I've helped build a refuge for girls escaping FGM and a dormitory for the boys - now it's the girls’ turn again.

Sister Clemencia is a Franciscan nun who has dedicated her life to helping disabled children who are often marginalised by society. She was given some land and started a small mainstream school with a special needs unit attached. The disabled children board at the school as many can’t manage the journey to walk there, but dorms were extremely basic (metal sheets and mud floors). Her vision was to build a school which will meet the needs of the disabled children, offering them warmth and security and a place where they can learn. Teachers had to sleep in the same dorms as the children, resulting in a high turnover of teachers due to this. She currently has around 30 children at the school, however this will increase as this will be the only disabled school in the region. Mission Direct have worked with Sister Clemencia for a few years now to build facilities that will help these children get to – and stay in – school. In 2016, Mission Direct teams completed the new dormitory and toilet block after previously supporting the dig of the community well. Volunteers have also helped to get a water tank installed at the school, have built a cowshed and concreted floors. This year we will be building a dormitory for girls, enabling them to have full-time access to education.