ECCD KISUMU HOMA BAY BONDO

IT TAKES A VILLAGE
A Plan Kenya DraftReporton Early Childhood Care & Developmentin HOMA
BAY, BONDOAND KISUMU

IT TAKES A VILLAGE 2014
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Put the tree straight whileitis growing, whenithas hardened itcannotbe
done – Swahili Proverb

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Compiled and Edited by Pauline Odhiambo
For PLAN INTERNATIONAL
December 2014

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Preface
“How you bring up a child determines what they shall become, if the foundation is bad then the
same shall be of the child. But if the foundation is good, the child shall grow well” – pearls of
wisdom from Mercyline Kasuvu Mwanzo, a 25 year old mother of one in Homa Bay county and
additionally an ECCD parenting facilitator with PLAN International.
Mercycline is just one of hundreds of parents in the county among whom emphasis on early
childhood care and development is gradually gaining ground.
Within the counties of Bondo and Kisumu, many more parents, teachers and government
representatives are working in collaboration with PLAN and various relevant community based
organizations to achieve levels of academic and personal excellence often hoped for by many
parents for their children.
The idea that learning only begins in primary school is a notion PLAN diligently works to dispel
within these three regions and beyond. That a child should gain admission into school only by
their ability in stretching their right hand over their head to touch their left ear or vice versa
seems a rather distant memory in Kenyan colonial history but nonetheless an inefficient
method in gauging the full potential of children between the zero to eight (0-8) age group
where early childhood care and development is concerned.
PLAN’s approach is to focus on high impact but low cost community managed systems in Early
Childhood Care & Development within which a Community Led Action for Children (CLAC)
model is used in parenting education, community-based early learning programmes and in
facilitating smooth transition in primary school as well as in enhancing advocacy partnerships
that promote the process.
Parents of children in the zero to eight age cluster are increasingly enrolling their children in
ECCD classrooms but where some parents feel their children are still “too young” for school

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others are paying up to 200 shillings in monthly payments for each child within the ECCD
program in an attempt to give their children an early start in formal education.
Though studies have shown that pre-school education has a decisive effect on how a child
learns throughout their life, early childhood education is still perceived as non-compulsory in
some areas in Kisumu, Bondo, Homa Bay and other regions beyond the scope of this report.1
Additionally, because the education system in Kenya is largely examination oriented, ECCD has
in many cases failed to be considered as part of basic education in certain regions as pre-
primary learning is often not exam-oriented.
This report, with emphasis on real life situations addresses the need for proper nutrition as in
school feeding programmes which support early development, the importance of play, hygiene
and also matters of love, communication and respect at a household level within the region and
beyond.
Starting at the Beginning – The Role of ECCD
Research shows that it matters very little the specific kind of pre-school program attended in
early childhood development. What matters more is that pre-school experience helps low-
income children narrow the achievement gap separating them from more advantaged
children.2
Research also shows that holistic care and stimulation before birth and throughout the early
years (0-8) builds strong foundations for children’s growth and development. A child’s first
days, months and years – particularly from prenatal until the age of eight – are crucial. These
first years determine how well a child’s brain matures, their ability to develop language skills
and to interact with society. Ultimately, this period shapes the rest of their childhood,
adolescence and adult life.3
Worldwide, more than 200 million children under five do not reach their full developmental
potential due to the absence of early childhood care programmes. In developing countries,
poverty, a lack of good nutrition, care and stimulation means nearly 40 per cent of children
under five fail to reach their milestones for cognitive development. Those who do reach
primary school often lack the basic skills to develop or learn in a classroom setting. This leads to
1 Kisumu County Education Network & County Director of Education Kisumu County, The Status of Basic Education
in Kisumu County (Nairobi:K-CEN, 2014),pp 19 – 23.
2 The Future of Children “Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Programs”,Vol. 5, No.3, p. 94.
3 “Laying the Foundations”Save the Children International,p.2.

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high numbers of children dropping out of education, potentially adding to the 67 million
children who are already out of school.4
Like in many other developing countries, Kenya faces grim economic challenges with an
estimated 46 per cent of Kenya’s current population – including an approximate 9 million
children - living below the poverty line. While the first ECD centers in Kenya emerged in the
1940s, a 2009 Census Report showed that only 2.2 million of 6 million children aged 3-6 in
Kenya are enrolled in pre-school.5
Known variously as pre-schools, nursery schools, day nurseries, day care centers and
kindergartens, over 70 percent of these schools are started and managed by local communities
who establish and maintain them in addition to paying their teachers. ECD centers have in the
recent years risen in number as more parents acknowledge the role of early childhood
development education as crucial in determining the type of adult that will emerge from the
child.6
A child’s brain is by the age of five 80 percent developed and in need of constant stimulation for
optimum development. An increase in investment in ECCD Centers therefore plays a significant
role not only in social adjustment but also in poverty reduction and economic advancement.7
ECCD Centers in Homa Bay, Bondo & Kisumu: An
Overview
On a superficial level, the ECCD programmes in all three counties seem fairly developed – the
necessary structures such as DICECE and ECCD teachers are in place but what is lacking is the
quality of ECCD services many of which have been found wanting and in need of reconstruction.
Inappropriate teaching methods in addition to inadequate teaching and learning materials as
well as poor infrastructural facilities have over the years characterized ECCD centers many of
which have been found lacking in essential school feeding programmes known to promote
enrollment.
Indeed, there has been low appreciation among parents especially in rural areas within these
regions with many failing to see the rationale behind paying for an ECDE child while primary
education is ‘free’.
4 Ibid.
5Indakwa,E, & Miriti,G,“Models of Best Practices in Community Based Early Childhood Development”, p.6
6 Ibid,p.12
7 Ibid.

