INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Our core purpose remains to upgrade, expand and, where necessary, rebuild dilapidated schools. We work to modernise all areas of school infrastructure from core learning facilities through to utilities including water, electricity and sanitation.

Core infrastructure

We are working to ensure that each of our partner schools has at least the following facilities, all constructed to a high-standard:

sufficient classrooms (including dedicated pre-school) | a dedicated library/resource room | staffroom and offices | kitchen with energy-saving stoves | dining hall | on-site staff housing | security gate & entranceway | assembly ground, paved pathways and landscaping

Sanitation & wash facilities

It is not uncommon in Kenya to smell a school toilet before you can see it. We aim to change that by building safe, clean and hygienic toilets that include: seperate facilities for boys and girls, dedicated facilities for nursery pupils, primary pupils and staff/visitors and wash facilities for girls. We also construct waste incinerators for the safe disposal of sanitary waste and install hand-wash facilities adjacent to toilets and elsewhere throughout schools.

Water

Access to water is a right; but one which those of us who are fortunate to have it piped to our homes all too often take for granted. It is simply not acceptable in the 21st century that schools in the developing world do not have access to a reliable supply of clean water which is needed for drinking, cooking, hand-washing and cleaning. We work to improve water security in our partner schools by installing rainwater harvesting systems and establishing connections to other sources of water.

Electricity

We also work to ensure our partner schools have a source of electricity, whether that be through connection to a mains supply or via a solar power system, that can be used to light classrooms and other facilities, to power computers and other technological equipment, and, of course, to charge teachers phones!

Desks and furniture

What use is a spacious classroom if pupils are crowded on just a handful of desks. We believe it is important that children have enough space in which to work and we aim to achieve this in two ways: firstly by ensuring that each pupil has their own chair to sit on and secondly by providing each pupil with sufficient desk space. This means one desk per pupil for upper primary pupils, twin-tables for lower primary pupils and large tables for pre-school pupils, and each pupil having their own chair.

Playgrounds

Every child deserves the right to play. For younger pupils in particular it is an essential part of their learning and development. That is why we create modern playground areas for nursery pupils that include climbing frames, swings, slides and see-saws.