You, our generous donors, truly came through in an emergency. The $30,000 matching pool was earned and exceeded. The JAMS COVID-19 Emergency Fund, including matching pool, now totals $64,200.

The members of the Friends of JAMS Board of Directors join with JAMS founder and director Dr. Teresa Wasonga in expressing our “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.”

“Lives are transformed at JAMS every day because you care.” –Dr. Teresa Wasonga

As Dr. Wasonga explains, “school is critical for over 90% of students at JAMS because they depend on school for their wellbeing as well as their education. 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. We believe our actions are making a difference for our children.” Read more from Dr. Wasonga HERE.

The JAMS COVID-19 Emergency Fund serves the three goals of the JAMS COVID response plan.

  1. Continue long-distance instruction and wellness checks; achieve 100% student return to campus in 2021
  2. Retain JAMS high-quality teachers and staff
  3. Maintain campus functions and security to benefit the school and the community

The Fund will provide the following essential needs for the students and staff at JAMS.

  • Preparation of COVID-19 isolation rooms
  • COVID-19 testing and medical care as needed
  • Disinfectant sprayers and chemicals
  • Hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies
  • Special PPE for kitchen staff
  • Pedal-operated waste bins and handwashing stations
  • Individual supplies for each student as required by Kenyan government
  • Phones and phone airtime for teachers
  • Phones and phone airtime for students in financial need
  • Extra internet usage fees required for long-distance teaching
  • Extra months of salary for teachers and campus staff due to mandated school closure
  • Hiring of two JAMS alums to assist with managing COVID-19 protocols
  • Installation of more outside seating on campus

Teaching and Learning During COVID

JAMS aims to keep the students feeling hopeful and connected to school and to achieve a 100% return-to-school rate when Kenyan schools are allowed to reopen. To that end, the JAMS team of ten teachers contacts each of the 167 students individually twice a week by phone, providing assignments, instruction, and encouragement. The teachers also conduct wellness checks weekly so that JAMS can provide support to students as needed. The school provides phone airtime monthly to students in financial need and also provided phones to eleven families in dire financial need.

The Form Four students (seniors) will face the high-stakes national graduation exam (Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education—KCSE) a few months after schools reopen. Preparation for these cumulative exams covering all four years of material in each subject area is crucial for their future opportunities such as college or university. The teachers have set up study groups on the WhatsApp platform so that these senior students can work with each other and their teachers every day.

The teachers are also preparing for schools to reopen. JAMS principal Benard Kibet tells us that the teachers are “in the process of developing learning projects, models, teaching aids in preparation for resumption” of in-person schooling. They are also “renovating the weather station and moving it to higher ground” to serve the geography and science classes better.

Campus Functioning and Community Support Continue

JAMS support staff continue to maintain the campus buildings, work the farm, and provide campus security while the school is closed. The classrooms, science labs, dining hall, dormitories, computer lab, library, the water pump and plumbing, and the solar electricity infrastructure require regular monitoring and upkeep. In addition, most of the JAMS teachers live on campus, thus the teacher housing requires maintenance.

The plants and animals in the farming operations continue to need tending. The farm staff cultivate kale, onions, beans, and corn (maize) in the fields as well as tomatoes in the greenhouse. They also care for the pigs, sheep, and chickens, and the cows in the Tomkins Dairy. Staff and teachers consume some of the produce of these operations, but tomatoes, eggs, and milk are also sold to the local community. In some cases of dire need, JAMS has donated food to local families.

 

The income provided by this continued employment is a true lifeline for the villages around JAMS. Most people in this rural area are day laborers and have lost their jobs. That JAMS has retained employees means meals on the table for many families and has a positive ripple effect in the local economy.

Thank You, Donors!

Thank you once again for giving to the JAMS COVID-19 Emergency Fund and changing the world one girl at a time!