Osimlai Gifted Hands School is a school set up by the Kenyan organization Osimlai in a place 45 minutes away from the nearest school, Paranae Primary School (that’s how long it takes an adult to walk there). It was made possible by several American friends supporting Osimlai’s organization, as well as by Phillipa herself, a retired teacher who sold her own cows to finish the school. Three corrugated iron rooms and a concrete floor may not seem like a good learning environment to a European, but in rural Kenya, it was a high standard. The organization managed to obtain chairs and tables, as well as a tank for rainwater and other products. They were donated by residents or organisations operating in the region. The school started its activity in January 2012 and obtained the statute of an educational institution in March 2012.
Osimlai Gifted Hands School
In the meantime, we have built many more classrooms – first with brick and finally with stone blocks, and we have hired additional teachers. Currently there are 12 teachers working in three kindergarten classes and eight primary classes. We built and furnished rooms for teachers who used to take about an hour to get to school. We bought solar panels, connected the school to the power grid and a well. (Learn more about our accomplishments at Achievements to date) We systematically purchase school supplies, retrofit classrooms with desks, chairs and bookcases.
The school employs a professional cook (a requirement of the Ministry of Education). Every day the children have two meals. Around 10:30 oatmeal (called Uji) a mixture of several kinds of flour. Around 12:30 p.m. lunch. The menu is arranged with a doctor from the hospital in the nearest village – Kajiado who is in charge of advising on this .
Once a year the children have a check-up. A doctor and his assistant come to the school and examine, measure and weigh all children. If the doctor appoints malnourished or sick children, we go with them to the hospital on an appointed day, where they are included in the Unicef project and the school gets plumpy nut paste for them, which is distributed in the school as directed. In more complicated situations, we consult the doctor’s recommendations/concerns with the parents and try to support them financially by buying necessary medications or paying for tests and treatments. The school is a private institution. This means that teachers’ salaries and other needs are covered by tuition payments.
Monthly school expenses:
- Teacher payouts: 77 000 kes ~ 3 000 zł
- Paychecks for cook, matron, school bus driver, bookkeeper, watchman: 38 000 kes ~ 1 500 zł
- Water (17 000 L): 30 000 kes ~ 1200 zł
- Brushwood/Firewood: 1 000 kes ~ 39 zł
- School supplies/accessories: 15 000 kes ~ 1 350 zł
- School maintenance/repairs/purchases: 5 000 kes ~ 200 zł
- Food: 56 000 kes ~ 22 000 pln
School tuition and board, fees.
Children supported by the Olmaoi project: 200 kes (parents) + 700 kes (foundation support) = 900 kes
Children paid for by parents: 600 kes
School meals are paid extra. Due to the often very poor financial situation of parents, they do not pay for food. All the costs are covered by our foundation.