

shillings required for their daughter in school. This amount, paid by parents for every child

in school, contributes to the teacher’s salaries in addition to school feeding program

initiated by PLAN in collaboration with the school administration.

“The teachers make sure that children eat well so that they are more attentive and in a

better state of mind to understand all that they are being taught in class”, Mercyline

elaborates on how proper nutrition has been key to Damian’s learning process. “When my

daughter gets home, she’s always excited to tell me about all she’s learned in school. Before

she’s allowed to play outside with the other children, her father helps her do her

homework as I prepare the evening meal.”

“When Damian was younger, I remember my

neighbor Mama Atieno encouraging me to give her

fruit and other food rich in protein. As a mother

I’ve come to learn that giving my child good food

helps her grow and made her more ready to start

school.

Damian first joined school at 3 years old. With

PLAN’s intervention, Mercyline thought it better to

enroll her daughter in pre-primary rather than


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wait for the free primary education provided by the government for children in Class One

to Eight.

Yay! Play time with mum!

“When she started speaking, I thought there was no need to continue keeping her at home.

Better for her to go and learn with the other children”

While many of her friends were keeping their children at home, the parenting session

organized by PLAN helped Mercyline learn that good character and apparent success as an

adult is dependent on early learning opportunities such as those provided in pre-primary

school where play, proper nutrition and good hygiene are among the key elements in

acquiring cognitive skills.

L- Girl Power! 5-year old Damian kicking a homemade ball with friends

R- Good Parenting: Mercyline says the parenting sessions by PLAN have helped her feel closer

to her daughter

I thought 5 years was the appropriate age to enroll a child in school but PLAN made me

think otherwise. Now, I play jump rope with her and her friends whereas before I would

have never thought to play with her.”

My child can now tell apart certain shapes and colours and even make her own toys from

mud, old paper bags and bottle caps. I’m hopeful that she will be successful in future and

help our family grow economically.


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Just across the yard from Mercyline house lives her sister-in-law Judith Anyango. A

mother of four, 27-year old Judith says that one of the most important things she has learnt

in the parenting sessions organized by PLAN is how to communicate better with her

children and her husband as well.

“Your children shouldn’t be afraid of you. When my children see their father, they run to

him and greet him. They want to look into his bags and see what he has brought home for

them,” Judith says of her four children aged 10, 7, 5 and 4. “He doesn’t quarrel with them or

chase them away because we both know it is important for children to express themselves

from a young age.”

A house wife like Mercyline, Judith spends her days tending to the crops she grows – maize,

kale, onion and potatoes among others. Her husband, 35-year old John Owiny earns a living

as a boda boda (motor bike) transport operator within the county.

We do it for our children!

L- John on his bike getting ready for work outside his home in Orego Village, Homabay.

R- Judith pictured with her eldest daughter Electer and youngest son Stanley

“We sell some of the crop especially the onions but not much of it. Whatever I make from

the rides I try to use to buy more equipment for the bike but mostly I spend it on my

children. Their education is top priority for me because I know they will be able to get

better jobs in future”, says John.

Though he admits to not attending the parenting training sessions organized by PLAN, his

convictions on the benefits of early childhood education seem unshakeable.


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“My wife shares with me what she learns from the parenting sessions and she often

reminds me that one of the benefits of early learning is that it improves our children’s

chances of making a better living for themselves in future. That, more than anything,

means everything to me because at the moment we try as much as we can just to make

ends meet.”

ECCD specialist for PLAN Homa Bay Heidi Oyugi says that though male participation is

indeed low, over 60 parenting groups have nonetheless been established within the region

with over 2900 parents participating in the ECCD program since its launch in 2011.

“I often interact mostly with the mothers”, Heidi elaborates. “Mercyline and Samson’s wife

Neema are among my strongest parenting facilitators who really help in encouraging

parents to attend the training sessions.”

Heidi adds that since the launch of the project, over 1010 ECCD teachers have been

gainfully employed and posted to a variety of ECCD centers within the county and beyond.

BONDO, Kibuye Primary School & ECDE Center

“I’m worried about their transition next year”, head teacher Bernadette Nyambok says of

the first batch of ECCD students set to begin Class One in 2015 at Kibuye Primary School,

Barkowino Sub-Location. “They’ll go from a good classroom, with good ventilation and

bright colours to a darker, unpainted classroom with no glass on the windows.”

