Mac’s Child Care Centre is located in the Kasarani area in Nairobi. It is situated in a small muddy area, whereby during the rains it is not suitable for learning due to mudslides. Mac’s Child Care has been in existence for 27 years. It is a children’s centre that caters to 60 children, 20 being hosted with others helped from back home. They only rented two rooms from the building they have. They have classes ranging from classes 1- 5 and all the classes are divided into two. Children that are in the Centre are orphans, vulnerable with parents and vulnerable with HIV/AIDS. Nonetheless, their personalized learning is impressive as they offer a range of speciality programs including Advanced Placement, students' recreational activities and singing, Super Achievers, etc.
Feelings
I recall the first time I made my way to Mac’s Child Care Centre. It was my first time traversing through this side of Nairobi and I was a little bit intimidated by the place due to how it looked. I kept on wondering how there would be a whole other life on this side of the city that I had never explored. I finally got to Mac’s Child Care, and just when I walked in, it looked and felt like a dilapidated place.
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I am very fond of giving back to the community in any way. I think that giving a helping hand to someone who needs it could serve you well in so many ways. When I learnt that we were going to help teachers in the process of delivering education, I was in for this. I was already amazed by the organization and the way they have come together to serve the community. Being part of such a good cause was something I always wanted to be part of my community service.
Mac’s Child Care has a vision to change children and make it a better place with a well-represented society. I was impressed with its vision to offer basic education and make their people be exposed to general knowledge to be a more aware community. The students that are there are looking into making a better future for themselves, and this is the kind of drive we need in our next generation
As I went on with the community service, something that really caught my attention is the lengths people go through to obtain knowledge and get educated, while there are others who don’t even appreciate what they have. Growing up, I would always feel some type of way about almost every school I went to. I would always find a reason just to change schools, and just after a few days in Mac’s Child Care Centre, I can confidently say that I am so grateful for the education I managed to get and the comfort I got when getting educated. I felt so guilty for taking the good educational life I had for granted, and now I can even confidently encourage others to appreciate what life has to offer them.
Mac’s Child Care Centre established a building for the future children a care institute and is embarking on a fundraising campaign to benefit students in baby class to grade 4. The funds raised will support and enhance the learning environment in the core areas, academics, and buildings. Their goal is to nurture and raise the living standards and literacy of orphaned and vulnerable children and give them a strong and good foundation that will benefit them in the future. Mac’s Child Care is ambitious and knows that the results will have an impact on the current and future students and people who partake in their initiative as a member of their fundraising team will be proud. Specific plans include upgrading the classroom and dormitory environment, support for drama productions, reconfiguration and enhancements to buy study equipment like textbooks. With the help of the likes of USIU-Africa’s community service groups and initiatives, Mac’s Child Care Centre is positive that they could accomplish so much more.
SWOT Analysis
Personally, I think that the school has more strengths than anything else. The ability to offer education services to 60 students despite the poor conditions is already impeccable. The institution moulds and builds these students’ education life for them to have better futures. The biggest strength is these students leave with knowledge gained, and I totally applaud this. The institution offers daycare services to toddlers and little children. They take good care of them and feed them until their parents come for them. During this time they teach the kids nursery rhymes and also give them eating and potty training. This is so good since the parents can leave their kids and run errands while knowing their children are in safe hands.
Mac’s Child Care Centre is a community school which was started by a group of members of the Kasarani community. They attract well-wishers and donors who donate and fund the school. A good example is our students from USIU-Africa who have done their community project here and managed to build a few rooms that are used as a classroom, kitchen and offices. The students pay a minimal fee that is used to sustain and run the school. That same money is used to pay the teachers, as well as to support the welfare of the institution. The institution has managed to offer employment to the teachers and also the other staff like the subordinate staff like a cleaner and caretaker.
Another strength I have to point out is the fact that the institution has managed to discipline and reform some of the students who were going astray. The institution has succeeded in getting some of the students to enrol in the school and gain knowledge instead of wasting their time loitering around and getting into harmful activities like drug abuse and stealing. This move has brought good to society by ensuring the children do not go astray. Looking at the bigger picture, education will always be something that no one can steal from you. Offering education to these children growing up will eventually help them in future in pursuing their careers and doing something with their lives.
