The need, the change-makers, the partnership and the impact
The need
To be deaf in rural Kenya can bring great challenges. Many families will believe they have been cursed if a deaf child is born to them. As a result, deaf children can be neglected, abused and stigmatised. Many don't access education. It was this problem that the Mothers' Union of the ACK Diocese of Mbeere wanted to address. With a primary school for the deaf in the diocese, they wanted to build a secondary school. With the support of a team of volunteers in the UK, known as Project Riandu Volunteers, they started building a secondary school in 2014. The school now has 80 students with basic facilities and continues to grow.
|
Key Statistics:
|
The change-makers
The Mbeere Mothers' Union identified the great disadvantage faced by deaf children in their community and set about to bring change. The Mothers' Union is focussed on Christian Care for Christian Families so making sure ALL families members are loved and supported was very important to them. The Mbeere Mother's Union are part of the ACK Diocese of Mbeere that is led by Rt. Rev'd Moses Masamba Nthukah.
Mission: To contribute to the integration of the deaf and partially deaf people in eastern Kenya by building a specialised secondary school; with particular focus on boosting employment opportunities.
Vision: To build a specialised secondary school in Riandu with capacity for 200 deaf students to fully board.
The partnership
In 2013, the Mbeere Mothers' union opened a school for five deaf students in a temporary facility as they hoped to build a school do meet the wider need. In 2014 they invited some friends from the UK to support the project. Peter Macnaughton (then an architect student) offered his architectural design skills and together with Ali Mbugua (his sister), they mobilised a team of support from the UK. The volunteers from the UK were mostly students who used their various skills, studies, passion and dedication to benefit the project and huge fundraising drive. Peter and Ali worked through the Peter Cowley Africa Trust, a UK trust fund in partnership with small-scale development projects in Mbeere and other parts of Kenya.
This team has worked collaboratively to raise funds, set-up and build ACK St Mary's Secondary School for the deaf in Riandu.
This team has worked collaboratively to raise funds, set-up and build ACK St Mary's Secondary School for the deaf in Riandu.
The impact
It started with an empty field:
In 2013, the community in Riandu gifted 8 acres of land to the Diocese of Mbeere for the purpose of building the school. This is an incredibly generous gift and amazing committment to seeing improved opportunities for deaf people. This land was bare, but the vision was big. Check out the full school site plan below:
In 2013, the community in Riandu gifted 8 acres of land to the Diocese of Mbeere for the purpose of building the school. This is an incredibly generous gift and amazing committment to seeing improved opportunities for deaf people. This land was bare, but the vision was big. Check out the full school site plan below:
Between 2014 and 2016, the Project Riandu team worked hard to get the basic buildings set up. This included running three volunteer trips over three years for UK students to work alongside young deaf and hearing Kenyans to build the school. This was a very exciting time to come together to work on something great. The teams really enjoyed getting to know one another and learning together. On site they spoke English, Swahili, Kenyan Sign Language and local Kenyan languages!
The Mothers' Union set up the school with teachers and registered it with the national government. The firtst students moved into the new school facilities in January 2015. With the amazing help from supporters in the UK, and funding from the Kenyan Government, the school have been able to build about 50% of the above plan to date.
|
Facilities completed:
7 classrooms 2 dormitories (one for boys and one for girls) 1 kitchen 4 staff offices 3 staff houses 1 library Under construction: 1 dining hall 1 science lab |
The real impact of this project is the change it is bringing for young deaf people. This school will provide life-changing opportunities for deaf children for years to come, providing skills to help them access employment and support themselves, alongside language and confidence to communicate. This empowerment opportunity is already having an impact as students leaving the school are going on to employment and further education.
The community in Riandu are very proud of this school and its high quality buildings. And deaf people are better accepted and supported within the local community. We are excited to see the ongoing change that witll come from this school.
The community in Riandu are very proud of this school and its high quality buildings. And deaf people are better accepted and supported within the local community. We are excited to see the ongoing change that witll come from this school.
Going forward
With fundraising ongoing, Project Riandu aims to provide high-quality facilities to enable the life-changing benefits of education for thousands of deaf teenagers for years to come. With the help of supporters in the UK and Kenya, Project Riandu hopes to raise the capacity of the school to 150 students.
Donations for the project will be managed by the Peter Cowley Africa Trust and the Trust will collect Gift Aid on all donations made to it for Project Riandu. To find out more, please contact Ali Mbugua.
Donations for the project will be managed by the Peter Cowley Africa Trust and the Trust will collect Gift Aid on all donations made to it for Project Riandu. To find out more, please contact Ali Mbugua.
