Nairobi

Sponsor Site Name: Nairobi
Administrator: Mr. Stephen Tabiro
Work Focus: Starehe Boys School.

Mr. Stephen Tabiro currently is the administrator of the Chalice sponsor site in the Starehe Boys School in Nairobi, Kenya. At Starehe, boys who come from poor families in Kenya are given the opportunity to study towards a university education. A place at Starehe Boys' School is granted to students who have placed well in their primary leaving examinations. Sponsorship helps those boys whose families cannot afford to send them to secondary school. Help is given with boarding costs and educational materials. Most of the students who graduate from Starehe Boys' School go on to university studies.

Director's Report 2012 - Starehe Boys' School, Nairobi, Kenya

Greetings from Starehe Boys’ Centre and may the peace of God be with you! Thank you very much for your generous support this last year. Starehe Boys Centre was proud to celebrate on 14th July 2012 the 53rd Founders Day where His Excellency the President Mwai Kibaki, who is also the patron of our school, graced the Occasion. This year we have 947 boys of whom 665 (70.22%) are beneficiaries of charitable education. Our Site’s main objective is to provide quality and holistic education to disadvantaged boys from every part of the country to enable them to become self-reliant and of good service to the community. In the last one year, God has been very gracious to us and through your generous support we have been able to accomplish much.

FORM 1 ADMISSION 2012 - In January 2012, we admitted 258 form one boys from all over Kenya. 193, (about 75%) come from very poor backgrounds and the Centre will pay for their education. Our intake has increased by one class of 37 boys and this has enabled as to offer more support to children in need.

EDUCATION - We provided secondary and tertiary education to our students. The tertiary education is comprised of Computer studies and Accountancy. Our ICT Programme was officially launched this year and enables students from other schools to access lessons from Starehe Boys’ Centre. The success of our training is reflected in the good academic performance by all our students. The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination results for 2011 reported that of 203 students the breakdown of results was as follows; A plain-54, A Minus-71, B plus-35, B plain-29, B minus-12, C Plus-2. All our students therefore qualified for university entry.

MEDICAL CARE - We have a clinic in the school where all the children are attended to when they are sick. In the last one year we had several cases of minor ailments such as fever, Malaria, allergies, stomach aches, and headaches. All these were attended by our medical personnel. However, we also had a few serious cases including fractures, bronchitis and asthma which we referred for specialized treatment.

NUTRITION AND BOARDING - We provide a daily balanced diet to our children. Chalice has provided both chicken and cows to our school farm where the boys learn about agriculture and eveironmental sustainability. The chickens lay enough eggs to provide a much needed source of protein for our growing boys and the cows produce enough milk for their breakfast. Part of the milk produced is also used by boys who have been prescribed special diet.

Through the Chalice Gift Catalogue we have also been able to purchase blankets, mattresses and mosquito nets which have greatly benefited our students by providing comfortable accommodation and assisting in the prevention of Malaria. The Gift Catalogue has also enabled us to renovate our playing fields for our sports and recreation programmes.

SPECIAL GIFTS - Many thanks to all Sponsors for the special money which has been spent by our boys to purchase clothes, stationery and books. Birthday and family gifts have brought lots of joy to the families. From Chalice we also receive rice, beans and cooking oil for all the sponsored boys. These foodstuffs were taken to the families on holidays to ensure proper nutrition while the boys are on home leave.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - Alongside our academics are co-curricular activities that we have taken part in for the last one year. Your support ensures our students have a well rounded education. They include: Voluntary Service Scheme - Celebrating 45 years of service Starehe Boys are renowned for giving back to the community what they have gained through two to three weeks of voluntary service in government hospitals, government registries, and corporate institutions and even Chalice offices among other places. First aid - St. John Ambulance Cadets continue to play their role in the school as well as to the community. Scouting - For the last year, both the junior and the senior troops have really shown their prowess in many events, including in their competitions where they keep very high standards of performance. Sports - A Starehe student is expected to be an all rounded person participating in sports such as volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, football, tchouk ball, field hockey, basketball and others. Music - this year our inter-house music gala featuring traditional African as well as western choral music in the Kenya Music festivals scored Top nationally. The School Band also entertains guests during flag days. Mombasa Camp – Students are taken to camp in Coastal Kenya (Mombasa) for holiday to visit various sites in the Coastal area, learn to swim, explore the sea and enjoy games. The camp provides for the boys a once in a life time opportunity to grow culturally and learn new social skills. In 2013, with Chalice we hope to improve and expand this facility so that in the future it can be used by students from other Chalice sites for learning and leadership development of our most talented sponsored children. School Exchange Programme - our students were able to exchange ideas and dreams with students of Ambrae Academy in Canada via Skype and letters forging global friendships and expanding young minds. Ending this year we are proud to announce that in 2013 we will have a new Sub Site – our sister school Starehe Girls Centre will join the Chalice Sponsorship Programme. This is indeed wonderful news as the importance of gender equality in education continues to be a struggle for much of Kenya.

In conclusion, dear Sponsors, please be assured that your generosity ensures a safe and hopeful future for our students. May the Almighty God bless you and your families and keep you in perfect health.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Kithyaka, OGW
DIRECTOR