EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS ACADEMIC PROGRESS REPORT
End of Year 2022

About The Nasio Trust

The Nasio Trust is a UK registered charity and Kenyan NGO which supports orphaned and vulnerable children. We empower communities to break the cycle of poverty by adopting a holistic approach which provides our beneficiaries with access to education, healthcare, food security, psychosocial support and income generating activities. Our strap line of ‘changing lives for good’ reflects the way we help transform the prospects of individuals and communities in Kenya.

The objectives of The Nasio Trust, established, maintained and developed over 20 years, are based on empowering communities for social change. Through this social change we aim to unlock leadership potential and deliver sustainable and scalable ways of tackling problems faced by those in poverty. We achieve this by working with communities, individuals, governments, partners and other NGOs to directly impact beneficiaries and to achieve our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Exceptional Student Programme

Talented children from disadvantaged families are missing out on a high standard of education whether through poverty or prejudice.

The Plewa Family Foundation’s Exceptional Student Programme helps support such students and empowers their families economically through interventions such as vocational training, income generating projects, and food security via the One Acre Fund programme.

Project Rationale

Poverty is the greatest barrier to accessing education in our supported communities. Families want the best for their children but often lack the financial means to support their education. Our research has found that when you educate a young person in Africa they will be less likely to be involved in teenage pregnancies, contract diseases like HIV/AIDS, drop out of school and become involved with crime.

Within our supported communities there are many children who, despite their disadvantages, are academically gifted and achieve high marks at primary level examinations. Many of these gifted and hard-working individuals will not have the means or opportunity to access higher education (secondary school and college/university) where their full potential can be developed.

By identifying and supporting them we can help reduce poverty and improve economic growth – which changes the path of the beneficiaries, their families and the community at large.

Current Project Status and Beneficiary Profiles

NAME: NEWTON OKUTOYI ADMIN NO. NOO366/20E SCHOOL: KAKAMEGA HIGH SCHOOL FORM: FOUR D.O.B.: 11.09.2006 RESIDENCE; MURUMBA VILLAGE KCPE MARKS; 408 CLUB: SCIENCE AND DEBATING CLUB

Background:

Newton Okutoyi was enrolled in the Plewa Family Foundation Exceptional Students Programme in 2020 after his 2019 KCPE exams in which he scored a remarkable 408 marks out of 500. He is from a vulnerable family and this, in tandem with his clear potential, led to him being considered and granted support with his education.

Overview of Academic Year:

In 2020 Newton was admitted at Kakamega High School, considered one of the best secondary school in Kenya, as a form one student. Since then Newton has achieved some good grades but, for the most part, dropped to average grades for a student of his potential. Please see below a list of reasons for his depreciating performance and how we are motivating and enabling him to improve these grades.

Poor Performance in Chemistry and Physics:

Newton still performs to an adequate level in many subjects, particularly languages, such as English (B+), French (B) and Geography (B-) – but is let down by his poor grades in Physics (D+) and Chemistry (C-). This has led to his overall grade being dragged down to a C plain in the last term. In the last academic year, we have tried to empower him to improve these grades by suggesting he should take part in the extra-curricular science and debating club. There was a clear sign of improvement and growth from this as he went from scoring a D+ (term one) to a B- (term two) in Biology after attending the club.

However, we feel he can still improve his grades and performance in the other two sciences, especially if he is to meet his career goal of becoming a doctor. Since joining the science and debating club, his Physics grade has remained the same in the last three terms and his Chemistry grade has even dropped from a C in term one to a C in term two and three. To combat this, we are providing him with extra tuition over the school holidays in Physics and Chemistry. We will also be purchasing revision materials and books for our school library that will be loaned to Newton for the holidays to make sure he has everything he needs to improve his grades.

Extra Motivation:

Visit to the Jomo Kenyatta University –

As there appears to be no single clear reason for Newton’s drop in grades we will provide him with support through extra motivation in a bid to help him improve academically. A member of our Education and Social Work team will accompany Newton on a tour of the Jomo Kenyatta University in Nairobi, to give him a tangible goal for his hardwork. We hope, the facilities and courses available at the University will inspire him to strive to get there himself in the future.

