The Village Experience has partnered with Geera Village in Mbita, Kenya for the past 11 years working on improving standards of living, providing greater access to education, and creating income-generating businesses. When the relationship began, the community approached TVE and asked for help in creating a school for the most vulnerable children in the village. Their only option at that moment in time was a volunteer parent named Affline who was providing basic lessons under a tree in the village. They desperately wanted to make sure that their children were educated in a safe and comfortable environment to give them every opportunity in life to succeed.
The Primary School in Geera Village was launched in January 2011, with one classroom for 30 nursery school children - the majority of whom had been orphaned for any variety of reasons, including HIV/AIDs. As these children advanced to the next level, a new classroom would be built to accommodate them and allow for more children to enroll. A nutritous feeding program was introduced early in the launch of the school and this immediately attracted more students. Each year moving forward, construction ensued with more classrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, an administrative block, and a playground (the first in the area). Now, the Primary School is one of the top performing in the region! With over 80% being orphans and vulnerable children, we raise funds each year to provide new uniforms, backpacks, socks/shoes, and textbooks for the children.
Our final phase of construction at the school is for one remaining classroom to accommodate the 8th grade. We are raising funds to build this classroom, install doors and windows, and ensure that desks and chalkboards are provided. Once this classroom is built, the construction phase of this project will be complete, and the village will finally have a proper nursery and primary school for their children. The community, and especially the 9 teachers on staff, are incredibly proud of this school and the education they are now able to provide for their children.
We are asking for help in securing donations to make this final classroom a reality for our partners in Geera Village. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and a full report once the classroom is complete. Thank you for helping us provide education for a community hungry for knowledge, but simply lacking in opportunities to access it.
