Report from BHW Field Director Following Visit

Key person: Muthui Kisau

Recent Events

The Field Director visited on the 6th October and had a meeting with the school Board. (Photo is of Francesca, a board member and the school administrator). Reports were presented, spoken to and discussed. Some major events in the life of the school were identified.

By the end of 2015 the school was in serious trouble. There were many debts all around the community and the number of students had dropped to 87. The teachers were dispirited and morale was low. They were being paid sporadically and the place was on the verge of collapse. 

A piece of land was sold and this gave them the ability to clear some debts. 

The Good News Academy in Isooni was also closed. Some of the teachers shifted to Nguluni and only a preschool was kept running. They stopped the feeding programme and changed the fee structure. It is now operating OK and they expect to get electricity installed and fit doors and windows in the near future. The community was adamant that it not fully close down as it gave them dignity and hope. This is a growing area and if they can keep it open there will be good opportunities for educating kids and creating income. 

In addition, the secondary school was closed down. 

They have now changed the school colours and uniforms and totally rebranded the school. This has been a good move. 

Water Pump Installation

A new water pump has been installed. Previously water was sold to generate income. However the inefficient, worn out pump was costing them about US$800 per month in power charges and the monthly sales were US$50! Unfortunately currently the power supply is so erratic and low voltage they can only pump at night and this severely limits the amount of water and therefore the income. A new sub-station is being worked on but they are not greatly optimistic about anything happening soon. There are huge numbers of properties being built in the area and the demand for electricity and water far exceeds the supply. 

Foundations for Farming

BHW sent a team midyear (2016) to train people in Foundations for Farming. This has been used at the school to grow vegetables. It had made a big difference over the previous three years and they are convinced that this is the way forward. However, the weather has badly affected the outcomes. It was a very dry year and they struggled to do it well in the seasonal rains. They had good crops of tomatoes. 

Clinic

They upgraded the clinic and installed a haemocytometer which has made a big difference to the income of the clinic and to the services they are able to offer. It has already been able to help the school by;
1) paying off a loan to the FOB revolving fund which they took out as part of the school recovery programme - US$700;
2) gave a donation to Good News Academy to help them get reorganised - US$500;
3) a donation to the school - US$370;
4) support to one needy student at the school - US$180 and
5) covered all the utility costs of the school.

Along with this they have commenced loan repayments of the haemocytometer earlier than planned and it is going well. The loan repayments go to the school and offset the amount BHW has agreed to put into the school. They provided a list of the monthly income and expenditure with budget projections for the coming year. 

The clinic has been refurbished with new ceiling tiles, floor tiles and painting. It now looks reasonably smart although it is still quite inadequate and needs better wash rooms, a male ward (3-4 beds) and kitchen. They will work on this over time. They currently have seven staff – one clinical officer, one medical assistant, one lab technologist, a receptionist / cleaner, a cook and a night guard as required by the Ministry of Health. Keeping staff is a major issue in a small clinic as they are always looking for higher wages and there are both private and government employment opportunities. 

Table Banking

Table banking has been introduced and is working remarkably well. Many parents who could not pay the fees are now able and there is a great change in attitudes. The programme has seen huge growth.

Nguluni Countryside Education Centre

The Nguluni Countryside Education Centre is now able to pay the staff on time, create a positive working environment for the teachers, reduce costs significantly and provide emotional and spiritual counselling for students and staff. The number of students has increased from 87 to 161. The number of children in the higher grades has increased. These numbers had dropped so low that there was a danger the government would close down the school. There are now 16 in Grade 7 so that has solved the immediate threat.  

Partnership's Influence within the Community

The response to the changes in the community has been remarkable. Many children who had been taken away have returned because the parents love the spiritual input they get at this school compared to others. 

The Isooni community is thankful that they relented about closing the Good News Academy. They have retained a foothold there and do intend to grow it again once the Nguluni situation has turned around. 

The reputation is restored and the church is now growing again as well. 

Plans for the Future

This change in direction is only one year down the track and they have made some major changes in direction. It is very impressive. However there are some things they would like to do to assist with the development:
1) They would like a greenhouse so they can grow food year round. This has the potential to greatly enhance the meals they give, reduce their costs for daily food and earn some income as well.
2) They need a generator until the government deals with the erratic electricity supply  
3) They will need to increase the size of the preschool rooms

Current Issues and Challenges

The school needs to continue to grow to remain viable. At it’s peak in the past there were 280 students but it has the capacity for 310 plus 90 in the preschool. However, for this to happen there needs to be constant leadership and supervision of the growth and ongoing assistance from outside for a period. The leadership are very confident about the future but do face some challenges:
1) The facilities are in need of repairs and maintenance, there has not been any happening for a long time and they are very tired
2) There is a need for more furniture and equipment especially as it now grows again 
3) They will need to replace the school bus (the school bus is worn out and it spent a lot of time off the road causing them a lot of issues getting the children to school. They spent quite a lot of money refurbishing it to a minimum standard. It will need to be replaced as soon as possible.)

They are, rightly, very proud of their achievements. These include; 
1) food security for the children; 
2) the ability to help some needy kids to attend school – 21 pay a percentage of the full fees and 15 pay nothing; 
3) achieve a no loan situation; 
4) growth in the number of students and 
5) spiritual growth in the kids.  

Prayer and Praise Points

1) That the Board was put in place to rescue the situation
2) That good decisions were made and implemented with positive outcomes
3) That the Board continues to provide strong direction and leadership for the school and remains a positive influence in the community 
4) That the changes would continue and be able to be built upon
5) That the resources to continue the change would be available
6) That the children are growing academically and spiritually and this is having an impact on the community and on the church

Comments

I am very impressed by the hard, strategic decisions the new team have made. Within the space of nine months they have achieved a great deal of forward movement. I commend them for this and their ability to work together for the sake of the community. They have thought about the issues innovatively and have come up with both short, medium and long term solutions. 

I think BHW’s decision to support their vision was bold and visionary. Not just for the short term but more importantly, to make the school self-sustaining in the long term. Perhaps it needed the crisis to be the stimulus for long term sustainability. It certainly appears that way right now.