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While many of teachers are trained, many still expressed the desire to be supported with
further training. The untrained teachers revealed that they have been unable to take advantage
of the national DICECE training programme as they lack the finances in undertaking either the
certificate or Diploma course which cost roughly Ksh50,000 and Ksh100,000 respectively.
Teacher salaries range from as little as Ksh 500, to Ksh20,000 per month with slightly better
conditions in Kisumu County where those employed by the Municipal Council of Kisumu earn
between Ksh13,000 and 18,000 a month. In many rural ECDE centers (as in Bondo and
Homabay and indeed some parts in Kisumu), teachers in public or community-owned centers
earn between Ksh1000 to Ksh6000 per month. Coupled with irregular payment (some teachers
go up to four months without any pay), the perceived disparities in teacher salaries lead to low
morale among ECDE teachers who do not belong to existing mainstream teacher unions. (K-
CEN, 2014 p.5)
Program Unit Manager for PLAN Kenya in Kisumu Martin Ombima says parenting education and
initiatives towards making ECD schools child friendly go a long way in improving the quality of
ECCD services. “We know that they are so many stakeholders involved in this sector [because] it
takes a lot of resources to implement early childhood development and care initiatives,” Martin
says of the effort by PLAN in improving ECCD conditions in the three counties.“Our
recommendation would be to work in partnerships in other organizations as these initiatives
have been undertaken only in a few sub-locations. Our plan is to scale it up to a larger area and
passing ECD information to a larger mass which will help in raising the nation.”
In all the three counties, ECDE classrooms and the surrounding physical environment including
outdoor spaces are generally in poor condition. Both the public and community-owned ECDE
centers often do not meet the National Early Childhood Development Service Standard and
Guidelines as many of centers are too small [less than 8 × 6 metres) and are dilapidated.
As such, a partnership between PLAN and other relevant stakeholders including county
authorities goes a long way in encouraging a smooth transition for children from their homes to
ECDE centers better equipped for learning.
“They [PLAN] have found us to be like-minded because their scope of work involves looking
after the ECCD program just as we do”, says Gedrick John Omiti ECD Program Co-coordinator
for Rarieda sub-county, Bondo. “A number of the works they are implementing like child
protection, health and nutrition are our core duties as DICECE and as the Ministry of Education
concerned with the early years of the child”.

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In Homabay County, poverty levels exceed 50 percent and as such inform the lack of resources
to invest in the development of ECDE centers.8 This has in turn led to a widespread poor state
in classroomand sanitation facilities eveninBondoandKisumuwhere poverty rate in both counties
is in above 45 percent. As such, many of the ECDE centers in the three counties have no fenced
(play) area while in others learning equipment, also used in play, is virtually nonexistent.
In Kisumu, only 37 percent of a sampled 84 schools in the region offer some form of feeding
programmes to pupils. About 17 percent of the schools sampled offered enriched porridge for
ECD children while 56 percent schools did not. (K-CEN, 2014 p.6) In many of the public schools,
de-worming and immunization follow-ups are done at least once a year but with no proper
health records for students are kept in the school.
“De-worming drives in the schools are part of a campaign called ‘Malezi Bora’ by the Ministry of
Health and supported by PLAN. We facilitate them in terms of transport for the CHWs while the
ministry provides the de-worming drugs”, says Edith Apiyo, ECCD Program Manager for PLAN
Kenya in Seme, Kisumu County. “A tin of de-worming medicine has about 1000 tablets which is
enough for two schools. We normally work with CHWs who help in de-worming all the children
from ECD baby class to Class 8. We even give some tablets to the teachers”.
In Seme sub-county, Kuoyo Kaila Primary School is among the schools PLAN works to improve
early learning conditions. With about 500 students, the school has since been recognized by the
Ministry of Education as having the best organized feeding programme and the best ECCD
teacher within the region.
As previously mentioned, pre-primary education in Kenya before 1980 was largely the
responsibility of the local communities, individual investors and non-governmental
organizations among them churches and other voluntary organizations. The government
assumed responsibility at the district and municipal levels by establishing District Centers for
Early Childhood Education (DICECE) and Municipal Centers for Early Childhood Education
(MUCECE) – both are responsible for implementing ECD programmes, training pre-school
teachers, inspecting schools and carrying out parental and community awareness programs.
It has indeed been repeatedly noted that most parents in disadvantaged and marginalized
across the country have limited knowledge on holistic and comprehensive child-rearing. While
the majority of ECD centers sponsored by parents and local communities are of a semi-
permanent kind (mud floors, wood walls and iron sheet roofing) several two-year olds as well
as children over six are attending pre-primary schools. An example of this is Kibuye Primary
School in Bondo where some of the children graduating to Class One in 2015 are old enough to
be in Class Two or Three. The Head teacher at the school attributes the presence of two-year
8 Strategic Plan for Homabay County 2013 -2023

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old at the school to regular parenting sessions organized by PLAN which have helped improve
awareness on the importance of early learning as well as a feeding program that ensures
children are fed in school when not much is to be had at home.
In 2006, the government provided community support grants totaling Kshs 300 million to 4,000
ECDE Centers around the country. Kisumu Municipality received Kshs 2,270,373 (one percent of
the total funding) and the funds benefitted 1,533 students at 21 centers. Each public school was
granted Ksh1,481 per child and the funds were used majorly for teachers’ salaries,
infrastructure improvements and purchase of learning materials. With many of these ECDE
centers attached to primary schools, the head teachers to these primary schools often greatly
influence the allocation process.9
Generally, many of the public ECD Centers in all three counties have been found to be in poor
condition. The worst case scenario is repeatedly witnessed where pupils learn under trees
because of lack of classrooms or insufficient space in the available classrooms.
In several of the rural areas, facilities in ECDE centers compared to primary schools are often in
worse condition. The situation is exacerbated by head teachers who upon completion of
structures built for ECDE either by NGOs and other devolved funds from the government,
usually take over transforming the centers into primary classrooms, staffrooms and
administration blocks. Their decision to occupy the newly establish ECDE Centers is driven by
lack of enough structures in the primary schools to accommodate security of equipment bought
or rented. The newly built classrooms are usually equipped with re-enforced protective doors
and windows and therefore a critical security guarantee for teachers. The head teachers while
proving the above assertion to be true, agreed that ECDE classrooms constructed by well-
wishers in public schools are only occupied by teachers and school administration only upon
urgency.
In both Dunya and Kibuye Primary schools in Bondo, PLAN has facilitated the construction of
new ECCD classrooms barely over a year old. “The books and other material used by the
children are stored in the classrooms because they are safer there and conveniently close to
the children who can get them whenever they need them”, says Kibuye Primary School Head
teacher Bernadette Nyambok. Though the primary school classroom have reinforced doors,
their windows are without safety glass and therefore vulnerable to rain and other elements.
Adequate sanitary facilities (toilets and water) is additionally a major challenge in ECD centers.
The survey reveals that although 89 percent of the schools have ECDE centers, 66 percent of
these centers share toilets with a primary school. For this, PLAN has provided water tanks with
9 K-CEN, 2014 p. 19.

