We are glad to report good news from JAMS as Kenya continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. We achieved a nearly 100% return-to-school rate for the delayed second term of the 2020 school year, with 163 girls returning in January 2021 to live and study on campus. (We have followed up on the four remaining girls, are helping with health and logistical issues, and expect them to return to school this summer.)

JAMS’s success is unfortunately rare in Kenya; most schools in Kenya experienced high dropout rates due to the pandemic closures. The success that JAMS achieved is due largely to the generosity of donors to the JAMS COVID-19 Emergency Fund which enabled the school staff to maintain contact and long-distance instruction with the students. The fund also allowed JAMS to do COVID mitigations on campus. So far JAMS has reported no COVID cases among the students on campus.

The COVID Emergency Fund also made it possible to keep campus staff employed during the school closures to maintain the entrepreneurship programs on campus such as the dairy, the poultry operation, and the greenhouse. The students have been actively involved in these projects since they returned in January.

Students in Forms One to Three are on break during April while the Form Fours (seniors) take their national graduation exams. Forms One to Three will return in May and finish their 2020 school year in mid-July. The official 2021 school year will then start in late July and run through early March 2022.

Many thanks to all who have supported JAMS during the past difficult year and have made this success possible!