CGA New Student Intake

Each school year, CGA invites a new class of students to begin their education at Christ’s Gift Academy.  Most students begin attending CGA in Nursery or Pre-Primary class (equivalent to Pre-School and Kindergarten in the U.S.); however, a few are also admitted into grades 1-4, if space is available.

Every October, the CGA Student Care office, led by Lillian Ombori, heads-up the Intake process.  It’s a long process to ensure a fair and just evaluation and that all decisions are made with good discernment and accurate information.  The selection is done by a Selection Committee which includes the CGA Leadership team along with the local area Chief and the Chairman of the PTA.  

Joe is a part of the Leadership Team and I was invited to be part of the Selection Committee.  It was very insightful for me to better understand the foundation and reasons for the guidelines of CGA. Listening to the various children’s circumstances and going along on home visits gave me great insight to this community.  It’s sometimes hard to grasp how and why there are so many orphans and widows in this area.  They each have a unique story yet the severity of their circumstances or the harshness of their family disownment is astonishing; even for me, someone who’s lived in East Africa for 2 years. 

Academically, CGA is one of the top 5 schools in the District.  In addition to the academic excellence, students also benefit with meals in school, medical treatment and other things.  Hence, every parent/guardian would love for their child to attend CGA.  We strive to give first priority to orphans and then to other needy and vulnerable children.  Yet, there are so many desperate families and children desiring to go to school at CGA.  Many families often attempt to forge documents (such as parent death certificates) to give their child a chance to qualify to attend CGA.

Application & Short Listing

The process begins with advertising around Mbita to let the community know that CGA is now accepting applications for the next school year.  Parents/Guardians must come to CGA with the necessary documents (including child birth certificate and medical history, and the parent’s death certificate).  In 2013, we accepted 60 applications, though many were turned away even before getting the application because they failed to meet the requirements.  

Students who apply for Pre-Primary, 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd Grade must take an entrance exam to ensure they are placed in the correct grade.  CGA teachers focus on academic excellence starting from Nursery class.  Students who have attended a local public school for a number of years often have a very difficult time academically catching up with their peers at CGA.  They are often far behind CGA students and it’s a challenge to catch-up with the high standard here.

After a comprehensive review of the applications, many applicants were determined to not be eligible by the set criteria of the CGA Intake guidelines and policies.  The disqualifying reasons include forged documents, home being too far from school, the child not being an orphan, the child is not from this area or if the child is living in an unstable home environment.  

The Selection Committee finalized a shortlist of 37 eligible applicants this year!

Home Visits

CGA staff must visit each home to ensure they have an accurate understanding of each child.  This is a key piece of the process.  Visiting the home is necessary to see the environment in which the child is living and also gain a better understanding of the child’s needs and home situation.  Over a course of 3 days, our 4 social workers traveled on foot to all 37 homes within a 4-mile radius of school.  In pairs, they walked to each home and interviewed the parent/guardian and child.  These are long days, but our dedicated staff understand the importance of the home visits.  They collect information and write reports for each home.  This information then helps the Selection Committee make a wise and informed decision about each child.

Final Selection

Over a 3.5 hour meeting, the Selection Committee discussed each child and carefully considered every situation, taking into account all the information available.   CGA was created because of James 1:27 which says, “True religion in the sight of God is to care for orphans and widows in their distress.”  It’s very difficult to deny a child an opportunity to come to school at CGA.  However, we know and believe God has a specific purpose for CGA to assist true orphans and widows and other needy children.  Final selection is difficult but necessary. 

2014 Intake

We are excited to welcome our new students in January 2014.  The following classes will be accepting new students:

Nursery – 19

Pre-Primary – 4

Grade 1 – 6

Grade 3 – 1

Grade 4 – 2

We are excited to welcome these new ones, and we are also looking for sponsors for each of these little blessings!  Learn how to become a sponsor for a new student.

 New Smiling Faces

The best part of a new intake is that we as CGA staff and teachers have the opportunity to love on new students.  In January, these new students will become a part of the CGA Family.  We look forward to extending God’s love to these new students and their families.