Increased frequency of home visits – We will, as with Raina, increase the amount of times we visit Newton a term from one visit to two visits. We want to closely monitor and communicate with him during term time to try and identify further reasons as to why he is not achieving the grades expected of a student of his ability.

Weekly phone calls will be undertaken between the Educational Social Work team and Newton’s teachers to open a regular dialogue about what can be further done to give Newton the best opportunity to improve his grades.

Visit by counsellor – Newton has been visited by a counsellor who concluded that Newton was a content and happy boy who showed no signs of poor mental well-being. As a result of this we will focus heavily on improving Newton’s academic support. The one sign of discontent from Newton that has been identified by our team surrounds the disrupted school schedule.

Disrupted School Schedule:

Notwithstanding Newton’s recent drop in grades, his teachers say they have seen an upturn in his performance in the last term. Despite his overall grade stagnating they believe this improvement can be attributed to the school schedule returning to normal post the pandemic; the teachers have also reported that they expect Newton’s grades to continue rising this year as things continue to settle down and he can organise his time better without the stress of a congested syllabus.

Academic Progress:

Newton went back to school in January this year after December holiday. During this first term, they have been able to cover the syllabus except in Geography which they purpose to finish soon. This has enabled them to start revision on time and they are looking forward to start midterm exam three weeks after resuming back from halftime. According to Newton he is focusing on difficult areas so as to improve on his performance by the end of the term.

School Visit Report Term One 2023:

A school visit was conducted on 22 March, 2023, by Japheth Musindalo of the Education Department to establish the student’s progress in academics and his well-being at school. Newton is doing well at school and was in high spirits during our visit. From the visit, Newton was applauded for his discipline and hard work, that had impacted positively on his performance in some of the subjects by his class teacher, Mrs. Christine Andai and the Deputy principal. Due to poor performance in mathematics, Newton was paired with students who perform well in mathematics.

Comment from Newton: I appreciate a lot for the great great support over the years. I would also wish to pass my sincere gratitude to the Nasio Trust for the support, guiding, counselling and motivating me always and for always being there for me. I thank my sponsor for always praying for me and supporting me in kind and I am confident of working smart to realize my academic objective. My next term target is attaining a grade B (MINUS).Thank you for the visit and am touched by your immense care and love. May God bless you abundantly?

Comments from Newton’s Class Teacher: Newton is a well-behaved, focused and hard-working student who is always willing to learn. He attends all lessons and also actively involved in group discussions.

Comments from Deputy Head Teacher:  Average in academics, a well behaved student .No indiscipline case has ever been reported.

Comment from school counsellors: Newton is a social student. The guiding and counselling team will continue to encourage him in order to achieve his career dream.

Japheth, Newton and Benedict during  school visit at Kakamega High school..

High School Exam Results:

Newton’s Health:

Newton has been experiencing numbness in his right side of the body (right upper and lower limb), which has been affecting his walking and writing abilities. The problem started when he finished class eight but it wasn’t serious until May 2022 when he visited George Mudenyo Medical Centre (GMK) for treatment. He was examined, treated for neuritis with no improvement. Later he was referred to Kakamega County General Teaching and referral hospital for head CT scan and further management.

At Kakamega hospital, he had a normal head CT and haemogram. He had a positive Brucella. Treatment was started with no significant changes were noted.

The Clinical Officer at GMK consulted a doctor in Kakamega, who prescribed new. According to Newton for sometime he has been using his left hand in everything he did due to the failure of the right hand but when he was visited with one of the education social workers after half term break, he said he was feeling well.

Newton’s recurring condition is worrying and therefore, Nasio trust had an idea of appealing for his medication with his father’s consent. The father is hesitant as he feels like they have tried their best as a family to help Newton receive medication but the condition still reoccurs. He has therefore decided to use other means of treatment like traditional medicine and prayers. From our conversation with him, he hasn’t given Nasio consent to appeal for medication although Newton would like to get further treatment.
Full summary of steps we are taking to support Newton:

