During my time at the school, I lived with Harrison and Grace. It was less than a 20-minute walk or five minutes by motorbike from the school. I was welcomed as a new member of the family right from the start and this only increased over the course of my time. Today, when I tell my friends and relatives about my time in Kenya, I always talk proudly about my Kenyan family. The way in which all the family members took me in (at the best of times there were eleven of us living under one roof) really touched me and I was very impressed by how they coped with life. For the first time, I really realised what a luxury water is and what it means to have no running water. The water is painstakingly carried into the house canister by canister. I got a backache just watching, whereas other women in the village seemed to have no problem balancing 20 litres of water on their heads. With this in mind, it is understandable that the water has to be handled with care. Not a drop is wasted: Water used for washing hands is collected directly in a bucket and reused later to flush the toilet. I tried the same thing with my hand shower from the bucket. The kitchen cannot be compared either, especially its equipment: while we are used to having at least a four-ring hob including an oven, my Kenyan family only had a single gas cylinder fire (if the gas ran out, there was still the option of switching to charcoal). Right up until the last day, I was always impressed by what ended up on the table despite the circumstances and I never ate badly, quite the opposite. To summarise briefly: I lived a very simple life, but I never lacked for anything.

Let's get back to school. After surviving the weekend, including countless battles with the prevailing heat, I was allowed to familiarise myself with the school on Monday. I was accompanied by Harrison himself. He drove me to the school, showed me all the rooms and introduced me to the teachers and all the pupils. I then discussed the timetable and the next steps with the headteacher Silas so that I could start my first lessons straight away on Tuesday. On Monday itself, I was primarily present as a visitor. I observed various lessons from the other teachers, got a first impression of the project and curiously observed the interested looks of the children on the school grounds. In general, I was expected to do very little in the first few days. Every time I made the slightest movement, I was immediately offered a break on the grounds that I was tired. I almost had to push myself to be able to offer my help. Fortunately, this soon subsided and after a short time I was an integral part of the team and therefore part of the HPS. As a teacher, I then took over all the maths lessons in Year 8 (last school year at the HPS) from the very beginning. Over time, the maths lessons in Year 6 and Italian lessons in Years 5 and 6 were added. And occasionally I also led individual sports lessons, which meant running after a ball in the blazing sun without a trace of shade (for the children, unlike me, absolutely no problem). I was also always sitting in on my fellow teachers and giving them feedback. When I wasn't teaching myself, I assisted our cook Elina in the kitchen and in the afternoons I often played and danced with the younger classes, which was always a great pleasure for me. I still love to think of the children's shining eyes today.

I really enjoyed teaching and working with my students. It took a while for us to get used to each other, but afterwards I would say it was a very fruitful collaboration. Particularly at the beginning, my pupils found it difficult to openly admit when they had not yet covered or understood something. As a maths teacher, you always encounter the same problems with pupils, both in my work in Switzerland and at the HPS. And yet I have to admit that I had to deal with a few more challenges there. As a teacher in Basel, you are used to every classroom being equipped with a projector and a blackboard, there are plenty of sets of teaching materials and now most pupils are also present with their own laptops/tablets. There is talk of so-called BYOD classes (BringYourOwnDevice) - simply unimaginable in Kenya (or at least at the HPS). I was already happy when all pupils were able to provide writing materials. A textbook was provided for me as a teacher, the pupils copied everything down and got their documents that way. In year 6, I had access to four copies of the book, which meant that small group work was also possible in some cases. The structure of a lesson therefore required a different approach to what I was used to in Switzerland. Although the students themselves did not have their own devices, the HPS was provided with a few laptops including school software by the Labdoo organisation. I also tried to incorporate these into the lessons and thus familiarise the pupils with the use of computers. I also looked at subject-specific learning programmes with the maths teachers and taught them a little so that they could continue to use them after I left. Overall, I certainly noticed a poorer understanding and less intuition in dealing with the computer than would have been the case in Switzerland in the same age group, but the enjoyment and interest in it is at least as great. Fortunately, language was not an obstacle. After all, English is Kenya's second official language and the children come into contact with it from kindergarten onwards. From primary school onwards, lessons are mainly taught in English. As a result, the pupils, especially in the higher grades, are very well versed and fluent in English - in some cases perhaps even more so than me. The only thing that was challenging - or rather took some getting used to - was the Kenyan pronunciation of English and, conversely, my Swiss pronunciation. However, you soon get used to it, but it could also lead to funny misunderstandings at the beginning. On my first day in Kenya, for example, I was given the nickname ‘Safari’ (Swahili for journey) at short notice, as the Italian pronunciation of ‘Gianni’ corresponds to their English pronunciation of ‘Journey’ - still incomprehensible to me today, but quite amusing. As my Swahili wasn't, or isn't, too noteworthy, it took over a week to resolve this misunderstanding. During this short time, however, I wore this sonorous name with pride and then told my friends and relatives in Switzerland with amusement.