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most set up in close proximity to ECD classrooms and further rehabilitated some of the toilets
used by the students.10
In an attempt to address the ECDE challenges and to strengthen key elements within the 2005
Sessional paper No.1, the current draft ECDE policy framework emphasizes that the central
government working in tandem with the respective county governments, must ensure the
following. First, mainstream ECDE into basic education and ensure automatic transition from
ECDE to primary education across the country, facilitate the promotion of grants for learning
material as well as teacher’s salaries and lastly, promote increase in private sector financing of
ECDE services.
By June 2013, there were 1445 ECDE and 708 primary schools both public and private within
Kisumu County. Whereas the number of pupils in ECDE centers was generally higher, transition
from ECDE to Class One appeared broken with 4 boys and 3 girls having dropped out essentially
in each of the 84 schools sampled without being able to access Class One. The survey revealed
the dropout was due to the fact that simple interview and basic assessment have with time
been changed to comprehensive evaluations that are no longer logically comprehensible for a 4
to 6 years old child. Of the schools sampled, up to 80 percent indicated that they administered
some form of exams to children from ECDE before they join Class One while 14 percent of
schools did not. This contributes to a disruption in smooth transition for children in ECDE
centers. 11
“The ECD child is supposed to be developed in all perspectives that is, cognitively in terms of
mental, social, physical, emotional, moral and spiritual development. We mobilize parents and
schools so that all these echelons of development are taken care of because if one aspect of
development is left out, the others are also affected”, Gedrick John Omiti ECD Program Co-
coordinator for Rarieda sub-county explains.
Co-curricular activities like sports, theatre and music however receive little attention in spite of
the fact that they contribute to the overall growth and maturity of the child. Playing grounds
have reduced in size with more energy being directed towards academic performance and not
in nurturing their talents. Of the schools sampled in Kisumu County, only 65 percent had well-
kept playing grounds while 27 percent had sharp and dangerous objects. A total 25 percent of
the schools had fixed playground equipment and 23 percent with appropriately sized playing
equipment for the ECD children. However, only 14 percent of these schools have their play
equipment regularly serviced.
10 Ibid,p. 37.
11 Ibid p. 25.

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FPE was pointed out as an indicative factor contributing to the numbers of ECDE children
skipping Class One due to a number of reasons. In the face of flaring poverty in many rural
settings, FPE is implemented almost fully with no charges or fees paid in most of the public
primary schools. Of the 84 schools sampled in Kisumu County, 34 reported that there are
admission fees paid by parents to the school with a further 14 indicating that tuition fees were
paid in addition to admission fees. Averagely, the admission and tuition costs were estimated at
1,352 and 508 shillings respectively per year. In the ECDE centers affiliated to PLAN in Bondo,
Kisumu and Homabay, parents are required to pay between 150 and 200 shillings per month for
school feeding and teacher salaries – This amount translates to approximately 600 shillings per
term. Though feeding programs are usually meant to improve the concentration span and
nutrition of ECDE children very few schools in these counties can afford them especially without
the assistance of non-state actors.12
In the period between 1999 and 2009, the population of Homa Bay grew by 55 percent from
620,489 to 963,794, while the number of households grew by 22 percent from 169,179 to
206,108 in the same period. From these findings, it was determined that only 21% of the
population had attended pre-primary schooling in sharp contrast to the 90 percent attendant
rate for primary schooling. The numbers considerably dipped to 52 percent for secondary
attendance and only three percent for university level schooling.
On the other hand, it emerged that only 30 percent of the 189 teachers in the sampled schools
in Kisumu County are trained but most of the diploma holders teach at primary school level
while the ECD level is left for untrained teachers, with or without training certificates.
Nonetheless, there are well established training opportunities including DICECE in-service
training programme in all three counties.
In over 90% of the school’s sampled, enrollment of children with disabilities is virtually non-
existent with only one or two cases of children registered with physical, hearing and learning
disabilities being reported. ECDE center managers, teachers and county education officials as
well as community leaders attribute these statistics low sensitization among parents of such
children who often keep (or hide) them at home. Coupled with the fact that a majority of the
centers do not have the necessary facilities to look after such children, many of the teachers do
not have the relevant training required in handling children with special needs. Of the school
sampled in Kisumu County, only 26 percent at the primary school level gave attention to
children with special needs while 19 percent had teachers trained in their care. Only 18 percent
of the sampled schools had infrastructural facilities in place for children with disabilities.
12 Ibid,p 38-9.

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FPE is attributed to have in the recent past influenced a considerable number of ECDE going
children to skip ECDE classes and join Class One instead. This is mainly because, until 2012/2013
financial year, the essence of ECDE was not well defined and as a consequence there was no
gainful incentive from the national government in form of free education or feeding programs
to encourage more enrollments at the ECDE level. However, the Ministry of Education has since
provided grants for pupils in public ECDE centers – a critical step in the right direction with the
national government having released 978 shillings per child to all public ECDE centers across the
county through the district education office – 650 shilling is used for instructional materials
whereas 328 shillings is used for repairs, activities, local traveling and maintenance. However,
the channeling of money through primary school accounts has made it difficult to ascertain the
exact number disbursed and the number of actual children learning in ECDE centers. The
situation is further compounded by a lapse in quality inspections by in ECDE centers. With only
one quality assurance and standard officer QASO per district sub-county, it has been quite
difficult to assess both primary schools and ECDE centers. Compounded by manipulation,
intimidation and corruption by private proprietors, the process of inspecting ECDE centers has
with time worsened, leaving ECDE to profiteers.

