At the time of writing 198 202 children in Matopeni, Kenya, are being taught in very basic conditions. There is a fear that the corrugated iron walls and roof of the current building, which is being utilized as schoolrooms, will collapse as the ground the rooms are built on is unstable, particularly in the wet conditions.
The current facilities are dangerous and need to be replaced by new buildings. This requires urgent attention.
The children do not have textbooks, writing books, pencils, etc. Education is particularly important in this area as it is one of the few tools that people have to break out of poverty. Many children turn to drugs, prostitution and crime, all of which could be avoided if Education can be provided to them.
An organization called Nabuur (an internet based charity aiming to help villages by providing knowledge and ideas) has provided some communication capabilities which have been used to connect Stephen, who is the local area representative to others like myself who are trying to help him.
A business plan has been written and detailed schedules and costs have been prepared. These documents were done to ensure that any potential supporters could see what was planned, what it would cost and provide transparency, and accountability, for the funding.
Our plan is far reaching and although we intially are focussed on providing some Safe buildings, we want to go further and help the school with the provision of other items ranging from solar -power to to pencils. We recognize that these things will take time but are determined to make a start with getting the bricks and starting to lay them! We have architect drawings, bill of materials, designs and project plans; We now need some funding to get us started! If you would like to see more details you can find them at the following link. http://matopeni.org
Many organizations have been approached for funds but the responses have been slow in coming in. The project has now reached the point where it needs some financial help. That is why GiveMeaning has been contacted. The recent political problems have caused additional unstability in the region and this has spurred the team members of Matopeni School to re-double their efforts.
A link is enclosed below which will take you to a website where details of children who need sponsorship can be found. http://www.bostonchildrencentre.org/Bostoncentre.htm
The great news is that a Dutch Foundation has gifted us the sum of 2,500 Euros, that is approx $3,678. I have to say a huge Thank You so Much from the children of Matopeni. It means that we have been able to reduce the sum we have been aiming for substantially. Please continue to help as we have a long way to go but Thank you for such a great start.
We have been awarded another sum of 1,000 so that means we now have enough for the foundations and four of the six classrooms.