"I Was Not Used to Speaking to My Children" Parental Gains from an Adolescent Education Program in Urban Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

The paper examines gains that accrued to parents of adolescents, in an education program in urban Nairobi, Kenya. Data comes from qualitative narratives from parents collected during the endline evaluation of the Advancing Learning Outcomes and Transformational Change (ALOT Change) program in the months of April - May 2018 using focus group discussions (FGDs). Analysis followed the framework of Miles and Huberman, which compares data from participants across time. Results showed that parents gained from the support provided to their children to continue with their education. There was also the trickle-down effect of the intervention in the households. Parental benefits were amplified through improvements in communication between them and their children. Finally, parents changed their behavior, to become better role models to their children. Overall, parents also became champions in improving educational outcomes for children in the Urban Informal Settlements, in Nairobi.