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Kakamega County, Kenya
Mercy* dreamed of becoming a teacher after school, but her family couldn’t afford the college fees. She married soon after finishing school and moved to the city with her husband, where they took on casual jobs to make ends meet. With the cost of rent and food rising, they returned home to the village where they could farm and grow food to feed their young children.
Like many, Mercy parented her own children based on her upbringing. Strict discipline was considered necessary in the home, and education was seen as solely the teacher’s responsibility.
Through parental engagement workshops at her children’s school, she began to see things differently. Mercy learned about positive parenting: how to understand her children’s emotions and to support their learning at home.
Pursue helped her engage with her children on a deeper and more thoughtful level. Mercy now feels more confident as a parent and takes an active role in her children’s education.
With the help of positive parenting workshops, I’ve been able to build a strong bond with my daughter and learnt how to guide her with love.
Mercy
*Not their real name
In Kakamega County, many community schools operate with few resources and little access to trained teachers or government support. Children are eager to learn, but without foundational literacy skills, their future opportunities narrow dramatically.
One in three young children can’t read a single word. Without urgent support, many students will continue falling behind.
Through teacher training, literacy support, child safeguarding, positive discipline and parent engagement, we can create safer learning environments where children thrive.