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From the Counties
HOMA BAY| BONDO| KISUMU
Challenges, Significant Changes & Recommendations

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HOMABAY, Orego Village.
“PLAN has taught us to live”, 49 year-old farmer Samson Otieno says while standing in his
“kitchen garden” – a space which with its array of fruit and vegetables looks more like a
small farm than a garden.
A father to nine, Samson is among the many parents in Orego village, with a child enrolled
in an ECCD program at the Orego Primary school. His two-roomed house with its
smoothened mud walls tells a story of their own. Plastered on the inside of his living room
walls are large colourful charts better suited in a pre-primary classroom than in a
homestead - charts depicting letters of the alphabet in bold large print as well as images of
green, leafy vegetables quite similar to the real ones growing beyond the yard outside.
Of his nine children, only two have gone through an ECCD program– seven year old Joy
Michelle Adhiambo and nine-year old Phidel Okoth. On first meeting him, Phidel appears a
painfully shy child; speaking only when spoken to and at barely above a whisper. But like
many boys his age, his shyness quickly evaporates soon as one of the other children in the
village throws a ball into the yard and all scamper to kick it. On the other hand, Joy Michelle
appears the bolder one of the two – quick to laugh and the one most eager to walk by her
father’s side in his garden as his proudly shows his crops to his visitors.
“Simple as it may seem, PLAN has taught us how to talk to our children. How to play with
them, how to laugh with them and just be closer to them”, Samson says while elaborating
on some of the parenting training sessions organized by PLAN in collaboration with the

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school’s administration. Within these sessions, five key points are emphasized – proper
nutrition, love and respect, hygiene and sanitation, good communication and play.
As far as nutrition goes, Samson a horticultural farmer grows enough food for his family –
pineapples, papaya, cassava, avocado, maize, watermelon, onion, mangoes, kale and
coriander are among the many crops growing on his 2 acre homestead.
“We sell some of the crop to our neighbours but mostly we just eat them”, Samson Says. All
his children, including his 2 year old twin boys Seth Humphrey and Pavan Godana seem in
good health, a factor he attributes to PLAN imparting knowledge of kitchen gardening
among the parents during the training sessions. He adds that in a year or two, the twins will
likely join the ECCD program previously attended by their elder siblings.
“Donjuru!” Seth Humphrey cries out a welcome to the visitors while standing at the
entrance of their home. He is clearly the more outspoken twin. While Pavan Godana clings
to his mother’s skirt, Seth is busy greeting the visitors and asking a variety of questions his
father says he may never have entertained of his children were it not for PLAN’s
intervention in the region.
“Before getting the training, I could quite easily discipline my children by beating them”,
Samson explains of the seven parenting sessions he has received courtesy of PLAN in which
he has a learned that early childhood care is instrumental in a child’s character and later
success as an adult.. “Now I know better. It’s just as effective to correct a child by talking to
them about what they have done wrong instead of just beating them up.”
L- Daddy-Daughter time! Samson’s spending some quality time in his “kitchen garden” with
his 7-year old daughter Joy Michelle.

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R- Nutrition is Key! Joy Michelle, Samson, his wife Neema and their 2 year old twin boys Seth
(in red shirt) & Pavan feasting on some on their garden fruit.
A short 15 minute walk from Samson’s home lives 25-year old Mercyline Kasuvu
Mwanzo. Like Samson, hers is also a two-roomed house but shared only with her husband
and 5-year-old daughter.
Though her garden is a great deal smaller than Samson’s, she nonetheless grows some kale
and onions among other crops used often in preparation of her family’s daily meals.
“I get so happy when my child tells me she wants to go to school. I think it’s a parent’s
dream come to true to see their child so eager to learn,” Mercyline says of her daughter
Damian Akwino.
“My child plays very well [and] she knows she should always wash her hands after using
the toilet. I’m never worried when she’s in school because I know she’s in the capable
hands of her teachers who have also been trained on how best to handle children her age.”
Every month, Mercyline and her husband Wycliffe ensure that they have raised the 150
shillings required for their daughter in school. This amount, paid by parents for every child
in school, contributes to the teacher’s salaries in addition to school feeding program
initiated by PLAN in collaboration with the school administration.
“The teachers make sure that children eat well so that they are more attentive and in a
better state of mind to understand all that they are being taught in class”, Mercyline
elaborates on how proper nutrition has been key to Damian’s learning process. “When my
daughter gets home, she’s always excited to tell me about all she’s learned in school. Before
she’s allowed to play outside with the other children, her father helps her do her
homework as I prepare the evening meal.”
“When Damian was younger, I remember my
neighbor Mama Atieno encouraging me to give her
fruit and other food rich in protein. As a mother
I’ve come to learn that giving my child good food
helps her grow and made her more ready to start
school.
Damian first joined school at 3 years old. With
PLAN’s intervention, Mercyline thought it better to
enroll her daughter in pre-primary rather than

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wait for the free primary education provided by the government for children in Class One
to Eight.
Yay! Play time with mum!
“When she started speaking, I thought there was no need to continue keeping her at home.
Better for her to go and learn with the other children”
While many of her friends were keeping their children at home, the parenting session
organized by PLAN helped Mercyline learn that good character and apparent success as an
adult is dependent on early learning opportunities such as those provided in pre-primary
school where play, proper nutrition and good hygiene are among the key elements in
acquiring cognitive skills.
L- Girl Power! 5-year old Damian kicking a homemade ball with friends
R- GoodParenting: Mercyline says the parenting sessions by PLAN have helped her feel closer
to her daughter
I thought 5 years was the appropriate age to enroll a child in school but PLAN made me
think otherwise. Now, I play jump rope with her and her friends whereas before I would
have never thought to play with her.”
My child can now tell apart certain shapes and colours and even make her own toys from
mud, old paper bags and bottle caps. I’m hopeful that she will be successful in future and
help our family grow economically.