An ECCD center was established at the school three years ago and has since grown

immensely with over 120 students. At the beginning, when the ECCD enrolment rate was

still quite low, all the students could be comfortably contained in a small classroom

constructed specifically for ECCD learning but as the numbers grew learning was moved

outside in the open field under the shade of large trees. However, with the construction of a

new ECCD building courtesy of PLAN, the children were moved into a more suitable

learning environment, safe from weather extremities.


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Before & After!

L- The old ECD center was a small, single room with cracking walls & no lockable widows

R- The new and improved ECD Classrooms

“We had to make the children squeeze in the classrooms of the older students in primary

school whenever the weather would change for the worst. Teaching wo uld definitely be

disrupted but with the opening of the new classrooms a year ago, teaching has been going

on smoothly come rain or shine”, Bernadette explains.

The new ECCD building has 3 large classrooms – Baby Class, Middle Class and Final Class.

All three classrooms have bright graphics on both the inside and outside walls, in addition

to several brightly coloured toys in different shapes and sizes which double up as learning

material for the children. Each of the three classes has student numbers comparably higher

than those in Class One, Two or Three.


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L- A typical ECCD classroom session

R- Kibuye ECCD Project Support by Plan International

“There was an influx of enrollment with the completion of the new building largely because

the building itself was an attraction to both the parents and the students . For the children,

it makes them want to be in school”, says Bernadette “The singular challenge we have as at

now is the feeding program. We initiated a feeding program but it has been on an off. For

the next year (2015) we’ve planned that every parent will pay a certain amount so that we

employ permanent cooks”.

The feeding program helps attract enrollment in the school but with the cooks working on

a voluntary basis, some often fail to show up and the children sometimes learn on empty

stomachs.

Bernadette adds that the spike in enrollment at the school is also thanks to the parenting

training sessions organized by PLAN. “Many of the parents in this region have been

enlightened on the importance of early learning. Some of the children who a re graduating

to Class One are very big, they should be in primary school in Class Two or Three but they

stayed home too long before being brought to school. Now the parents know better and are

enrolling their children earlier.”

Ideally, the Baby Class should have children between 3-4 years old, the Middle Class

between 4-5 years, and the Final Class between 5-6 years but as it is, these classes

sometimes have children up to 9 years of age.

“Our focus in 2015 is to ensure that the former ECCD students are not demoralized by the

state of the classrooms in the primary school”, Bernadette elaborates. “I had called on all

the parents and we were planning to maybe just paint the walls of the Class One classroom

so that it’s brighter and the children feel more at ease.

With many of the ECCD children still quite young, they need a lot of play crucial to their

holistic development. Bernadette is quick to add that if the play element was absent, there

wouldn’t be such a rate of high enrollment.

“We have the fixed outdoor activities; swings, tunnels, slides and wheels. It is a fenced area

that is primarily for the ECCD children but some of the older children in Class One, Two and

Three like to play there too”.

Dunya Primary School & ECDE Center, Bondo.


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“For smoother transition, I recommend the [ECDE] go on up to Class Three”, says Anne

Atieno Nyamanga, an ECCD teacher at Dunya Primary School and ECDE Center. “The

classroom environment in the primary classes is totally different from the ECDE

classrooms. They’re not [child] friendly and neither are there are any charts on the walls.

Even the floors have potholes and walls are not as well–constructed”.

Anne adds that most of the Class One classrooms have no desks for the children to work on

and this has proved a challenge to their smooth transition into primary school. “This can be

traumatic for a child coming from an ECCD class. Smooth transition is not enhanced when a

child moves from sitting on a good chair and desk to mats spread out on a potholed floor.”

At the very least, Anne recommends that the ECCD program, established three years ago at

the school in 2011 be moved up to Class One to better facilitate a smoother transition into

primary learning.

Since 2003, PLAN International has been operational in Bondo through its programme unit

with a focus on the health, education, livelihood and protection of the area residents.

“When PLAN first came to the school, they helped us with tables and chair because initially

our children were using mats”, Anne Elaborates “We had some desks but these were

borrowed from the primary classes and therefore inappropriate for the ECCD students

most of whom are not tall enough to fit comfortably on them. PLAN provided us with the

age appropriate chairs and desks. It’s very difficult teaching a child how to write while

they’re sitting on a mat.”

ECCD Classrooms are Better!: Teacher Anne Atieno at Dunya ECCD Center, Bondo.


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In as far as matters of hygiene are concerned; PLAN has provided the school with a bigger

water tank now used by the entire school for drinking water and hand washing among

other uses in the school’s compound.