As already mentioned, I also taught a little Italian. This came about because Kenyan schools are required to teach another foreign language in addition to English and Swahili in the future - at least that's how it was explained to me. In fact, the timetable (which is not drawn up by the school itself) also included corresponding lessons. The school management originally wanted me to teach German or French. However, as my time at the school was limited and there was no continuation of foreign language lessons in sight, I insisted on letting the pupils choose which language they wanted to learn. It was also important to me that these lessons should be more fun than learning pressure. Firstly, the learning success of a new language in six weeks is manageable and secondly, the timetables already demanded a lot from the children. Not everyone necessarily saw it that way, but in the end we went through with the Italian lessons and it was a great success. We laughed a lot together and the children greeted me in the schoolyard with ‘Buongiorno Gianni’ and a big grin on their faces.

One of the big highlights for me was certainly the farewell and all the emotions I was given. As a teacher, you're used to students not always seeing all the effort that goes into preparing lessons etc. and taking many things for granted. They often only realise this later, but you are still pleased when this is noticed. A teacher can draw a lot of energy for further tasks from these small appreciations. And it's not much different as a teacher in Kenya. I always had a very good and trusting relationship with my pupils at the HPS and also felt that the joy of working together was mutual. However, the emotions I saw and received at my farewell party were beyond imagination. It is difficult to even begin to put it into words, but these emotions and the gratitude I received repaid my efforts many times over. This moment alone confirmed to me that my decision to go to the HPS was absolutely right and also showed me that the work I had done was worth much more than I would ever have given myself credit for.

I wish the HPS all the best for the future and sincerely hope to be able to visit my Kenyan family and all my students again soon. Asante sana - Mwalimu Safari Gianni!

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At the airport in Mombasa, we looked out for someone to pick us up - and found a whole reception committee. Even Harrison, the headmaster, had come especially to greet us. We were moved to tears by all the warmth and joy that flowed towards us.

As the school still had a week's holiday, we first went on safari as a family: the 5 days in Amboseli Park and Tsavo East were like a dream! Being able to experience nature and animals up close was an unrivalled experience.

At the beginning of our second week, we drove to Mshomoroni for the first time, a very poor area about 45 minutes by car from our hotel. The journey was always quite adventurous, as there are no tarmac roads away from the town and we were really shaken up in the car. When it rained, it wasn't even possible to drive to school, so we had to take a long diversions, park the car and walk the last few hundred metres. This resulted in very muddy feet, for which everyone at the school apologised to us (‘Sorry for the rain!’). At the school, we met the headmaster Harrison, his wife Grace and the teaching staff, and we were shown round the various old and new school buildings. There were no children yet because the government had spontaneously decided to make up for the Sunday holiday on Monday. We visited the entire area and in particular the newest building, on which an extra stable roof was built. The plan was to install the solar system, for which we had been collecting donations for months, on this roof while we were there. However, it was already clear that we could not start the next day because the solar panels had not been delivered at the agreed time. At some point we had to go to the toilet and we took a look at the tin hut toilets. Behind the door we found a hole on the floor and water to pour in next to it. It certainly took some getting used to, but our children accepted this situation in an exemplary manner. Late in the afternoon - after many long meetings - we were invited to Harrison's home. We felt very honored and were able to enjoy a traditional African meal on his “terrace” (preparations for an addition to the house for a guest room). We were very touched by the hospitality and warmth of the whole family.

A few days later, we were introduced to each class. The children welcomed us with singing and clapping. We distributed a box of colored pencils and a piece of the Swiss chocolate we brought to all 190 students. They examined it with wide eyes until we informed them that this treat was meant to be eaten."
"To keep ourselves useful until the delivery of the solar panels, we decided to plaster the walls of the newly built classrooms. Sascha and Sebastian assisted the workers. Vivienne and I went from class to class and peeked into the lessons. However, we could never stay too long because the children were very distracted by us. During the breaks, the first interactions among the children took place, and many wanted to touch the white skin of Sebastian and Vivienne or feel their hair. When we took photos, there was always a big scramble because everyone wanted to pose next to our children."