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Just across the yard from Mercyline house lives her sister-in-law Judith Anyango. A
mother of four, 27-year old Judith says that one of the most important things she has learnt
in the parenting sessions organized by PLAN is how to communicate better with her
children and her husband as well.
“Your children shouldn’t be afraid of you. When my children see their father, they run to
him and greet him. They want to look into his bags and see what he has brought home for
them,” Judith says of her four children aged 10, 7, 5 and 4. “He doesn’t quarrel with them or
chase them away because we both know it is important for children to express themselves
from a young age.”
A house wife like Mercyline, Judith spends her days tending to the crops she grows – maize,
kale, onion and potatoes among others. Her husband, 35-year old John Owiny earns a living
as a boda boda (motor bike) transport operator within the county.
We do it for our children!
L- John on his bike getting ready for work outside his home in Orego Village, Homabay.
R- Judith pictured with her eldest daughter Electer and youngest son Stanley
“We sell some of the crop especially the onions but not much of it. Whatever I make from
the rides I try to use to buy more equipment for the bike but mostly I spend it on my
children. Their education is top priority for me because I know they will be able to get
better jobs in future”, says John.
Though he admits to not attending the parenting training sessions organized by PLAN, his
convictions on the benefits of early childhood education seem unshakeable.

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“My wife shares with me what she learns from the parenting sessions and she often
reminds me that one of the benefits of early learning is that it improves our children’s
chances of making a better living for themselves in future. That, more than anything,
means everything to me because at the moment we try as much as we can just to make
ends meet.”
ECCD specialist for PLAN Homa Bay Heidi Oyugi says that though male participation is
indeed low, over 60 parenting groups have nonetheless been established within the region
with over 2900 parents participating in the ECCD program since its launch in 2011.
“I often interact mostly with the mothers”, Heidi elaborates. “Mercyline and Samson’s wife
Neema are among my strongest parenting facilitators who really help in encouraging
parents to attend the training sessions.”
Heidi adds that since the launch of the project, over 1010 ECCD teachers have been
gainfully employed and posted to a variety of ECCD centers within the county and beyond.
BONDO, Kibuye Primary School & ECDE Center
“I’m worried about their transition next year”, head teacher Bernadette Nyambok says of
the first batch of ECCD students set to begin Class One in 2015 at Kibuye Primary School,
Barkowino Sub-Location. “They’ll go from a good classroom, with good ventilation and
bright colours to a darker, unpainted classroom with no glass on the windows.”
An ECCD center was established at the school three years ago and has since grown
immensely with over 120 students. At the beginning, when the ECCD enrolment rate was
still quite low, all the students could be comfortably contained in a small classroom
constructed specifically for ECCD learning but as the numbers grew learning was moved
outside in the open field under the shade of large trees. However, with the construction of a
new ECCD building courtesy of PLAN, the children were moved into a more suitable
learning environment, safe from weather extremities.

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Before & After!
L- The old ECD center was a small, single roomwith crackingwalls & no lockablewidows
R- The new and improved ECDClassrooms
“We had to make the children squeeze in the classrooms of the older students in primary
school whenever the weather would change for the worst. Teaching would definitely be
disrupted but with the opening of the new classrooms a year ago, teaching has been going
on smoothly come rain or shine”, Bernadette explains.
The new ECCD building has 3 large classrooms – Baby Class, Middle Class and Final Class.
All three classrooms have bright graphics on both the inside and outside walls, in addition
to several brightly coloured toys in different shapes and sizes which double up as learning
material for the children. Each of the three classes has student numbers comparably higher
than those in Class One, Two or Three.

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L- A typicalECCD classroomsession
R- KibuyeECCD Project Supportby PlanInternational
“There was an influx of enrollment with the completion of the new building largely because
the building itself was an attraction to both the parents and the students. For the children,
it makes them want to be in school”, says Bernadette “The singular challenge we have as at
now is the feeding program. We initiated a feeding program but it has been on an off. For
the next year (2015) we’ve planned that every parent will pay a certain amount so that we
employ permanent cooks”.
The feeding program helps attract enrollment in the school but with the cooks working on
a voluntary basis, some often fail to show up and the children sometimes learn on empty
stomachs.
Bernadette adds that the spike in enrollment at the school is also thanks to the parenting
training sessions organized by PLAN. “Many of the parents in this region have been
enlightened on the importance of early learning. Some of the children who are graduating
to Class One are very big, they should be in primary school in Class Two or Three but they
stayed home too long before being brought to school. Now the parents know better and are
enrolling their children earlier.”
Ideally, the Baby Class should have children between 3-4 years old, the Middle Class
between 4-5 years, and the Final Class between 5-6 years but as it is, these classes
sometimes have children up to 9 years of age.
“Our focus in 2015 is to ensure that the former ECCD students are not demoralized by the
state of the classrooms in the primary school”, Bernadette elaborates. “I had called on all
the parents and we were planning to maybe just paint the walls of the Class One classroom
so that it’s brighter and the children feel more at ease.
With many of the ECCD children still quite young, they need a lot of play crucial to their
holistic development. Bernadette is quick to add that if the play element was absent, there
wouldn’t be such a rate of high enrollment.
“We have the fixed outdoor activities; swings, tunnels, slides and wheels. It is a fenced area
that is primarily for the ECCD children but some of the older children in Class One, Two and
Three like to play there too”.
Dunya Primary School & ECDE Center, Bondo.

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“For smoother transition, I recommend the [ECDE] go on up to Class Three”, says Anne
Atieno Nyamanga, an ECCD teacher at Dunya Primary School and ECDE Center. “The
classroom environment in the primary classes is totally different from the ECDE
classrooms. They’re not [child] friendly and neither are there are any charts on the walls.
Even the floors have potholes and walls are not as well–constructed”.
Anne adds that most of the Class One classrooms have no desks for the children to work on
and this has proved a challenge to their smooth transition into primary school. “This can be
traumatic for a child coming from an ECCD class. Smooth transition is not enhanced when a
child moves from sitting on a good chair and desk to mats spread out on a potholed floor.”
At the very least, Anne recommends that the ECCD program, established three years ago at
the school in 2011 be moved up to Class One to better facilitate a smoother transition into
primary learning.
Since 2003, PLAN International has been operational in Bondo through its programme unit
with a focus on the health, education, livelihood and protection of the area residents.
“When PLAN first came to the school, they helped us with tables and chair because initially
our children were using mats”, Anne Elaborates “We had some desks but these were
borrowed from the primary classes and therefore inappropriate for the ECCD students
most of whom are not tall enough to fit comfortably on them. PLAN provided us with the
age appropriate chairs and desks. It’s very difficult teaching a child how to write while
they’re sitting on a mat.”
ECCD Classrooms are Better!: Teacher Anne Atieno at Dunya ECCD Center, Bondo.