• • Newton is linked with the school counsellor for counselling sessions regarding his health since he may be experiencing stigma and stress at school.
  • The class teacher has been informed of Newton’s condition in order to understand and give him enough support while at school.
  • Newton’s father visits him regularly to monitor his health and performance.
  • Newton will receive extra tuition in the upcoming school holidays, specifically in Chemistry and Physics, to facilitate improvement in these subjects.
  • He will also receive new revision guides in these subjects as well as past papers to aid his grades and exam performance.
  • Newton is now attached to Godfrey, a clinical officer at GMK Medical Centre as his mentor. He will shadow Godfrey in his work and learn what the day-to-day activities of a doctor involve as well as getting hands – on experience in medical facility .Newton will participate in this mentor ship scheme during holiday period.
  • We will increase the amount of times we visit Newton to two times a term as well as implementing weekly phone calls with his teachers. This will ensure that we have a constant stream of information on Newton’s progress, commitment, needs and well-being. This will lead to us being better placed to support Newton and give him what he needs to achieve top grades in all subjects.
  • Newton will continue to be engaged in the peer education programme during holiday periods, allowing him to get experience of community health work – something that will help him in his future endeavours of becoming a doctor.

Newton’s Commitments:

1. He has promised to seek help from teachers, especially in his weakest subjects, and to ask the Educational Social Work team for help in time-management related struggles.
2. To commit to more revision using past papers, which will help him get familiar with questions.
3. To commit to the extra tuition being provided during holidays to improve his Chemistry and Physics grades.
4. To make use of his personal timetable to ensure he is managing his time without becoming overworked and burnt out.
5. To commit to the mentorship programme and to gain every piece of advice from Godfrey that he can.
6. To remain wholly committed to improving his grades and to make use of the opportunity given to him by The Plewa Family Foundation and the support of The Nasio Trust.

NAME: RAINA NGESA ADMN: RN118/12 SCHOOL: ST MICHAEL INGUSI SECONDARY FORM: FOUR D.O.B: 27.07.2002 RESIDENCE: EMULEMBWA KCPE MARK: 316 CLUB: HISTORY AND SCIENCE

Background:

Raina is a beneficiary of the Plewa Family Foundation Exceptional Students Programme and qualified to join the scheme in 2020. She scored 316/500 marks in her KCPE exams. Raina is from a vulnerable family and the support of the Plewa Family Foundation enabled her to go to secondary school.

Overview of Academic Year 2023:

Raina is now in form four and hoping to sit for her final exam this year November. Whilst her commitment to both her education and the Exceptional Students Programme has never wavered, we have been concerned to see her grades drop beneath the expected level of a student of her ability. This report outlines the reasons behind the grades and what action has been taken in order to see an improvement over the next academic year as well as present an update on Raina.

Change of Schools:

Raina joined St Anne’s Musoli Girls’ High School in 2020 following her induction into the Exceptional Students Programme. However, we became concerned about her progress at St Anne’s due to her grades dropping below the level expected of her. She scored a D as her overall grade in her final term there, with her highest individual grade a C in English and her lowest an E in Geography.

This concern led to a consultation between Raina, her mother, and our Education and Social Work team where she explained that the school was heavily populated and she was struggling to fit in and feel comfortable, having a large impact on her mental wellbeing. She further explained that due to the school being far away from her home and the first time in her life leaving home and she did not know any of her peers and wished to be closer to home and her family. Following this meeting, we transferred her to St Michael Ingusi Secondary School on 31st May 2022. This is within walking distance of her home and she is in a class with several other students she knows.

We believe this added comfort and familiarity shall aid Raina in her development and help bring her up to the level of academic performance she, her teachers and we all know is possible from her KCPE grade as well as ensuring her mental wellbeing. She recently completed her first set of exams

at her new school in November 2022, unfortunately her overall grade did not rise immediately but we are confident that in this academic year we will see improvements.

The Educational Social Work team will also now visit Raina twice a term (instead of the previous one visit per term) she has now settled at St Michael Ingusi Secondary School and furthermore establish what we can do to facilitate her achieving higher grades.

Change of Teachers:

In January 2023, Raina’s school received a new Principal, who introduced new rules which Raina believes will help the students improve their grades. One of the rules was to ensure all form fours are in boarding so as to get enough time to study. Raina is therefore supposed to board and only go home during holidays and half-term breaks. Raina’s mother is in the process of purchasing Raina’s personal items to enable her to proceed for boarding.

