Our very first project in the area was a nursery. It was completely lacking far and wide. When we talked to Kennedy about what kind of project would help the local community the most, the nursery was the obvious answer. There are even quite a few primary schools in the area, but a nursery was just missing. So we went for it.
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The plan was to build a total of four rooms: three classrooms and an office for the teachers. The beginning of the project dates back to 2015, when we started with a simple fencing of the site and clearing it of bushes and stones. We began the several years of digging a well, planted the first fruit trees, and started the construction of toilets.While in Kenya we concentrated on preparing the land for future construction, in Bohemia we raised money to build the main building. This soon took a few years, finally towards February 2018. So the construction of the main building could begin.
A few months later, the building had a foundation, a roof and soon after that the first serious prospective students. Thus, on January 3, 2019, nothing prevented us from starting classes and welcoming the first students at the Rael School. Three classes were opened - two kindergarten classes and a 1st grade elementary school class.
It took only a few months for the kindergarten to reach full capacity. Under the guidance of three teachers, 75 Kenyan children took their first steps towards a better future.
From the beginning, there were 23 orphans and children from the poorest families who can only attend the kindergarten thanks to their sponsors. We're trying to make education accessible to everyone. We wanted to make it possible for children who cannot afford to pay even a small fee to attend the school. It should be added here that the tuition fee is really small even for paying parents. It covers the cost of food for the children and the salaries of the teachers and support staff. It is definitely not a profit-making project. Our goal is "only" to make the kindergarten sustainable in the long term so that we can concentrate our efforts on other development projects. Thanks to the sponsors who pay the school fees of the poorest children, this goal has been met from the beginning.
Two years later, at the request of the community and parents, we decided to add another classroom - formally a 2nd grade primary school. It was a complication for the parents to have to find a new school for their children after the 1st grade. With the help of you, our supporters, we were able to accommodate them. So, two classes remained kindergarten classes and the older children started attending primary school in first and second grade. It was the two kindergarten classes that began to form further plans in our minds and gradually started a whole new chapter - the building of a primary school.