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In as far as matters of hygiene are concerned; PLAN has provided the school with a bigger
water tank now used by the entire school for drinking water and hand washing among
other uses in the school’s compound.
Rose Adhiambo Okewa is also an ECCD teacher at the Dunya ECDE Center. “In the
beginning even the teaching materials in the entire school were not enough for the
children’s needs”, says Rose. “But PLAN launched and education project in the region and
they supported us in buying learning material like teaching aids, science and mathematics
manipulative material and even materials used in ‘shop corner’ where the children could
practice what they had learned in their math classes.”
Additionally, Rose says the many of the outdoor playing material has been thanks to the
Barkowino ECD Network - a group of community health workers, ECCD teachers and
parents. While PLAN sponsors some of the children by providing them with books and
bags, the Barkowino ECD Network often get together to make and paint some of the
[outdoor] learning materials by using locally available materials among them dried maize
cobs and bottle caps.
While the beautifully constructed ECCD classroom has indeed boosted enrolment at the
center, Rose says there are still some stubborn parents who would want to insist on
keeping their young children at home in anticipation of the free primary education
provided by the government for all primary school children in public schools. Rose adds
that there are thankfully some parents who actively participate in convincing the parents of
such children to enroll them at the ECCD center.
As is the case in many other schools, there are parents who are always present in school
meetings. However, others have not been so consistent with many of them claiming they’re
too busy trying to provide for their families.
“The higher percentage of parents who attend PTA meetings are women but there’s a man
who almost always attends and when he’s absent he sends an apology”, Rose elaborates.
“This man has his grandchildren enrolled at the school and he has helped us especially with
the other parents who have been stubborn in taking their children to school at the right
age. When he finds such a child he reports even to the school and even to the assistant chief
He has really positively contributed to the enrollment rate.”
Initially, the school did not have an established feeding programme. However, through the
parenting sessions organized by PLAN, parents have been enlightened on the benefits of
regular feeding and now contribute up to 150 shillings per month toward the programme.
Through the parenting sessions the relationship between the teachers, children and the
community has also improved as many parents now agree that ECDE is indeed an
important stage in life.

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“I graduated from my training as a teacher in 2008”, Anne adds. “I am among several
teachers in this region who have received a further training certificate in ECD thanks to
PLAN.” Both Rose and Anne attended and completed a course orgnanized by PLAN at the
Bondo ACK Church where over 84 ECDE teachers were in attendance. They both received
further training among 16 other teachers organized in the nearby region of Kagwa, Rarieda
Constituency.
“These refresher courses have helped us learn about the current methods in early
childhood training”, Anne asserts while adding how the play materials have helped in
making the pre-primary childhood more sociable and interactive.
“At the start of the project there is a child who could not talk properly. He stammered quite
a lot and would prefer to just listen quietly and look at the other children”, Anne explains.
“The playing material has really helped bring him out his shell. He’s become more
articulate and is no longer the timid child he used to be. I often see him trying to snatch
toys from the other children and he plays with the others. He’s so agile nowadays. He’s no
longer the lonely, withdrawn child he used to be.”
“A child is of two people – a mother and a father”, says 32-year old George Pambo, a
parent to a child enrolled at the Dunya ECCD Center. “When I got information from the
parenting sessions held in school on the importance on early learning, I discussed it with
my wife and together we made the decision to enroll our last born child at the school.”
L- George Pambo shows some of the learning materials made by the Barkowino ECD Network
R- A typical parenting session where parents learn on the importance of play.

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Male participation is indeed low in the region but Pambo is among those fathers heavily
invested in the early development opportunities available to his children for his four
children aged between 10 and 3 years old.
“At the start of the project three years ago, we were told the importance of enrolling a child
into ECD at the age of three. Before that, parents used to enroll their children at 5 years old
but we quickly learned some of the benefits of early enrolment including our children
sitting for their KCPE examinations at the appropriate age”.
When we first took to him to school, he was quite the shy boy even at home”, Pambo says of
his three-year old son enrolled in Term Two in 2014 at Dunya ECCD Center. “But
nowadays, when he comes home from school I hear him singing the alphabet and counting
some numbers. So I feel confident that he’s learning quickly”. Pambo adds that his son now
feels confident enough to walk to school on his own whereas before he had to be escorted.
“For ECD, parents pay teachers. These teachers are not employed by the TSC or the County
Government so as parents we pay for the teachers as well as the learning material needed
like charts and so forth”, Pambo explains. “We normally pay 150 from which the teachers
get their salary then the rest they buy learning material”.
Pambo and his family depend on the income generated from a food kiosk he operates in
Bondo town center. His wife too contributes to the family budget by deep-frying the fish
obtained from Lake Victoria before selling them at the market in Bondo town. His first born
child, a girl, did not attend pre-primary schooling but was enrolled in Class One at 5 years
old.
“As for myself, I don’t remember the exact age I enrolled in school but when I was taken to
nursery, I was asked by the teacher to stretch by hand over my head to touch my ear”, he
reflects. “Those who couldn’t do it weren’t allowed to start classes and were sent back
home.”
Barkowino Community-Based Organization, Bondo.
“Many if not all of the ECD projects in the region are success stories but dealing with a
community is not an easy thing”, says Barkowino CBO Chairperson Joseph Osumo.
“Sometimes, short of lying to the community members, we are sometimes forced to make
empty promises. Knowingly telling them things we cannot achieve. In fact this is why they
fail to show up sometimes, they get angry and leave”