Something I will point out as a weakness is the location of the institution as the nature of the environment is quite compromising in terms of cleanliness and offering a healthy environment. There is so much dirt around the school area that could also be a health hazard. Textbooks and other educational materials are a challenge the students are facing. They have to share the textbooks and also manage to work with the limited materials, which can be a setback for the learning process.
The safety around the school is also another weakness because it is not the best. The community has tried to take measures and maintain safety around the area, but it also gets insecure sometimes. Most classes are made from aluminium sheets (mabati), and this is not the best material when it comes to conquering extreme weather. It gets really hot or cold sometimes, and this can be challenging for both the teachers and students. Generally, it is not the most conducive environment for the learning process.
The school gets well-wishers and donors who try and help the welfare of the institution. It may not be much, but at least the little they get helps them run the school and cater for their basic needs. The donors also go a further step and try to help out students who perform well in their KCPE final exam. These donors pay fees for the students to help them continue their education. The school offers education and learning facilities for the people and allows them to gain knowledge. The institution participates in inter-school activities like sports and academic competitions which allows them to interact with other children. However, the location of the institution is quite compromising and not the best learning environment, which serves as a threat to the learning process.
Incidences
I witnessed some positive and negative events while doing my community service at Mac’s Child Care Centre. During one particular time, there were two students who fought in school. Their parents were summoned to school and there was a bit of chaos following the incident. The institution offers a platform for misbehaving children and they try to reform them and discipline them, but this has led to a threat to the other kids sometimes. When a child is brought to be disciplined, the first days are the hardest since they try and rebel. Sometimes these kids try to start a fight with the other kids, which could lead to tension between the students.
Activities to Do at Mac’s Child Care Centre
I will teach class 5 math and Kiswahili where with twelve students in the classroom. I will equally teach class 1 environmental studies. In addition, I will mark books and supervise exams. I also intend to take the kids for P.E., i.e. physical education. Since I am a Muslim, will gather Muslim students in one class and recite prayers and sermons. I will also be in charge of the PPI class, i.e. Programme of Pastoral Instruction, on Fridays to provide moral teachings to upper primary Muslim students after break till lunchtime. This is to enable the pupils to obtain religious nourishment specifically in their Islamic faith.
We have equally been buying breaks for the young kids from the small shops around so that they have something to eat before lunchtime. In addition, due to the poor state and condition of the school, we buy stationery such as books and pencils for the kids to facilitate their learning processes.
Recommendations/Conclusions
Generally, my community service experience at Mac’s Child Care Centre has been worth the while. I got to learn about so many things that I would probably not have experienced thanks to this community service. I greatly commend USIU for this initiative in the curriculum because it has been a noble opportunity. The fact that it is in a slum made it even more humbling. The place is a very tough neighbourhood where many people struggle to even live from hand to mouth. It is much tougher for the kids because they depend on their parents who barely earn enough. This makes them have very impoverished upbringing and it affects very many facets of their lives. Particularly, attaining quality education is a challenge in such an environment. This makes the children have a compromised learning experience. The same occurs at Mac’s Child Care Centre because of the dilapidated nature of the environment and institution. The school is at the heart of a very deprived location, and the children barely have a quality life and quality education.
Doing community service at such a place is truly unprecedented to me. It made me realize how tough life is on the other side of huge poverty lines, and it truly enhanced a great level of sensitization in my heart. I now have a deep sense of knowledge regarding schools that are existent in hardship areas. In addition, I learnt that children who go to such schools only do so because they do not have any other alternative for the time being, but they all dream big to do great things with their lives in the future.
Giving back to the community in such a place is truly a great experience because it deserves the kind of hands-on activities that I did at the school. I made friends amongst some of the pupils and staff members that I believe will last for a protracted period. I also enjoy my time doing community service there and it was worth all the hours that I put in. All in all, I am inspired and grateful that I was part and parcel of Mac’s Child Care Centre when I signed up for the place. In as much as my community service class will come to an end, I will definitely be going back to the school periodically and giving back in terms of services and financial assistance.
I recommend the following:
- Mac’s Child Care Centre ought to have a website to create more awareness and outreach to both a national and international audience.
- The best pupils from Mac’s Child Care Centre should obtain scholarships until their tertiary education.
- The school needs to have renovations in terms of the amenities and books to boost the children’s learning experience.
- The school should incorporate a system that rewards the talented students brilliant in sports, arts, music, etc. so that they are able to advance their special abilities to a point they can use that to get out of poverty.
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