In 2013, in the quiet village of Lela, a small town in western Kenya near Lake Victoria, community life revolved around rice farming. Parents left early for the fields and returned late in the evening. While farming sustained families, it created a silent challenge — what about the children?
At the time, there was no proper preschool in the area. Children who were eager to learn were forced to gather inside a church building. On some days, lessons were disrupted by church activities. On others, children stayed home, unattended, while their parents farmed. For a mother like Dorothy Adenga, who had two young boys of her own, this reality was heartbreaking.
Dorothy recalls “I looked around and saw children left behind, sometimes even locked in their homes while parents went to the farms. I knew something had to be done.”
A dream is born
Dorothy was working as a social worker at the time with an organization called Friends of Rangi (Rangi means “mirror”). Her employer, Michael Hawthorne, noticed her commitment and saw her potential. Believing in her, he sponsored her to study Early Childhood Education (ECD).
With her new training, Dorothy decided to act. She donated a piece of land — ancestral land given to her husband, Fredrick Onuga, by his late father — to start a school. The land had deep family roots, and now it would hold a legacy for generations to come.
Naming the school was easy. She chose to honor her two sons, Wayne and Hayward. From their names, Wayward School was born – a school grounded in love, resilience, and family.
The humble beginning
In its first year, the school opened with three children, one of whom was Dorothy’s own son, Hayward. With limited resources, she started with five teachers, who were supported only with small stipends. They were not paid regular salaries, but they believed in the vision.
Parents slowly embraced the school. For the first time, they could leave their children in a safe place, knowing they would learn and play while they worked in the fields. The school soon became a pillar of hope in Lela, not just for children, but for the entire farming community.
Growth and transformation
From three children, Wayward grew to serve over 100 learners over the years. The school expanded to include upper primary levels, adapting to the needs of the community.
When Kenya rolled out the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Wayward embraced it though it came with challenges. Training teachers was expensive, and the school struggled to keep up with the demand for resources. Still, Wayward stood firm, determined not to let children slip back into a system of neglect.
Challenges along the journey
Like any vision born from sacrifice, Wayward School faced challenges. The first of them was the training of the teachers and how to finance it. Paying trained teachers was difficult and stipends could not match the effort required for CBC learning.
Personal struggles made things much more complicated. Dorothy’s eldest son, Wayne, developed a rare condition called muscular dystrophy. His condition required constant care and Dorothy had to withdraw from managing the school fully to focus on her family.
Another problem were the curriculum costs. The CBC system (Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum) demanded trained teachers and new materials, stretching the school’s limited resources.
Yet, even in these struggles, Wayward continued to serve its purpose: giving children a place to start.
Humanist roots
Dorothy reflects that at the time, she did not know she was engaging in Humanist work. But in truth, Wayward School embodied every humanist value. Like respecting human dignity by giving children a safe start and nurturing resilience, showing families that education was possible even with limited resources.
At the same time, the project embodied the value of promoting community solutions instead of waiting for outside help. This way, the school became a place where children were not only taught, but also seen, heard, and valued.
Impact on the community
Over 12 years, Wayward has educated more than 100 children, who have successfully transitioned into primary schools. As a very important side effect, it offered peace of mind to farming parents, freeing them from the worry of leaving children at home.
The school created a community identity centered on education and inspired similar small initiatives in neighboring areas, proving that one person’s vision can ignite broader change.
One parent remarked that “Without Wayward, our children would still be wandering around or waiting until they were older to join school. It gave us dignity as parents.”
Success stories
Some of the first learners from Wayward are now in secondary school, excelling in literacy and leadership. Others have become role models for their younger siblings, showing them the importance of starting school early.
Even the smallest success – a child learning to read, write, or simply smile in a safe space – has rippled into the community’s future.
Looking ahead
Though rooted in challenges, Wayward School continues to dream. Among the aims are to strengthen CBC delivery by investing in teacher training and building a small resource center and library where children can access books and learning materials.
Other goals in near future are to partner with NGOs for offering feeding programs and digital literacy access. and to document the stories of the children and the community, preserving them as part of the school’s legacy.
Dorothy’s vision is clear: “Education is not only about books. It is about giving children a place where they are valued, where they belong, and where they can start building their future.”
A legacy of resilience
Today, Wayward School is more than just a school. It is a story of resilience, sacrifice, and community action. It proves that transformation doesn’t always start with big funding or government projects, sometimes it begins with a mother’s heart, a piece of ancestral land, and the courage to say, “We can do better for our children”
Wayward School continues to stand as a mirror reflecting what a community can achieve when it believes in its children.
“Wayward school makes me feel whole because even though I cannot have many children, I am a mother of many”, says Dorothy. And also a teacher of many, and not only children, as her story shows.