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In the region, Barkowino CBO is known for its efforts in providing early learning materials
to the various ECCD schools in the sub-location. It’s members are known to walk for miles
from one school to another making playing material from the locally available products –
swing sets out of old tyres, beam balances and wall charts made from old sack cloth. In
addition to donating sacks of maize in support of the feeding programme in various ECCD
centers, the CBO also donated desks to Kibuye and Dunya Primary Schools where many of
the children were learning while sitting on sack cloths spread out on the floor.
L-BarkowinoECDNetworkMembers at Work
R- BarkowinoCBOChairmanJoseph Osumo
“We work voluntarily on behalf of PLAN and on behalf of the community. Basically our
work is to link the community members with PLAN,” Joseph explains. “In these parenting
groups we sometimes serve the parents some refreshments. At times we give them meals
too but it’s usually not enough for them and some even ask for money instead as
compensation for the hours spent improving the ECCD centers, hours which they could
have spent earning money for their families”.
With transport re-imbursement allocated only for places not within the sub-location,
Joseph says it becomes that much hard to keep the members motivated as they move from
school to school.
“The attitude of the community is a belief in direct handouts”, says George Ayomo,
chairperson of the Barkowino ECCD Network. “But since those handouts are not easy to
come by, we keep our members motivated by telling them the play materials they are
helping to make are just as important as the text books they struggle to buy for their
children”.

27 | P a g e
George adds all six of the ECCD centers the network supports have about three storybooks
per center and with over 100 students per center, there is an urgent need for more
storybooks. Using pictures cut from old newpapers, the parents come together to make
storybooks for their children. “These picture books the parents make tell the children more
stories relevant to the back grounds”, George elaborates. “Fathers often make story books
which explain the sort of business they do to make money for their families and the
children get to learn more about the opportunities available to them in future”.
Story time! Members of the Barkowino ECD Network make picture books for the children
At the start of the year, 200 of the 700 ECD children in the six schools graduated to Class
One.
Joseph concludes that parent participation may improve by coordination with regions
seasonal calendar. “Parents are usually very busy on their farms in the month of April and
May such that when we call for a meeting during these times many of them do not attend.
The attendance rate would improve greatly if our programmes coordinated with the
community’s seasonal activities.
Kagwa Community-Based Organization, Bondo.
“Being in very close proximity to the lake [Victoria] affects us greatly because when we call
for meetings with the parents, it’s mostly the women who show up, says John Jared
Odhiambo, Chairperson, Kagwa CBO. “Many of the men are fishermen or involved in one
way or the other in the fisheries industry and other offshoot businesses around the lake.

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Awareness creation is there among the fathers in ECCD but the rate is not as high as we
expected it to be.
Most of the men in the region work in the beaches from morning to afternoon while many
of the parenting training sessions are carried between 2 to 3pm. Some of the parents go
back to the lake at 4pm when the sun has reduced in its intensity and therefore some make
the effort to attend CBO meetings.
“It works if there’s a calendar coordination with the parents and the school’s BOG. The
schools call for a meeting with the parents and we as the CBO also attend in a show of
support of the established ECCD programmes within the schools. This has helped the male
participation but still the majorities are women”, John explains while recommending that
some of the training activities be conducted by the beaches where many of the parents,
especially the father’s, work”.
Kagwa CBO has a voluntary parental club under which members go around the region
visiting schools in the villages. The club members contribute money toward the facilitators’
kitty in which money for member transport needs is often obtained. John however adds
that a financial boost from the assisting organizations in the region would make the club
stronger.
John adds that there is nonetheless quite a strong conviction among parents in the CBO on
the importance of ECCD – they’ve separated themselves into two factions – The GSL (Group
of Savings & Loaning) formed in 2013 and the Parenting Club which liaises with an ECD
networking group.
“In our group, we have shares of 200 shillings for each member every term we meet. When
we loan money, it is returned with interest and according to our last meeting held in early
December [2014], we saved about 35,000 shillings and it was loaned out to 16 members”,
John explains. “Our next meeting is in January [2015] where those who were granted loans
to will be required to return the money with interest. If it is supported the GSL will succeed
in form of awareness creation, parenting training as well as for the transport kitty.”
“ECCD is a very important service in the UK and the US. It is quite possible that a professor
teaching in the UK may not be paid as much as an ECCD caregiver in the same place”,
proclaims Phitalis Were Masakhwe, Program Unit Manager for PLAN in Bondo. “As a
society, we cannot afford to neglect our children because of certain maladjustments that
can manifests in a child’s character in future. This is why societies in the developed world
have lower crime rates. They recognize the importance of basic education in character
formation.

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Feeling of neglect and anger, according to Phitalis, starts breeding at an early age. A lack of
investment in ECCD may breed a myriad of problems in the future among them forms of
radicalization emergent from economic challenges.
“At the moment, it is the parents who are paying for early childhood training. The burden
shouldn’t be left to NGOs and the parents alone. It should be the responsibility of county
governments as the situation presently is like a ticking time bomb”, Phitalis asserts while
adding that ECD teacher training should also be the preserve of county governments.
“From the wealthier neighbourhoods in the suburbs to the poorer villages, it is the parents
who are paying for this crucial service. Even the ECD teachers are being paid by the
parents”.
A more equitable approach is required in ECCD, according to Phitalis. “Early learning
centers should be inclusive of all children even in the remotest parts of Marsabit and
Turkana. It should also be inclusive of children with disabilities be they physically or
intellectually challenged”, he says. “PLAN is playing the role of innovation in this learning
sector as ECD is inextricably intertwined with disability”.
KISUMU, Seme Sub-County
“Part of our mandate is to include children with disability”, says Edith Apiyo, ECCD
Program Manager for Plan Kenya in Seme, Kisumu County. “We liaise with the Education
Assessment Resource Center which is a department within the Ministry of Education
mandated with assessment, recommendation and placement of people with disability”.
Hearing impairment is among the most common types of disability in Seme Sub-County but
hydrocephalous is also quite common among the children. In collaboration with the
Ministry of Health, PLAN empowers community health workers who go door to door
checking on children not enrolled in ECD schools while simultaneously identifying the
children with disability. PLAN then liaises with the Association of People Living with
Disabilities in Kenya who carry out assessment and also conduct monthly outreaches in the
community to support these children.

