Foundations for the future
30 March 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Like many other fourteen year olds, Mercy attends her local school. Unlike many other schoolchildren, she doesn't take this situation for granted. Mercy understands only too well not just the value of education, but of having a desk and a classroom at all.
It wasn't always this way. In 2000, when the Kenyan government implemented free primary school education, the local community in Kiambogo came together to build four semi-permanent shelters to accommodate the influx of new pupils and teachers. However, with extremely limited funds and resources - and ever-increasing enrolment - Kiambogo was pushed beyond its limit. Built from mud and recycled iron sheeting the structure couldn't withstand even the slightest rain shower, let alone the heavy rainy seasons, and the lack of proper tools and materials meant mud floors and gaping walls left children inadequately protected from the elements.
The frequency of flu, colds and coughs was high and in overcrowded classrooms they spread rapidly. Matters were made worse by the lack of any decent sanitation. Just by going to school, the health of the school's 160 pupils was at risk.
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