Sep 9th, 2021 — Biology • Chemistry • Physics

PASCO Teams Up with Volunteers to Bring Hands-on Science to Kenyan Schools

In our nearly sixty years of supporting science and STEM education, we’ve partnered with groups small and large to bring quality science education to schools around the world. A few months ago, we connected with Maranatha Volunteers International, a volunteer group close to home, who were planning a visit to two schools in Kenya. We quickly discovered our shared passion for education and developed a plan that would provide both schools with the equipment, training, and support they needed to teach science to hundreds of high school students in Kenya. Below is a recent update from one of Maranatha’s wonderful volunteers, Brenda.

Greetings PASCO team!

How are you all?  We have had an amazing summer, and I cannot say “thank you” enough for your help in putting so much together so quickly – by far the fastest ramp-up Adrienne and I have ever experienced!  It was perfect, and so much fun!

If I had to sum up our trip to Kenya, it would be like a student at the end of lab: “Wait! I’m not finished yet!”

We had a whirlwind ending to our Kenya trip and are excited about returning for another round of teaching and learning. So, what was accomplished?

Our first step was to get all the materials into the country. Between missing flights and crazy plane changes, it’s a miracle we and our luggage made it to Kenya!

Hours after arriving, we purchased all the necessary chemicals and equipment in Nairobi, so we could teach the labs we learned about from Barbara in Roseville. Using our new scale and labware, we measured and mixed reagents, labeled everything, and even got lovely shelves built to hold science equipment in the under-construction Kajiado lab.

Step two was to introduce the available teachers to PASCO labs and sensors, starting with the Kajiado Adventist Rescue Center. The Kajiado school is the only rescue center for girls fleeing early childhood marriage that provides both education and safety. In addition to rescue students, many community students attend the co-ed school.

The school is in the process of building a secondary school, beginning with Forms 1 and 2 (grades 9 and 10), before adding Form 3 sometime this year. The new science lab will be coming online before the end of September, so our visit was very well timed.

Since Kajiado has internet, our IT guy, Sam, and I worked together to plan for the school’s technology. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to get the Chromebooks set up before leaving Kenya, so I will be supporting them virtually until my next visit. (How can days vanish so quickly?!) I plan to return to Kajiado soon, so I can spend a few more days helping their teachers set up and use their new equipment and Chromebooks.
Every lab needs storage! Biology teachers, Methuselah and Alice, stand beside their newly built shelves.

The Form 1 and 2 Biology teachers, Methuselah and Alice, spent a day with us learning labs before teaching students using their new PASCO labs and sensors. They went from seeing iPads for the first time Tuesday morning to taking data on them Tuesday afternoon, followed by teaching with them on Thursday. So fun!

We had a couple of volunteer teaching assistants in our group, as well as teachers with a B.S. in their area, which made all the difference! Since the science lab was still under construction, we set up four experiment stations in a classroom and rotated groups through each experiment. Both Alice and Methuselah have smartphones, and Methuselah is a PASCO Academy member, so they have access to many of your teaching resources. He is enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with other teachers in Kenya and helping to assess progress.

We also had a chance to visit Kajiado’s sister school, Kiutine Adventist School. The school has a beautiful campus with many new buildings and a solid secondary program. Three hundred students are currently enrolled, and there are 150 students on the waiting list.

With just one day in Kiutine, we introduced chemistry teacher, Timothy, and physics teacher, Maxwell (don’t you love that?), to the Wireless CO2 Sensor and iPad interface. They were big fans! Science is already popular in Kiutine: the chemistry teacher, Timothy, was cheered by his students when he was introduced.

Our next step will be getting the technology into the schools and into the care of teachers with Chromebooks and iPads, as appropriate. This is what we are working toward.  Without a dedicated science lab or sufficient storage space, the school’s iPads and sensors are currently stored at our headquarters in Nairobi. Our goal is to establish a system of checking sensors and tablets in and out and securing appropriate storage. 

Our visit to Kiutine was a single day, and I plan to return with more materials to introduce the physics labs once we have worked out where they will live. So looking forward to continuing our work in Kenya!

— Brenda