Adventist community school was set up by a local church, Ongata Rongai East in Kenya, to serve the poorest children in the nearby slum. The school not only gives the children a safe place to learn, play and socialise but also provides a nutritious midday meal which might be the only meal that some of the children get that day. It also allows the parents, many of whom work “jua kali” (informal, irregular jobs), to be able to go to work and make a small income while their children are safely cared for and educated.

The school is greatly underfunded, surviving only on donations from the local parishioners and is in desperate need of renovation so it can reopen safely to the public and to current building regulations. The current temporary structure is made from corrugated iron sheets and was shared by the church on Saturdays, with the large room partitioned into various rooms and classes.

Since the covid19 pandemic in 2020 and due to in-country covid restrictions, the school has been shut down as social distancing in the small rooms would be impossible and the environment would not be conducive for learning. There is therefore urgent need for refurbishment so that the children can go back to school.

In the first phase of the refurbishment, we are looking to raise £3,000, enough to lay the foundation and help build one classroom that would cater for up to 20 children. We are working with the local church pastor, Gerald Nyarega and the project cordinator, Gideon Oenga of Ongata Rongai East church in Kenya. Gideon is a devoted father of three and a solicitor to the high court of Kenya and pastor Gerald is the district pastor who oversees the seven churches in Ongata Rongai district.

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