Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK) In partnership with UNICEF Kenya is implementing Pamoja Twende Shule Tusome with the Last Mile Connectivity to Schools; an integrated project on digital learning (Last Mile Connectivity to Schools), inclusive education (Lego Braille Brick) and Out of School Children (OOSC) initiative which seeks to expand equitable access to quality education through digital connectivity, inclusive education, and community engagement in Kenya’s underserved counties:- Kilifi, Kajiado, Busia, and Homa Bay. The project bridges the digital divide, supports the reintegration of out-of-school children, and promotes inclusive learning for children with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments. The project interventions will benefit 94,535 learners (50% female, 50% males and 5% children with disabilities) and 1036 teachers in 259 primary schools connected to internet across 4 targeted counties of Kilifi (86 schools), Kajiado county (67 schools), Busia County (76 schools) in Homabay County (30 schools). Additionally, benefit 4,000 OOSC (50% female, 50% males and 5% children with disabilities) in 40 schools within Kajiado County and enhance Braille literacy for 70 teachers and 150 visually impaired learners in 10 schools in Kilifi and Kajiado Counties.
WERK through African Higher Education in Emergencies Network (AHEEN) is implementing the Refugee and Displaced Persons Pathways (RDPP) project, funded by Mastercard Foundation in Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps with an aim of helping refugees in those areas undertake diploma courses and transit to dignified jobs. The project targets 3450 of which 2415 are female (70%). This project is being implemented in Kenya, Somalia, Burundi, South Sudan and South Africa.
WERK, in partnership with Complementary Schools, works towards strengthening the capacity of school directors in low-cost private schools across Nairobi, Kajiado, and Machakos. Through guided training and mentorship, the program improves directors’ skills in school operations, governance, and management, helping them provide equitable, affordable, and quality education to learners from low-income families. The initiative focuses on three key areas: developing strong business and financial management skills for long-term sustainability, enhancing strategic growth and planning to help schools adapt and expand responsibly, and improving leadership and governance to foster positive school cultures and ensure accountability.
This project is designed to conduct a diagnostic study aimed at understanding the systemic conditions, structural barriers, and biases that may affect gender equity in school leadership and schooling. It’s taking place within 8 regions /provinces in Kenya, that is i.e. Nairobi, Nyanza, Eastern, Western, Central, Coast, North-Eastern, and Rift valley (2 counties in every Province). The study examines how improving female representation in school leadership can enhance student enrollment, retention, learning outcomes, and gender equity in both access and achievement. Despite this potential, women remain significantly underrepresented in school leadership roles in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), underscoring the importance and relevance of this study.
Partners: EdTech Hub | EIDU | Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK)
WERK, in partnership with EdTech Hub, conducted an evaluation of the EIDU project to explore how digital technology can enhance early learning experiences for early grade learners in Kenya. WERK assessed the impact of the EIDU App, an innovative learning tool that brings interactive, personalized content to life through mobile devices used in pre-primary and primary classrooms to improve numeracy and literacy outcomes. The study sought to understand how teachers and learners engaged with the app and how its use influenced children’s learning outcomes. The research was conducted in Mombasa, Murang’a, and Nairobi counties through learning assessments administered to pre-primary and lower-primary learners in participating schools to evaluate the EIDU App’s effectiveness in strengthening foundational learning.
WERK implemented the project in partnership with KESHO Kenya (Kilifi) and Nakuru Youth Bunge Forum (Nakuru) to improve Grade 3 reading in English and Kiswahili.
WERK implemented the project in Tana River and Kwale to support uninterrupted learning, access to safe water, and re-enrolment of children affected by drought.
UNICEF-funded project with Gok partners aimed at returning 40,000 out-of-school children in five counties (Kajiado, Kilifi, Kwale, Narok, Tana River).
WERK was contracted by UN Women to carry out research in 13 countries on Financing Violence-Free Futures in East and Southern Africa: Making Investments that accelerate Progress and Accountability for Women and Girls
WERK was contracted by Research Triangle Institute (RTI) to collect baseline, midline and endline data on their behalf for the LEGO-Play Accelerator Program in selected counties within the coastal region namely Mombasa, Kilifi, Malindi and Lamu Counties.
