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Aidlink Summary Annual Report 2023
2023
Introduction
2023 was both a challenging and rewarding year for Aidlink as we continued to navigate the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic and severe drought in Kenya. Our primary focus was on the poorest and most excluded communities in Kenya, particularly girls and women from the nomadic pastoralist Masai and Turkana communities. We are delighted with the results of the Every Girl in School and Let Girls Learn projects, particularly in the context of the near catastrophic impact of the worst drought in 40 years. More children are enrolled in school and attending regularly. More families
are supportive of and engaged in their children’s education. There is increased awareness of the impact of negative social norms and a willingness among community members to engage in behaviour change. Despite the challenges posed by climate change, communities have built the capacity for enhanced resilience. Aidlink is confident that with time and additional support, these projects will continue to positively impact life outcomes for children and their families in Turkana and Kajiado. The Girl Child Network remains our key partner in the implementation of core programmes in Kenya and we remain proud to work alongside them.
In Uganda, with funding support from Foundations, Trusts, and Corporate Groups, Aidlink was able to expand our engagement with communities in Masaka district with our partners Caritas MADDO and Action for Rural Women’s Empowerment (ARUWE), working together to improve access to WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) for targeted communities.
2023 saw the relaunch of the immersion programme after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this programme is core to our mission to create informed citizens committed to action on poverty and inequality.
THANK YOU
This work is only possible thanks to our volunteers, fundraisers, students, donors and everyone who supports us regularly giving us the confidence to plan ahead.
We greatly appreciate the on-going support of the Irish Government through Irish Aid and other institutional donors including:
• Association of Secondary School Teachers Ireland (ASTI)
Development Aid Fund
• Bank of Ireland Staff Charitable Fund
• Dublin City Council Staff World Development Fund (DCC)
• ElectricAid
• Irish National Teachers Association.
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Spotlight – Let Girls Learn, Kenya
PARTNER Girl Child Network (GCN)
FUNDING Hubert and Pamela Croghan through the Bank of Ireland Staff Charitable Fund
The Let Girls Learn project was developed to ensure children, especially girls and those with disabilities,
from the nomadic pastoralists Masai and Turkana communities, Kenya, have improved access to inclusive quality primary education and included both hardware and software interventions; the Aidlink approach ensures that children attend a physically safe, emotionally secure, and psychologically enabling learning environment, where students are motivated and able to attend school and learn, irrespective of their gender or disability.
Impact: Following the implementation of the project we have recorded significant impacts particularly in enrolment figures – with a 20% increase in enrolment in Turkana and 47% in Kajiado as of January 2024.
116 girls are safely enrolled in the two dormitories, one each in Turkana and Kajiado, protecting them from the daily challanges of traveling long distance to school and to fetch water, allowing them to focus on their school work and friendships and protecting them from traditional norms of early marraige and FGM.
Feedback from teachers, parents and learners has been very positive. The improved infrastructure, including latrines and water facilities, sensitization and awareness creation among school Board members (BoM) and teachers on child rights issues and polices, are contributing to boosting capacity, and competences. Pupils, through their involvement in Rights of the Child (RoC) clubs, are more aware of their own rights and have a platform
and opportunity to learn, express themselves and are becoming agents of change among their peers, families and the wider community.
Photo: Bank of Ireland staff visiting new classroom block Lenkishon Primary School (Oct 2023).