Together We Learn is building three new kindergarten classrooms at Kebele 20 school. The school currently has old, dark and weather exposed classrooms to teach 120 pupils. The new classrooms will upgrade their learning environment to bright, safe and inspiring spaces to give them the best start in education.

Securing match funding

They have already raised £17,000 that will fund the construction of three traditional build mud and wood classrooms. However, they now have the opportunity to partner with a local organisation, who will mobilise local voluntary support and match fund up to £28,000 so that the classrooms can be built in concrete.

Concrete means the classrooms will be more sturdy, weather proof with bigger windows and serve the school for decades, providing a bright and safe space for young children to learn. Together We Learn are trying to raise £11,000 to secure the match funding so that they can build three new concrete classrooms for Kebele 20 kindergarten pupils.

Situation

The existing classrooms at kebele 20 school are old, damaged and inadequate. The mud plastering on walls is worn away, leaving gaps in the wall that let rain, dust and animals in. There are only two windows per classroom so it is always dark. 120 local children use the kindergarten but many miss class or don't enrol because of the state of the classrooms and miss out on valuable early childhood development.

Solution

We will construct a block of three new spacious, bright and stable classrooms for the school. We will furnish the classrooms with furniture, matts and learning materials to provide an age-appropriate and empowering environment for the children to develop a love for learning from the outset. We will engage the local community to contribute to the project to ensure community ownership and to promote enrolment in the kindergarten to boost early childhood education locally.

Aims

Provide a safe and inspiring learning environment for children aged 3 to 7 through the construction of three new classrooms

Create positive feelings and a love of learning from the start by providing age-appropriate, safe and resourced learning environments for children.

Improve long-term educational outcomes for over 120 pupils through positive engagement in early years education.

Improve attendance rates at Kebele 20 pre-school with inspirational classes and resources, and through community engagement.

Increase the number of children enrolled in pre-school education in Azezo.

Impact

The period from birth to eight years old is one of remarkable brain development for children and represents a crucial window of opportunity for education. Providing positive early childhood education at Kebele 20 creates the foundation for emotional wellbeing, lifelong learning and learning abilities, including cognitive and social development. Well-established research continues to emphasize the importance of early childhood education as an essential building block of a child’s future success.

Reporting

Baseline data will be taken from Kebele 20 school for current kindergarten attendance. We will also collate children and carers experiences of attending kindergarten and their perceived barriers to education from the local community. These measures will be repeated, alongside subjective feedback opportunities, 3 months after the building is handed over, and again at 1 year.