From October 2nd-6th, the Kenyan government carried out a 5-day Polio vaccine campaign to vaccinate children in select areas of Kenya, in an effort to boost the population's immunity. This campaign follows a polio outbreak in northern Kenya, and the detection of polio in gray water samples in Nairobi.

Mathare was one of the areas singled out for the mass vaccination of children under 5 years, due to the particular features of the disease. Polio is a very infectious viral disease that mainly affects children 5 years old and under.

The disease is transmitted mainly through poor sanitary practices and sometimes contaminated water or food. The virus multiplies in the intestine where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. Polio transmission is exacerbated by malnutrition, lack of clean running water, and soap for handwashing.

Based on these facts about the disease, people living in extreme poverty in areas like Mathare, are particularly susceptible to Polio, due to lack of adequate sanitation.

Our Mawewa Preschool was a beneficiary of the Polio vaccine program and hosted government health workers who administered drops to the youngest of our students.

eduKenya’s holistic approach to breaking the cycle of poverty in Mathare sets up our learners to thrive in a very difficult environment. Our school provides very nutritious meals to our students during the school term. Through the work of our Community Relationships department, we also provide additional assistance, on a case by case basis, to particularly needy students' families during the academic terms and school breaks, which means better baseline health outcomes for all our students.

We also partner with local nonprofits that provide health screenings for our students, and our Community Relationships Coordinator again follows up with students experiencing severe health challenges, providing additional assistance where needed. All our schools also have access to clean running water and soap, and teach our students the basic daily habits of proper hygiene, which is a particular challenge for children growing up in extreme poverty.

In the fight against serious communicable diseases such as Polio, providing the basics of healthy nutrition and hygiene, goes a long way in ensuring that children living in extreme poverty can enjoy the full benefits of a vaccine program.

Would you continue to support eduKenya’s work which provides our students with health screenings, healthy meals and clean running water at our schools?