Next, we’re transforming the dilapidated Likamba Primary School just outside Arusha into a clean, safe learning space. Many people in this area are poorly-educated Maasai, and this is the poorly- funded public school for their children. This is where the poorest children go.
Not only is the school in horrible condition, but we also learned that during rainy season, the fire in the make-shift kitchen cannot stay lit & food cannot be prepared. And during this same rainy season when the roads wash out, many parents in the toughest areas don’t bother sending their children to school at all. Some of the kids here have been fainting because their parents can’t afford to feed them properly and they are not getting consistent meals at school. We believe that if we provide consistent meals for these children their parents will make sure they get to school each day for what could be their best chance at good nutrition. And they will get the transformative gift of education in a safe environment.
Here 5 children sit at a desk designed for 2 in classrooms with busted floors and ceilings that leak no matter how many times the roof is patched. Glass in windows is broken, and there seem to be sharp edges everywhere. Everything is gray and dusty. With this environment and lack of nutrition, how are any of them supposed to learn?
We started with a model classroom with our initial fundraise. The floors and ceiling were completely redone, and the walls painted a soothing blue. New desks have given the children the space and dignity they deserve.
This is what all the 11 classrooms room will look like when this project is finished. We plan to build an enclosed kitchen equipped with safe, sustainable cookware, and it would be a dream to buy some laying hens for regular eggs and plant gardens. We’re going to get the kids supplies, textbooks and uniforms as well. Solar panels could provide electricity and a zoom connection, a window to a world of technological education.
