The long-awaited dream comes true: we are building our own school!
Initial situation
Since 2013, we have housed our school in an old, rented residential building, which we have transformed into a functional school facility with a few adjustments to the infrastructure and rooms. However, the condition of the building has deteriorated drastically over the years. There have been several serious incidents in recent months: a ceiling has collapsed, walls have cracked and built-in cupboards have fallen down. These structural defects endanger the safety of our pupils and staff.
Despite repeated requests, the agency responsible has not carried out the urgently needed repairs and has decided not to invest any more money in the building. At the same time, the rent has been increased three times in recent years by a total of 60%, which has put a heavy strain on our financial resources.
Due to the acute risk situation and the ongoing problems, we have now decided to vacate the building before the end of the year. The academic school year in Kenya ends at the end of October, followed by the long school vacation: the new academic year starts around mid-January of the following year.
In April 2021, we finally acquired the long-awaited plot of land for our own school building. While we continued to collect donations for the eBau, we also had to fight our way through numerous bureaucratic processes to obtain the necessary building permits. But in May 2024, the time had come: the ground-breaking ceremony marked the official start of the construction project, which has been progressing at a rapid pace ever since.
Our first goal is to complete the first floor and second floor by January 2025 so that our children and employees can start the new school year in the new building. In order to meet this ambitious schedule, we are still dependent on every donation. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps us to achieve this goal. Click here for the donation options.
The new school building will be built just a few meters from the old school building, easily accessible for our existing children and staff. It is also a safe and clean place, which was always important to us during the search. Our children have had to do without many things in recent years and have often experienced lessons in improvised conditions. With the new school building, we want to finally offer them the facilities that have long been standard at other schools.
Not only our children and employees will benefit from the construction of the new school building. We are also creating jobs and employing local, trained workers.
So far:
1 Site Manager
2 Engineers
13 Carpenters
11 Concreters
18 Casters
5 Bricklayers
3 Block makers
6 Steel fixers
5 General helpers
In the next phases of construction, the required workers will be hired, which means that many more jobs will follow in the future.
Finances
We have made an calculation to determine the total costs: the total budget amounts to around CHF 200'000. It should be noted that this amount will be adjusted due to major exchange rate fluctuations (CHF/KES) and constant price changes for materials on site.
Status September 2024
CHF Various start-up costs
CHF Foundation
CHF Ground Floor
CHF First Floor
CHF Second Floor
CHF Third Floor
CHF Fourth Floor
CHF Various final costs
CHF Total
13'000
19'000
30'000
34'000
32'000
32'000
34'000
13'500
207'500
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