The Kakamega Project
We are building the foundations for 10M dyslexic Kenyans to fully participate in education, work and community life. Unleashing the inherent talents and creativity of dyslexic individuals will increase the economic base for families, communities and the Kenyan economy.
The Whole Dyslexic Society (The WDS) & The Kakamega Project team are on a mission to provide effective dyslexia education training to developing remedial tutors and supporting parents in Kakamega County, Kenya. Delivering an effective approach for supporting learners who are often dyslexic or visual-spatial learners, the strategies and tools are hands-on, practical and can be used straight away with learners.
What Is the Aim of the Kakamega Project?
Bring leading-edge dyslexia education methods to Kenya
Online tools allow us to deliver innovative, tried and tested, practical dyslexic learning methods directly into Kakamega.
This will help bright but struggling learners to learn and retain knowledge and succeed at education and life.
Support remedial tutors and parents to help dyslexic children
Neurodiverse learners often fall out of elementary schools in Africa, severely limiting chances for further education, employment and livelihoods. Remedial tutors and parents want to help young people to develop effective learning skills, so they can stay in and succeed at school, and progress to higher education and employment.
Who Are the Course Participants?
Course participants will include remedial tutors and parents of children from four locations in Kakamega County, Western Kenya. During the course, they will tutor their learners and children in highly effective learning methods designed for dyslexics, by dyslexics. They will then provide ongoing support to their learners.
Kakamega city and county are located in western Kenya, near the Ugandan border. It is located near the rainforest where the mountain gorillas live.
What Is the Learning Methodology?
The 6-week course is based on the Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If? (Why Ty) book and Parent and Tutor Support course created by Richard Whitehead. Richard is the Director of Davis Learning Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting Davis methods and training in Africa, UK and Europe. Richard is also a Trustee of Gifts for Dyslexia, a registered charity in the UK that makes Davis programmes more accessible for residents of the UK, Ireland and other British Isles.
Richard fully endorses this project for Kenyan learners. We are all celebrating internationalization of delivery. We are opening up access to dyslexia education irrespective of time and location.
The Why Ty course will entail a 90-minute introductory webinar, followed by six 2-hour weekly sessions covering:
powerful tools for managing dyslexic confusions
word and picture thinking
highly effective reading methods
innovative methods for learning and retention of words and meanings
Meet the Kakamega Project Team
Geoffrey Ashiono
is the director and lead tutor of the Math E-Zee Tutoring Institute in Kakamega county, western Kenya. He offers remedial maths tutoring to children and teens at risk of dropping out of school due to unserved learning difficulties. He attended one 90-minute online dyslexia webinar in 2021, and was able to support his learners with the new approach to read in their native language, Swahili.
Claire Ashmore
is a Davis Dyslexia Facilitator, children's book author, and a facilitator of the Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If? Parent and Tutor Support course. Based in Cambridge, New Zealand, Claire has a long history of supporting diverse learning communities in Africa, Asia, the Pacific and New Zealand.
Rachel Barwell
is also Davis Dyslexia Facilitator, adult education specialist and facilitator of the Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If? Parent and Tutor Support course. She is based in Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. She has had a long association with African communities and has worked with high-needs learners in indigenous and prison spaces.
What Will Funds Raised Cover?
Hire of three venues and security for equipment for two-month duration of project
Purchase of IT equipment: four laptops, monitors and cell-phones
Facilitation, coordination and administration fees
Learning resources and materials for course participants
All donated funds will go directly to The Whole Dyslexic Society charity in Canada and be disbursed to The Kakamega Project
How Can I Contribute?
Make a donation! Every bit goes a long way!
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Make a Forever-Difference to a Child's Life Today
Your donation will enable Kenyan dyslexic children who typically fall out of elementary school, to succeed and thrive in school, work and life.
"I can now read in my own language of Swahili."
Student Aged 10
"I am able to spell and write for myself."
Student Aged 12
"I am able to do maths in school now."
Student Aged 12
100% of your donation contributes to the initial set-up, administration and facilitation fees, project delivery and resourcing of Kenyan children’s dyslexia education.
By training local Kenyan remedial tutors and supporting parents, we aim to locate the dyslexia resources in the communities where the children live and go to school. This builds the skill base of the community for years to come.
All donated funds will go directly to The Whole Dyslexic Society charity in Canada and be disbursed to The Kakamega Project.
All donated funds will go directly to The Whole Dyslexic Society charity in Canada and be disbursed to The Kakamega Project.
About the Kakamega Project and Our Unique Connections
The Kakamega Programme grew out of connections with the Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If? education team in the UK, The Whole Dyslexic Society (WDS) of Canada, two Davis Dyslexia facilitators in New Zealand, and a remedial maths tutoring centre Maths E-Zee in Kakamega, Kenya.
The Whole Dyslexic Society has been supporting families of children with dyslexia in Canada for 20 years with bursaries and summer camps.
If you wish, you are welcome to connect to our Facebook page to catch up with latest news and information or contact us to ask a question: it is https://thekakamegaproject.raisely.com/
Crying Rock of Kakamega, Kenya
“This stone can be seen from two perspectives /angles:
1. When you look at this photo you see a crying stone, tears are falling. I link this to the challenges or struggles the dyslexic or visual – spatial learners have in schools or in society.
2. On the other side, when you look again at this photo you will see water coming from a rock/stone. Water is life. Water is hope.
We see the hope in Davis strategies and tools that we are bringing in to help these learners.” – Geoffrey
Kōwhai Flower of New Zealand
“Kōwhai flowers are a symbol of nourishment and new life.
After the winter in Aotearoa, New Zealand, the kōwhai is the first flower to bloom at the beginning of spring. Birds such as tui, wood pigeons and bellbirds all fly in from the forest into town or to wherever the kōwhai is flowering, to feed on the kōwhai flower nectar. It is the birds’ first, sweet taste of food after a long, cold winter. The kōwhai symbolizes the heartwarming strategies and skills our dyslexic learners are finally able to use after a long and often lonely struggle. People are encouraged to grow kōwhai trees in their home gardens to feed and nourish the birds.” – Claire
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