Why A Kenyan School?
The Nambale Magnet School Founder:
Evalyn Wakhusama
Evalyn Wakhusama, a native Kenyan, came to the US in 1999, under scholarship to obtain her masters degree at Yale University in New Haven, CT. While at Yale, the Cornerstone Project founders met Evalyn and developed a very close relationship with her during the three years she was in Connecticut.
The integrity of her intention to use her education to empower the people of her Kenyan hometown was deeply moving. She wanted to promote self-sufficiency for those in her community who are living at extreme poverty levels – a significant undertaking in light of current poverty level and the AIDS pandemic.
We were struck by Evalyn’s innate leadership skills and recognized that her strength and courage would create significant changes in this impoverished region of Western Kenya. It was during her stay in Connecticut the concept of the Nambale Magnet School was born.
She left the US in 2002, and the following year she established a charitable organization which would endeavor to build the Nambale Magnet school. The WIKS (Women’s Initiative for Knowledge and Survival) organization, under the direction of its founder Evalyn Wakhusama, from the Western Kenya, is currently dedicated to the creation of the Nambale Magnet School and has the full support of the Cornerstone Project Inc. .
We realized Evalyn shared our charity’s commitment to self-sustainability, both financially and environmentally and it became evident that our two charitable organizations could work in concert to make this school a reality for Nambale.
The Kenyan Charity
Upon returning to Kenya in 2002, Evalyn Wakhusama founded a Kenyan non-governmental charitable organization entitled “WIKS”. WIKS is an acronym for Women’s Initiative for Knowledge and Survival in Kenya.
Education and empowerment of women is at the crux of WIKS-Kenya’s mission statement. Their mission is to empower historically disadvantaged populations, particularly impoverished women and children.
The following UN Statistics validate the tangible benefits of such an empowerment initiative
- One study on women farmers in Kenya concluded that crop yields could be increased by 24 percent if all women farmers had a primary education.
- 37.7 percent of households are headed by women in the Western district of Kenya (highest of all provinces).
- Only 41.6 percent of women in Kenya feel that they are the sole decision-maker when it comes to their own health care.
The AIDS Pandemic
In Sub-Saharan Africa
The AIDS pandemic has had a particularly harsh impact on the children in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned in sub-Saharan Africa
- One out of every 9 children, under the age of 15, has lost both parents to AIDS/HIV related diseases (2002 UN AIDS survey)
In Kenya
Kenya has begun addressing the AIDS pandemic and its impact, particularly in Nairobi and the eastern provinces, but very little exists in the Western Province.
In Kenya’s Western Province, the AIDS pandemic is currently most rapidly expanding along the truck routes, leaving in its wake children who are in critical need of support.
Kenyan Statistics
The impact of the AIDS pandemic in Kenya has been catastrophic.
- Kenya’s average rate of HIV infection is 6.1% of the population
- In the Busia District of the Western Kenya Province, where the Nambale Magnet School is located, the HIV statistics are 30%; fives times more prevalent than the nation
The astounding number of AIDS-related adult fatalities has had devastating consequences on the orphan population.
- There are 2.4 million orphans in Kenya 7
- Approximately half of these (1,149,000 children) are orphans as a result of the AIDS pandemic 7
Further, Kenya’s overall population has shifted in composition.
- 42 percent of the Kenyan population is under the age of 15, as compared to 20% in the U.S.
Kenyan Orphans
The resources to assist children orphaned by AIDS in the rural Western Province of Kenya are woefully inadequate supply, and virtually no residential school facilities exist for them.
As the AIDS pandemic continues to diminish the adult Kenyan population, life for the orphans is increasingly difficult.
The fortunate ones are taken in by already impoverished, extended family members
Sadly, the less fortunate orphans are forced to live on the streets, resorting to theft or child prostitution in order to survive their every day life. Alternatively, these children may become involved in child labor.
Most orphans are not able to attend school, thereby limiting their chance to become contributing citizens of their community
The youthful population must be educated and nurtured in order to survive and create the foundation for a stable Kenyan society.