Of course, we also had gifts with us. Once during the break, we unpacked a rope that we had brought along, which was immediately used for jumping rope. Everyone was really excited about it – even some teachers joined in. We taught Harrison and one class how to play Kubb right in the classroom. And the Froebel tower created great concentration, amazement, and cheers under the tree in the shade. The younger ones tried their hand at memory games and stacking figures, all things they had never seen before.
The impressions of that week were so overwhelming that we had to take a rest day for the children (and for us) on the Friday of the first school week. However, we also spent a lot of time on our "free" days distributing clothes to the beach vendors and hotel staff. This always caused a lot of excitement, as some feared they wouldn't get anything. But we were always able to reassure and comfort them by telling them that we would still be there for the rest of the month and had plenty more to distribute.

For Saturday, we had planned a celebration: all the school children and their parents were invited. However, there were hardly any men to be seen. In Kenya, the women predominantly take on the responsibility for the children. We were assigned seats at the front. Each class prepared a presentation: the children sang, danced, or recited poems. We guests were also repeatedly invited to dance along. It was a great pleasure for us. The subsequent speeches from the official guests lasted a long time, and we became quite hungry. Fortunately, cooking was already in full swing in the background. Because it was important to us that everyone had a meal that day, we arranged for the purchase of two goats as well as rice, vegetables, fruits, and water.
And then came the day everyone at the school had been looking forward to: We laid out the donated shoes—there were about 230 pairs—on the floor, and one class at a time was brought in to us. We tried on shoes for each individual child, and we managed to find a suitable pair for almost all of them. In the afternoon, we repeated the same process with the clothes: we dressed each child in 2 to 3 pieces of clothing in the right size. The beaming faces of the children when they received, for example, a used T-shirt were our reward for all the work of collecting and sorting beforehand.

A week late, the solar system was delivered. The new roof had been specially built to Swiss standards to withstand the additional weight. First, a basic structure was created, which was then welded onto the roof. After that, all six solar panels were installed, with Sascha actively helping out. The next day, everything was electrically connected, and all the teachers, school children, and we gathered in a classroom. LED lights were installed on the ceiling, and we watched eagerly. The moment the light switch was pressed and the school had light for the first time was unique and gave everyone goosebumps.
The electricity now also makes it possible to operate a water pump, so water no longer has to be drawn from the tank by hand. Additionally, the donated laptops can be charged. In each class, I introduced a few age-appropriate learning programs. The curiosity was very high. Now, the teachers are called upon to make use of this new opportunity for teaching.
Another project is the renovation of the kitchen. At the moment, cooking is still done over a fire on the ground. The hygienic conditions are quite poor, which is why we actually didn't want to eat at the school. However, when full plates were brought to us, we tried it out of courtesy, and because it was so delicious, we mostly ended up having lunch at the school.

Finally, we couldn't visit the school for a whole week because Sebastian was feeling quite unwell with a bit of fever and a cough. We all tried to recover a bit from the abundance of events. And suddenly (almost too quickly), the day of farewell arrived. We distributed the last of the gifts we had brought along. For example, the girls were all allowed to take a Polaroid photo with Vivienne and keep it as a memento. This surprise was a great success, and the joy was immense!

After many hugs and emotional moments, we left the school. We take away an incredible amount from this time. The people we got to know during our project have all grown dear to us. In Mshomoroni, we no longer see just "the project," but we think of all these lovely people who made our stay special and unique. From their side, they all pray that God will arrange for us to return next year... On our side, we say THANK YOU for the treasure of experience and the warmth we get to take home.

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We actually expected to be able to put the classrooms into operation earlier respectively to finish the roof earlier. Unfortunately, this did not work out and led to space problems, as we were able to welcome again all classes and especially new students for the new school year (started in July). Therefore, we had to improvise and to combine some classes. As the temporary tin buildings were still standing inside the new walls, we were able to refresh them with small repairs and set up a temporary roof in the new classrooms. In this way it was possible to put at least two of the new rooms into use.

