In February, our team was impressed by the exploration visit with INTERFELK and its partners of the Kisumu Street ChildrenRehabilitation Consortium. Thanks to a wide variety of programmes such as formal schools, a girls empowerment centre, a clinic, and a drop-in centre for street-connected children, INTERFELK has a massive impact on children and young people in Kisumu. The organisation learned about the mobile school methodology via its partnership with our other Kenyan partner Inuka Pamoja in Eldoret. Immediately it was clear the tool could also reach many street-connected children in Kisumu, and with the help of the team of Child Rescue Kenya in Kitale, the mobile school was transferred and prepared for the new start with INTERFELK.
During the implementation trainings in Kisumu, the team conducted three outreach sessions to introduce the mobile school to the children. The first session was organised in the Kisumu Remand Home, where it was warmly welcomed by a large group of children and youngsters who are in conflict with the law. During a second session, the team went out to the community of Nyalenda, were the organisation also runs a drop-in centre for children living on the streets. On the last day, the mobile school was also introduced to the organisation KUAP-Pandipieri. The community of Pandipieri has a population of about 100.000 people and is one of the poorest areas of the city of Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. At KUAP-Pandipieri, both street-connected children as children from the community gather for different activities. Here also, the children and the educators had a great time playing the different educational games and exploring the potential of the mobile school.
In the coming months, the team of INTERFELK and the members of the Consortium will continue to take out the mobile school 3times per week to build a solid trust relationship with street-connected children in Kisumu.
