Olmoti Primary School is situated In Amboseli National Park in the bush beneath Mount Kilimanjaro; the nearest town being Oloitokitok which is approximately seventy kilometres away.

The picture on the right shows the school as it was in March 2007 when we first arrived. The school was in very poor condition; even the brick-built classrooms were dilapidated; windows were broken, classrooms were insecure, walls were dirty and there were insufficient desks and educational resources even for the few children in attendance.

The classrooms pictured on the far right were inadequate and built of wood.

The school's one redeemimg feature was the children.

They impressed us. Not with their dirty, ragged clothes. Not with their unwashed bodies, bare feet and runny noses but with their happy smiling faces, their inquisitive looks, their obvious eagerness to meet us, their excited chatter, the fascination they showed when they noticed our cameras and watches. The surprise they showed when they felt our skin and realized it felt just like theirs. These were children eager to learn. They were children with potential. Children deserving of a chance in life and we had an opportunity to give them that chance. We felt privileged!

Much To Do

Although there was a dormitory, it had never been used. The toilets were in need of a complete rebuild; the kitchen was poorly equipped; teachers' houses were inadequate; the water supply had been damaged by elephants; there were not enough classrooms; staffing was inadequate; enrolment was low; there was insufficient food to feed children who were potential boarders. In short, the school was unfit for purpose and there was much to do.

At Olmoti since March 2007, Schools for Kenya has funded and built four new classrooms, a girls' dormitory, four teachers' houses, a new kitchen, a football pitch, solar lighting in both dormitories and one classroom, a children's playground and new toilets. We have also provided the school with a secure supply of water.

Since our involvement, which commenced in March 2007, the number of children attending school has risen from 40 to over 285

Click on the links below for information about our other projects or on this link: http://youtube.com/schoolsforkenya to see some of our photo diaries.