CLASSROOMS

We have diligently continued building the classrooms and now all the walls are finished. At this time only the roof has to be installed. A large part of the construction costs went again to levelling and filling the floors. As you all know, our school is situated on a small slope and therefore it always takes a lot of material until the rooms are all on the same level. In total we needed 17 lorries with corals for CHF 1’023.-. The next step is the cementing of the floors. We want to have more stability than the floor of the first building in order to prevent possible cracks. For that reason, we will cement in a wire mesh. The more complex construction method naturally drives up the price. We have to calculate around CHF 600.- per room. Thats CHF 2’400.- for all rooms. We are trying to do the floor parallel to the roofing, because both are crucial for the registration of the school. However, for the finishing we are dependent on further donations, otherwise we are not able to continue the construction work.

Solar system

Our big goal for this year is to install a solar system and finally have electricity at our school. We have written a concept for this project, which we are now discussing with local suppliers. As we have lost a lot of time with the roof, the planning for the solar system has also been delayed. However, the contact with several companies has already been made and I think we are on the right way. The installation will then take place in October together with the Mathys/Hürzeler family. They will take care of the project. We can’t wait to finally have electricity in our school and be able to use it for cooking and digital lessons. It will be another milestone for our school. We are also planning to have computer science lessons with laptops for the students in the future. We are already organizing that. We would like to construct the solar system in such a way that it can be expanded. In a first step, we can secure the basic supply and at anytime we need more electricity, we have the possibility to upgrade the system with additional components.

Family project

As already communicated in the last article and also on social media, the Family Mathys/Hürzeler will travel to Mshomorni in October to support us direct on site. Pascale, Sascha and their children Vivienne and Sebastian will stay one month at our school to lead the solar project, to support the construction work and also to participate in the classes. Their journey has already started several months ago with the collection of donations and soon they will be on their way to Kenya. In June they have organized the jumble sale in Kestenholz, about which you can read more below. Within the jumble sale they could present their family project in a TV-report on Tele M1. We are really looking forward to the project!

JUMBLE SALE

Pascale, Sascha, Vivienne and Sebastian held a jumble sale in Kestenholz in June. The support from whole Kestenholz and many acquaintances was reasonable: The self-made flyer has been sent out by the school management to all school-age children in the village to help publicise the event. In this way, many used toys were collected and, through a sponsor, even a carload of new toys, which they then sold on the village square. There were no fixed prices, everyone could choose any amount they wanted to pay. The entire proceeds will of course go to our school. Alongside the jumble sale the people could help themselves to the rich dessert buffet, for which several families of the village had baked cakes, muffins and other delicacies. And the children enjoyed the bouncing castle, which was sponsored by Spar. Thank you very much! As we still have toys left, Pascale runs a toyshop a few days a month. The opening hours will be communicated here: Spielsachen Flohmarkt Kestenholz.We would be very happy to welcome you! The shop is located at the Gäustrasse 54, 4703 Kestenholz.

Overall the jumble sale has raised an incredible amount of CHF 3’695.-.

OTHER CONSTRUCTION WORKS AND EXPENSES

In the chart below you can see our expenses in the second quarter. Due to the great support with many donations, we were able to invest a lot and to push ahead with the construction. Since the new building is bigger, we have adapted some details compared to the first building and we will invest more money in the roof, the costs for the second building are much higher. For us the quality of the buildings is very important, as they should also last for many years.
In addition to the construction works, we were able to buy new land. This is important for us because we have now completely built on our land and we need more space for our further projects. The new land has a total area of 630 sqm. There we would like to build new sanitary facilities to provide clean and modern toilets for the students and teachers. We have paid half of the bill and the rest we will clear in December. We really need new sanitary facilities as the old ones are really past their prime. We have done some repairs on the old toilets so that we can last their lifetime until we get the new ones.
The student number has raised from 130 in January to 190 in August and therefore we had to had built new desks again. This has costed us CHF 270.-. As soon as the new classrooms are ready we will certainly add more.
We equipped the teachers and students of class 5 with new text books. The books are very important so the teachers are able to prepare themselves for the classes and the students can do exercises. Of course, we try to provide all classes with the necessary books.

DONATION TRANSPORT

During the last months we have received a lot of donated goods and we will prepare them for transport in September. Therefore, we have to sort all clothes and pack them into cardboard boxes. It’s planned to send about 500 kg of goods, depending on the shipping charges. As already mentioned in the last article, we want to use a budget of CHF 2’000.-. For the financing of the transport you are welcome to make donations with the subject “Donation transport”. We would be very grateful for your support. The kids are always very happy when they receive new shoes, clothes and school material. It always feels like Christmas for them.

