Background

HSK has been aware for a long time that whilst primary education is vital, there are few opportunities for children in rural areas who do well at this stage to progress to secondary education. For example, the nearest day secondary school to Kahuho Primary School is 18 kilometres away, and a 1000 foot climb; the majority of our schools are even further afield. Boarding school fees are prohibitively expensive, so most children stay within their villages. Demand for secondary education is such that some pupils will walk for up to three hours – six hours per day - to go to school.

We are meeting the demand for affordable day secondary education by founding Ngecho Secondary School. Ngecho is situated on the main road between Gilgil and Nyahururu, about 16kms from town. Within an 8km radius there are thirteen primary schools.

What HSK has done

Thanks to one extremely generous donation we have now completed the first phase of construction at Ngecho. On 29 January 2006 we admitted 81 students from 16 local Primary schools to Form 1 (the first of four years of secondary education in Kenya). Of those 81 students, around 60 would not have been able to afford boarding school fees. At the end of term exams in August 2006, Ngecho performed better than a nearby National School that is able to select its students on merit from anywhere in the country. In January 2007 we admitted a further 76 students; the school is now firmly established.

Ngecho Secondary School is a phased project over the next five years and as the student population grows each year, the buildings must keep pace. We have now completed four classrooms, one of which is acting as a temporary staffroom and administration block; two science laboratories have been built, one of which has been fitted with water, gas and wiring for electricity (which will arrive later in 2007). The lab benches have been built with hardwood surfaces, which should last at least forty years; Ngecho’s science facilities alone place it in a different league from any other secondary schools in the area and will act as a model for future projects.

Future plans

The next phase is to build a new classroom block and an administration block with a library, to install a hydram (a water pump powered only by air and water pressure) in a nearby spring, and to build sufficient and suitable lavatories. We also need to keep an eye on providing text books and desks for the upcoming Form 2.

NOVEMBER 2007 UPDATE: The new four classroom block is going up rapidly and should be ready for January or at least for the new February intake. Work on the toilet block and cesspits will begin shortly.

HSK has also set up a bursary fund to ensure that bright but poor students who are unable to afford the school fees are able to complete secondary education. The prime factor for poor educational attainment in rural schools is lack of attendance. Ngecho charges annual fees of £125, including uniform, books and lunch, which makes it the cheapest secondary school in the area, and it allows parents to spread the cost over the year. Nonetheless, around 40% of its pupils are still unable to pay the fees. The bursary fund will ensure that even the poorest families are able to send their academically gifted children to secondary school.

> Please make a donation to help us continue our work at Ngecho