Education
Education Ministry
When the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna (FSSA) was founded in Kenya, Lwak in 1958, the first mission the Sisters were involved in was the education of girl child.
The government of Kenya and the society focused more on the education of boy child and this inspired the sisters to carry on with the education ministry that they were doing in Holland and concentrate on girls.
The aim of the sisters was to empower the girl child and to ensure they develop intellectually. They also wanted to restore the dignity of the young girls whom the society had neglected. Through education, the girls would expand their experience and participate in public affairs.
The first sisters began teaching in an intermediate school which was already existing in Lwak. Later, Lwak girls’ primary school was started which then developed into an intermediate school in 1960.
The need to expand services in the education sector for the vulnerable children and those challenged, arose. After receiving funds from well-wishers, the sisters started a school for the blind at Aluor now known as St. Oda School for the visually impaired. The sisters began walking in the villages searching for blind children both boys and girls seven years and below who were to take the primary school education. These children were instructed in Music and they developed an outstanding bond which exists to date.
After completing class eight, the pupils continued with training to prepare them for life. In regard to this, a vocational institution was erected where the girls trained in dress making, cooking and knitting while the boys specialized in furniture making using local available materials.
A school for the deaf was then established in 1962 at a place called Nyang’oma, and Rapogi girls’ primary followed in 1963.
Slowly on, there was the plan to further the education of Kenya girls hence in 1965, the dream of the sisters to start a girls’ secondary school was hatched. St. Mary’s Lwak girls Secondary school came into existence as a Harambee school.
The Congregation has since carried on with this ministry of education and to-date, more school have been established both nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools and technical schools. These include
St. Bernadette Aluor girls’ primary,
St. Anne’s Nyabondo girls primary
Nyabondo nursery
Mother Consolata Nyango’ma girls’ primary
Nyang’oma nursery
Rapogi nursery
St. Clare Lwak nursery
St. Mary of the Angels Nyamonye academy
St. Mary Madiany Montessori and primary
St. Angela Merici Academy
St. Anthony technical School-Lwak
St. Joseph Nyang’oma Technical School for the deaf
Fr. Ouderaa Secondary School for the hearing impaired
Nicko Hausa Secondary School for the visually impaired
St. Dymphna for the physically challenged.