I’ll open with a letter from Stanley Musogne, Chairman of the Board of Governors at Friends Secondary School – Lusui:
I was pleased when the Principal, Mr. Newton, informed me that you and your American Friends, through the FSD, have embarked on one of the Development projects(Electricity Installation) at the School and you want to make sure that before you leave, there should be light. As the Board Chairman, I have been struggling for the last two years in consultation with the Parents, Teachers Association(PTA) in order to have this project completed but funds have been our greatest enemy. This is clearly seen in our Strategic Plan and Minutes of the BOG meetings because we had given the highest priority to the Electricity Installation Project , Classrooms, Library and Laboratory development.
I’ve been hinting at the reality for a few weeks now, and now it’s time to make things happen. After a trying process of approval, delay, denial, project proposal-rewriting, and eventual approval, I’m here to make an appeal. An appeal for $25-$100 US Dollars of your money to support the emPOWERment of the school that I’ve been working at for 6 weeks in Western Kenya. Together we are going to raise $1250 for Friends Secondary School –Lusui (FSSL) for this project, and we are going to do it on just over a week. Excited? Well, the following blog explains a bit more about the meaning of the project, the sustainability and accountability of the project, and its possible future impact on the school.
The Thirty Second Version
Don’t want to know all of the details? This paragraph is for you. (and there is a budget below for quick reference) Friends Secondary School Lusui is a high school in rural Kenya. It’s four years old, and has no electricity, library, is lacking classrooms, and doesn’t have adequate learning materials. It’s student body consists of poor students, most that are orphans or have affected by HIV/AIDS. Almost no houses in the surrounding community have electricity. In my first week, the Principal approached me about a project that they had planned to implement a learning resource center at the school and provide the school with electricity. The learning resource center has been established in a small area behind a classroom with books and a few resources, and now I am fundraising money for the installation of lights, wiring, and electrical outlets at the school. The school will raise 10% of the cost, and we will fundraise the other 90% through online donation. This development will allow students to study longer hours, position the school for future growth, and provide desperately needed facilities to the students. We will fundraise for a week, and the installation of everything within a month of the money arriving at the school.
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| The students have already been taking advantage of the Learning Resource Center, shown above. |
Here is a link to my project on the FSD website: http://www.fsdinternational.
And a direct link to Paypal donations, if the button isn't working: https://www.paypal.com/
If you haven’t already pressed the donate now button, I’ll now start the more detailed project description:
And a direct link to Paypal donations, if the button isn't working: https://www.paypal.com/
If you haven’t already pressed the donate now button, I’ll now start the more detailed project description:
The Problem- Lack of Light, Poverty, and Outdated Learning Rescources
Why does the school need electricity? Well…
- Lack of Facilities at Home- In the morning, students come to school early but must wait for sufficient light before starting their studies. At home, students often do not have electricity and must study at night by the light of a lamp or candle, provided they can afford lamp fuel. Therefore, the student’s learning time is limited only to those hours spent at the school.
- Lack of Learning Resources- During class time, the only teaching aid that teachers can utilize is the blackboard and their own voices. A learning resource center would eventually contain further teaching aides that can improve the quality of learning in the classroom, and electricity could provide an almost unlimited amount of future resources.
- Being Left Behind- The Kenyan Government has a program where is gives computers to secondary schools to increase computer knowledge and start computer training programs. But if your school does not have a computer, well, you aren’t going to benefit at all from this government program.
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| If students are able to study at home, it is usually with the aid of a small hurricane lamp. |
Community Support (I’m not the brains behind the operation)
One of my favorite things about this project, oddly enough, is that it was not my idea. It was proposed to me by the school, who had already received estimated on all costs and set up the necessary. I’m not the leader of the project, I’m just the person with the resources to obtain the required funding. This is truly a project that was envisioned by the school, planned by the school, and now only needs outside funding to make their dream a reality. If more development projects took this course, instead of dictating to people what they needed, I think less people would be suffering around the world.
