Kenyan School Project
OLEMONCHO PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Olemoncho Primary School was registered in the year 2007 as a public primary school, having started as a preschool in the early 1990s. Situated near the town of Aitong, in a rural area of the Masai Mara, the school has an enrollment of 125 girls and 131 boys from nursery to grade 7. The school staff is composed of six public school teachers paid for by the Kenyan government and five teachers locally hired by the community.
The school administration has made a commitment to the education and retention of female students. The head teacher wrote in a grant application to KSP:
It is high time we declare war on brain wastage through early and forced marriages. I can see a would-have-been doctor, teacher, pilot, or lecturer running after the donkey, carrying water, fetching firewood, being mistreated by the husband and even being joined by the fourth wife—just because we did not give opportunity to realize her potential. Let us all join in one accord and show our girls and boys the proper direction.
Olemoncho School
KENYA
Nairobi
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Computer Lab
Current Project
We are very excited about the computer lab project—KSP’s most ambitious to date! The lab will provide a secure classroom with laptop computers powered by solar power. KSP has spent the past year working with the Olemoncho School community to develop a technology program. The school has hired an IT teacher and designed a lab. In addition, we have made connections for teachers to gain technology skills through educational opportunities from Kenya Connect. KSP is now ready to fund the program, and we need your support.
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COMPLETED PROJECTS
Early Childhood Classroom
Completed 2022
The early childhood classroom is a new learning space for young students. For several years, these children have been learning their lessons off the school grounds, in a small crowded building at a local church. With the new classroom they are able to have more space for learning, with adequate light and desks. The students are excited to be part of the school compound with lots of outdoor play space.
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Water Project I
Completed 2020
Water Project II
Completed 2021
The Olemoncho school is located in a severe drought-prone area in the Masai Mara region of Kenya. The Olemoncho School did not have running water until KSP sponsored the first water project in 2020. Prior to KSP’s involvement, female students had to carry two-gallon water jugs from the spring to the school for drinking and general hygiene for all students and teachers.
KSP funded the installation of piping, a pump, and a wash station. A solar panel produces energy for the pump that brings water to two standpipes. Despite providing water from the natural spring, the flow of water was not sufficient to meet all the school’s water needs. To address this issue, Phase 2 of the project was implemented to provide additional piping, guttering, and water tanks for a water catchment system.
Both phases of the water project improved hygiene by providing a station where students can wash their hands. The project not only benefits the 350+ students at the school, but also restores damaged community water sites and provides safe drinking water for the entire Olemoncho community. Access to onsite water has enabled the school to plant trees and a garden and bring in livestock.
Grade 5 Classroom
Completed 2019
KSP and the Olemoncho School leaders identified overcrowding in classrooms as a pressing issue for the school community. To address this challenge, KSP and the Olemoncho communities each organized a Harambee celebration to raise funds for classroom expansion and renovation. In Swahili, harambee translates as “all pull together,” and in Kenya it is a traditional form of fundraising. KSP held a celebration party to enjoy the spirit of Kenya with robust music and dancing, good food and good company, while also raising money for building a new classroom for grade five. The Olemoncho community also held a Harambee to provide desks and materials for the new classroom. We believe that education is the most valuable asset a community can invest in, and by coming together, we have made a lasting difference for many students in the future.
Electric Fence
Completed 2018
For our first project with Olemoncho, school leaders requested electric fencing around the compound to protect students from encounters with wild animals such as lions and elephants. A high-tensile, electrified barrier enables students to use the school grounds and bathrooms safely. Elephant/human contact can be particularly dangerous; the fence takes away the need to kill the animals when encounters become violent. The electric fence also provides off-hours security for the mostly female boarding students. With elephants no longer on the grounds, the school has planted trees in the yard to shade the buildings and students. The fence has allowed the school to plant a garden for its food program and to raise cows that can be sold to offset the cost of the meals. The fencing project is an important investment, providing a win/win for people and wildlife.
