Back to school… or not …?!

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, schools in Kenya and Uganda closed their doors. And now more than 9 months (in Uganda even 11 months) after closure, the full reopening of the learning institutions remains a big puzzle.

In both Kenya and Uganda, the closure affected more than 15 million students, who have already missed almost an entire year of school because they were at home. WHO and UNICEF have previously shared concerns that such a long school closure will lead to an increase in teenage pregnancies, malnutrition and early school leavers. And now that the schools are (partly) open again, it becomes clear what was already feared that many children do not register.

The largest percentage that does not report is girls. The reason why they do not report to school has not yet been determined, but teenage pregnancies and / or marriage is very plausible. A government official from the Ministry of Health in Nandi County (population 750,000) in Northern Kenya reports that in that region alone, 289 girls between the ages of 10 and 14 became pregnant between January and September last year, while another 5,717 girls between 15 and 19 years of age became pregnant.

In addition, the corona lockdown has also significantly increased unemployment, leaving parents unable to pay for school uniforms, books, face masks and transportation. Cycling out of Poverty is therefore taking action and wants to equip 300 students with a bicycle and face masks so that they can safely return to school.
Support a student and help them get back to school!