The post Gute Nachrichten appeared first on Harrisons Primary School.

We had a brilliant start into the year 2021! Due to your support, we were able to build an underground watertank right at the beginning of the year. The gutters, which were fixed in January, lead the rainwater directly into the tank. This is a huge step for us. The government requires schools to have running water and now we have it. In he meantime, several months have passed and the work continues. The support is growing from day to day and this is really touching Harrison and me deeply. It enables us to get closer to our dream step by step. Thank you for that. Now we have invested the the donations further. We were able to get ten new school desks, which we really needed. Now the children have a great place to sit and write and can go to school with even more joy. In the chart below you can see the exact expenses for the first quarter of 2021. We could really achieve a lot. But we have already planned a lot more for the next months. The school is closed until the 11th of May and during this time we would like to continue working on the second building. As soon as the school is open again, the construction work will be more complicated with all children around. Of course we would be very happy if you would support us buying/paying for the materials and workers. One room is already built up to the door lintel and now the others are waiting to be built further. Our goal is to finish the building this year.

EXAMS AND SCHEDULE

The corona pandemic has turned the school schedule in Kenya upside down. The ministry of education has adjusted the schedule this year and they want to make up as much school as possible. As you know, the schools were closed for nine months last year. Therefore, there is no big break between July and August and the transition to the new school year runs smoothly. On the picture you can see the school plan up to and including 2023.

DONATION TRANSPORT

After the successful first donation transport last year, we have decided to do another one this year. But this time we want transport even more goods to Kenya. We are already in the planning stage and also in the collection fever. The air transport offers us the best conditions and also with the experience from last year at the airport, it should be much easier for us this time. We reckon with a budget of about CHF 2’000.-. We are definitely looking forward to it! You are very welcome to donate goods for the school. You can find all informations about the required goods here.Of course you can also support the transport financially. You can use the note “donation transport” in your donation.

VOLUNTEERING PROJECT

A personal highlight of mine this year will be our volunteering project. A family from Solothurn has decided to support and push our project forward right on the site in Kenya! It really means a lot to me and I’m extremely looking forward to it. At the moment we are in the process of planning the whole project. We will keep you up to date! At the same time, it will be the beginning of our volunteering programme. Everyone is always welcome at our school.

LINDACHER

Last Month, I had the Honor of Presenting Our Project in the Kirchlindach Community Newspaper, Der Lindacher. The issue is now published (April 27, 2021)! It was a great privilege to share our project and my personal story. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the editorial team of Der Lindacher, and especially to Claudia Gisiger, for the article. You can find the report available for download below.

SCHOOL FEES

It is very important to me that everyone always knows about the school structure. Unfortunately, school education is not free in Kenya. That is a big challenge for the parents. We also have school fees. But they are low compared to the others. We want to enable education for all children despite their finances. If parents are not able to pay the fees, we are looking for individual solutions. Once we have also received a goat as payment. The important thing is that without these fees the school could not function. With the fees we are paying the salaries of the teachers. This results in a healthy cycle. The teachers salaries are deliberately not covered by donations, otherwise the school would not be able to survive on its own. And if donations are not received, the teachers would be left without salary. Last year the school fees couldn’t be payed due to the corona situation and the teachers didn’t receive a salary. I then decided to pay the wages (CHF 350.-) by myself.

FUTURE PROSPECTS

We have many plans for the rest of the year. As mentioned above, a family will support us on the site in Kenya in October. In the next few weeks we will present our godparenthood offers. We are currently in the the planing stage. Another goal ist the electricity supply. Our school has no power at the moment, so we want to build a solar system. This way we can combine electricity supply and environmental protection. Of course the completion of the second building is also planned or this year. Then we would have incredible eight finished classrooms. Donations are an important factor in achieving our goals. Therefore, we are very grateful for each donation and are looking forward to your support!Finally, we are also planning something in in Switzerland. This summer we want to organize a fundraising event where you are of course all very welcome. More information about it coming soon.

