We immediately knew something had to be done to bridge the gap, said Sara Ruto, who leads the foundation s accelerated learning program.
The foundation has distributed 1,660 solar radios in Tana River and Turkana counties since the project launched in May.
The Tana River phase has cost more than 18 million Kenyan shillings ($165,000) so far, Ruto said.
The solar-powered radios take a day to fully charge, and after that the battery can last up to three days, she added.
Zarah Abude, an 11-year-old student at Imani Primary School in Tana Delta sub-county, said the solar lights were an improvement on studying by the light of a fireplace or kerosene lamps, which can fill a house with smoke and toxic fumes.
Deep in Tana River County, in southeastern Kenya, a group of pupils formed a circle around their teacher, jotting down notes as they listened to a Swahili diction lesson coming from the solar-powered radio sitting in their teacher's lap.
FEATURE-With schools shut by pandemic, solar radios keep Kenyan children learning reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Deep in Tana River County, in southeastern Kenya, a group of pupils form a circle around their teacher and jot down notes as they listen to a Swahili diction lesson coming from the solar-powered radio sitting in their teacher’s lap.
The radio the children at Dida Ade primary school gathered around was one of hundreds distributed for free to the most vulnerable households in the semiarid region east of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
The radios allow children without internet access or electricity at home to continue studying while schools are closed to slow the spread of Covid-19, in a project that could also help children stay in the education system after the pandemic.
Deep in Tana River County, in southeastern Kenya, a group of pupils formed a circle around their teacher, jotting down notes as they listened to a Swahili diction lesson coming from the solar-powered radio sitting in their teacher s lap.