Here is another passage of the letter from the Chair of the Board of Governors explaining the importance of the project.
Mr. Kurt & Friends,
This project, if completed, will help the School in many ways. For example;
1.The Learning Resource Centre you have started will bear fruits almost immediately because our Form Four Candidates will study late in the evenings and very early in the mornings to improve on their general performance.
2. Security of the School’s assets shall be guaranteed and guarded against burglaries that are normally reported on several occasions.
3. Visitors like you, teachers, Staff, BOG members, Ministry Officials and other Researchers will have ample time working on their computers and reports can be released on time. Use of a manual Type writer shall have to be phased out to pave way for the technological advancement, etc.
Therefore sir, I would like to appeal to you and your Friends through the FSD, to please support development projects at Friends Secondary School, Lusui, now and in future so that the poverty stricken students and the community as a whole can reap the benefits of your unwavering support. I would like to assure you, your American Friends and FSD that you have the full backing of the Board of Governors in the undertaking of this project.
Thank you and may God bless you abundantly.
- Stanley Imbayi Musonye. CHAIRMAN, BOARD OF GOVERNORS, FSSL.
So the support of the community is great and all, but…
Is this Project Sustainable….???
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is also yes. This biggest question that the school has had to deal with about the project has been, simply, how do you pay for the future monthly electricity bills without raising fees and driving students from school? Don’t worry, we’ve thought of that.
First, The Kenyan government allocates money for schools to help them pay for electricity. FSSL has never received such money, simply because they do not have electricity at the school. Once the money comes, it will help assist the monthly bills.
Second, we don’t have to worry too much about this project raising fees. As Stanley explains, “development projects are not pegged on any school fees adjustments upwards in order to realise their course because that may overburden the Parents. Fees adjustments will always be determined by the Government Circulars from the Ministry of Education.”
Third, if a small cost of the monthly bill gets passed onto the students, let’s say 30%, then each student would be paying about 7 cents per month for electricity. I think that is an affordable amount for something that could provide.
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| Students father for the morning assembly. |
But Who is Going to Make Sure My Money Is Going to The Right Place?
You have asked such good questions! Well to answer, 10% of the amount donated will go to the Foundation for Sustainable Development and will be used in the future as monitoring and oversight of the project. I know all of the people in FSD who work in Kakamega, and completely trust them to be accountable and fairly oversee the project. I will also work with them to handle future appraisals of the impact of the project on student performance.
Apart from that, I’ll be on the ground for the next three weeks handling funds and working to implement the project. So if you trust me, you can’ trust that you money is going to the right place.
Basic Project Plan
The project has two phases. The first is the installation of power by the Kenya Power Company. This is where KPA runs a line from the nearest power source (Across the road outside the school) to a pole that they will install near the wall of the school.
The second phase begins when the first ends, when Switch-On Electrical Services comes to the school and installs the electrical wiring, outlets, and lights in the schools.
We are going to fundraise $1250 by July 15th, when the online fundraising campaign will end. If there is more than $330 donated by Monday the 11th or Tuesday the 12th, we will pay that Kenya Power organization and start Phase 1 during the next week. Phase one should take about a week, and then Phase two will start on July 18th.
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| The students at FSSL already have the desire to learn, we are just helping them acquire better facilities. |
The Ask… Again
So what do I want from you. Well, to be precise, I would like to you to donate anywhere from $25-$100 US Dollars, donated to the link below (and above). I've already donated $50 of my own money, so we are getting closer to the goal of $1250.
And the donation link, if the button fails: https://www.paypal.com/
Any questions? Email me at berning12@up.edu, find me on Facebook, or comment on the blog. Thank you for your help.
Any questions? Email me at berning12@up.edu, find me on Facebook, or comment on the blog. Thank you for your help.
The Budget (Supplemental)
(The amount asked is higher because of the 10% that FSD will take for monitoring and oversight. )