Keep 300 schools in rural Kenya safe from COVID-19

Thank you so much for supporting this project.  As promised, here is an update on recent activities from staff member, Caroline Chelangat, schools education co-ordinator with Brighter Communities Worldwide.

We are supporting 342 schools across Kericho county to ensure they are safe and healthy places for children to learn.  Schools re-opened on January 23rd and we are working through Term 1 which will finish on April 21st with a 3 day half term break at the end of March.

Improvement of school hygiene, sanitation, water and cooking infrastructure is key to the success of the Healthy Schools Programme.  We currently have 3 construction projects building latrines (toilets) underway –

1. Kiptugumo Primary schools – Girls toilet block to benefit 148 girls
2. Kasheen Secondary School – Boys toilet block to benefit 100 boys
3. Lelu Secondary School – Boys toilet block to benefit 490 boys to benefit

Each latrine block is constructed over a 20 feet deep pit and lined with concrete.  The pit is dug by hand.  Boys have 8 individual cubicles and girl’s latrines have 12. All latrines have doors.  Girl’s latrine buildings also have 2 washrooms incorporated into the design to support girls during menstruation thus ensuring girls can stay at school. One section of the washrooms is designed for persons with disability.

Latrine blocks include ventilation pipes and a system of guttering to harvest rain water collected in a tank next to the block and this provides the children with water for handwashing.  During the dry season, tanks are filled by the children bringing water from rivers.  Right now we are experiencing drought conditions and the dry spell has affected the water supply in schools.  Rain water stored has been exhausted, many local rivers are dry and schools have no other way of getting water to the school unless they can afford to pay for water.  This has to be delivered by truck and not all schools are accessible by road.  It is a huge challenge until the rain comes.

All the infrastructure projects are implemented using cost sharing of up to 50% with the school management, Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and parents.  Last year the CDF fund was scrapped but fortunately it has been reinstated this year.  We hope this will help the schools fund their part of the cost sharing.  Parents will often provide labour and skills to help fund their portion in kind.

More water tanks are to be constructed during the year.