Okok Secondary School, Kisumu, Kenya

Okok Secondary School was built in 2001 by the local community through "Harambee" (Swahili for "let's all pull together"). Harambee is the process in which the local community and political leaders organize together to raise necessary funds and materials to build a school. People of the community donate cash, livestock, building materials, food, professional expertise and labor to construct buildings and provide furniture for the school. The land is usually donated by a member of the community. The school is required to meet certain standards of the Kenyan government. When the school is completed the government installs a principal, administrative personnel, and teachers for the operations of the school. Okok Secondary School, located in rural Kenya near Lake Victoria and the Uganda border, has 106 students enrolled, 63 boys and 43 girls. The school's curriculum is focused on academics such as sciences, math and English. The existing art program consists only of drawing and design course electives. The main problem for the school and students is the school fee which must be paid in order for students to attend school, and which is difficult for students to raise. Many of the students are orphans and, therefore, dependent on sponsors to support them. Other problems are illnesses, HIV and AIDS, absentee parents, and extreme poverty. With the AIDS crisis, many children must remain at home to help their families and manage the farms. These phenomena and added stress have led to a high drop out rate, especially at the secondary school level. Another issue is the lack of school supplies and food. At the Okok Secondary School, one textbook is shared by twenty students. Many students walk up to 5 miles per day to attend school and, because they are unable to afford lunch, are hungry for the entire day until they return home. However, despite these problems, the students celebrate learning and are deeply appreciative of the time they spend in school. They are eager to meet their NYC counterparts in the future, and welcome them to visit Kenya.