A strategy was adopted in 2010 by the Kenyan government to recognize the unique nature of nomad education and propose ways of reconciling the fundamental choices nomadic children face. The problem is recognized by the Kenyan government and by international agencies working in this field. ‘Education for all is more likely to be achieved if boys and girls are not forced to choose between herding and schooling’ writes UNICEF. The Kenyan Ministry of Education’s nomadic education policy framework states: ‘nomadic pastoralists require flexible education delivery modes that take into account their children’s work at home. As a means to counter this, IMPACT in partnership with GRIC developed Manyattta learning centers that do not hinder the learners from practicing their lifestyle but bring education to their doorsteps at the Village level.

The Manyatta learning center has a hive of activities ranging from learning the level-based content, informal learning through storytelling and borrowing of story books to create summaries by the learners. Below is Sheila’s story ….

Sheila putunoi is a grade 5 learner who attends the Saturday sessions in Picha learning center; she was amongst the learner’s lace at the center for the intervention. Sheila was placed at the Aya level during the assessment and the coordinator reports that she has been making gradual advancements and she has moved to the story level. The coordinator also reports that Sheila attends the sessions regularly and is a very active learner. The recent introduction of porridge we did encourages learners like Sheila to continually come to the center unlike before since they face several challenges at home like affording a 3-course meal, Pamela Sintaroi (Picha Mlc coordinator) told the story.