Children in Freedom School

Children in Freedom School, an independent school in Nakuru, Kenya, is shattering the status quo, instilling a deep sense of pride, critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship in its students. The impact on the community has been nothing short of extraordinary, as the school has disrupted the traditional Eurocentric education model and replaced it with a powerful blend of local languages, Afrocentric history and thinking, tech savviness, and life skills. Children in Freedom School is not just a school; it's a movement that's transforming Africa.

Originally a scholarship programme for disadvantaged children, it became a school when it recognised the limitations of the Eurocentric education model that was being followed in Kenya. The school understood the importance of instilling positive African histories, languages, and narratives in the curriculum.

To achieve its goals, the school began by retraining and retooling teachers to embrace Afrocentrism and to adopt more holistic approaches to teaching. It encouraged children to embrace the colour of their skin, the natural state of their hair and their genius. The school also adopted African prints and outfits, and promoted the use of the powerful African value of 'Ubuntu.'

Through its more holistic approaches, Children in Freedom School also set out to prove that African children could learn better and learn more if they could be taught in a manner that was suited to them. While the school follows the Kenyan national curriculum, students learn programming from an early age. Students also learn public speaking, as well as critical thinking, innovation, and entrepreneurship. As a result, the kindergarten learners are literate and multilingual by the age of three, and some do the same school work as primary school students.

These approaches have developed a deep sense of pride, self-efficacy, and identity among the students.

If Children in Freedom School wins the World's Best School Prize for Overcoming Adversity, it intends to expand its programme and increase the number of disadvantaged children it can mentor and educate, furthering its goal of empowering African children to reach their full potential.