DAGO KOKORE PRIMARY SCHOOL
OCTOBER 2007 VISIT
Kisumu, Kenya
We have been helping at Dago Kokore Primary School for several years, first with the supply of a water tank and some teaching aids, then for a whole new infant school (Early Child Development Centre), and also renovations a materials for the primary school class rooms.
Above: the infant school unit that we built at dago Kokore in 2005.
The school. The main primary school building is the long one at the top. Just to the left (adjacent to the upper left boundary in yellow) you can see the four rooms of the ECDC block being built! The buildings at the left are the local secondary school.
Photo Google.
We heard from the school (6 September)
Hi Rod,
How are you? We are fine at Dago Kokore. Sorry for the long silence, it was just because I was administratively putting management in order. I organized for the school management committee a training seminar on how to manage and prepare comprehensive reports of the projects going on at school.It was successful and there is now more knowledge in the committee members. Zadock retired this August 2007 and his Deputy managed to the Head teacher of Dago Kokore. He has realy helped us in the current improvement.
We conducted an Education Day on 27th July 2007 to award good performing pupils and teachers as motivation; it was very good.God has protected us and the school is now performing so well. You requested me to forward for you how I could use the funds in the Kenya account. In our strategic planning (I think I sent for the list of priorities we had discussed in the meeting). The planned activities were put in 2 phases. Here below is the cost of phase 1 activities with the most prioritized projects"
"The phase 2 project shall be done after the successfully completion of phase 1. The phase 2 includes renovating of classrooms and electricity extension to other classes.
We pray for and your family for the activities you have been performing to help the needy. May God bless you so much.
Receive greetings from Dago Kokore Primary School.
Regards to your wife Gay and the rest of your family
Yours in faith,
Harrison Otieno
This year we received requests for funds to cover:
| A new 3 cubicle toilet block to replace the one that subsided and fell down |
Ksh.69,865/= | £514.91 |
| Hardcore to the approach path to the school This path is extremely muddy when it rains, and the children were slipping and falling. (The community has also paid for half the total cost) |
Ksh.17,000/= | £125.29 |
| Repair of compound fence | Ksh.44,050/= | £324.65 |
| Deworming Programme for infant class 1 (Part payment. The local community are paying half) |
Ksh.2,000/= | £14.74 |
| Electrical wiring to staff room and classes 1 to 6 Last year we installed electrical power points and lights to classes 7 and 8 and to the offices, and also paid for the electricity supply to the school. Now we can complete the job. |
Ksh.2,000/= | £383.24 |
| Repair of gutters to part of the school & miscellaneous repairs | Ksh.16,085/= | £147.08 |
| TOTAL | Ksh.201,000/= | £1,500 |
This is phase 1 of their needs for 2007/2008
Activities during our visit:
- We arrived and had a talk with the head teacher and chairman of the school Committee
- We were greeted by the whole school, with songs
- Attended the school's committee meeting, and met all of the committee members
- We were shown around the compound by the committee, discussing their needs
- Visited the three infant classes, who each sang to us
- Visited classes 1 to 4 of the primary school
- Tea and cakes in the staff room
- Meeting with all of the teachers
- Cooked lunch in the staff room
- Visited classes 5 to 8 and introduced to the children (and they remembered who we were)
- Informal discussions with the teachers and committee
Monday October 22 2007
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We arrived at the school to be greeted by all of the children.
Here are some of the infant class children, the youngest in front. |
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The primary school buildings on the right, and behind, the Infant school which we built in 2005. |
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The school gathering for our reception.
On the left is Harrison Atieno, the chairman of the school committee. . |
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TOILET FACILITIESOne of the functional toilet blocks. The toilets are a deep pit (about 20 feet deep) with a concrete slab on the top with a hole in the floor. It is known as a "long drop". One has to squat over the hole and... well, you can imagine the rest. Frankly, they are (to us) horrible, but this is the norm for toilets in Kenya. This block will need replacing soon, as the ground has started to subside into the pit. |
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One of the toilet blocks fell into its hole this year. A pile of rubble remains. |
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The functional boys' toilet block |
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A new hole is dug for a new 3 unit toilet block.
The hole is about 20 feer deep! |
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PATH TO THE SCHOOLIt doesn't look too bad here in dry weather, but as soon as it rains, this path becomes full of water and mud. It is almost impossible to walk along (we know!) and dangerous for the little children. We are paying for a hardcore covering for this length of path to the school. The school committee took us to visit the path and point out its problems. |
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Chairman of the school committee Harrison beside the failing boundary fence. We are paying for its repair. |
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Part of the primary school, and in the foreground are some trees that
we planted in January 2006 (photo below). They have grown!
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Our infant school |
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Gay Neep beside the small tree that she planted in January 2006.
The school committee and the head teacher looks on. |
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The infant school block that we built and opened in October 2005. |
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Gay Neep and some of the committee.
The committe take a very active part in planning the school's development and the running of the school. Today we attended their meeting, and it was all smiles! |
Next: Photos of the infant children sponsored by the supporters.
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