Shining Star ECDC and Orphans School

The School was founded in 1999 by Mr. Hevrone Killmess Mairah due to lack of access to educational institutions in the area due to its remote setting, challenges posed by orphans the majority of whose parents are ravaged by HIV/AIDS pandemic and the high illiteracy levels within the community coupled high unemployment. The School has a population of 360 children, 11 teachers and 5 support staff.

HIV and AIDS education is an essential part of HIV prevention. In Kenya AIDS education is part of the curriculum in both Primary and Secondary Schools and for a number of years Kenya has delivered educational campaigns to raise nationwide awareness on the issue. Nearly all adults aged 15-64 had heard about AIDS, nine out of ten adults knew that a healthy-looking person could be infected with HIV and most knew how to reduce their chances of becoming infected with the virus. Awareness of the need to use condoms was high with 75 percent of women and 81 percent of men in this age group aware that condoms reduce the risk of HIV infection.

The School has classes from Kindergarten to Standard eight. Shining Star ECDC and Orphans School is a community based education institution and caters for the needs of the orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) that had been rendered destitute. Fishing is the mainstay of the local community thanks to the expansive Lake Victoria. Due to the easy cash courtesy of the Lake, young people have been lured to drop out of School to engage in fishing and this has negatively impacted on the community since it has resulted in early marriages, school drop outs, early and unplanned pregnancies not forgetting the spread of HIV/AIDS that has resulted in increased number of OVC’s in the community. Community empowerment is crucial in achieving the overall objective of attaining sustainable development. 

Project activities:
- Early childhood development; basic primary school education;
- This year 2015 the School has launched the secondary school section with the first students’ intake launched in February 2015.
- Care and support orphans and vulnerable Children and HIV/AIDS families;
- Enhancement of community empowerment trainings; ICT promotion and development in the local area and capacity building for community based organizations.

Volunteers' activities:
- Teaching primary school pupils : languages (any of these subjects: English, French and German)
- Development of club activities in the school
- Promotion of sports and extra curriculum activities such as physical education; working in the school garden, organize games, songs, dance and other creative educational activities 
- Submit project report to KVDA

Expected results: increased literacy level in the community; elimination of the culture of dependence among the community members through open discussions and conversations; emergence of good citizens and leaders that will be able to take responsibility of the development needs of the local community.