On Global Partners for Development’s latest trip to East Africa, our team was thrilled to witness the development of various programs and initiatives since the start of the pandemic. On-site Programs Manager, Dora Okeyo, gets to experience the implementation and success of these programs first-hand, therefore, there is no one better to give us a quick look into the on-going evolution of programs old and new. Here are some of her updates:
Completed Projects
· Kibugu Primary: Kibugu Primary was founded in 1954, is located in Rachuonyo Constituency, and serves 280 students with 10 teachers. GPFD helped construct two new classrooms and four blocks of latrines for its students.
· Lake Primary: Lake Primary is a large school located in Homabay town (Central Ward). The school serves 1,100 students (56 with special needs) and has 30 teachers. GPFD helped construct a four-block latrine to meet the school’s large population needs.
· Utajo Primary: This school serves 454 students and has 13 teachers. After conducting assessments on the success of previous projects at the site, GPFD helped build three new latrine blocks and a rainwater harvesting system to meet the need for clean water.
Projects in Progress
· Ringa Girls Secondary: Ringa Girls Secondary School is a public boarding school that serves 639 girls in the Kasipul Constituency of western Kenya. GPFD is currently assisting in the construction of a new dormitory, an ablution block and additional latrine blocks.
· Atono Primary: Atono Primary School is located in the Kasipul Constituency of western Kenya and serves 342 students with nine teachers. GPFD is currently assisting in the construction of four new latrine blocks.
· Nyamos Primary: There are numerous significant infrastructure needs at the school including classrooms, latrines, fencing, and water. GPFD is currently assisting in the construction four new latrine blocks
· Kodida Primary: During meetings with school and community leaders, new classrooms were ranked as the highest priority for the school. GPFD is currently assisting in the construction of two new classrooms.
· Nyabondo Boys High School: Nyabondo Boys High School is located in Nyakach constituency, Kisumu County. The boys’ boarding school has a total population of 1300 students. GPFD is currently assisting in the construction of a sanitation block with water and hand-washing components.
New Projects in Development
· Kamser Primary School: Located in Karachuonyo Constituency, the school has a student population of 760 and 15 teachers. The local community is made up of fisher folk and they also engage in daily activities like boda boda transport, household farming and trading at the local market to sustain themselves. The project entails building two new classrooms and four toilet blocks.
· Ondiko Primary School: Located in Kasipul Constituency, the school has a population of 413 and 11 teachers. The community around the school is known as Kodielo/Kasuku and there are approximately 300 households. They engage in farming, boda boda, and local trade to sustain themselves. The project entails building four new toilet blocks.
· Menya Accelerator: an education-centered social initiative looking to provide high-quality education programs for youth in formal education institutions in Burundi, will be having its first mentorship camp in July. This year’s focus is on Agri-Tech and they’re looking to slot 15 participants in the first cohort and immerse them in year-long training and mentorship. The training in July is an in-person attendance module that will set the pace for the follow up activities all through the year.
We cannot wait to see the ongoing success of each of these programs. In the meantime, keep up with other GPFD developments in our News and Updates page or Podcast. Until next time!