This week has been fast and action packed but fulfilling and full of commitment by all involved.
The NAROK Rotary club has been a wonderful hosting club to Asante Africa Foundation and the Danville Sycamore Rotary partnership . they have assisted in full force by visiting the school site, facilitating building estimates for the International Grant that we would all like to see come to flourish ion .
First a bit about the school that the Rotarian team and the asante Africa Foundation Team visited.
Nchaishi Nursery and Primary School (South Narok — Maji Moto region) — Head Teacher — Joseph Timayio Tikani
Nchaishi, is a small Maasai village in the South Narok — Maji Moto region, 3–4 hours from the nearest “town” of Narok. This community is tremendously needy and in a difficult to reach region (due to elephant migration and flooding throughout the year). The roads leading to this village are river beds. This local government school is struggling to educate over 250 children from Nursery school to Standard class 8. The school presently has 6 areas for teaching the 7 classes, which includes a kitchen converted into 2 classrooms and a teacher’s house converted into 2 classes. In spite of the hardships, these children are truly happy, engaged and learning. This is attributed to the leadership philosophies of the Headmaster — Joseph Timayio Tikani, who is a dedicated young man with vision, a strong spirit and fierce determination to educate these children for a better life. He along with his meager teaching staff are exceptional. Exactly the type of local leaders Rotary and Asante Africa believe in supporting as a community leader.
Second: the Need of Nchaishi Primary School
1) Desperately need for a water source ( including a power source to run the pump and longer term additional school power) in order to keep the children coming to school and the ability to feed them
2) Renovated classrooms so that the kids can be moved out of the kitchen structure and the small store room in back of the school
3) School materials for the classrooms — desks, books, chalk, paper, for the existing student population
4) Toliets for children so they will continue to come to school as they get older ( particularly the girls)
He laughs because the teachers have to take turns talking because they disrupt each other — -as the class 2 is on the other side of the makeshift wall.
Currently the girls are beginning to drop out of school due to lack of sanitation and ability to take care of themselves as the start to hit puberty.
With adequate toilets this problem can start to be managed better.
THIRD: THE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT IS REACHED
After a day of touring the site and lots of internal discussions, the Narok rotary is in agreement that this project is exactly the type of project that they are willing to rally around. And the agreement is that they will facilitate and do what is needed in narok to do it with high quality, with efficiency and with the Rotarian spirit.
All of us were very excited about signed agreements and documents to signify moving forward.
This week was very memorable for all involved but I think I can speak for all of us that we created new bonds, we rallied behind a cause that we can immediately see the need, and we know that with our common vision and shared talents that we can make this project successful.