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While they cooked, we took care of the chairs, tents and electricity. Unfortunately, the electricity didn’t quite work as we expected and we had to improvise. We needed about 100m of cable, which we had to connect with wires every 20m so that we could finally put it into a socket on the other side of the sea (there was no water). Contrary to my expectations our bricolage worked and the electricity was there. So we were able to start the celebration only three hours late. Teacher Ronald Charo was the host and led the guests through the ceremony. We started with the introduction of the teachers and the whole team behind the school. Then it was the turn of the students with their presentation. Each class rehearsed a small performance and then presented it. At the end of the presentation, our student Jumwa Saida sang the song “Mungu”.

Everyone stood up, sang and clapped along. What a beautiful moment! Harrison then took the floor. He told the story of how the school was born and how many challenges he and Grace had to overcome first before they could open the school. How people laughed at them because they only had tin buildings and few pupils. How no one took them seriously and no one believed in them at first sight. It was really a rocky road. But now everything looks different. We have managed to build something! And we can be proud of it. With this celebration, we also celebrated the schools seventh anniversary. After that he asked his mother to come on stage. He thanked her and all mothers on this planet, for always taking care of us children and for showing us the right way in life. THANK YOU! It was a very touching speech. As we were running a big delay, the food was also pushed back and the people were getting hungry. So we didn’t want to keep them in suspense for too long. During the meal, cosy African music was playing in the background, everyone was sitting happily together and chatted animatedly with each other. When the kids had finished, they gathered in the middle of the square and started dancing together.

MY SPEECH

Since I could now converse in Kiswahili to some extent after my language course in Zanzibar, I started my speech in Kiswahili. I did my very best, but when it came to specific, I had to switch to English and have a translator. However, the people were very happy to hear my Kiswahili sentences.
It was important to me to get a message across to the children. I wanted to make them realise what they are capable of in their lives if they work hard. In Kenya a new generation is needed to stand up and to make the nation Kenya a better one. The generation that can do it better are our students. And education is the key for that. So I wanted to convey exactly that to them. Further I explained the parents how our project is working and how it is funded. They should also be aware that we don’t just throw money around and that there is also hard work behind it.
I was very happy to welcome also my god old friend Mike to the celebration. He knows me since I was a little boy and also wants to support us in future.

“Promise me one thing. In Kenya we have a lot of problems with our system. So we need people to come and change that system. And the ones who can do that are right in front of me.” Joshua Schmidli

Joshua Schmidli

So please make sure if you will be in a position to change the nation, do it. If you will be a politician or even the president of this country. Always remember this school in Mshomoroni and the people who gave everything for you. Remember Harrison and Grace wo dedicated their lives to your education. If you will do that, I’m sure you will be able to change the nation in the right way.

Joshua Schmidli

Donation handover

Just like at christmas, the gift-giving was on the agenda after the meal. Since we had so many clothes and of course everyone was supposed to get something, the whole thing was not so easy. We put the womens and girls clothes in one room and the men and boys in another. Then the children were allowed to come first and then the parents. Our teachers and Harrison took care of the distribution while I was busy taking pictures. Unfortunately, our delay fell back on us. The darkness fell and we had not distributed all the presents yet. So we decided to hand over the rest at school on Monday morning. However, we managed to give one present to each person. The people were overjoyed with the gifts and very grateful. It was heartwarming to see them presenting their presents to each other and laughing together. Most of them put the new clothes on right away over the old one.

Monday morning we gathered again in a room and prepared the remaining clothes and shoes for the distribution. Since we didn’t have a pair of shoes for every student, we went from class to class and picked out those without shoes. The good thing was that we really had shoes of all sizes. All in all, we were able to give away 55 pairs of shoes! Then we continued with the clothes. Class by class they came by and received their clothes. Everyone diligently tried on clothes and also exchanged them with others if the size didn’t fit. We had a lot of fun! In the end, all clothes and shoes out of a total of 164.5 kg were distributed and everyone was very happy. The donation transport was really worth it. I was able to bring enough presents for everyone. I definitely plan more transports soon and I’m therefore always happy about donations of goods. At this point I would like to thank again all those who donated clothes to us!

OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE CLASSROOMS

As part of the celebration, we also officially opened the new school building. Together with the guests of honour we gathered in front of the entrance and we told them about the construction of the building and our future plans. I was given the honour of cutting the cord in front of the classrooms and making the opening official. We were all overjoyed. The elders of the village and the priests congratulated us on our achievement. As befits an opening ceremony, there was a photo shoot with all guests in front of the classrooms.

All pictures of the celebration you can find here! Here!

The post Schulfest 2021 appeared first on Harrisons Primary School.

