I would like to express heartfelt appreciation to all of our friends in the United States, and especially the DeKalb, Illinois, region, for the sacrifices you have made to keep JAMS students learning and the school functioning during the pandemic. Jane Adeny Memorial School is in a far-off country, but folks have responded with love and care like JAMS was next door. Your donations have given dignity, humanity, and joy in life not only to our students, many of whom would not otherwise go to secondary school, but also teachers and other staff who wake up and come to JAMS every day to work and keep the school safe. Lives are transformed every day at JAMS because you care.

School is critical for over 90% of students at JAMS because they depend on school for their wellbeing as well as their education. Since schools were closed due to COVID-19 and the heavy rains that caused flooding thereafter, many children including JAMS students have gone without proper nutrition, health care, education, and safety. The longer the students stay home, the higher the chances they may experience child labor, violence, depression, or anxiety, and they may lose interest in learning or returning to school. With many parents, guardians, and grandmothers going out to look for work, many children are at risk. The challenges are many. We need to focus on how to minimize these challenges and, most importantly, give our students hope by being there when they need us.

There are many things that we cannot control as a school, but there are also things in our control that we are consciously working on in order to keep our students healthy, engaged, encouraged, and motivated to stay positive. Our teachers have continued to prioritize the education and welfare of our students. Teachers have been innovative in finding ways to stay in touch with each of our students, advising them and helping them navigate their way through the difficulties they are experiencing at home. They ask questions about the health of each student and what they need to keep healthy, communicating directly with students and their caretakers.

These consistent wellness checks by JAMS teachers create awareness that the school is still involved with the students’ lives and have introduced another layer of safety for our students. Our presence is felt and our students are both safer and more hopeful.

We have a group of ten teachers and 167 students, and our teachers endeavor to reach every student at least twice a week. We have enabled two teachers to travel and visit with students we could not reach by phone. Teachers have set up WhatsApp groups to help students continue learning while at home. They have prepared materials that can be sent by email or phone to reach students wherever they are. Where needed, we have helped parents, guardians, or grandparents financially in order to keep their phones active or to provide phones when families are so poor they cannot afford to buy them. This is important because we do not want to lose any of our students due to matters we can control.

Our students have stayed connected. They feel valued and cared for; they are engaged and busy with schoolwork; and they have stayed positive despite the difficulties. Parents have expressed appreciation for what we are doing, specifically the fact that we have created high expectations and the children are occupied with schoolwork and not distracted. We believe our actions are making a difference for our children.

Today, we live in a small world where what happens in Africa affects what happens in America and vice versa, as we have seen with the pandemic. I hope we can live with the words of Gandhi, “to be the change we want to see.”

—Dr. Teresa Wasonga, Founder and Director of Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls