NAIROBI, Kenya (August 30th, 2021) – ChildFund Kenya is set to construct Salabani Primary School in Baringo County on a higher ground at a cost of KES. 31 million starting August 2021.

Salabani Primary School is a public primary school located in Salabani Location, Baringo South Sub- County. It is a day-only school for both boys and girls established in 1964 with class sessions conducted under a tree. In 1970, the community mobilized local resources and constructed 4 classrooms and later in 1997 acquired major support from ChildFund to construct 8 permanent classrooms, 1 administration block, 3 toilets and install 1 water tank.

Earlier this year, the floods experienced within Rift Valley Lakes, more specifically Lake Baringo and Bogoria caused the destruction of 21 school facilities and infrastructures. Classrooms, offices, furniture, lab apparatus, playfields, dormitories, beds, staff houses and sanitation facilities were destroyed as well as school farms and crops. Paths, roads and bridges linking to schools were also washed away.

One of the schools hit hardest by this disaster was Salabani Primary and ECD Centre, that remains submerged to date. A total of 163 pupils at pre-school level and 273 pupils at primary level were affected by the temporary closure of the school. To ensure children continue learning, Salabani School relocated to a new site where semi-permanent iron sheet structures were constructed. However, the temporary structures are extremely hot thus extremely uncomfortable, they are also crowded and lack adequate learning equipment e.g., desks and chairs.

To intervene and address some of these challenges at Salabani, ChildFund working with its local partner Central Rift Community Development Program (CRCDP) will construct 8 primary class classrooms, 2 ECD classrooms, an administration block, two 6-door pit latrines for primary and two 3-door pit latrines for the pre-primary section. To make the new classrooms conducive for learning the project will equip the primary level with 400 desks and pre-primary level with 170 chairs and 45 tables. The project is budgeted to cost a total of USD. 299,000. Some of the immediate outcomes expected once the project is complete are increased enrollment and transition and conducive learning environment for pupils.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony graced Cabinet Secretary of Education Hon. Prof. George Magoha and, Cabinet Secretary Labour and Social Services Hon. Simon Chelugui, ChildFund Africa Regional Director Chege Ngugi noted that natural disasters such as flooding caused loss of learning hours, loss of qualified personnel, outbreak of waterborne diseases, high absenteeism and low syllabus coverage leading to children’s poor academic performance.