Since the last update, a lot of time has passed and quite a few changes have occurred at our school as well. We were able to cement the floors and plaster the walls in all six classrooms, as well as install electrical wiring. However, we are still waiting for the power supply, as the city has not yet extended the lines to the school. Nevertheless, the projects are progressing. The filling and leveling of the ground took a lot of time and money, but the result is very satisfactory. Each classroom has also received a chalkboard, which is extremely important for teaching. Internally, we still need to complete the painting and find a suitable solution for the ceiling. Additionally, we have installed 14 windows and 5 doors, which cost CHF 1,000 (CHF 915 for materials and CHF 85 for installation). The window frames are made of wood and fitted with black plastic rods. We still need to add the shutters to protect against all weather conditions. Moreover, we need to install gutters on the roof to collect and reuse rainwater. If the water falls freely onto the ground, it creates large trenches and endangers the construction work.
As you can see, we still have several ongoing projects, which also present a significant financial challenge. Therefore, we continue to rely on additional support.

With Christmas just around the corner, we’ve come up with something special. We’d like to give you the opportunity to support the school not only with monetary donations but also by contributing school supplies. You can choose from various packages that include textbooks, pencils, scissors, and erasers. A portion of the funds will also benefit the construction work. Click here to join our Christmas campaign! Christmas campaign!

Cargo transportation

In the last update, you saw how we packed clothes, shoes, and school supplies into boxes and prepared them for shipping to Kenya. The shipment is now on its way and is expected to arrive in Nairobi next week. I will pick up the cargo at the airport with Harrison and bring it to the school. In Switzerland, my friends Luca and David took care of the transport to Zurich Airport. Thank you! At this point, I would also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the team at Swissworldcargo, who have put in an immense amount of effort to support us as best as they could. Given that the aviation industry has been particularly hard hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, we faced some challenges here. Now, we hope that we will be able to collect the goods in Nairobi without any difficulties.

Status of construction work

Last month, we started work on the foundation for the new classrooms, bringing us closer to our dream of establishing an educational center. This progress was made possible only through your generous donations. During the excavation, we were caught off guard by heavy rain, which unfortunately damaged part of the work. As a result, we had to redo many tasks. With the cementing, we were able to protect the trenches. The next step is to purchase blocks to raise the foundation to the level of the old classrooms so that we can use them in January when the school might be fully open. Currently, the old classrooms are not accessible. We are still in need of financial support for this. We sincerely thank everyone for their help!

I am now on-site and will provide ongoing updates about the progress. Stay tuned!

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Last week, we were finally able to reopen the school. The Kenyan government has allowed a gradual resumption of classes. Last week, only the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades could start, as they need to catch up on postponed final exams next year. Classes are also accompanied by a mask mandate for all teachers and students, as well as requirements to adhere to hygiene measures. Additionally, we need to purchase a thermometer for CHF 50. It is a huge relief for us to return to normalcy, though meeting all the new requirements is a significant challenge. During the lockdown period, we continued to work on our plans, including renewing one of our metal buildings that was at risk of collapsing. This cost us CHF 300. The four new classrooms are almost finished, with only the cement floor and wall plastering remaining. They are already in use, and the children are thrilled with their new educational environment.

Next, we will cement the floors of six rooms, install electrical wiring in the walls, and plaster them. Since our school is situated on a hill, we need to fill the ground with sand before we can cement it. This naturally increases the cost. We have received the quotation for the construction and will start as soon as possible.
To our delight, we will also begin construction on 4 additional classrooms simultaneously. We have received some donations that have made the start of this construction possible. For the complete construction, we need approximately CHF 15,000. Currently, we have CHF 2,000. We are still relying on your support and would be very grateful if you could help us build our educational center.

I launched a call for clothing and shoe donations and was overwhelmed by the many responses I received. Over the past few weeks, I have collected clothing from various places, and some people even brought it directly to my home. I am incredibly grateful for the kindness of everyone who donated their clothing. A big thank you also goes to Sacha Meister, coach of the women's youth teams at FC Ostermundigen, and all the players of the FCO. Last week, he handed me a large amount of children’s clothing and shoes. Thank you so much for your support!
In December, I will initiate a cargo shipment by plane to Kenya, sending approximately 160 kg of clothes and school supplies. Since I will be in Kenya at that time, I will personally pick up the shipment at the airport and bring it to the school. It’s a significant project, and I hope it will go smoothly. I will, of course, keep you updated throughout the process.
Last Saturday, we started packing the donations. Together with my friends, we spent the entire day sorting the clothes and trying to pack as many as possible. In the pictures, you can see the packing process. The remaining clothes will be stored in my garage and taken with me next year. A heartfelt thank you to my friends Luca, Elia, Mäni, and Dave for their support.

