A Day in the Life of an Elimisha Kakuma Student
A day in the life of an Elimisha Kakuma student looks different for each of the students that have passed (and will pass) through the program’s doors. Each day, students share time together attending lessons, lectures, and tutoring sessions from a variety of professors, university students, and prior Elimisha students who have come back to pass along their wisdom and sustain the program. However, before classes begin at 8:30 in the morning and after they end at 5:00 in the evening, students find ways to commute to and from class, connect with their respective families and communities, and participate in their passions.
For Luka Zakaria, the morning starts early. He and his family live far from the center where Elimisha Kakuma holds classes and is able to facilitate in-person and online lessons through access to technology and internet connections. Because he lives so far from the center, Elimisha has hired a motorbike to bring him to and from his lessons every day. In order to catch the motorbike, he typically wakes up around 6:00 AM. Once he arrives at the center around 7:15 AM, he plans his day and talks with fellow students until classes begin over an hour later. During their lunch break, all of Elimisha’s students, including Luka, usually walk to a restaurant not far from the center in Kakuma Refugee Camp and enjoy a meal there together. Spending so much time together every day has given the students of this cohort time to bond and connect with each other, and they enjoy each other’s company outside of lessons.
This is especially true for Josephine Cornelius and Ajier Bior, who walk to and from the center together each day. Often, they spend their time searching for shortcuts to class in an attempt to cut down their 20 minute walk in the Kenyan heat, racing to find the shortest way there. On the way home, Ajier mentions that they like to stop into the shops they pass, looking for trinkets or snacks to eat as they walk together. Their proximity to the center means that neither student wakes up quite as early as Luka, but routines often change – recently, Ajier has traveled to Nairobi, which isn’t and is attending all of her lessons virtually, leaving Josephine to complain about the loss of her walking companion.
After lessons conclude at the center, students’ routines share a surprising amount in common. Often, many students who live close by stay at the center past 5:00 to use the internet connection in order to complete homework assignments or access the web. Those who have to commute, like Luka, must leave the center quickly to reach their homes before the 6:00 curfew in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Being outside after curfew can be dangerous in the camp, so students are careful to be home on time. Most residents of Kakuma Refugee Camp have some sort of cell phone access, but the technology provided by Elimisha gives students a better chance to connect with others, within the camp and outside its borders, through methods like social media. Ajier describes lyric videos that she posts to YouTube for her favorite songs and the fact that she has to recruit Luka, her deskmate, to take her phone so that she doesn’t get distracted by TikTok during the school day.
While some students’ passions may lay in the realm of the digital, some also revolve more around the physical community close to them. After arriving home, Luka enjoys playing volleyball and dancing with his brothers and half-brothers, while Josphine enjoys reading novels and participating in ping-pong competitions. Both Luka and Josephine spend their free time disseminating the knowledge they’ve had the opportunity to gain from Elimisha Kakuma and their other schooling back to their communities. Luka teaches English, math, and chemistry to younger students in his community, while Josephine dedicates her Tuesday and Thursday evenings to teaching Swahili and biology.
The students of Elimisha Kakuma’s third cohort may have the majority of their days in common, participating in a program only yet available for a select few, but the ways in which they connect their lessons to their lives outside of the classroom differ vastly, reflecting each of their personalities, histories, and priorities.
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