GVN Foundation Australia - Support Our School
PROPOSAL
To help break the poverty cycle in Kenya by educating the next
generation of African leaders.
Education must play a fundamental role in the attempt to eliminate extreme poverty from developing countries. Poor children in Africa need to be given an exceptional education to enable them to develop into conscious, ethical and intelligent leaders of the next generation. At the very least education enables a child to get a job that will provide him/her the finance to educate, feed and care for his own children, thus breaking the poverty cycle.
Accordingly, Global Volunteer Network Foundation Australia (GVNFA) and the 6,700 Pipeline refugees known as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kenya are working together to build and establish a primary school for the children of the community. Both parties are dedicated to providing excellent education for the students of the school.
We need your help.
Introduction
When visiting the GVNFA projects in Kenya in April 2009, Cassandra Treadwell,
Executive Director Global Volunteer Network Australia (GVNFA), asked the directors
of the orphanages what they most wanted from us. The answer was always to
educate the children.
After the 2007 Kenyan elections more that 80,000 Kenyans were displaced from their homes in western Rift Valley as a result of inter tribal violence. These IDPs were originally accommodated in the Nakuru show grounds and provided with United Nations Commission on Human Rights’ tents. The Kenyan government provided each family with KSH 10,000 ($AUD 120) to relocate to their homeland. However the IDPs did not feel safe returning to their land. They accordingly pooled the government contribution, split into groups and bought land around the Nakuru area.
There are 6700 IDPs residing in 16 acres of land at the Pipeline camp approximately 3 hours Northwest of Nairobi. These people are incredibly motivated and organised. They have divided the property into 110 plots of 21 x 24 feet, one for each family in the camp. Many families have teamed up, residing in one tent and using the other plot to grow food. The IDPs are in the process of building houses on a ballot system and have found a donor who has built a medical clinic for the area.
The IDPs want to become self sufficient. They are sourcing soft loans in order to re establish the businesses many of them held in their old lives. They recognise the value of education for their children.
Proposed school
The Teachers’ Union have designated 5.5 acres of their land that borders on the
edge of the Pipeline IP camp land specifically for a community school.
After meeting with the Kenyan Government in September 2009 we now have Government support for the proposed school and they will fund qualified teachers and contribute to the building costs with a commitment to attempt to supply water and electricity to the site. GVNFA is looking to build five classrooms each year to accommodate 200 standard one children each year for eight years until the entire primary school is completed.
Funding
Each classroom will cost $AUD 13,516.00 in materials and labour. The Pipeline community will provide the labour asking for KSH 20 ($AUD 0.30) per day per labourer in food. In the first year we will also need to construct a kitchen, toilet block, administration block/library and a fence for the perimeter of the land. Accordingly funds needed immediately are:
- x5 fitted out classrooms @ $AUD 13,516/room = $AUD 75,000
- Library/administration block = $AUD 26,296
- Toilet block for 200 children = $AUD 9,426
- Kitchen = $AUD 19,556
- Fence = $AUD 13,145
- TOTAL = $AUD 113,530
Your payment will be submitted via PayPal's secure server. PayPal is one of the longest established companies in eCommerce world wide today. They will process your payment on behalf of GVNF Australia and send you a receipt.
To set up a child sponsorship, you will need to create a PayPal account - this is a straightforward process, which will be initiated after you select the sponsorship option.
If you don't have a Paypal account and are based in Australia, you can download this PDF to set up a direct debit to GVNF Australia.
