Asal schools plagued by bandits and rustlers become useable, one at a time

Akadil Primary school in Isiolo is located where bandits and cattle rustlers clash routinely, exposing children and education workers to risk.

With no fence, dilapidated classrooms, broken toilets and poor infrastructure, it is almost like a punishment to send children to the school.

In what appeared to be a prayer answered, Human Practice Foundation, a lobby registered as an international charity, came upon the school. Its journey of transformation began in earnest.

Patricia Muigai, the country director of the foundation, told the Star the lobby was touched by the desperate situation at Akadil Primary school, describing it as a humanitarian catastrophe that should not befall any child.

The pupils are caught in the confluence of bandit criminality, pastoralism, poverty and ethnic discrimination that makes life unbearable.

So, the Nanyuki-based lobby built some classrooms to modern standards and is in the process of shoring up the green environment, constructing a fence, sinking boreholes and rehabilitating water and sanitation resources.

“The restoration process will be a gradual journey but as HPF, we don’t do hit and run. We will walk with the school to reasonable standards to enable our children learn in a safe and humane space,” she told the Star during an interview.

Muigai said the work they are doing at the Isiolo school is replicated at three other ASAL counties, Meru, Narok and Laikipia.

The lobby was registered in Kenya as an international NGO in 2017 and has been on a frantic hunt to improve education access.

In those counties, the lobby has identified 32 schools, both primary and secondary, that it wants to support by renovating infrastructure.

Of the 32, they are active in 21 schools in the four counties where they build classrooms, sink boreholes, do lavatories and fill needs to accord the students "a better shot at life,” county director Muigui said.

The focus is not just infrastructure. The lobby also sponsors  bright students from poor households and support them throughout high school.

Once they identify the school to support, Muigui said, the lobby does holistic partnership for makeover of the school, including training of the teachers, equipping of the school and establishing an agricultural project to make school feeding programmes.

School feeding is particularly crucial in the ASALs and pastoralist areas as it maintains and increases school retention.

“Most of the children in these deprived areas tend to be in school for the meals. The once-a day meal means a lot to them because perhaps that’s all they get. So it has proven effective in retaining them in schools, with transformative effects," she said.

The organisation also trains  science teachers in select schools in digital literacy and how to use technology to deliver resourceful lessons. The training also includes senior and administrative teachers.

“We train the head teachers, their deputies and the senior teachers in administration, just to spruce up their skills. This is beside software programmes we supply to schools and the digital literacy training we give them.

She said their aim is not hit and run but a meaningful long-term engagement with the schools to help children from these backgrounds get quality education and stand better chances in life.

“I believe education it is the tool for opportunities. If we support the kids to learn in a safe and decent environment and partner with the teachers for proper equipping, then the outcome can be expected to improve.”

Muigai said the lobby partners with entities like Lewa conservancy, Masaai Mara conservancy, Kisima Foundation and Ol Pejeta Conservancy to deliver on its vision.

She said the entity has leveraged on the partnership with the entities to make children from the drought areas easily access education and adopt new lifestyles that can be sustainable into the future.

(Edited by V. Graham)