School supplies donations

We have received material donations for our school from various companies. We were very surprised and especially delighted by the positive responses to our request. Since school supplies are in short supply at our school, we are extremely grateful for these generous gifts. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the companies!

Stationery Zumstein sent us two packages full of school supplies. When I opened the packages, I was overwhelmed. They donated new colored pencils, pencils, protractors, erasers, sharpeners, and notebooks! This gift is priceless, and I am immensely grateful. Therefore, I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you on behalf of the entire school to Papeterie Zumstein!

From the Ingold Biwa AG sent us 150 A5 exercise books and actively supported us on Facebook.

School supplies Peter sent us 150 A5 exercise books and actively supported us on Facebook.

Thank you all so much!

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In the last report, you saw the first classroom of the new building. This week, we have begun work on the roof of the second classroom. We are progressing incredibly quickly. During the lockdown period, we were fortunate to receive financial support from kind-hearted individuals despite the challenging circumstances, which enabled us to continue with the construction. However, to fulfill all our plans, we still rely on donations.

Watertank
In addition to the construction of the new classrooms, we have installed a water tank. This required us to build a stable base for the tank. It is the first time in our history that we have running water. This is a significant step towards our goal. In times of dangerous infectious diseases, clean water is becoming increasingly important.

I plan to fly to Kenya in December to see the progress on-site in person. Until then, I would greatly appreciate numerous donations of clothes, school supplies, shoes, and further financial support.

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Here is an overview of our expenses:

However, we were still short of CHF 300 for the roof construction, so we launched a fundraising appeal. In Kenya, payments are typically made in advance, which means that without money, no work can be done. Within a very short time, we raised the amount needed and were able to give the money to the contractor. I would like to extend a big thank you once again to the donors.
We have now been able to complete a large part of the work. The most important thing was to have a stable framework so that we wouldn’t face any issues with the roof later on. The roof structure is made of wood and will be covered with iron sheets. This hopefully ensures that the building remains stable in the long term and that the school stays dry during the rainy season.
In the pictures, you can follow the progress of the work. We had a total of six workers involved in the roof construction. It was also very important to us not to cut corners on the roof and to select the best possible materials. After all, we want it to last as many years as possible.

In Kenya, we receive a lot of support from family, friends, acquaintances, and people from our community. A friend lent us his small truck so that we could transport the materials for the roof.

The costs for the roof:

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2019 was a year full of emotions, hard work, though times and surprises. When I had my first thought about this project I never expected that it will grow so fast in just one year. It is really heartwarming to see this many people helping us and identifying with my project. People all over the world are standing behind us and giving us the belief to be able to reach what we are aiming for.
The most important thing for me has always been that all donations go 100% towards the school. This means no fees and no hidden costs. It should be clear to donors where their money is going and how it's being used. That's why I always publish the costs of the construction work. Everything we receive, we invest.

We started with classrooms made of clay and tin roofs. It has always been our dream to have a proper school building. Of course, having better infrastructure would make it easier to provide a quality education, but we have to work with what we have. That's why we had to come up with a plan to finance a new building. This led us to the idea of crowdfunding.
We never expected to raise an incredible CHF 1,660 in such a short time. Harrison and all the school members were speechless when I shared the news. I will never forget the incredible reception on that day. I felt the love and faith in everyone! The first step was taken, and we had the funds to start our plan. Harrison, together with his wife Grace, organized everything. Right after my return to Switzerland, they began the construction work. As you can see in the... Article you can read, the first thing that needed to be done was leveling the ground. It took longer than we expected and was significantly more expensive.

We were very pleased with the article in the SC Wohlensee club magazine and the mention on the Wohlener Ludothek website. Behind this are kind-hearted individuals who have worked hard to support our project. Thank you very much!

In summary, we can say: WOW! It has been an incredible year. Of course, none of this would have been possible without your support. We were able to create something special and beautiful. I am truly happy with everything. 2019 was amazing, and we hope that 2020 brings us even more incredible and wonderful moments. We can hardly wait. Maisha marefu! (Long life)

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