Rose Adhiambo Okewa is also an ECCD teacher at the Dunya ECDE Center. “In the

beginning even the teaching materials in the entire school were not enough for the

children’s needs”, says Rose. “But PLAN launched and education project in the region and

they supported us in buying learning material like teaching aids, science and mathematics

manipulative material and even materials used in ‘shop corner’ where the children could

practice what they had learned in their math classes.”

Additionally, Rose says the many of the outdoor playing material has been thanks to the

Barkowino ECD Network - a group of community health workers, ECCD teachers and

parents. While PLAN sponsors some of the children by providing them with books and

bags, the Barkowino ECD Network often get together to make and paint some of the

[outdoor] learning materials by using locally available materials among them dried maize

cobs and bottle caps.

While the beautifully constructed ECCD classroom has indeed boosted enrolment at the

center, Rose says there are still some stubborn parents who would want to insist on

keeping their young children at home in anticipation of the free primary education

provided by the government for all primary school children in public schools. Rose adds

that there are thankfully some parents who actively participate in convincing the parents of

such children to enroll them at the ECCD center.

As is the case in many other schools, there are parents who are always present in school

meetings. However, others have not been so consistent with many of them claiming they’re

too busy trying to provide for their families.

“The higher percentage of parents who attend PTA meetings are women but there’s a man

who almost always attends and when he’s absent he sends an apology”, Rose elaborates.

“This man has his grandchildren enrolled at the school and he has helped us especially with

the other parents who have been stubborn in taking their children to school at the right

age. When he finds such a child he reports even to the school and even to the assistant chief

He has really positively contributed to the enrollment rate.”

Initially, the school did not have an established feeding programme. However, through the

parenting sessions organized by PLAN, parents have been enlightened on the benefits of

regular feeding and now contribute up to 150 shillings per month toward the progr amme.

Through the parenting sessions the relationship between the teachers, children and the

community has also improved as many parents now agree that ECDE is indeed an

important stage in life.


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“I graduated from my training as a teacher in 2008”, Anne adds. “I am among several

teachers in this region who have received a further training certificate in ECD thanks to

PLAN.” Both Rose and Anne attended and completed a course orgnanized by PLAN at the

Bondo ACK Church where over 84 ECDE teachers were in attendance. They both received

further training among 16 other teachers organized in the nearby region of Kagwa, Rarieda

Constituency.

“These refresher courses have helped us learn about the current methods in early

childhood training”, Anne asserts while adding how the play materials have helped in

making the pre-primary childhood more sociable and interactive.

“At the start of the project there is a child who could not talk properly. He stammered quite

a lot and would prefer to just listen quietly and look at the other children”, Anne explains.

“The playing material has really helped bring him out his shell. He’s become more

articulate and is no longer the timid child he used to be. I often see him trying to snatch

toys from the other children and he plays with the others. He’s so agile nowadays. He’s no

longer the lonely, withdrawn child he used to be.”

“A child is of two people – a mother and a father”, says 32-year old George Pambo, a

parent to a child enrolled at the Dunya ECCD Center. “When I got information from the

parenting sessions held in school on the importance on early learning, I discussed it with

my wife and together we made the decision to enroll our last born child at the school.”

L- George Pambo shows some of the learning materials made by the Barkowino ECD Network

R- A typical parenting session where parents learn on the importance of play .


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Male participation is indeed low in the region but Pambo is among those fathers heavily

invested in the early development opportunities available to his children for his four

children aged between 10 and 3 years old.

“At the start of the project three years ago, we were told the importance of enrolling a child

into ECD at the age of three. Before that, parents used to enroll their children at 5 years old

but we quickly learned some of the benefits of early enrolment including our children

sitting for their KCPE examinations at the appropriate age”.

When we first took to him to school, he was quite the shy boy even at home” , Pambo says of

his three-year old son enrolled in Term Two in 2014 at Dunya ECCD Center. “But

nowadays, when he comes home from school I hear him singing the alphabet and counting

some numbers. So I feel confident that he’s learning quickly”. Pambo adds that his son now

feels confident enough to walk to school on his own whereas before he had to be escorted.

“For ECD, parents pay teachers. These teachers are not employed by the TSC or the County

Government so as parents we pay for the teachers as well as the learning material needed

like charts and so forth”, Pambo explains. “We normally pay 150 from which the teachers

get their salary then the rest they buy learning material”.

