Kenyan School Project
BURGURET PRIMARY SCHOOL
The Burguret Primary School is situated in the town of Nanyuki, a farming community near forests in the shadow of Mt. Kenya. This rural area, 100 miles north of Nairobi, is home to subsistence farmers who grow beans, corn and potatoes and raise some livestock. The families work hard to survive in this semi-arid region and lack many modern conveniences.
The entrance to the Burguret school campus has a large painted mural showing farmers in the field with Mt. Kenya in the background. The school motto is “Better your best to lead,” and educating young minds to become future leaders is at the heart of the school’s goals. Enrollment consists of 440 students, of which 370 are primary students and 70 kindergarten pupils.
KSP board members Liz Scranton and Teri Linneman visited the Burguret School in 2008 and subsequently founded the Kenyan School Project. In 2010, when KSP began working with the Burguret School, the school management committee (teachers and parents) prioritized eradication of illiteracy their number-one priority. To achieve this, the school stated that it needed quality education and a better learning environment for students. The leaders presented a list of the most pressing needs to the Kenyan School Project board. KSP worked with the Burguret leadership team to achieve the school’s goals, completing five major projects that helped the school to become sustainable.
Burguret School
KENYA
Nairobi
COMPLETED PROJECTS
Kindergarten Classroom
Completed 2017
Prior to 2017, Burguret's 80 “nursery” students attended school in a delapidated shed with a leaking tin roof and a dirt floor full of chiggers. During the rainy season, the wind and rain created a cold and damp learning environment, and in warmer months, the rusted tin roof offered little protection from the scorching heat. In 2016, the Kind World Foundation provided a matching grant to cover half the project cost, enabling us to reach our fundraising goal. Burguret used the funding to replace the failing kindergarten structure with a modern two-classroom building. With the support of the local community, the Burguret team completed the project on time and within budget. In October of 2017, three KSP board members traveled to Kenya to celebrate the opening of the new kindergarten classrooms with the entire village community.
Library Books
Completed 2015
When KSP first visited, the Burguret School had very few books for children. The books they did have —donated from the U.S. and Canada—were not culturally relevant. In 2013 and again in 2015, the Kenyan School Project funded two “book boxes” through the African Children’s Book Box Society, which distributes portable libraries of African books written, illustrated, and published by Africans. The aluminum boxes contain at least 75 African storybooks suitable for children ages six to twelve. The second book box contained books specifically aligned with Kenyan school curriculum.
Water System
Completed 2013
When KSP began working with the Burguret School, there was no running water. Students were required to carry water from their homes to school each day, often for distances of a mile or more. There was no way for students to wash their hands, so good hygiene was impossible. KSP responded to the school’s request to fund a water system consisting of four water tanks, gutters, piping, and a wash station. Now, students no longer must carry water to school, and there is clean water for growing food, drinking, cooking, washing, and cleaning. Water collection has allowed the school to grow vegetable crops which provide consistent food for the meal program. The school gardens are now thriving with squash, beans, and corn.
Kitchen
Completed 2012
When KSP began communicating with Burguret in 2010 (at that time, only via post), the school placed the construction of a kitchen at the top of its wish list. School leaders wanted all students to have a healthy, filling midday meal. A design team provided plans for an open-air structure incorporating a secure food storage space and a dry, shaded area for children to enjoy their food. KSP also funded the purchase of a large Jiko cooker, an energy-efficient stove that minimizes the use of fuel. As a result of the meal program, school enrollment has increased and children are more attentive and focused in the classroom. According to school officials, the Burguret School is highly respected in the area, in large part due to the food program and the subsequent water project funded by KSP.
