The concept of Children In Freedom School came about in 2009, when Dr Utheri Kanayo (née Susan Kiragu), working as a researcher with the University of Cambridge (research was funded by The Commonwealth Education Trust), was exposed to poverty in 16 primary schools in 5 Counties of Kenya. For the first time in her life she met children who lacked the basic resources of life, and whose cultures and school curriculum impeded their opportunity to exploit their talent to the fullest.
For example: – Children came to school hungry having not eaten the previous night or that morning.
Children In Freedom School – Children were sent home from school because they could not afford to pay the school going costs (school and exam fees, tuition fees, uniform, books and stationary, desks, wages for subordinate staff like cooks and watchman). These costs even though ‘minimal’, were unaffordable to them. For example, exam fees where £1 per term, and cooks wages of £1.5 per month.
Children walked up to four hours one way to school because they lived so far away from the only school in the location or village. Such children would leave the house as early as 4am and walk through semi-arid terrain in the dark. These children were at risk of being harmed by wild animals and being victims of sexual abuse from men who waylaid them in the bushes. Two girls were reported to have been raped.
Girls did not have sanitary towels and would either miss school when they were on their period or use alternative absorbent materials. For example, some girls would tie their sweaters under their skirts or use old cloths that they had to wash after use.
There was gender in-balance in some schools’ infrastructure. In several schools there were fewer toilets for girls, and in one of the school, the girls’ toilets did not have doors. This made going to the toilet difficult for girls, and they would have to go in a group to create a human barrier for privacy.
Some girls were going to undergo female circumcision and eventually be married off young and then drop out of school.
Children (especially girls) repeated classes after failing their end of year exams. Their achievement and advancement in education was pegged ONLY on their academic performance.