Pambo and his family depend on the income generated from a food kiosk he operate s in

Bondo town center. His wife too contributes to the family budget by deep-frying the fish

obtained from Lake Victoria before selling them at the market in Bondo town. His first born

child, a girl, did not attend pre-primary schooling but was enrolled in Class One at 5 years

old.

“As for myself, I don’t remember the exact age I enrolled in school but when I was taken to

nursery, I was asked by the teacher to stretch by hand over my head to touch my ear”, he

reflects. “Those who couldn’t do it weren’t allowed to start classes and were sent back

home.”

Barkowino Community-Based Organization, Bondo.

“Many if not all of the ECD projects in the region are success stories but dealing with a

community is not an easy thing”, says Barkowino CBO Chairperson Joseph Osumo.

“Sometimes, short of lying to the community members, we are sometimes forced to make

empty promises. Knowingly telling them things we cannot achieve. In fact this is why they

fail to show up sometimes, they get angry and leave”


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In the region, Barkowino CBO is known for its efforts in providing early learning materials

to the various ECCD schools in the sub-location. It’s members are known to walk for miles

from one school to another making playing material from the locally available products –

swing sets out of old tyres, beam balances and wall charts made from old sack cloth. In

addition to donating sacks of maize in support of the feeding programme in various ECCD

centers, the CBO also donated desks to Kibuye and Dunya Primary Schools where many of

the children were learning while sitting on sack cloths spread out on the floor.

L-Barkowino ECD Network Members at Work

R- Barkowino CBO Chairman Joseph Osumo

“We work voluntarily on behalf of PLAN and on behalf of the community. Basically our

work is to link the community members with PLAN,” Joseph explains. “In these parenting

groups we sometimes serve the parents some refreshments. At times we give them meals

too but it’s usually not enough for them and some even ask for money instead as

compensation for the hours spent improving the ECCD centers, hours which they could

have spent earning money for their families”.

With transport re-imbursement allocated only for places not within the sub-location,

Joseph says it becomes that much hard to keep the members motivated as they move from

school to school.

“The attitude of the community is a belief in direct handouts”, says George Ayomo,

chairperson of the Barkowino ECCD Network. “But since those handouts are not easy to

come by, we keep our members motivated by telling them the play materials they are

helping to make are just as important as the text books they struggle to buy for their

children”.


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George adds all six of the ECCD centers the network supports have about three storybooks

per center and with over 100 students per center, there is an urgent need for more

storybooks. Using pictures cut from old newpapers, the parents come together to make

storybooks for their children. “These picture books the parents make tell the children more

stories relevant to the back grounds”, George elaborates. “Fathers often make story books

which explain the sort of business they do to make money for their families and the

children get to learn more about the opportunities available to them in future”.

Story time! Members of the Barkowino ECD Network make picture books for the children

At the start of the year, 200 of the 700 ECD children in the six schools graduated to Class

One.

Joseph concludes that parent participation may improve by coordination with regions

seasonal calendar. “Parents are usually very busy on their farms in the month of April and

May such that when we call for a meeting during these times many of them do not attend.

The attendance rate would improve greatly if our programmes coordinated with the

community’s seasonal activities.

Kagwa Community-Based Organization, Bondo.

“Being in very close proximity to the lake [Victoria] affects us greatly because when we call

for meetings with the parents, it’s mostly the women who show up, says John Jared

Odhiambo, Chairperson, Kagwa CBO. “Many of the men are fishermen or involved in one

way or the other in the fisheries industry and other offshoot businesses around the lake.


28 | P a g e

Awareness creation is there among the fathers in ECCD but the rate is not as high as we

expected it to be.

Most of the men in the region work in the beaches from morning to afternoon while many

of the parenting training sessions are carried between 2 to 3pm. Some of the parents go

back to the lake at 4pm when the sun has reduced in its intensity and therefore some make

the effort to attend CBO meetings.

“It works if there’s a calendar coordination with the parents and the school’s BOG. The

schools call for a meeting with the parents and we as the CBO also attend in a show of

support of the established ECCD programmes within the schools. This has helped the male

participation but still the majorities are women”, John explains while recommending that

some of the training activities be conducted by the beaches where many of the parents,

especially the father’s, work”.

Kagwa CBO has a voluntary parental club under which members go around the region

visiting schools in the villages. The club members contribute money toward the facilitators’

kitty in which money for member transport needs is often obtained. John however adds

that a financial boost from the assisting organizations in the region would make the club

stronger.

