The Republic of

Kenya

New Science Labs

Global Playground’s second and third projects in Kenya are in partnership with Village Volunteers, a U.S.-based nonprofit that has supported community organizations in Kenya since 2003. In July 2019, Global Playground provided $35,000 to fund two science laboratories, staff offices, and chemical storage for the Sirua Aulo High School in Narok County. Inspired by the success of the science labs, in March 2020 Global Playground provided an additional $30,000 to complete the second floor with four additional science classrooms.

Following the successes of the Sirua Aulo Academy which has become one of the highest regarded primary schools in Narok County, the Sirua Aulo High School was founded in 2016. The secondary school is a mixed-gender boarding school serving 150 students with plans to expand to 400 students. The school provides a place to learn for a rural and mostly Maasai population that had to travel long distances to poor quality schools before the construction of the primary school and high school.

The vision of the school is to emphasize a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program to solve the complex problems of the modern world and to prepare students to be drivers of change for the future.

A New Library and Media Center

Global Playground is proud to support its second project in East Africa. In partnership with MAO Kenya, Global Playground contributed $25,000 to build a library and media center for Siana Girls’ Secondary Boarding School (SGSBS) in the Siana ward of Narok County, Kenya. The library opened in January 2018 and the media center will open once SGSBS is connected to Kenya’s electric grid.

MAO Kenya has been active in the education and health sector of Narok County for the past 16 years. Community members have identified a library and media center as one of the many needs of the Siana ward.

In rural areas of the Narok County of Kenya, the Maasai people have many children unenrolled in school especially if they are female, due in part to their pastoral tradition. Most students in urban Kenyan cities are well-versed in computers and technology, so it is imperative for rural students to gain that access to technology with the help of Global Playground and MAO Kenya.

The library and media center will be accessible to the 480 female students each year who are expected to enroll and live in the school’s dormitories. Forty percent of these students require some form of scholarship or assistance. The library and media center gives students at Siana Girls’ Secondary Boarding School the resources to better engage with the world around them.

The State of Education

In the Republic of Kenya, the school system is divided into three sections: primary school, secondary school, and university. More attention has been placed on pre-primary education because it is viewed as the gateway to primary education. English is the language of instruction in Kenyan primary schools.

Although the Kenyan government has made great strides over the past ten years in achieving gender parity in primary-level schools, over half of the girls currently eligible for secondary school are not enrolled (1).

1. Clark, Nick. “Education in Kenya.” World Education News & Reviews. (2015).