Project AIEd Kenya

Transforming Education Through Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Empty laboratories are a common sight in schools in Western Kenya. Lack of equipment and supplies. reduces stem education to memorization of information provided by the teacher. consequently, education becomes teacher centered rather than student centered project-based learning.

How big is the problem? According to the Kenya-Demographic and Health Survey (2014), 18% of adolescent women age 15-19 are already mothers or pregnant with their first child! At the county level, early childbearing is…highest in Samburu, Nyamira, Tana River, West Pokot, Homa Bay, and Narok (more than 25 percent each). It is also reported that “teenagers from the poorest households are more likely to have begun childbearing (26 percent) than teenagers from the wealthiest households (10 percent)”.

Highest Burden of Teenage Pregnancies: Counties with the highest burden of teenage pregnancies include Narok, in which 40 per cent of its teenagers became pregnant. It is followed by Homa Bay at 33 per cent, West Pokot 29 per cent, Tana River 28 per cent, Nyamira 28 per cent, Samburu 26 per cent, while Migori and Kwale both stand at 24 per cent. In Coast, Tana River, Kwale and Kilifi counties have the highest prevalence rate of teenage pregnancies. This is according to the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 2015). Read more.

Association with Higher Morbidity and Mortality: As it is, teenage pregnancy and motherhood have remained a major health and social concern because of its association with higher morbidity and mortality for both the mother and the child. Further, childbearing during the teenage years has other adverse social consequences, particularly for female educational achievement, as women who become mothers in their teens are more likely to curtail education. (Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS), 2014). Read more.

Poor learning and teaching conditions often cause demotivation, boredom, idleness, and mischief.
Overcrowding forces schools to sit students outside classrooms while doing tests and examinations
Overcrowded hostels do not help retention of girls in schools.
Walking long distances to school often under hostile weather conditions and having to cross flooded swamps and broken bridges because of overcrowded hostels demotivates girls to study and encourages them to drop out of school.
Many students who are not able to afford bicycles often have to abandon schooling because of long distances to school.

THE IMPACT OF POOR TEACHING AND LEARNING CONDITIONS

Poor learning and teaching conditions, related student demotivation, boredom, idleness, and mischief are implicated in high rates of early marriages, incest, school dropout, as well as teen pregnancy. However, this list is not exhaustive. In particular, perceptions, attitudes, and socio-economic status of students, families, and communities also impact early marriages, incest, school dropout, as well as teen pregnancy.

Restoring Shattered Dreams!

This project dubbed, ‘Restoring shattered dreams’ will focus on supporting young mothers in their re-entry back to school after childbirth and expand access to education for out-of-school teenage mothers in Narok, Homa Bay and Kilifi Counties. It will have a key focus on empowering the teen mother to reconstruct her identity from viewing herself as a failure and a loser in life to embracing her dreams as valid and getting a second chance in life. Moreover, the project will also support the young mothers in secondary schools to uptake science subjects so as to boost the STEM Workforce so urgently needed by the Kenya national economy, while earning sustainable incomes for their families.

Pilot Study: This will be a pilot project for out-of-school teenage mothers in Narok, Homa Bay and Kilifi Counties. and will be replicated in other locations upon successful implementation.

Key Focus: Furthermore, the project will have a key focus of empowering the teen mother to reconstruct her identity from viewing herself as a failure and a loser in life to embracing her dreams as valid and getting a second chance in life. Moreover, the project will also support the young mothers in secondary schools to uptake science subjects so as to boost the STEM Workforce so urgently needed by the Kenya national economy, while earning sustainable incomes for their families. This will be a pilot project and will be replicated in other locations upon successful implementation.

Beneficiaries: Supporting young mothers in their re-entry back to school after childbirth and expand access to education for out-of-school teenage mothers in Narok, Homa Bay and Kilifi Counties. Read more.

Benefits: Improved re-admission and reintegration of teenage mothers back to school and their communities after childbirth with the focused enhancement of access to STEM education for the target group in Narok, Homa Bay and Kilifi Counties.