MariaDorin Shayo

NIPO

MariaDorin J. Shayo

Bertha Sanga, Sherryen Mutoka, Baraka Cassian, Jacqueline, Catherine Kimaro

My team wants to use a desktop application to aggregate truancy data sets so that we can reduce school dropout rates, and ultimately the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS among AGYW.

Decrease early school dropouts that limit opportunities for AGYW

NIPO is a desktop application that tracks attendance and sends out instant updates to parents on their children’s unexplained school absences. In addition to sending out updates, the application also aggregates data points on truancy and school dropouts that could be used by policymakers to inform key decisions. Research has shown that 70% of dropout cases are a result of chronic truancy. Therefore, we believe that by reducing truancy rates, we will reduce dropout rates. Furthermore, we believe that reduced dropout rates will reduce AGYW’s risk of contracting HIV/AIDS because studies have shown that for every year a girl stays in school, her risk reduces by one third.