Exam Anxiety:

Before Raina’s transfer we consulted the teachers at her old school (St Anne’s in Musoli) to further understand what had gone wrong. The teachers’ feedback concluded that in classes she was bright, she always fully contributed and was able to answer questions when called upon. She also performed well in assignments and led her teachers to expect high grades. However, when it came to the end of term exams, her grades never reflected her ability or performance in class and assignments. This has led us to believe she may suffer from stress and anxiety surrounding exam periods, leading to underperformance and poor grades despite her strong academic performance in term time.

A counsellor assessed her mental health in the week leading to her exams took the action of sending a counsellor to her school in the week leading up to exams (7th-13th November 2022) to determine whether she does indeed suffer from these conditions and what the appropriate course of action should be. The counsellor concluded that she does become stressed and anxious around exams and gave her coping techniques and mechanisms in the short term for her exams.

The sessions were one-on-one to allow her to speak openly.  In the long term, the counsellor will meet her regularly (twice a month) in the holiday period to help her overcome this anxiety and develop effective methods of dealing with the stresses of exams.

She will be visited by the counsellor once a term, in the build up to exam periods, to ensure she is calm and prepared for her examinations.

Poor Performance in Maths and Sciences (Biology and Chemistry) and the impact of Covid-19/Elections:

Raina struggles with mathematics (E), Biology (D) and Chemistry (D-). These poor marks have a detrimental effect on her overall grade. In the past we have tried to engage Raina in these subjects by encouraging her to join extra-curricular clubs and debate sessions to further her interests in the fields. Whilst Raina did attend these clubs and sessions, it has not led to a major improvement in her grades.

In relation to this Raina has discussed with the Educational Social Work team the unsettling impact the stoppages for The Covid-19 pandemic and the recent general election had on her education – predominantly the lack of time to catch up on all subjects due to the now highly-congested school syllabus and timetable. She cited this as a reason for her poor performance in these subjects. Upon consultation with Raina’s teachers they revealed that, for the most part, there has been a drop in grades across students due to these factors.

We have now arranged to provide her with extra tuition in the upcoming school holidays in all three subjects in a bid to help her catch up for lost time over the recent elections in Kenya. This will be replicated in every holiday period to ensure she has had the chance to revise and learn all the topics required to achieve high grades.

High School Exam Results:

Raina’s health

Since she joined school this year she has been of good health until March when she felt sick and seek for treatment at GMK medical centre. She was diagnosed of acute upper respiratory tract infection. She was given medication and is now doing well.

Full summary of steps we are taking to support Raina:

• Both The Nasio Trust Educational Social Workers and Raina’s teachers are to work hand in hand to ensure that Raina improves in her academics and specifically her examinations. Both parties have exchanged phone numbers to ensure continual contact and updates on Raina’s academic progress. There will be at least one phone call a week to clarify if Raina is still carrying out the activities we have outlined to improve her grades.
• Raina will be visited at least twice in a term (instead of one visit a term, one of these visits will be in the build up to exam periods) for academic follow up. During these follow ups she will be asked if she is struggling with any specific aspect of her education; if there is any direct help we can give her (educational or otherwise); how her mental wellbeing is; how she is faring academically and what has she been doing to improve her grades. Any further action, advice or support that she needs will be carried out immediately.
• Raina will receive extra tuition and help with revision during holidays, especially in the sciences, due to her poor performance in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. She will also receive extra revision guides.
• During the school holidays Raina will be paired with her mentor, Carolyn, a nurse at The Nasio Trust’s Medical Centre (GMK Medical Centre) to help inspire and empower her to work even harder than her current level to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. She will shadow Carolyn in her day-to-day duties and assist in data collection and administration work at the hospital.
• Raina will receive one-on-one counselling sessions to help her deal with her stress and anxiety surrounding exams. To undertake this she will meet with a counsellor once every two weeks in the holidays and then once a term in the New Year.

Raina’s commitments:

• To always seek help from teachers when struggling with an overloaded syllabus.
• To be given exam tests in every topic they have covered.
• To make use of her personal timetable for extra revision and manage her time more efficiently.
• To do more of assessment tests on weekends in Biology, mathematics and Chemistry.
• To consult subject teachers.
• To be engaged in group discussions.
• To make short notes in every subject.
• To have a positive attitude towards sciences and mathematics and commit to the extra tuition provided over the school holidays to improve her grades in these subjects.
• To fully participate in her mentorship programme with Carolyn at GMK Medical Centre.

