CTREIN undertook a comprehensive Needs Assessment to ascertain the level of vulnerability of school-going pupils in the two participating schools. A total of 208 pupils were identified by their teachers based on the CTREIN-provided vulnerability assessment criteria (regularity of accessibility to scholastic items, and school attendance patterns, among others). The identified pupils were further subjected to individual vulnerability assessment at school, and later their parents/ guardians at home. The assessment captured the pupils’ biodata, their parents’/ guardians’ income sources, and the challenges they encounter in providing basic needs to their children.
The assessment identified 28 critically vulnerable children while the remaining 180 were classified as moderately vulnerable.
Current SPEP interventions include;
▬ Interim provision of all scholastic items to the 28 critically vulnerable children, and subsidized ones to 180 moderately vulnerable children.
▬ Support to Parents/ guardians of the 28 critically vulnerable children under the household food security enhancement initiative, to adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture. It is envisaged that any excess harvested food will be sold to enable families to afford basic needs and in the process graduate from critical to moderate vulnerability.
▬ Support the partnering schools’ access to reading materials, performance assessments, teacher educational workshops and school exchange visits. see photos
The participating schools continue to register alarming school dropout rates. These have persistently been attributed to social ills such as abject poverty among parents and guardians, and broken family value systems. The persistent exposure to such ills has pushed pupils into crime, drug abuse, early marriages, child labour, among others.
Project interventions currently being implemented jointly with local leaders and security agencies include rescue, counselling, awareness creation, and reintegration into schools and society. Several Girl & Boy-Child empowerment initiatives are also implemented under this initiative.
CTREIN has noted with concern the high school absenteeism among girls attributed to lack of access to convenient and affordable menstrual hygiene management kits.
CTREIN makes and distributes affordable reusable pads to school going girls undergoing menstruation. The organisation believes this intervention will help to maintain girls at school, enhance their menstrual hygiene, and personal confidence. This intervention is intended to contribute to eradication of period poverty.
Access to the reusable pads is free for critically vulnerable pupils and subsidised for the less vulnerable in the participating schools. CTREIN also sensitises the project beneficiaries about menstrual hygiene management and effective use of the reusable pads.
CTREIN in collaboration with Karujubu Primary School is piloting a Porridge for Lunch (P4L) Initiative, under the School Feeding Project. The school availed One acre of land, farm labour for planting maize, and has also pledged firewood, sugar, a kitchen shed and labour for preparing porridge for pupils and teachers. CTREIN is overseeing this initiative, and it contributed hybrid maize seed for planting, fertilizer, and has also pledged saucepans for preparing in porridge.
Under this initiative, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and in effect, Conservation Agriculture – a farming system that promotes maintenance of a permanent soil cover, minimum soil disturbance, minimum water loss, are being introduced to pupils in a hands-on approach. Zero tillage, use of short gestation hybrid maize seed and fertilizers, are being experimented at the school farm.
CTREIN will support pupils and their parents/ guardians to replicate lessons learnt in their own homes through the household food security enhancement initiative. Once this pilot project is successful, CTREIN will replicate it in other schools. See photos