This project geared at Strengthening Leadership, Management and Programming Capacity of Women Educational Researchers of Kenya (WERK). The project was funded by Uraia Trust to enhance the institutional capacity of WERK to contribute more effectively to increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls and enjoyment of gender equality in Kenya.
WERK hosted the YES and AUN4HEIE projects, supporting the implementation of activities in the Kakuma and Azraq refugee camps in Kenya and Jordan, respectively. The YES project aimed to strengthen social support systems for children and youth, enhance social-emotional and 21st-century learning skills through mentoring, coaching, and teacher development, and promote healthy life habits and lifelong learning despite the challenges of displacement. It also sought to empower refugee management teams to co-design, manage, and supervise sports programs as potential livelihood opportunities, and to foster integration between national staff, coaches, and refugees through sports initiatives.
WERK, in partnership with Jaslika Consulting, undertook an action research project on Inter-Generational Perspectives in Education in Nairobi and Nyeri counties. Funded by Porticus, the project aimed to ensure that adolescent children and young people in Kenya, particularly those facing adversity, developed core values, skills, capabilities, and resilience necessary to reach their full potential in society.
WERK partnered with Hivos to develop a prototype of safe spaces for female university staff, both professional and non-professional, at Kenyan universities, using Kenyatta University’s main campus to pilot the concept. The prototype was designed to promote sustainable institutional and attitudinal change and to ensure that duty bearers were held accountable for providing safe and secure environments both formal and informal for female staff.
WERK served as the external evaluator for the Girls’ Education Challenge Project Leave No Girl Behind (LNGB Education for Life), which was implemented by ActionAid International Kenya (AAIK) in Garissa, Kilifi, Kisumu, Migori, and Isiolo counties. The project was in its pilot phase.
The Tracking Hope in Nairobi (THINK) project, hosted by WERK and sponsored by New York University, conducted a rigorous study on educational attainment among youth in Nairobi and its links to hope, future aspirations, and attitudes or behaviors. The study followed a select group of high school students over a year and a half as they progressed to university, alternative education, the workforce, or other activities. For its baseline, THINK partnered with 40 Nairobi City County schools, where Form 4 KCSE candidates participated voluntarily. The project primarily used a quantitative longitudinal approach based on a Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD).
The Operation Come To School (OCTS) project was a UNICEF-funded initiative implemented by WERK in collaboration with key Government of Kenya ministries, including the Ministry of Education and the National Government Administrative Office. The project aimed to return 40,000 out-of-school children (OOSC) to classrooms in Nairobi County by June 2019. WERK carried out the program across nine sub-counties that is i.e. Embakasi, Starehe, Kamukunji, Makadara, Mathare, Kasarani, Westlands, Ruaraka, and Dagoretti targeting 350 public primary and APBET schools within informal settlements.
The program was funded by the Children Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). It was an ECDE intervention aimed at preparing children particularly from low-resource settings for primary school with essential literacy, numeracy, social, and life skills. WERK supported its implementation in low-cost schools within Nairobi’s informal settlements, known as Alternative Providers of Basic Education and Training (APBET). The program, led by the Ministry of Education with technical support from RTI International, targeted public pre-primary schools in Nairobi, Laikipia, Siaya, and Uasin Gishu, as well as low-cost private centers in Nairobi.
This was a four-year initiative that sought to improve literacy and numeracy competencies among children aged 5–16 in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda through a civic-driven, public
accountability approach to social change. The program aimed to make policymakers and citizens including parents, students, and local communities aware of children’s actual learning levels and to use that awareness to drive practical and policy reforms across East Africa. Its objectives were to develop and promote simple tools to assess learning, increase public and governmental awareness of educational outcomes, place learning achievement at the center of public debate, and encourage ministries of education to enhance the quality of education by focusing on learning results.