30 | P a g e
“When we did our situational analysis at the beginning of the[ECD] project , we realized
that children are emotionally disturbed. Some of them by the fact that their fathers are
drunkards who come home and batter their mothers”, Edith explains. “As a result, we
organized some activities for children in ECD to Class 3 so as to give them a forum to share
their experiences especially in regards to parenting perspectives. We’re always talking to
adults on their perspectives on parenting but in this case we wanted to hear from the
children on the same topic.”
Therapy– Childrenexpresstheiremotionsthroughdrawingandstorytelling
We are what we do! Boys make animal shapes reflective of the cows the often herd
Some of the activities included storytelling, drawing and moulding in which the children
expressed some of their challenges. These activities were inclusive of both the ECD and
primary school children. The children were given blank papers to each write their stories
on what they like and don’t like within their homes. They were then given the opportunity
to read some of them out loud.

31 | P a g e
“One of the children in Baby Class drew a house and a mother. From this we deducted that
the best person in the home for that child was the mother. It also helped us probe further
into the whereabouts of the father.”
In the moulding activity, the boys mostly molded cows because boys are usually
responsible for grazing their cows at home while the girls mostly moulded cooking utensils
as they often help in cooking and washing up after.
The older boys and girls in primary school drew more elaborate drawings. In Class Six, one
boy’s drawing was translated a cry of help from child labour. “He drew other children
learning in school and a boy on the side herding cattle while another girl fetched water”,
explains Edith. “Such drawings communicate quite a lot and provide a basis for further
probing.”
Edith adds that most, if not all of the children revealed that their parents expected them to
do a lot of the chores at home after school and yet they also had their homework to do. One
of the older girls in Class Six drew herself doing her homework by moonlight while
simultaneously cooking her family’s evening meal.
“Many of these older girls are told that that once they have finished cooking and everyone
has eaten, they have to immediately put out the paraffin lamp, which many of them depend
to do their home work, to save on energy”, Edith Elaborates. “This is why PLAN’s
Livelihoods department works to promote the use of solar powered lamps that such
children can use to do their homework at night. The parents can buy these for their
children through a voluntary saving and loaning scheme”.
In the sessions with children, it emerged that some had been sexually abused. These cases
were forward to the police and child protection network was formed shortly thereafter
consisting of ECD teachers, CHWs, parenting group facilitators and the provincial
administration [village elders, chiefs and assistant chiefs] mandated to identify and report
abuses cases in the region to the relevant authority.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
“When we started the project, most parents did not understand what ECCD is all about. To
many of them it was all about playing and whiling away the time. Playing in itself was not
important. They didn’t understand the importance of what it does in a child’s life”, Edith
concludes. “They didn’t see the need of supporting ECCD so we had to do a lot of campaigns
through theatre in the market places, schools, and chief’s baraza just to sensitize them on
the importance of ECD”

32 | P a g e
Gradually, parents started appreciating the importance and with the inception of parenting
groups, parents are pooling their resources in mobilizing grains, sugar and firewood. Some
even volunteer to make the porridge in the schools. And now as we speak, all the fourteen
schools PLAN works with have established feeding programmes.
In both Kajulu and Kuoyo Kaila ECCD Centers, parents agreed to contribute by donating
food – 2 kilogrammes of maize and a 250grammes (quarter kilogramme) of sugar per
parent per term.
The older children in Class One to Eight are required to each carry a twig to school every
day to be used as part of the firewood for cooking. Parents have also came up with a duty
roster in terms of the cooking responsibilities assigned among them with three parents
working daily as cook, server and the dish washer respectively.
Parents Volunteer to Prepare Porridge the children in the School Feeding Programme
PLAN is a member of the Kisumu County Education Network which consists of 13
organizations.
“We normally hold meetings then map a way forward in terms of the gaps we’ve
identified”, Edith says on the advocacy work in support of ECCD by various organization in
the region. “Recently, we held a meeting tasking the county to support ECCD in terms of
policy review and services within ECCD. One of our schools, Runda Primary School is in
ruins but through our lobbying strategies, it has been put on the list of the schools to be
reconstructed by the county government.”

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Accolades!KajuluPrimarySchool isamongtopsamongtheECCD CentersinSeme
Kajulu Primary School among others schools was voted the best community managed ECCD
center with the 2nd best organized feeding programme and additionally the 2nd best in
Seme sub-county in terms of physical facilities and all in accordance with PLAN initiatives
in terms of promoting a conducive environment for children to learn and play.
Kuoyo Kaila Primary School was the best in the zone in terms of KCPE results and
additionally boasts the highest enrolment rate in Seme sub-county. The school was voted
as having the best organized feeding programme and the best ECCD teacher in the region.
The intervention PLAN has had with these schools has made them more recognizable by
the government and have as such been awarded by the Ministry of Education, Seme sub-
county.

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Abbreviations and Acronyms
BOG Board of Governors
CBOs Community Based Organization(s)
CHWs Community Health Worker(s)
DICECE District Centers for Early Childhood
Education
ECCD Early Childhood Care and Development
ECD(E) Early Childhood Development
(Education)
FPE Free Primary Education
K-CEN Kisumu County Education Network
KCPE Kenya Certificate of Primary Education
MUCECE Municipal Centers for Early Childhood

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Education
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
TSC Teachers Service Commission
References
Boocock, S.S, “Early Childhood Programsin OtherNations:Goalsand Outcomes”,p.95. Rutgers
Univerisity.
Center on the Developing Child, The Foundations of Lifelong Health are built in Early Childhood,
Harvard University (2010) and In Brief: The Foundations of Lifelong Health (2010).
Indakwa, E., & Miriti, G., “Models of Best Practices in Community Based Early Childhood
Development”, (2005 -2010)
Kisumu County Education Network, The Status of Basic Education in Kisumu County (2014)
The Future of Children “Long Term Outcomes of Early Childhood Programs”, Vol. 5, No.3, p. 94,
(1995).
Save the Children International, “Laying the Foundations; United Kingdom (2012)
United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment 7 (2005),
‘Implementing child rights in early childhood’, paragraphs 28-30.
*Cover Page image courtesy of Getty Images.

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