Education
The school provides quality education and affordable schooling for Pokot children eligible for nursery school (age 3) through 6th grade. An important goal of the school is to provide a Christian outreach arm into the Pokot community. When children go to school, they return home and share what they have learned about Jesus Christ with their families. The school also contributes to the community by providing students free medical care and health education. The ultimate goal of COPE is to bring each of the Pokot children and adults to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Tapadany Christian Acadamy
The original school building dedicated in 1997 was 2 walls made of stick & mud and had a dirt floor. They had very few materials. The teacher used a rain barrel for a desk and the students took turns using a small slate board for writing. Thanks to many generous people look how far we've come!
As of today we have 5 classroom buildings. Upper, lower and nursery. Classroom size is 60-80 students per grade with 2 teachers. Retention of teachers is always a serious concern. The wages we pay are not as high as those paid by the government & we do not have a retirement program. Our employees do participate in the Kenyan Social Security retirement program & COPE pays taxes into the program.
As of January of 2025 we have been able to reopen our Junior Secondary School (JSS) in compliance with the CBC curriculum guidelines. This improved version of our JSS provides new hope for our students and community who see education as a real tangible way to improve their lives. We have over 100 students in our JSS this year and expect to see it grow as the Pokot community and US donors help us fund raise for the many expenses of opening and maintaining a JSS.
Teachers
Our teachers are expected to uphold the values of COPE in their day to day role. They teach our students about grace, mercy, respect, and responsibility. Many of the teachers volunteer to come in early and leave late to be available to students who need help. In addition, many of our teachers come in on the weekends to play soccer with our students and COPE house children.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6