John adds that there is nonetheless quite a strong conviction among parents in the CBO on

the importance of ECCD – they’ve separated themselves into two factions – The GSL (Group

of Savings & Loaning) formed in 2013 and the Parenting Club which liaises with an ECD

networking group.

“In our group, we have shares of 200 shillings for each member every term we meet. When

we loan money, it is returned with interest and according to our last meeting held in early

December [2014], we saved about 35,000 shillings and it was loaned out to 16 members”,

John explains. “Our next meeting is in January [2015] where those who were granted loans

to will be required to return the money with interest. If it is supported the GSL will succeed

in form of awareness creation, parenting training as well as for the transport kitty.”

“ECCD is a very important service in the UK and the US. It is quite possible that a professor

teaching in the UK may not be paid as much as an ECCD caregiver in the same place”,

proclaims Phitalis Were Masakhwe, Program Unit Manager for PLAN in Bondo. “As a

society, we cannot afford to neglect our children because of certain maladjustments that

can manifests in a child’s character in future. This is why societies in the developed world

have lower crime rates. They recognize the importance of basic education in character

formation.


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Feeling of neglect and anger, according to Phitalis, starts breeding at an early age. A lack of

investment in ECCD may breed a myriad of problems in the future among them forms of

radicalization emergent from economic challenges.

“At the moment, it is the parents who are paying for early childhood training. The burden

shouldn’t be left to NGOs and the parents alone. It should be the responsibility of county

governments as the situation presently is like a ticking time bomb”, Phitalis asserts while

adding that ECD teacher training should also be the preserve of county governments.

“From the wealthier neighbourhoods in the suburbs to the poorer villages, it is the parents

who are paying for this crucial service. Even the ECD teachers are being paid by the

parents”.

A more equitable approach is required in ECCD, according to Phitalis. “Early learning

centers should be inclusive of all children even in the remotest parts of Marsabit and

Turkana. It should also be inclusive of children with disabilities be they physically or

intellectually challenged”, he says. “PLAN is playing the role of innovation in this learning

sector as ECD is inextricably intertwined with disability”.

KISUMU, Seme Sub-County

“Part of our mandate is to include children with disability”, says Edith Apiyo, ECCD

Program Manager for Plan Kenya in Seme, Kisumu County. “We liaise with the Education

Assessment Resource Center which is a department within the Ministry of Education

mandated with assessment, recommendation and placement of people with d isability”.

Hearing impairment is among the most common types of disability in Seme Sub-County but

hydrocephalous is also quite common among the children. In collaboration with the

Ministry of Health, PLAN empowers community health workers who go door to door

checking on children not enrolled in ECD schools while simultaneously identifying the

children with disability. PLAN then liaises with the Association of People Living with

Disabilities in Kenya who carry out assessment and also conduct monthly outrea ches in the

community to support these children.


30 | P a g e

“When we did our situational analysis at the beginning of the[ECD] project , we realized

that children are emotionally disturbed. Some of them by the fact that their fathers are

drunkards who come home and batter their mothers”, Edith explains. “As a result, we

organized some activities for children in ECD to Class 3 so as to give them a forum to share

their experiences especially in regards to parenting perspectives. We’re always talking to

adults on their perspectives on parenting but in this case we wanted to hear from the

children on the same topic.”

Therapy – Children express their emotions through drawing and storytelling

We are what we do! Boys make animal shapes reflective of the cows the often herd

Some of the activities included storytelling, drawing and moulding in which the children

expressed some of their challenges. These activities were inclusive of both the ECD and

primary school children. The children were given blank papers to each write their stories

on what they like and don’t like within their homes. They were then given the opportunity

to read some of them out loud.


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“One of the children in Baby Class drew a house and a mother. From this we deducted that

the best person in the home for that child was the mother. It also helped us probe further

into the whereabouts of the father.”

In the moulding activity, the boys mostly molded cows because boys are usually

responsible for grazing their cows at home while the girls mostly moulded cooking utensils

as they often help in cooking and washing up after.

The older boys and girls in primary school drew more elaborate drawings. In Class Six, one

boy’s drawing was translated a cry of help from child labour. “He drew other children

learning in school and a boy on the side herding cattle while another girl fetched water”,

explains Edith. “Such drawings communicate quite a lot and provide a basis for further

probing.”

