|Nairobi Business MonthlyJune BY AAMERA JIWAJI N ivi Mukherjee spent her spare time work- ing with underprivileged children in Nairobi. One day she asked them to paint a house and then watched as the entire class painted a square box with a triangle on top. “You expect kids to have a great imagina- tion, ” she explained, “but our mechanised education system stifles creat ivity. It stifles children from growing up and becoming free thinkers.” That is when she decided to set up a social projectcalled Maish a ni Mata muwhere once a month, she would take underprivileged and orphaned children on a trip to do something new such as a musical event, the water slides or a factory visit. Something that would broaden their minds and encourage creativity in their thoughts and ideas. “It’s easy for young minds to be discouraged by the world around them and fall into a cycle of negativity,” she said. “We want these children to appreciate the greatest gift of all: a sweet life!” “And the more I worked with these kids, the more I realised that they learnt more when they were stimulated,” she said. “Y ou can’t teach kids anything when yo u ignore fun and play. ” In an interesting twist, Ms Mukherjee found that the monthly outings also oered a reprieve Enterprise &Ideas High tech teaching ventur e pays o ff startup to the teachers who suered from a dull learn- ing environment, and lack of discussion and exploration in their classes. The idea for an education-themed tablet application grew from her interactions with children and teachers during the Maisha ni Matamu excursions. “Learning happens not just when you hear or see things, but even when you touch things. All the senses are involved” CONTENTS ►High tech teaching venture pays off 50500 Number of children who’ll have access to 100 tablets in 4 pilot schools
