Why Bamburi
The founder of ACTION THIS DAY Brian McIver spent 3 months working in a school in Bamburi in 2008, where he recognised the desperate poverty in the community and the struggle for the extremely disadvantaged children to obtain primary education.
Providing help to the most disadvantaged
In June 2011 ACTION THIS DAY conducted a survey in the community in which the charity works:
- The average community member lives on 25 Kenyan Shillings (KES) per day, equivalent to AUD 0.25, GBP 0.17 or USD 0.27. The official World Bank poverty threshold is USD 1.25 per day.
- 50% of households live in one room despite having on average 6.5 members.
- None of the households have access to running water at home; 80% do not have access to power.
Read more about our community survey here: short version extended version
Freeing the children from abuse & corruption
It also became clear to Brian how vulnerable these children and their equally poor families were to abuse.
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Up to five different classes were educated in the same room simultaneously; the headmaster would fire his poorly paid Kenyan teachers when free but unqualified volunteers became available, even if only for a couple of weeks of teaching at a time; children lived in a climate of fear where the slightest mistake resulted in a severe beating. The result of such practices was that the children did not improve academically at all. A review of exam results at the end of 2008 showed a steady decline in academic achievement as children moved through the school years.
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It became clear to Brian and other volunteers that the head of the school was funneling donations provided by volunteers into his own pocket, rather than investing it in school infrastructure as promised.
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To make matters worse, Brian discovered that several children from the orphanage run by the same individual in the community, and supported by volunteers, had experienced physical and sexual abuse by the head of the school.
Giving an opportunity for a better life
After consulting with members of the local community, Brian started developing the plan for ACTION THIS DAY’s first project in Bamburi to provide the poorest children of the community an opportunity for better education and a better life.
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Over 50% of students at Kookaburra Community School, established, funded and managed by ACTION THIS DAY, come from the abusive school discussed above. The Kookaburra Community School provides these children with a safe environment free from abuse that is conducive to learning.
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ACTION THIS DAY also supports one of the orphans who was sexually abused in the orphanage run by the headmaster, with funding to attend a secondary boarding school. We also provide ongoing mentoring to this child.
Poverty and opportunity in Bamburi
Bamburi is a large district with the majority occupied by extremely poor people living in mud huts. As such it is the home to a large number of extremely disadvantaged children and orphans who would not be able to afford primary education on their own.
The Bamburi district is however also home to several large hotels on the coast that attract tourists and the area is right next to the wealthy Mombasa suburb of Nyali.
The proximity of tourists and more wealthy Kenyans offers the opportunity to create a self-sustaining project with income-generating ventures that will assist the most disadvantaged children in Bamburi:
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ACTION THIS DAY will make partnerships with Mombasa hotels to offer visits to the project for tourists. The fees paid will be used to pay for the Kookaburra Community School’s budget. Read more about our Income Generating Projects.
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By elevating the quality of education at Kookaburra Community School, ACTION THIS DAY will attract wealthier students whose fees can help cover the costs linked to the disadvantaged children and orphans who cannot afford to pay. Read more about our plans here
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