The lack of school furniture, specifically cupboards in which to safely keep our lovely books, has been a problem. We have gradually been rebuilding our collection of books, with thoughtful choices and generous donations from our friends. In our dusty environment it is important to keep the books in closed cupboards, it takes a lot …
There is no mains water in Olng’arua or any of the surounding villages, and no piped water in any of the homesteads. The water comes from the river, if there isn’t any water in the river, there isn’t any water. During the dry season the river gradually retreats back towards its source in the Ngare …
Since the attack on the school I have often been asked about the violence here. What the is violence about? Why are they attacking things like schools? Isn’t raiding just about cows? I came across a statistic that helps answers some of these questions. The livestock industry in Kenya (largely unregulated and under reported) is …
Thank you to everyone who has been helping us to rebuild our library by sending us books. If you want to help, if you have a book at home that your kids loved but have grown out of, you can pop it in an envelope and send it to us, where it will get loved …
In our current circumstances, it is the older kids that it is most difficult for us to support properly. Yet in many ways this is the very group that needs the most help. Younger kids need comfort and food, if they get that they are generally happy. These older children, 12 to 16, have more …
From the very first day, the school had life because of the women who were part of it. The mothers who came to help, who were interested in the idea and who cared what happened in their community. Almost all of our teachers have been women. The cooks, all women. In a traditional pastoralist society, …
Anybody interested in education, should look through some of the graphs in this very accessible report on the state of Kenyan education. As a follow on to the the vital call to action on education across Africa, by Nana Akufo-Addo and Jakaya Kikwete (see my last post), this report clearly shows what a country like …
‘Today, 40% of all Africans are under 15. Another 100 million children will be born here by 2050. With (good) education, young Africans can fuel a colossal powerhouse.’ These are startling statistics, even to me, living in the midst of it. An important part of the power that could be realized are the skills, drive …
Follow this valley down and you will eventually come to Olng’arua School, it is in the distance down on the far plains.
Olng’arua boys. A sometimes cheeky, but largely cheerful lot. I admire the older ones in particular, for coming to school each day, when there is so much pressure on them from outside to skip school and be ‘men’. That generally means herding livestock but can also end up turning into doing bad things, and trouble. …
A group selfie from Irene who was teaching at the school today.
The school lost its vehicle and all its buildings. So every morning Maryanne has to carry to the school all the food she plans to cook that day. Her home is an hours walk away.
The kids miss their school. Many of them have been coming every day that they see staff members there, and getting involved in the clean up.
Charred remains of the two burnt cars, leaving glass and shards of metal all over the ground, which is a disaster for bare little feet.
Women from the community and school staff meeting at the school. Everybody want the school up and running again as soon as possible.
The kids waiting outside one of the burnt classrooms are all asking the same questions. I like that they don’t seem to doubt that it will. Now all we have to do is live up to the trust they put in us.