Educating a girl in urban slums means she will earn more and invest more of her earnings in her family, be less likely to contract HIV, and have fewer, healthier children who are more likely to reach adulthood. However, the lack of access to quality health care and resources often prevents girls from staying in school. The lack of value placed on women and girls means many of the most vulnerable girls never start school at all.
SHOFCO seeks to change this by linking tuition free schools for girls with holistic social services for the community at large. The SHOFCO model is centered around a school that provides a superior education with free health care, food, and psychosocial services. The school gives students the support they need to complete their education and the tools to find a path out of poverty for themselves and their families.
The Kibera and Mathare Schools for Girls create an enjoyable and stimulating environment for girls in Kenya's urban slums, where quality education is professionally planned, delivered and assessed. In this way, we are providing a safe, secure, and caring setting to develop the confidence, personality, and skills of each child. Our superior curriculum is well planned and executed by dedicated and brilliant teachers who go beyond classroom instruction. Teachers guide children to learn how to build relationships, their self-confidence and self-awareness, how to be effective communicators, creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, collaborators, and have great character.
Academic study is balanced with a wide range of other opportunities allowing all pupils to grow holistically. We better our children through a range of extracurricular activities which encompass games and sports, artistic activities like drama, music, poetry, dance, creative arts, and varied activities that are conducted in clubs and societies. The school facilitates teams to compete regularly; they have achieved numerous national awards, trophies, and accolades.
At KSG and MSG, we believe that our girls will be tomorrow’s leaders. This is a very critical part of our curriculum and we equip our girls with skills to ensure this. A girl who has a strong sense of self-worth becomes a confident, visionary decision maker, who can easily motivate others to work together. SHOFCO believes this will enable girls to play an important role in their communities now and in the future.
COVID-19 Response Update: The Kenya Ministry of Education closed schools starting in mid-March 2020. SHOFCO's schools have been closed, but we are working around the clock to continue to support our students. This includes providing them with materials and opportunities for remote learning, as well as access to healthcare and clean water and sanitation. Many families in Kibera and Mathare live hand-to-mouth and have lost their jobs and sources of income due to the pandemic. SHOFCO is working to distribute food to the most vulnerable students and their families, as many students rely on the nutritional meals they receive at school.
