St. James Community Orphans School

St. James Community Orphans School is a community owned school whose idea was conceived to the challenges that the community has been with over the years. For a long time, parents have passed on leaving their children to be orphans who are either total or partial. Due to constant and continuous death and other related issues, the number of these orphans grew to an escalating rate which eventually led to call for intervention. It is this regard the school has taken good care of most of these orphans since school opened its doors on the 9th January 2012 hitherto St. James Community School is located in Mfangano Island, Homabay county in Kenya. It’s one of the many islands in Lake Victoria with several beaches. Being an island with many fishing beaches, it’s prone to a unique lifestyle that contributes to high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS which leads to many orphans St. James School is addressing three major problems 1. Free education for these orphans 2. Poor nutrition 3. Alarming low levels of domestic income among caregivers households In 2014, the school started with a population of 45 orphans represented in three kindergarten classes, with 3 teachers. To date the school is enjoying a population of 112 both total and partial orphans aged between 3 years to 12 years. The school has seven classes with 8 teachers. LOCATION: The school is located within Mfangano Island, Waware sub-location, Mfangano north location, Mfangano division, Mbita Sub-county of Homa-bay County. PUPIL POPULATION: 112 CLASSROOMS: 7 TEACHERS: 8 CLASSES: Baby class, Nursery class, Pre-unit class, Standard one to four SPONSORS: Community sponsored VISION:” To be an exemplary Centre of excellence in quality holistic, academic education provision within the community” MISSION:” To provide accessible and acceptable education to the less fortunate professionally, and in a formal manner that can be realized from within and without the community” MOTTO:” Arise and shine for a better life”. OBJECTIVE: To be the school within the island in helping provide for the welfare and well-being of the numerous orphans and destitute left behind as a result of HIV/AIDS pandemic. VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES: Since the school’s inception in 2012, the school has various volunteer activities. Among them being: a) In 2012 (May-August), we received two volunteer teachers who helped the school in teaching `of physical ad vocation (P.E). The volunteers were from Italy. b) (Jan-Feb) 2013, the school, got one volunteer (male) from Japan who helped in the school garden. c) (May-June), we had 2 volunteers (a couple) from USA, Michigan who helped the teaching of health and sanitation lessons. Security for our volunteers has always been our number one priority. Moreover, the school is situated barely 600m from the police post We also have a Government of Kenya dispensary within the same area to carter for health emergency that might arise The school is committed to offering hope to children and especially who are vulnerable to societal risks and this call for community of efforts.