Rightly or wrongly, but in the absence of many alternatives, it is African Promise that our partner schools more often than not first come to when they have a problem.
For Ngambenyi that latest problem was a lack of existing suitable space, and no funding from the government to put up a new space, to accommodate the grade 9 junior secondary class which came into being at the start of this new school year last week.
The school only found out in September that they had not been included in the latest phase of schools to receive funding, unlike all seven of our other partner schools, and immediately turned to us for help.
Putting up a brand new classroom, unexpectedly and at such short notice, was never really an option but fortunately there was an abandoned building, formerly part of the original school, before it was entirely rebuilt with the support of AP nearly 10 years ago, that had never been demolished and had most recently been used as a building materials store.
It was in a ramshackle state however, with a weak heavily rusted and leaking roof, crumbling pot-holed floors, and bare unplastered walls; a far cry from the rest of the school.
But with AP’s support, in the shape of a donation of materials and funds valued at around £1,500, new life has been breathed back into the building and it now provides a conducive space for learning, even if it is not the ideal solution and has not yet been entirely finished!
AP tries to, and has always endeavoured to, respond agilely and positively to the changing needs and priorities of our partner schools, helping them to identify solutions and overcome challenges.
This is not always easy and not always possible but it is certainly something that makes us a little different from many partners and development organisations and a benefit that comes from being small with a local focus.
This is just another example, in a long line of them, of that.