NAME: BENEDICT NYONGESA ADMN: BON/20E SCHOOL: KAKAMEGA HIGH SCHOOL. FORM: FOUR D.O.B: 21.APRIL 2005 RESIDENCE: BUKAYA KCPE MARK: 377/500 CLUB: HISTORY CLUB

Background:

Benedict was enrolled to the Plewa Family Foundation Exceptional Student Programme in November 2020 having scored 377 marks out of 500. Benedict Nyongesa was left under the care of his mother after the death of his father.

Overview of Academic Year 2023:

Benedict Nyongesa was admitted at Kakamega high school, one of the best boys schools in Kenya, in the year 2020 as a Form One student. A school visit was conducted by Japheth Musindalo the H.O.D for Education on 22nd March, 2023.

School Visit:

During the school visit, Benedict Nyongesa was in high spirits and was applauded by the deputy principal and class teacher for being one of the well behaved and hardworking students. According to the class teacher, Benedict is one of the most active students in class who is always

willing to assist others in academics in order to achieve their goals. He actively participates in group discussion and extracurricular activities.

Benedict has been performing well in almost all subjects since form one except mathematics and sciences.

In his end year exams, he  was position 36 out of 59 in class and position 187 out of 562 overall  having scored grade  B-. According to his class teacher, poor performance in Maths, Biology and Physics is due to a negative attitude towards the subjects which has greatly affected his overall grade. Therefore, Benedict has made the following commitments in order to improve in those subjects.

1. Allocate more time for Maths, Biology and Chemistry.
2. Develop a positive attitude towards his weak subjects.
3. To always go for consultations in his weak subjects.
4. Work extra hard in order to achieve his target.
5. To fully participate in extra tuition during holiday periods in his weakest subjects.

Japheth and Benedict during school visit at Kakamega Highschool.

Benedict’s  Comments:  I would wish to pass my sincere gratitude to the Nasio for the great support that is being provided onto me and my entire family. I promise to continue working extra hard in order to achieve my career dream.

Class Teachers Comments and Recommendations
Benedict is very hardworking and obedient boy .He needs to be supported in extra programs i.e. remedial lessons, academic trips and set books

1. Benedict can do better once he develops a positive attitude towards all subjects.
2. Benedict will be assigned a teacher to help in revision in his weak subject during holidays.
3. Benedict’s mentor at the organisation will try and help him develop a positive attitude towards Maths, Biology and Physics.

School Counsellors Comments: Benedict is doing well socially. He relates well with both teaching and none teaching staffs and all students. No disciplinary case has ever been reported.

Steps we are taking to support benedict:

1. Benedict will be visited at least twice in a term to check on performance and his well-being and establish if there is an improvement.
2. Benedict to have a session with his mentor at least two twice during holiday.
3. Provide Benedict with enough revision materials.
4. Benedict is to continue receiving psychosocial support from Dan who is the Nasio counsellor and peer educator.
5. Ivy and Japheth, from the education department, are to always contact Benedict’s class teacher to find out how he is doing academically.

Conclusion

The Exceptional Student Programme remains crucial for students accessing secondary education who otherwise would not have been able to. The support of the Plewa Family Foundation is hugely appreciated by Newton, Raina and Benedict as well as The Nasio Trust and the students’ families.

The restructuring of the school syllabus, to account for the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent general election, has seen grades drop dramatically across the country. The restructured syllabus has effectively aimed to make up for 2 years of education in the space of 6 months. This has led to incredibly stressful periods for the students as well as compromising their education.

We are working tirelessly with our Educational Social Work team to ensure our students are given the highest quality academic assistance, as well as with our resident counsellor to provide fully supportive psychosocial care, to help them navigate this difficult period.

Despite the drop in grades that we have seen in recent terms, these students are committed to change and understand what is expected of them as exceptional students. If this downward turn of academic performance continues we will reach out to the Plewa Family Foundation for further input on how to proceed.

We would like to take this opportunity to, once again, thank the Plewa Family Foundation for their generosity and support in ensuring these students gain access to secondary education. Their potential is being nurtured in the best environments and we will continue to work on innovative ways to support them in their academic journeys.

Asante Sana!