PACEmaker International

What We Do

1. Community-Based Teaching Assistants Fellowship (CBTAF)

The CBTAF project provides an opportunity for local youth to contribute to both classroom-based and out-of-classroom educational needs of learners in under-resourced neighborhoods. To complement our activities in the schools and sustain impact, we bring in their families and the general community to support the learners’ educational ambitions. Delivered through a six-month youth service fellowship with a volunteer component; CBTAF equips young people with skills to initiate and run sustainable community impact projects. We do annual recruitment of volunteers who go through an initial two weeks of pre-field training on fundamentals of classroom support, professional etiquette, dynamics of education, community mobilization into action, participatory resource mobilization, fundamentals of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and storytelling. PACE places fellows in informal schools where they take up the role of volunteer teaching assistants and engage the community. The Fellows participate in the following initiatives:

Much as the issue of poor learning outcomes in schools based in informal settlements of Kenya is a known phenomenon, the situation in informal primary schools remains dire. The acute shortage of learning resources and the low number of, or non-existence of trained teachers, has made the learners in these schools lack interest in learning generally, but specifically in numeracy based subjects which are perceived hard. PACE fellows assist with marking examinations, grading, making teaching aids, and providing after-class one on one tutorial support to weak learners.
To support the numeracy and literacy needs of the students in our informal partner schools, PACE fellows implement the TaRL program. TaRL is a child-centered pedagogical approach to literacy and numeracy. TaRL was developed by Pratham in India, and tested via randomized control trials (RCT). Through the TaRL program, students are taught literacy and numeracy skills in a fun way using non-expensive materials like sticks and bottle top. TaRL has proven to produce significant gains in reading and numeracy ability.
The fellows either initiate or re-invigorate clubs, sports, and games programs in the schools. Because PACE fellows come from the surrounding community, they understand and relate to the challenges the students are facing. They are poised to act as relatable mentors for the students. The age disparity between the fellows and the students is also not so vast; hence the students are likely to see them as relatable and understanding, further reinforcing their roles as peer mentors and their ability to teach the students relevant life skills.
The fellows identify and mobilize local community resources to support the educational needs of the children in informal schools.

2. The Teacher Empowerment Network (TEN)

The Teacher Empowerment Network targets newly qualified teachers joining the pool of 300,000 unemployed teachers. It seeks to address the challenges new teachers face. The model provides motivated and adequately credentialed teachers to help improve student learning outcomes measurably and help resolve teacher attrition problems. A typical Kenyan classroom size in the underprivileged communities has an average of 60 students. Our teachers support a minimum of 2 classes per school; therefore, a minimum of 2400 under-privileged learners annually benefit directly from a pool of highly motivated and well-exposed teachers, resulting in improved test scores. We track changes in classroom performance monthly and quarterly and compare between the different schools and with classes that do not have our teachers. We also collect monthly feedback from participants and school administrators on satisfaction with the model and areas of improvement. This project is in line with and augments the TSC developmental model for Kenyan teachers. It creates an opportunity for synergy with and real partnership with the Kenyan government. Unlike other teacher development models, TEN gets the best out of teacher training schools and provides them with the best support.

3. Street Business School (SBS)

SBS are entrepreneurial classes which teach women in underprivileged communities on how to initiate and sustain micro-enterprises. Specially trained PACE staff members take the lead in conducting SBS classes to pre-identified underprivileged women within our parents community. 89% of SBS graduates begin at least one business in two years upon finishing the classes. By empowering women financially, we increase their participation in and support their children’s academic endeavors. In specific instances, a few members of the community who are not part of our parents’ community but who meet the set criteria are eligible for enrollment into the SBS classes.

4. Parental Empowerment and Engagement (PEE)

Parental Empowerment and Engagement(PEE) is a programme that aims to empower and engage parents in PACE Schools to ensure optimal involvement in learners' education. Our PEE programme is aimed at training parents on the importance of parental involvement in a child's education to improve learning outcomes. With the understanding that parents and teachers together play a key role in the academic performance of children, PACE saw it best to train teachers in the partner schools on the PEE model, its importance and implementation.

5. PACE Project Lab (PPL)

It's a hub for PACE Alumni who have the dream to continue their change-making journey. It provides young, African, change makers with the support they require to start and sustain projects.

6. Girl Rising

We use stories to ignite and fuel social movements. The stories inform, engage and inspire the public to take action for girls and gender equality.

7. PACE Teacher Champion (PTC)

PACE Teacher Champion is a one-day training for our PACE partner teachers that focuses on assessments, tutorials of learners at different levels and insightful discussions on how to improve literacy rates in schools.

Customers

SBS are entrepreneurial classes which teach women in underprivileged communities on how to initiate and sustain micro-enterprises. Specially trained PACE staff members take the lead in conducting SBS classes to pre-identified underprivileged women within our parents community. 89% of SBS graduates begin at least one business in two years upon finishing the classes. By empowering women financially, we increase their participation in and support their children’s academic endeavors. In specific instances, a few members of the community who are not part of our parents’ community but who meet the set criteria are eligible for enrollment into the SBS classes.

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“You can even send emails to Evernote and gather all of the things you need in a single place.”

JURGEN K. / Senior Marketing At Brator

“You can even send emails to Evernote and gather all of the things you need in a single place.”

JURGEN K. / Senior Marketing At Brator