Edith adds that most, if not all of the children revealed that their parents expected them to

do a lot of the chores at home after school and yet they also had their homework to do. One

of the older girls in Class Six drew herself doing her homework by moonlight while

simultaneously cooking her family’s evening meal.

“Many of these older girls are told that that once they have finished cooking and everyone

has eaten, they have to immediately put out the paraffin lamp, which many of them depend

to do their home work, to save on energy”, Edith Elaborates. “This is why PLAN’s

Livelihoods department works to promote the use of solar powered lamps that such

children can use to do their homework at night. The parents can buy these for their

children through a voluntary saving and loaning scheme”.

In the sessions with children, it emerged that some had been sexually abused. These cases

were forward to the police and child protection network was formed shortly thereafter

consisting of ECD teachers, CHWs, parenting group facilitators and the provincial

administration [village elders, chiefs and assistant chiefs] mandated to identify and report

abuses cases in the region to the relevant authority.

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child

“When we started the project, most parents did not understand what ECCD is all about. To

many of them it was all about playing and whiling away the time. Playing in itself was not

important. They didn’t understand the importance of what it does in a child’s life”, Edith

concludes. “They didn’t see the need of supporting ECCD so we had to do a lot of campaigns

through theatre in the market places, schools, and chief’s baraza just to sensitize them on

the importance of ECD”


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Gradually, parents started appreciating the importance and with the inception of parenting

groups, parents are pooling their resources in mobilizing grains, sugar and firewood. Some

even volunteer to make the porridge in the schools. And now as we speak, all the fourteen

schools PLAN works with have established feeding programmes.

In both Kajulu and Kuoyo Kaila ECCD Centers, parents agreed to contribute by donating

food – 2 kilogrammes of maize and a 250grammes (quarter kilogramme) of sugar per

parent per term.

The older children in Class One to Eight are required to each carry a twig to school every

day to be used as part of the firewood for cooking. Parents have also came up with a duty

roster in terms of the cooking responsibilities assigned among them with three parents

working daily as cook, server and the dish washer respectively.

Parents Volunteer to Prepare Porridge the children in the School Feeding Programme

PLAN is a member of the Kisumu County Education Network which consists of 13

organizations.

“We normally hold meetings then map a way forward in terms of the gaps we’ve

identified”, Edith says on the advocacy work in support of ECCD by various organization in

the region. “Recently, we held a meeting tasking the county to support ECCD in terms of

policy review and services within ECCD. One of our schools, Runda Primary School is in

ruins but through our lobbying strategies, it has been put on the list of the schools to be

reconstructed by the county government.”


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Accolades! Kajulu Primary School is among tops among the ECCD Centers in Seme

Kajulu Primary School among others schools was voted the best community managed ECCD

center with the 2nd best organized feeding programme and additionally the 2nd best in

Seme sub-county in terms of physical facilities and all in accordance with PLAN initiatives

in terms of promoting a conducive environment for children to learn and play.

Kuoyo Kaila Primary School was the best in the zone in terms of KCPE results and

additionally boasts the highest enrolment rate in Seme sub-county. The school was voted

as having the best organized feeding programme and the best ECCD teacher in the region.

The intervention PLAN has had with these schools has made them more recognizable by

the government and have as such been awarded by the Ministry of Education, Seme sub-

county.


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Abbreviations and Acronyms

BOG Board of Governors

CBOs Community Based Organization(s)

CHWs Community Health Worker(s)

DICECE District Centers for Early Childhood Education

ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development

ECD(E) Early Childhood Development (Education)

FPE Free Primary Education

K-CEN Kisumu County Education Network

KCPE Kenya Certificate of Primary Education

MUCECE Municipal Centers for Early Childhood


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Education

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

TSC Teachers Service Commission

References

Boocock, S.S, “Early Childhood Programs in Other Nations: Goals and Outcomes”, p. 95. Rutgers

Univerisity.

Center on the Developing Child, The Foundations of Lifelong Health are built in Early Childhood, Harvard University (2010) and In Brief: The Foundations of Lifelong Health (2010).

Indakwa, E., & Miriti, G., “Models of Best Practices in Community Based Early Childhood Development”, (2005 -2010)

Kisumu County Education Network, The Status of Basic Education in Kisumu County (2014)

The Future of Children “Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Programs”, Vol. 5, No.3, p. 94, (1995).

Save the Children International, “Laying the Foundations; United Kingdom (2012)

United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment 7 (2005), ‘Implementing child rights in early childhood’, paragraphs 28-30.

*Cover Page image courtesy of Getty Images.


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